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PEOPLE

Phone MAr. 6928

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Disruptionists
Ts THE CCF following a policy of planned dis-
~~ ruption in the trade union movement? The

actions of leading CCF personalities within local
unions are causing many trade unionists to seri-
ously ask this question.

Evidence of the motivation of CCF policy
was plain in the partisan attitude taken by C. H.
Millard, recognized leader of CCF trade union-
ists, with regard to the enactment of P.C. 1003,
when his wholesale condemnation was fully in
line with the later Drew attack on Family Allow-
wance legislation. This when Canadian Con-
gress of Labor President A. R. Mosher had al-
ready issued a statement, concurred in by all
Gongress leaders, greeting the legislation as a
huge forward step for labor.

This attitude of opposition has been amply
demonstrated in local affairs, the most outstand-
ing example of which is the local housing prob-
lem. The CCF offical program contains a full
housing section, recognizing the dire need and
calling for, among other things, low rental homes.
This is the program. But what were the actions
taken by the B.C. provincial* committee of the
CCF, when interested groups banded themselves
into the 5,000 Homes Committee” to gain con-
erete action on this point? At the height of the
committees activity they withdrew from par-
ticipation, deliberately sabotaging the citizens’
efforts to gain better housing.

=; In local unions an evident policy of indiscrim-
inate attack on trade union leaders and planned
disruption of union meetings has emanated from
wellknown CCF sources.

Rank and file trade unionists are becoming
increasingly disgusted with tactics that turn union
meetings into dogfights and prevent the transac-
tion of ordinary union business.

CCF tactics of thrusting their party line,
willy nilly, down the necks of all and sundry, has

resulted in the disruption of the Regional Recon-

struction Council on Vancouver Island from which
the Joint Island Labor Council, representing all
unions on the Island, has withdrawn in protest
against CCF disruptive tactics.

The story is the same all down the line. The
CCF leadership consistently oppose and disrupt
any policy which might bring immediate bene-
fit, either to the trade union movement or the

Se SS SOD Se See Sse

Published every Saturday by The People Publishinge Com-
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eS LS Se

Editor
Cc. A. SAUNDERS

Associate Editor
MYER SHARZER

workers in general. Apparently they operate on
the basis that any improvement of conditions
under the King regime lessens their chance to
garner votes in the coming federal election cam-
paign.

So they deliberately betray the interests of
the workers, disrupt trade unions and discourage
any activity designed to benefit the people. It
is apparently treason to the CCF to accept any
improvement unless it is approved by them.

e

Labor Tactics

HE question of labor’s “‘no-strike” policy

was brought to the floor of the Canadian
Congress of Labor convention in Quebec Tues-
day last, when delegates voted unanimously to
support the United Packing House Workers of
America in their demand for master agreements
covering the industry throughout the country.

The statement of Congress “Secretary Pat
Conroy, during debate on the question, as quoted

in the daity press, “For God’s sake don’t let

Labor become so timid that it is willing to place

all its weapons in the hands of those who Op-'

pose it,” "betrays an outworn concept of labor’s
weapons, and a failure to appreciate the new role
labor must play in the postwar world.

Weaknesses in present labor legislation pro-
vide excuses for those employers who, by delay,
seek to provoke workers into direct action.

Full advantage must be taken of present
legislation and every Opportunity taken to
strengthen it. Machinery for settling disputes
must be speeded up, and employers forced to meet
the just demands of their employees in the in-
terest of continued production.

The very fact that a Royal commission has
been appointed to investigate the packinghouse
situation is evidence that the weight of labor can
be brought to bear without resort to strike action.

The very objective of recalcitrant employers
during this period is to provoke strikes in order
to discredit labor in the eyes of the armed forces
and of the public in general; thus the strike
weapon becomes a weapon in the hands of the
enemies of labor and a menace to labor itself.

Far from betraying timidity, those who ad-
vocate adherence to the “‘no strike pledge,” show
a bold understanding of the solution to the im-
mediate problems of labor and courage-in their
determination to fight to carry it into effect.

olan E

By Fergus McKean

[BILNS the past two weeks the people
had an opportunity to hear at first han

Low, former provincial

’ program and policies of the Social Credit Part
treasurer of the A

Credit Government, and recently appointed N
er of that party, has been conducting an ext
B.C. with the avowed purpose of establishin:
Social Credit organization and running canc

constituencies.
In the course of his address
at the Vancouver Hotel, Mr.

Low presented his party’s posi-
tion on the major questions of
international and national pol-
icy. According to Mr. Low, the
four freedoms of the Atlantic
Charter are already enjoyed by
convicts “in any well run jail.”
He introduced a fifth freedom,
“the freedom of choice” without
which he claimed the other four
freedoms were worthless.

The four freedoms of the At-

lantie Charter; freedom from
want, freedom of worship, free-
dom of speech and freedom
from fear, correctly express the
aspirations of the great ma-
jority of mankind and further-
more constitute the chief ob-
jectives for which this people’s
War against fascist barbarism
is today being fought and won.
For Mr. Low to sneeringly re-
ject them as something already
enjoyed by convicts is sheer
demagogy.

The nebulous “freedom of
choice” the virtues of which Mr.
Low so glibly expounds is in
actuality a myth which never
has or never will exist in any
society. All citizens of a society
are obliged to recognize the
laws of that society and cannot
choose to do just as they please
either in their economic or so-
cial activities. What Mr. Low is
actually expressing, as other
passages in his speech proved,
is the desire of the most re-
actionary wing of monopoly
capital to remove all govern-
mental controls and restrictions
over their economie activities.

His position is practically
identical with that of the Tory
champions of uncontrolled “pri-
vate enterprise,’ “freedom of
the individual,” “opponents - of
regimentation,” etc., etc.

Just as the most reactionary
tories try to make the issue of
the forthcoming Dominion elec-
tion “freedom of the individual”
versus ‘socialist dictatorship”
Solon Low proclaims: “The
coming political battle in Can-
ada will be between Social
Credit, representing the demo-
eratic ideal based on the free-
dom of the individual citizen,
and state Socialism, based upon
the centralization of power and
the enslavement of the people
to the state.”

His attitude towards govern-

mental control of Canada’s war
production is expressed in the
statement: “Its efforts to cen-
tralize power in Ottawa, its
policies of compulsion and the
huge bureaucracy which it has
inflicted on the nation consti-
tute pure socialism.”

This is precisely the position
of the most reactionary isola-
tionist elements in the USA;
the Hoover, McCormick,
Hearst champions of American
imperialism.

Qn the question of interna-
tional friendship and coopera-
tion Mr. Low’s position is again

ultra reactionary. “Interna-
tionalism” says Mr. Low, “is
the cause of wars.” Referring

to the Bretton
ence on postwa
trade Mr. Low ¥
ence that the so.
conference was 7
ternational bank
the countries of
hasten the outb:
world war.

To picture the
conference, whi

world knows w:
stimulate and e1
trade, hasten the

eee
Youth

Dear Sir:

Within the ne
will probably be
tion in Canada. DB
five years that o
been at war, man
from 18 to 21 hay
responsibility a
duties of citizens
fallen upon thei
the armed: forc
universities and
These young pe
cerned about the:
the war, about
educational opp
mainly about the
has been the tesi
turity. They hay
rights of citizen
‘their contributior
tion. They have
capabilities. Thus
slogan which will
debated in youth

. and in. the schoc

“Old enough t
enough to vote.”

The Federal Gc
given full status
to members of the
regardless of age,
we feel should |
on return. to civil
lost to those unde
voting age. In GCs
berta government
vote to the 19-ye:
last provincial el
inent people as
Liberal MP, J.
Progressive Cons
Dr. S. °R. Laycoe
dent of Nationa
School Federation
Innis, €CE MP: :
labor, educational
circles have aire
the idea of the
Provincial -Govern
the vote to the 18

In the Soviet U
Argentina, Mexic
State of Georgia
franchise is give!
old citizens.

I agree with WV
Mills, Ph. D:, Sehc
Northeastern Un
-States in the “Se
tic,” of October |
the adoption or
this policy will ne:
nation’s major ills
ably damage our
However, it can bt