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PEOPLE’S VOICE FOR PROGRESS

Published every Saturday by The People Publishing Com-
pany, Room 104, Shelly Building, 119 West Pender Street,
Vancouver, British Columbia and printed at East End
Printers, 2303 East Mastings Street, Vancouver, British
Columbia. Subscription Rates: One year $2, six months $1.

Editor Acsociatelditor
G. A. SAUNDERS. MYER SHARZER

National Unity

ae HE left wing labor ‘movenient, led in Canada today by

the JLabor-Progressive Party has led the fight against
Fascism ever since its inception. From the time that fascist
aggression first raised its ugly head in Manchuria, to Italy's
~ attack on Ethiopia, the combined attack on Spain, the Munich
sell-out, our party has been the foremost in mobilizing all
efforts, in calling for the unity of all freedom-loving people
for the defeat of fascism. f

We have been foremost in the fight for an all-out war
effort at home.

In the 1942 plebiscite our party took the lead, without
equivocation, in the fight for a yes vote.

We called continually for the United Nations unity, fin-
ally achieved at Teheran, which has resulted in the all-out
coalition warfare now crushing Nazi resistance.

And if to-day, it is proven conclusively that conscription

is the only way of ensurting sufficient reinforcements to keep
our armed forces up to strength for the final effort in order to
bring speedy victory, -we will wholeheartedly support and
endorse such action.
j However, we believe that the decision is serious enough
that it should be made on the basis of a factual review of
the evidence before parliament, and not on the basis ofa Tory-
led attempt to gain narrow partisan advantage.

Canada’s war effort is recognized as stupendous. The ac-
complishments in the field of war production have outstripped
our wildest pre-war dreams, whilst our armed forces serving
overseas far exceed the last war’s total.

It is true that the issue of conscription might have been

settled by bold governmental action following the mandate
given them in 1942. It is true that failing all else our fight-
ing men must be reinforced by conscription now—if necessary.
The task before us is one of preserving national unity in these
closing and vital days of victory.

Evidence of the disruptive, partisan, political nature of
the present crisis is evident in the first move of Tory House
Leader Gordon Graydon, to moye a motion that Home De-
fence Forces be made immediately available for overseas rein-
forcement on the first day of the specially called session of
parliament. This move was made as soon as Mackenzie King
had finished speaking and before the House had a chance to
hear and consider the proposals of the newly appointed Minis-
ter of Defense, General McNaughton.

It is regrettable that this situation should have arisen.
We can be critical of the vacillating government policies with:
respect to some of the war problems, but we are confronted
with an immediate crisis.

The Canadian people placed implicit faith in McNaugh-
ton as the builder of the Canadian Army. His record in the
field is unimpeachable.

In the early days of the war he stood for aggressive total
.. War and was foremost in the demand for a second front, as
the speediest means of crushing the axis powers. These are
the actions of a man of courage and initiative worthy of sup-
port and trust in an emergency.

Which is the policy? To follow the lead of those whose
greatest contribution to the war effort has been criticism and
obstruction—the Tories who. have forced the fight on the
comscription issue purely for political advantage. Or to join
General McNaughton in a reasoned attempt to solve the prob-
lem without forcing a national crisis.

As we go to press the decision of the specially called ses-
sion of parliament is not made. Let us hope it is arrived at
after a sober analysis of the facts and possible consequences.

If Gen. McNaughton’s investigations, and his efforts to
procure reinforcements by the voluntary method prove un-
successful, be will have the courage to so inform parliament,
in which case it may be necessary to taka action on conscription.

This Week by Fergus McKean

E issue of conscription is now before Gan-

ada’s Parliament. As was to be expected the
Tories have, at the time I am writing this col-
umn, already moved a motion “that all trained
troops in the Canadian home defence army be
dispatched for reinforce-
ments overseas.” Whether or
not an immediate election
will be called on the issue re-
mains to be seen. [If at all
possible the Tories will force
an election on the issue re-
gardless of the consequences.

The position of Premier
King is equally clear. In
his letter to Colonel Ralston
of November 3 he stated, “I
can think of no course of ac-
tion fraught with greater
danger to our war effort—
to say nothing of the unity and strength of Can-
ada today and for generations to come—than
a general election at this late stage of the war
on the conseription issue.”

Premier King here raises three dangers that
could arise from the introduction of conscription
at this stage of the war: Possible weakening of
the war effort overseas through the introduction
of conscripts into a volunteer army, national
disunity and possible strife within Canada at the
most critical period of the war and national dis-
unity during the postwar period. .All of which
are extremely serious questions.

LAN MORLEY, associate editor of the Vancou-
ver News-Herald, in a news dispatch from
Ottawa places the danger of internal strife aris-
ing from the introduction of conscription even
more bluntly by stating: “. . . . conscription can-
not be imposed upon Quebée without coercion
which will amount practically to open civil war.”
However, the dangers to both the war effort
and to the national unity which could arise from
the introduction of conscription have received
secant consideration from those Tory elements,

a

- Tories Force the |
In Spite of Con

who have forced fhe Issue to @ head.
only true among the civilian populati
within the ranks of the armed fore
cent-action of ranking army officers
cific Coast is a case in point, This ¥
time in the thistory of the Canadian
service officers have gone on record
disagreeins- with government policy |
ister of defence under whom they se
officers are expressly. prohibited fron
cussion of government policy.

ie IS astounding the number of ot}

gressive minded public men who

- completely overboard on the issue of ¢

people who. if they have given cons
the possible results of introducine ¢

~ have not voiced them. Elmore Philpot

commentator and Vancouver Sun colup
“I do not believe that there will be ¢
from all Englishspeakinge Canada w
apologists for the zombie system of -
and a split country.”

What Mr. Philpott fails to con:
probability of a much deeper split
country and the army if conscription ix
That is why he goes off the deep en
that if an election is called on the j
“yote Conservative for the first time s

[Yee patriotic Canadian will ag

inforcements must be provided fi
overseas. The question at issue is: H
best be accomplished ?

It is to be hoped that Canada’s el]
sentatives in arriving at a decision w
ous consideration to all angles of the
cluding the final statement of the Pr

_in his letter to Colonel Ralston: “Uz

parent that conscription for overses
necessary to the full support of Gan
overseas, and that its application wot
fective, the government would not be
taking the risk of widespread national

City Af f airs By Elgin Ruddell - —

| LEDSLSUENET Buscombe and his committee on
' housing have stalled again on a low-rent home
building program for this city. This question is
almost as regular as the committee meeting

itself. Every second Monday

the Council meets in hous-
ing committee and nearly
every meeting since last
March there has been some
form of a public demand for
a housing program.

The usual routine is for
Buscombe to open the dis-
eussion with a verbal blast
against the Federal govern-
ment for the release of man-
power and material and how
much better it would be for.
honest, self-respecting ent-
erprising individuals to
build their own homes. The
blasting continues and is combined with much
Waving of arms and reddening of face and neck.
At thé end of about ten minutes of this sort of

tirade nobody knows what he is talking about
and quite a number of those present have a
feeling that Buscombe has lost track entirely
of what he originally started out to say. So then,
since nobody seems to know just what they’re
at they decide to start all over again.

This is John McPeake’s cue to present the
case for low-rent housing and to urge the Coun-
cil to ACT. It’s a good sensible case, too, and

all of the councillors know in their hearts that

it is. So they hem and haw and finally steer
around “till they accept the idea in PRINCIPLE,
as long as some never-never government will
absolve them of any responsibility in the matter
by coming into our city, clearing our slums,
make our town plan, acquire our property, and
plan, finance, administer and maintain homes
for our citizens.

Housing Committee O;
Stalls Low Rental Probl

HOWEVER, indications are that
are not prepared to absolve
from responsibility in this matter
our citizenry are becoming more ¢h:
with men who are content to appr
housing in principle but refuse to
the shadow of responsibility to get
cently the Vancouver Gommittee 01
Progressive Party circularized all
and labor organizations with copies
nipee low-rent housing resolution —
for the federal government to aut
to establish a housing authority —
low-rent housing projects with feder
for such housing to be rented at .
renter’s income and for losses, if
borne by the federal government. ~
_ This resolution has been ~ befo1
Council since October 2. And the I:
to write Winnipes asking for an
Local organizations are moving fo
number of unions are inviting all
dates to state exactly where they s!
matter. Other groups are arrangii
all candidates to appear before ther
this question. The idea is-of course
who is for and who is against, and
ingly.
e |
BUS eOuEE Ss claims that there are —
under construction in the city b
being held up for lack of ‘materia
completely the fact that this avenue
housing is out of reach of the group
low-rent accommodation he uses thi
cuse for side-tracking action in th
The interesting part of this situatic
the best of my knowledge these 2601
being built by individuals for thems
they are having difficulty obtainm!
Alongside of these houses there are
being built and completed by cont
do not seem to be suffering any —
material. The secret seems to be |
contractor’s price and make sure wets
belongs to the building: contractors