Page 2 — Saturday, December 23, 1944 -

Establishment of a fulltime, three man National Labor
Relations Board to overcome delays and difficulties arising
out of the present ‘cumbersome’ board was advocated by

Trades and Labor Congress

WEA Director
Denies Story

Drummond Wren, director of.

the Workers’ Educational Asso-
ciation, issued the following
statement respecting an article
appearing in Liberty magazine
recently. :

“In. a biographical sketch of
myself appearing recently in a
magazine, it was stated that
while I considered Tim Buck a
personal friend I was poison to
the Communist Party. The art-
icle concluded with the follow-
ing quotation: “They (the Gom-
munists) hate the very name of
Wren.” ;

“I wish to disassociate myself
entirely from any such opinions.
both individually and as general
secretary of the WEA. There is
no reason whatever for the in-
clusion of such statements in the
article.

“Since 1922 I have been active
in the WEA. During those 22
years my firm conviction has
been that the role of an educa-
cational movement was to pro-
vide basic educational informa-
tion so that individual -work-
ers would acquire the ability to
apply critical judgments to what-
ever issues might arise. This
has not been inconsistent with
the policy of any political group
—Communist, CCF, Liberal or
otherwise. Further. it is the
duty of a workers’? educational
organization to work with all
labor groups and individuals. ir-
respective of their particular
party affiliation or ideologies
and whenever it fails to do that
it no longer ean be considered an
educational organization.

“Having followed that policy
very closely during these years,
there has been no occasion for me
to have earned the enmity of the
Communists in Canada, many of
whom haye encouraged and as-
sisted in the furtherance of
workers’ education among the
trade unions throughout the Do-
minion as have members of the
CCF and other political parties.
This each of them has done with-
out attempting to dominate the
educational work or facilities
but have cooperated fully in
maintaining the association’s
policies—being fully cognizant
of the fact. that the association’s
usefulness is ended when it is
either controlied by any interest
or partisan group or on the other
hand ignored by any special
group. Workers’ education must
be all-inclusive.

“For these reasons it is most
evident that any statement that
I am hated for or am poison to
the Communists or any other
workers’ group or organization
is absurd. Should that happen—
and I trust it never will—my use-
fulness to labor and particularly
in the labor educational field will
have ceased.”

DRUMMOND WREN.

of Canada President Percy
Bengough at this week’s meeting
of the Vancouver Trades and La-
bor Council. Bengough was Zuest
of the Council this week during
his visit to Vancouver.

The Congress President also
discussed problems confronting
the TLC in achieving unity of
the trade union movement in
Canada and expressed TLC in-
tention of working for such un-
ity while affording all necessary
protection to affiliates who might
be affected.

The Labor Board suggestion
Was made in discussing the dif-
ficulties eneountered by the
Street Railwaymen’s Union in its
dealings with the Board this year.
“T want to say,” said Bengough,
“that there are delays before both
the National Labor Relations
Board and the National War La-
bor Board. Both boards have more
than they can handle as there
are so many applications com-
ing in which make 1t necessary to
make some changes.”

“The Labor Relations Board is
far too cumbersome. There are
too many members on it. There
is too much discussion before
they can arrive at a decision and
they are only a part-time board.
I do think it waquld be a big im-
provement if that board could be
whittled down to a three man one
and then it could move out of
Ottawa and clean up cases in
each city, provided it was a full-
time board. As it is at the pres-
ent time it is not working to any
advantage to our affiliates. It
is not reasonable that a small
affiliate should send a delegation
to Ottawa, so therefore the job
is wished upon the Congress.”

Referring to unity of the trade
union movement, Bengough said
that at present there were no ac-
tual moves on the part of the
two Labor Congresses to come
together. “It has been suggest-
ed,” he stated, “that we should
jointly approach the Dominion
Government. While some m ay
wish that, and I think we all wish
unity in the trade union move-
ment and we realize if we had
one organization we would be
considerably stronger, yet many
organizations now affiliated with
us would not agree”

Aussies Back EAM

(By Cable to Allied Labor News)

SYDNEY.—The New South
Wales Labor Council, represent-
ing half a million trade union-

ists expressed “serious alarm”
at the use of troops by the Brit-
ish government against the

Greek partisans, in a resolution
cabled to Prime Minister Chur-
chill, President Roosevelt and
Premier Stalin. The resolution,
moved by the Australian Sea-
men’s Union following represent-
ations from local Greek seamen,
described the action as “a be-
trayal of those Greeks whose
heroie resistance helped to over-
throw the fascist invaders.”

The Council also sponsored a
large public protest rally here
this week, addressed by parlia-
mentary, church and labor lead-
ers.

Just across the river from Switzerland, French Ist Army machine gunners and rifle
men hug the ground under enemy fire in this first picture of Allied action on the Rhine

Beyond the Swiss town shown in the phoro is the Ruhr.

CCFers Support Vicious Attacks 0

Irades And Labor Congress Polic

Support of leading CCF trade unionists for vicious attacks against continuance of
form of selective service and also for a scurrilous tirade against the Deepsea and Ini
Boatmen’s Union of the Pacific, whose request for affiliation was before the Council, |

tured this week’s meeting of the Vancouver Trades and Labor Council.

B.C. Seamen’s Union delegate
Gene Markey made the attacks
which received support from well
known CCFers H. Gargraves, J.
H. Irving and S. Wybourn.

The DIBU question came be-
fore the delegates in a report of
the TLC organizing committee,
presented by Clarence Herrot, re-
questing the granting of affilia-
tion to the union, which has re-
eently affiliated with the Cana-
dian Seamen’s Union, a leading
Trades and labor Congress
union. This report was endorsed
by the delegates. ,

In the discussion Markey at-
tacked both the DIBU and the
CSU, charging the latter with
creating jurisdictional strife on
the waterfront. After TLO Presi-
dent Birt Showler had ruled Mar-
key out of order on the basis
that the Council was not there to
decide jurisdictional disputes be-
tween affiliates, Congress Presi-
dent Perey Bengough, who at-
tended the meeting, spoke in
favor of granting the affiliation
and supported Showler’s stand:

Bengough gave the history of
the granting of a federal charter
to the CSU by the Congress in
1936 when the International Sea-
men’s Union had become defunct
and left the Canadian seamen on
their own. He also pointed out
that the role of Congress was to
try in every case to bring organ-
ized labor into the TLC and the
fact that a CIO union (the
DIBU) had applied for affilia-
tion gave Congress the right to
take them in, with the purpose
in mind of one national seamen’s
organization in Canada.

At this point Gargraves got to
his feet and challenged the right
of Congress to grant a charter to
a “dual union,” and enter into
a jurisdictional dispute. Gar-
graves condemned the Congress
action and proceeded to intro-

duce a confusing ‘story of juris-
dictional disputes concerning the
Painters Union as a warning
against granting affiliation to
the DIBU. =
Bengough closed his remarks
by pointing out that the position
taken by Showler was correct in-
asmuch as the Gouncil’s problem
was not to solve jurisdictional
disputes but to bring bona-
fide trade unions into its ranks,
and that the dispute was being
dealt with by the Congress and
the AFL executive. He stated
that he hoped the delegates
would vote in favor of the af-
filiation, especially because his
experience with the CSU indi-
cated that it was an excellent
organization which had not only
many signed agreements with
the large shipping companies, in-
cluding over 80 percent of the
Parks Steamships, but also have
the respect of the Congress and
the government for the way they
conducted their business.

SELECTIVE SERVICE

Particularly vicious were the
attacks levelled wholesale
against selective service by Mar-
key, supported by Irvine and
Wybourn. The question was pre-
sented by Markey in a whereas-
studded resolution, which asked

for complete abolition of the.em-

ployment system as a product of
fascism and which it said; would
lead Canada back to the days of
the hungry thirties if continued.
Among the whereases was one
Which indicated most significant-
ly the spirit and attitude of its
Supporters, in a reference to
Teheran and the Atlantic Char-
ter and what it termed as “other
forms of Utopia,” and said these
were of no use to the workers.

This stand on the historic
achievements in international re-
lationships was also evident in
the contribution of Irving who

Said that “we hear a lot of 1 |
sounding speeches on Tehe —
the Atlantic Charter and
kind of bunk,” and went o: ”
claim that these had prove
no value. : 1

Both Irving and Wy ~
stressed the weaknesses of si |
tive service and used this a -
ment as a peg on which to ft ©
the unrealistic demand for —
complete abolition. Neither ~
delegate proposed any alte =
tive plan for strengthening s:
tive service and thereby usin
in the interest of workers. |

Council President Showler: |
futed the stateinent in one |
the resolution’s whereases. w
had stated that there, was |
labor representation in the —
tem, by pointing out that 1°
Was represented on the serv ©
boards. He agreed with the
vious remarks of delegate | |
Shearer that additional. k
representation was desirable
that this was the way to
cut any wealmesses. He
cluded by saying that he felt
selective service could play |
important role after the war

WEA REPORT
Delegate Tom Parkin stz 4
that at the Workers Educati jj
Association Conference on
habilitation and MReconstruc
held last week, which he atti §
ed, the delegates there §
agreed that the system of se §
tive service should be contir ®
into the postwar with ac
labor representation not only
advisory boards but within 2
personnel itself. Im addition =
WEA Conference had recs
mended that all selective ser
personnel should be prop
trained to meet the particular |
quirements of postwar C¢0:@
tions. < ee