i ea

‘he month.

‘On the Eve of 1945

-By MINERVA COOPER ~~

H

wchieved major proportions
pion in every large populati
A The collection of millic
hich lifted the clothing al
i sae 3

rom thirty-five dollars to
|~ Phe contribution of th
canada’s labor movement in

Above all history will
ascist unity for victory.
-abor-Progressive Party,

ought for labor unity
pf all democratic Canadians.

fyho were ready to move in

‘aw one of the great battles
von in the victory of the
/-resident Roosevelt.

canada in 1945 and in the
vattle for victory in a period

'ictory-

~uture.

* year, and the first of many
sress and lasting peace.

ISTORY will remember th
: : e€ role of th 2
mo Sressive Party in 1944. iS <6) e Labor-Pro-

-ental projects which, under tI

and the beginning of real ac-
©n centre in Canada.

Hs Of signatures in a campaign
lowance for returned veterans
One hundred dollars.

e Labor-Progressive Party to

:chieved new stature in Can

truggle for postwar democratic ¢

History will record how the
rejecting all
within the larger national unity

It was not a struggle of unity for unity’s sake. It
vas a battle for Canada’s progress against the

a Ganada’s democratic front would give them entrance.

__ Already the pattern of the future begins to take shape.
944 has taught us that democratic coalition was neces-
pary im every nation which hoped to survive against the
nemy and of equal importance in winning the peace. 1944

~The fight for democratic coalition is the fight for

ith the enemy in the final and fiercest battles of the war.
t is the battle for jobs, homes and security in the post-
var, against those who would snatch away the fruits of

Wever will the people of this country take part in a
struggle of grander scope or deeper meaning for their
: It will succeed to the degree that conscious, in-
‘ormed fighters for progress dedicate their time, their
| nergies, their financial support to its realization.

So when we greet our friends at New Years, when
we give expression to the most cherished wishes of all
‘lemocratic people for victory and security, let us make
"he wishes harden into purpose, and the purpose into
“ction which will win for Canada a victorious, happy new

The campaign for low-cost

ne leadership of the LPP

a year when the trade unions
adian life.

record the emergence of the
oalition out of anti-

Partisan politics,

“old guard”
and take over where breaks

of the war and for the peace
democratic coalition behind

years that follow. I¢ is the
when our men will be locked

along the road of social pro-

labor Arts Guild Exhibition
Receives Govt. Recognition

Prize winning entries in the recent art exhibition “B.C.
ft Work,” arranged by the Labor Arts Guild, are going to
EB 2

he featured in- thousands of
‘ad libraries across the Dominion
y the Wartime Information
hoard. This news was contained
|. a letter from David Petegor-
icy, dizector of the WIB Indus-
ial Tmformation Division, to ‘the
Puild complimenting it on the
xhibition and the quality of the
rize winning entries and ask-
ne for arrangements to be made
br reproducing them.

| The six entries are to be re-
froduced in the March issue of

*Wallnews,” a monthly publica-

hon which features news and il-
strated articles on one side and
bosters or art work on the re-
terse side. The news Side is dis-
ilayed for a period of two weeks
md then turned over for display
€ the art work for the rest of
In the current issue,
which the WIB director sent as
2 Sample, the art work displayed
IS a painting of a convoy by a

factories, trade union centers

Geof-

famous Canadian artist,

frey Bagley.

In the letter, Petegorsky
mentions that he had shown the
photographs of the entries to
National Film Board officers and
that they were particularly im-
pressed with them. He also re-
quests biographical material on
each of the six prize winners, to
be used for publication.

Arts Guild officers are par-
ticularly enthused over this” ma-
jor recognition of the exhibition,
and of the work of B.C. artists.
‘They feel that it will supplement
the aim of the Guild ‘to encour-
age Pacific Coast artists in de-
veloping art forms native to this
part of the country and refiect-
jing the creative life of the people
especially in relation to the new
forms of economic and social
activity which have come to B.C.
during the war.

Soviet sailors on a submarine-chaser go into action as they sight enemy aircraft in the
far north. The Red Fleet is keeping the sea lanes open for vital supplies.

Conditions

in Quebec Deser
By Bob Haddow At Trai

eet

TRAIL—Brother Bob Haddow, Grand Lodge Representative of the International

Association of Machinists

the course of an exchange of
speakers between the Fast and
West.

Opening his address with an
outline of conditions in Quebec
prior to the war, the speaker
told of a province with some
three and one half million
French - Canadians, with low
wages and bad working condi-
tions. In 1930 wages of 10, 12,
15 and 20 cents for a 54-hour
week were common, even in 1944
the average rate is less than
40c per hour.

The Manufacturers Associa-
tion were advertising in the
USA “Quebec has docile labor,
the lowest wage rate in. North
America.” CCL and AFL were
branded Communists and all
who protested were Communists.
The Padlock Law was in force,
with a penalty of two years im-
prisonment for removing a pad-
lock without permission of the
attorney general. Police, press
and the state were against all
attempts to organize the hope-
lessly exploited workers. The
Catholic Syndicate split any
Union that did get a start.

With low wages and poor liv-
jing conditions, infantile mortal-
ity was at a ghastly figure.
Deaths of 75.9 per thousand in
Quebee against 45.6 in Ontario.
Three Rivers had the fifth high-
est death rate of arly town or city
jn the world. In Lachine one out
of three infants died in their
first year; tuberculosis was
rampant. In such an air of pov-
erty and misery the sinister force
of fascism found fertile soil.
Areand and his party were able
to convince many that their
troubles were due to the Eng-
lish capitalists and Jews, and
that it was an Imperialist war.

ADVANCES IN WAR YEARS

During the war years great
advances have been made. The
trade union is bringing a mutual
understanding between French
and English, and is still fighting
for equal wage rates. If the
trade union movement-had had
the support and cooperation of
the government, they could have
won the whole province for the
war effort,” as they did in the
industrial areas. Brother Had-

(AFL)

addressed a public meeting at the Trail K. of P. Hall
on December 7, speaking under the auspices of the Workers’

Educational Association, in

[dow cited the incident of an in-

dustrial plant, where a big shop
was given a quota of $15,000 im
one of the first Victory Loan

drives. This quota, he believes,
was given on the theory that the
workers were anti-war and would
not contribute much. The man-
agement and the Union Shop
Committee got together on the
matter and in the first day of
the campaign the quota was
nearly doubled and before the
campaign was finished $150,000
was raised.

UNIONS BRING HOPE

Today this new force of union-
ism is bringing hope and better
conditions. Quebec was essential-
ly an agricultural province be-
fore the war and the empire of
the great textile trust. But now
war industries have grown up,
employing thousands of work-
ers. In shipyard and factory
unions are well established, and
im War industries have been able
to gain. almost equal wage rates
with other parts of Canada. Que-
bee has the largest aluminum
plant’ in the world, the largest
shell fillmg plant in the empire,
and a*tank plant second to none.

During the four years of the
Liberal government in Quebec,
due to the efforts of organized
labor, considerable progressive
labor legislation was passed;
compulsory education, women’s
franchise and old age pensions.

The speaker went on fo show
how the unions had led the way
to an “all out’ war effort. The
biggest obstacle was the low
wages, but)despite the difficul-
ties, they have done a good job.
The aircraft workers of Quebec
have a higher output than On-
tario. Strongly organized, they
had a labor-management commit-
tee five months before the first

one was established in the USA.
The speaker stated he considered
labor-management committees
an essential, both now and in the

postwar period. He went on to

say that #rench-Canadians were
as patriotic as any other Cana-
dians.

He predicted the Canadian

trade union movement would
have as great an influence in
the election of progressive mem-
bers to the next federal parlia-
ment as the trade union move-
ment did in backing Roosevelt
in the United States, and the re-
actionaries would go down to
defeat.

GLIMPSE OF FUTURE

In a glinipse into the futu->
the speaker showed the possibii—
ties for full employment. There
is a housing: shortage across the
Dominion. Montreal alone could
keep its building trades busy for
the next 10 years supplying the
necessary housing. Farms in
Canada had no running water or-
plumbing facilities. Luxuries of
yesterday are necessities today,
everyone should have a ear,
washing machine, radio, and so
on. By raising the standard of
living in India and China huge
markets would be opened up.
World unity and cooperation
‘would be necessary with an ex-
tension of some form of the
present “lend lease” program.
To go back to the pre-war sys-

tem would bring chaos and dis-~-

aster. There is no room today
for the economy of scarcity. Can-
ada is a link in the chain and it
is up to labor to shape the world
of tomorrow.

Brother Haddow received a
great ovation on the completion
of his address and was accorded
a very hearty vote of thanks.

2303 HAST HASTINGS

HASTINGS EAST CLUB, LABOR-PROGRESSIVE PARTY

New Year’s Eve Frolic

OLYMPIA HALL — SATURDAY, DEC. 30, 9 P.M.

ADMISSION, $1.00 EACH

ed