PEOPLE’S VOICE FOR PROGRESS No. 15. 5 Cents Niles lie, Vancouver, B.C., Friday, February 8, 1946 _gymen carry signs and lead the line of striking mem- of United Electrical Radio @% Machine Workers (CIO). Canada A Haven or Murderers ? ~s Canada to become a haven for pro-fascist exiles and aational murders? This is the question that democratic ‘dian citizens will be asking when they hear that Elie tt, recently overthrown dictator of Haiti and his family aking up residence here. lowing the Kurt Meyer ont, this report carried with ses of the honored guests ionday’s Vancouver dailies d arouse the indignation of 7 Ganadian. cording to an article by a Simon, in the New York ser, Lescott was directly re- sible for the death of the nationally famous Haitian qunist, Jacques Roumain. suspicion is that Roumain, died the morning of Aug. 944, was actually poisoned escott’s orders. Lescott fear- nd hated Roumain, the story on, He had. banished him fexico in 1989 under guise iplomatic appointment. But ugust 18, 1944, Roumain re- ed to Haiti and told Lescott he intended to stay. Rou- ’s tesignation was never iowledged, for on the follow- day he was dead. 2 lad been well the night re. On the morning of the | tenth he arose, visited sev- newspapers, had several KS With a variety of ac- | quaintances. Any one of these could have slipped a lethal dose in Roumain’s glass. At 1 p.m. he had a sudden cramp. At 3 p.m. he was dead. Henri Rosemond, Haitian Democratic leader stated, “It was common knowledge in_ the democratic underground that Lescott had ordered Jacques de- Btroyed by any means since he refused to remain in exile. Haitian democrats are asking that Lescott be refused asylum in Canada and that he be extra- dited to face trial in Haiti. Canada must not become an asylum for international politi- eal criminals. The ease with which these murderers can enter our country contrasts vividly with the obstacles facing anti- fascist refugees. Lescott must not be granted the protection of (Canadian resi- dence in order to escape the con- sequences of his heinous crimes against the Haitian people and the murder of Roumain. De- mand that Lescott be extradited to face these charges. C.A.S. The real estate sharks are figuratively sharpening their teeth, and all the big and little landlords who are exploiting to the limit their city slum properties are flocking for the expected kill, as a result of the important test case now be- fore the British Columbia courts involving the legality of the federal order-in-council freezing evictions. : The issue came to the front last week when J. G. Walker, emergency shelter administrator, countermanded an order for eviction served against Mrs. Bertha Dupuis of 173 West Third Avenue. The matter came before the Supreme Court this week when the landlord, J. Bachand. ap- plied to have the sheriff show why he did not obey the County Court order to evict Mrs. Du- puis. Importance of the case from the point of view of those pro- perty owners who want both the eviction “freeze” and rental con- trols lifted was indicated Tues- day when ‘it came before Mr. Justice Wilson: in Supreme Court. Court chambers were packed with lawyers and ob- servers from such groups as the Associated Property Owners and the Real Estate Exchange. Justice Wilson himself empha- sized the nature of the proceed- ings when he granted a week’s adjournment to Dugald Don- aghy, K.C., in which to go into the orders-in-council and regu- lations which the Emergency Shieliter Administration says gives it the right te suspend eviction orders. “This is about as grave a mat- ter as you have ever had to ar- gue, Mr. Donaghy,” said Justice Wilson as he granted the re- quest for a week’s adjournment. The Supreme Court arbiter was not exaggerating. For on the outcome of the case rests the whole future of both rental control and eviction freezing regulations. Legal counsel for the property owners are argu- ing that the eviction freeze con- flicts with the Landlords and Tenants’ Act. If they can Make that claim stick. they will have their foot in the front door of every tenant in B.C. and across Canada, and a full-scale offen- sive against rent ceilings wil follow automatically. Background of the Dupuis case indicates to what lengths some landlords will go in evict- ing tenants. Mrs. Dupuis, a widow, has been paying her rent by money order. Early this fall the landlord, J. Bachand, in- formed her he had not received the rent for June and July. Checking with postal authorities in Ottawa, Mrs. Dupuis found Contmued on Page 2 see EVICTIONS NIGEL MORGAN nited Action Planned On Labor Demands At Jpening Victoria Session Wolves Will Pounce lf lest Case Stands A united AFL-CCL-Vet- eran lobby will converge on Victoria sometime early in March to press for adoption of legislative proposals placed before the provincial gov- ernment by a joint delega- tion two weeks ago. Fur- ther evidence of the growing unity between the two labor councils and the veterans’ organization was clear as R. K. Gervin, Secretary of the Trades and Labor Council, announced that letters had been sent to all AFL affili- ates to elect representatives to the mass delegation, and it was revealed that repre- sentatives of both councils had met with veteran spokes- men to arrange details of the lobby. Details of labor's legisla- tive program were presented ‘to the Provincial Government at Victoria by a smaller dele- gation representing both labor organizations late in Janu- ary, and followed a year in which joint action by the two labor organizations ‘had re- sulted in many _ successes, with growing. cooperation from veteran bodies. Gervin, addressing the regula Trades Council meeting, urged delegates to return to their or- ganizations and proceed with Continued on Page 8 see LABOR LOBBY Unions Plan Shipbuilding Week - Condemn CPR Leaders of West Coast shipyard unions this week con- demned the announced decision of the CPR to grant for two coastal passenger ships to shipbuilding interests in Scotland. Announcement of contracts followed closely on the heels of rejection by the Shipbuilders’ Federation of plans by organized labor to conduct a province-wide cam- paign to bring new contracts to B.C. yards, designed to lead to permanent establishment of a major shipbuilding industry in this province. The shipbuilding campaign, al- ready supported by members of parliament, civic officials, and trade organizations. in Victoria, Vancouver and Prince Rupert, pointed to a province-wide “Shipbuilding Week.” During this week the great contributions of the industry to the war ef- fort and the need for shipbuild- ing as an integral part of a ctable post-reconversion economy were to be dramatized and very widely publicized. Rejection of appeals and pub- lic pressure by the CPR is seen as indicative of the callous dis- regard of the giant transport company to the economic needs of Canada. Rejection of the union program for a shipbuild- ing campaign by the operators is seen as unwillingness on their part to place the economic needs of British Columbia above nar- row personal interest. Garry Culhane, secretary of the Shipyard General Workers’ Federation, told P.A.: “The shipbuilders’ response to our ap- . peal for a_ shipbuilding ‘week campaign indicates that only mass public pressure will secure the measures necessary for the establishment of the industry as — a permanent part of the prov- inece’s economy. Labor is inter- ested in and sees the industry as Continued on Page 2 see CONTRACTS