[ee A Published Weekly oat ROOM 104. SHELLY BUILDING 119 West Pender Street Vancouver, B.C. by the TRIBUNE PUBLISHING CO. MArine 5288 ANFSEDOEESEREUHREDOEIEBEESECUSTSDCSSELECESOROPEELORE DAS EDIEDEITSoLesee ie TRIBUNE TOM McEWEN ace “ditor IVAN BIRCHARD -. z Manager : EDITORIAL BOARD Nigel Morgan Maurice Rush Minerva Ceoper Al Parkin -Subseription Rates: 1 Year, $2.00; 6 Months, $1.00 Printed By UNIGN PHINTHES, 2303 East Hastings Street = = Wancourer, B.C. Authorized as second-class mail by the post-office department, Ottawa A\n historic convention HE fourth annual convention of the B.C. Section of the ILabor-Progressive Party will open its sessions in Pender Auditorium this weekend, November 9-10-11. Its delegate body, consisting of men and women from key areas of industry and agriculture, have a big job to do. Theirs is the task of evaluating Canadian post-war development as it affects British Columbia and mapping out policies which will assist the people of our province to attain their peace- time aspirations NOW. 2s One year ago the Hart-Anscomb Coalition government was returned to power for a second term, winning its mar- row majority in most constituencies on the basis of lavish promises, and because the progressive forces of labor and agriculture failed to find the path to that minimum of elec- toral unity which could defeat this reactionary coalition. Any realistic survey of the first year of this government's stewardship will show that on every -basic issue of social and economic progress. and peace, the Hart-Anscombe Coali- tion has demonstrated itself to be the tool and servitor of reactionary monopoly capital. On such issues as low-cost home construction, price ceiling de-control, veterans’ homes and taxation, the Coalition government has served the int- erests of big business on the spot, by the time-honored game of evasion and buck-passing between Victoria and Ottawa. Under the guise of. defending ‘provincial rights,’ this government has aided in depriving the people of B.C. of post-war social] security legislation and has safeguarded monopolistic plunder of provincial resources. In this they constitute an able third partner in the Drew-Duplessis ob- structionist axis. : All the factors for bringing about the downfall of this reactionary coalition, and replacing it with a People’s Coali- tion government exist in our province. The fear of people’s unity brought the into beins. The realization. of people’s unity can relegate it to the ashean of history. It achieved.victory on a min- ority vote. A united people’s vote can snow it under, and thus release all the forces existing in British Columbia for vital progress. “The task of the fourth convention of the Labor-Pro- gressive Party will be to evolve policies aimed to hasten the realization of post-war aspirations and break through the wall of reaction which dams back the people’s hopes for progress, security amd peace. The Pacific Tribune ex- tends a warm welcome to the convention delegates and wishes them every success in the task of blazing new trails to a better tomorrow. Political anachronism ANCOUVER is a union town. It grew up that way. The process has never been easy. Every advance union men have made they have had to fight for, and fight hard. But they have established a tradition of which Vancouver's working people may be proud. Vancouver also has another tradition, the tradition handed down from an earlier day when*® through corrupt politics a few men seized the natural wealth and the land and usurped for themselves the honor of having built the city. Their type still dominates the city hall, an anachronism in a day when labor is strong enough, lacking only the unity of purpose, to claim its rightful place. Qn the economic front, Vancouver labor has been largely united. The CMA, in spite of all strategems rang- ing from widely publicized falsehoods to open terrorism, has never been able to break labor’s fighting front. There have been temporary setbacks, but=never defeat. On the political front the picture is different. Sectional interests, the ‘no-politics’ stand of the old AFL leadership, which in practice serves only the political interests of the bosses, CCF ‘go-it-alone’ policies and CCF-LPP disunity, the failure of AFI and CCI unions to get together with all other labor groups around a common program—all have resulted in domination of civic government by the hand- picked politicians of powerful ©MA monopolists. The most recent decision of Vancouver Trades and Labor Council (TLC) “to take no action” in this year’s civic elections is the best guarantee of continued CMA domination of the city hall. The labor movement, which has given to Vancou- ver its Union-town consciousness in economic struggles, has failed to achieve that measure of political unity which could give it a united labor administration. Before Vancou- ver can advance along a truly progressive path labor must resolve this problem. PACIFIC TRIBUN — PAGE 4 Hart-Anscombe Coalition government. J e Wi ] ] le Ga | | ac h er 7 fa 's P oy On UNUM UT UTE The British Tories HUI ONT TTL eT by Robert Hell —CHICAGO. SS recent interview has “turned British reactionaries upside down,” ‘Willie Gal- jacher, Communist member of parliament, Geclared in a recent chat with us here. _- __ “Tt has dispersed all the clouds of confusion which reactionaries here and in Britain have been trying to spread over the world,” the former . Clyde shipworker Said. The Communist M.P. was in Chicago to visit his sister and her family. Accompanied by his wife. e Stalin’s observations raise new ‘perspectives for those who fight for peace, both here and in Britain, Gallacher asserted, and will have a big effect on the working class and progres- sive forces in both countries.” Although Sir Anthony Eden's recent criticism of British for- eign policy reflects differences in the British ruling class, Gal- lacher did not believe that to be its main import. The British Tories were shuck- ed by the labor landslide in the elections, he said, ang for the first time lost control of parlia- ment. “The main concern of the Tories, despite differences, is to once again get control of the government. While in general the Tories pursue a reactionary domestic and foreign policy, they are prepared to use any situa- tion in order to try to make a division in the forces of labor. e “Thus while Churchill advo- eates a four-power bloc against the Soviet Union, Anthony Eden, a very mild mannered Tory with a very attractive personality, is obviously being used in an effort to penetrate and divide labor.” This is the division of labor being practiceq by the ‘Tories and Eden’s remarks, he felt, reflect the Tory recognition that there is strong opposition to Bevin’s policies among British workers. “The big struggle of ‘the im- perialists in Britain is to hold on as long as they can to as much as they possibly can,” said the M.P. . “In India they don’t want to let go, no matter what they may Say about independence. “They will try every device te hold on there but the forces im India are reaching such 2 suge that no matter what the British imperialists do, they will lose.” The Wallace speech was well received by English workers, who are “quite amenable” to criticism of British imperialism by progressive American leaders. “The Labor government is very hesitant and timid even in pursuing a progressive domes tic policy. For instance, the na- tionalization of the coal mines Was done in such a way that the mine workers were granted full compensation for mines they bankrupted. The most that should have been done was to give them a life annuity. e “There is a terrific need for houses. But instead of taking over the land and alloting some for agriculture and the rest for housing, the Labor government passed a bill to enable local au- thorities to acquire land. Some do and some de not. Some find that they are being helqd up by prices on land. But they don’t face up to the big question of taking over the land completely. “The squatters movement made this timidity of the ILa- bor government stand out clear- er than anything else. When the squatters took possession of army huts in all parts of the country the authorities cut off light and water. But the move- ment was so widespread that the government had to sanction it. “But as scon as they went into better class houses, then the leaders of the Labor gov- ernment began to shout 2gainst the Communist party amd ac- tion was taken against the Squatters. They besieged these people. The water was cut off. Light and heat were cut off. The entire area was sur- rounded.” 5 To the question: “What is the Labor government doing to golve its domestic problems, such as food plied: “The only way that the food shortage can be solved is by greatly imcreased production in all industrial resources. The fact of the matter is that the shortages?” Gallacher re Labor government has made no campaign among the workers to spur them to greater production. ‘On the contrary. The reac tionary charcter of its foreign policy and the timidity in the handling of domestic policy hss bad an adverse effect on the possibilities of increased — pro- auction. e ae “In many cases the workers feel a sense of frustration; things are not going like they expected them to go. The trend away from Big Three unity by Byrnes and Bevin at the Parise conference, the British soldiers still in Greece, the wave of ter- rer against the Jews in Pales- tine, the building of bases in Trans-Jordan, etc., is all creating a feeling of uncertainty among the masses of workers, and we are not getting the “production. “There are still a few unions in Britain whose leaders de nounce the Communist party as some of your American 12- bor leaders do. But on the whole, in most unions weil Imown and respected Commun ist party leaders have been elect €d to the highest posts and conr mittees. - “In Bevin’s own union, the Transport and General Workers’ Union, there are many Com- munists on the general executive _ board, and one of its best ex ecutives i8 also an outstanding Communist party member. Arthur Horner, another Gom- munist leader, was sweepingly elected recently general secre tary of the Miners’ union. : “The influence of the party is much wider than the actual size -of its membership. The Communist party plays a big part in the shop-steward move-_ ment, which directs all activi- ties in the factories. The same applies in the mining areas. FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 1946