fic TRIBUNE TOM McEWEN ... ee Published Weekly at ROOM 104. SHELLY BUILDING 119 West Eender Street Vancouver, B.C. by the TRIBUNEH PUBLISHING CG. MArine 5288 : Uerpedepeesenessscrrecre .. Sditor IvAN BIRCHARD Manager EDITORIAL BOARD Nigel Morgan Subscription Rates: Maurice Rush Minerva Cooper = Al Parkin 1 Year, Printed By UNIGN PRINTERS, 2303 East Hastings $1.00 Vancouver, B.C. $2.00; 6 Months, Street — = _Authorized as second-class mat! by the post-office department, Ottawa : - ‘Riot Act’ McGeer HE ‘Civic Non-Partisan Association’ Gerald Gratton ‘Gerry’ McGeer as its 1946 mayoralty - has nominated candidate. This decision is not prompted by concern for the progress of Vancouver, and no one should be fooled into thinking that the CNPA has picked a candidate “who gets things done,’ nor that the decision was a sudden inspiration. MecGeer has been selected by the CNPA, which represents reaction in Civic politics, because of his anti-labor strike- breaking record, well demonstrated during his 1935-36 term of office as mayor. Gerry’s bufoonery and showmanship, his ranting against the monied interests, his promotion of the city hall or the Lest Lagoon fountain, will of course be made te serve the CNPA civic circus, but his anti-labor record is the hallmark ef CNPA approval. Gerry declares he is going to “clean up crime” in Van- couver. It is a matter of record that during his last term of office as mayor, crime hit its highest peak in our city. Gerry poses as “a friend of labor.” His monetary reform harangues convey this implication. But labor hasn’t fergot- ten how he earned the sobriquet “Riot Act McGeer,” or his role in the smashing of the 1935 longshoremen’s strike. On the day of the Ballantyne pier attack against the union Gerry’s message to Ottawa read: “Attempts cf mob incited by communist leader to flout constituted authority, and: to attack men (read scabs) lawfully at work was effectively suppressed.” wages, McGeer proposed For relief camp workers seeking work and “bullets instead of bread.” He told veterans of the First World War to “get back on the 33 breadline where you belong. One Sunday morning in May, 1935, McGeer sought te use the pulpit of the First United Church to seek support for his brutal treatment of relief camp strikers. The congre- gation booed him in the pulpit and scores of women left the service in protest. Labor must remember those years. In the Senate, that haven for moribund politicians, he is, as yet, beyond the reach of the people. no such obstacle. In the City Hall, fortunately, there is \ French Communists lead ESULTS from last Sunday’s elections in France show the Communists emergimgp as the largest political party, and the only party of the ‘left’ which increased its vote over the previous elections. While final results are still incom- plete, the returns show the Communist party with 173 seats, representing a gain of some 20 seats and an increase of 272Z,- 909 votes over the previous elections. Both the socialists and the ‘Mouvement Republicain Populaire’ (MPR) party of President Georges Bidault lost heavily in votes. The socialists lost 35 seats, while the MPR lost five. The rightist bloc, representing a conglomeration of monarchist-clerical elements gained 15 seats. Spokesmen_ for the MPR view the results of the elec- tions as “having averted a Marxist majority,” but carefully avoid mention of policies which brought about their own losses. Unquestionably the MPR tie-up with reactionary Ve Gaullist elements moved tens of thousands of French voters to reject the inclusion of France in U.S.-Anglo atomic in- trigues. While much speculation is in process as to what sort of a government will emerge, since some form of coalition is likely, the question of the premiership is uppermost. Be- ing the strongest and largest political party in France the logical choice for premier is Maurice Thorez, leader of the Communist Party of France. This fact is already disturbing the “atomic diplomats” and their governments. who see in the results of the French elections a French-Soviet relations. Not whose policies are directed strengthening of a happy outlook for those towards provocation and strained relations with the USSR. While all the results are not in from the French col- onies, it is clear that there also, as a result of the com- munists’ struggle for self-determination and independence for the colonial peoples, the French communists are in the lead. However, there are sufficient total returns to show that unity between the communist and socialist parties would provide a coalition government of the “left,”” which as their vote indicates the French people earnestly desire. The French communists and the French people have placed the issue of unity squarely in the lap of the socialists. They must now choose or suffer further defeat. PACIFIC TRIBUNE — PAGE 4 Ambush Ti imi B uck on 2H NTUUUVHUUTUTLUFTLUUUUL VU LUTE LTTE Wages and inflation INTUTNAVULETUUAUV UTAH EV HAUT by j é B 5 AY G | KY be Fr Gg 7 fii PE P IM BUCK’S latest pamphlet “Wages and Inflation,’ with its sub-head ~A Reply to Donald Gordon,” is an indispensible guide to every trade unionist and to every trade union leader in the present struggle for higher wages, for a decent living standard and in the fight against inflation. It should be sold in the tens of thousands. It should be read by every thoughtful person in the country and should be kept for future reference and study. Because this pamphlet is more than an expose of the sci- entifically unsound and mislead- ing propaganda which eminated from Donald Gordon to the. ef- fect fhat the granting of the demands would automatically lead to inflation. The pamphlet of the national leader of the Labor-Progressive Party is the first popular treat- ment of the relations of wages to prices from a Marxist view- point that has been issued in our country. While .using facts and figures of current and re cent origin to illustrate the basic fallacy of Donald Gordon’s posi- lion the booklet explains, in 2 most convincing manner, the per- manent truth that wages do not determine the selling price of an article and that the granting of Canadian labor’s present wage demand is not and need not be the cause of inflation. workers wage That the inflationists (the profiteering crowd who are driv- ing madly nto a boom and bust period), made considerable head- Way in their misleading cam- paign against wage increases be- came only too evident during the recent strike-struggles. Premier King, Reconstruction Miniscer Howe, Labor Minister Mitchell and all anti-labor members of Parliament repeated this untruth about the effect of wages on prices so often from the parlia- mentary tribune that vcrtain sections of workers were not un- affected by it. This screen for keeping wages at a low level was, of course, woven day-in and day-out by most of our daily papers. As a result many honest folk, who know that wage rates in Canada are too low for 4a ae cent standard of life and for the broadening of our home market, also became worried less the im- plementation of Jlabor’s wage program would plunge the coun- try into the abyss of inflation. UT what was even worse was the fact that such men as Charlie Millard, who now heads the Steel Workers Union, gave implied consent to the anti-la- bor wage and price theory of the spokesmen of -monopoly capitai when he appeared before the Parliamentary Labor Relations Committee last summer. Bour- geois theories dominate, of course, the thinking of such lIa- bor leaders as Millard. But on the issue of wages and prices he did not even accept the posi- J. B. SALSBERG, MPP “" . 4 a must for everyone.” tion of the CIO which was far closer to the truth than the be— fuddled thinking which the Mil- lards displayed. They either dodged the issue or skirted around it. This was true of the CCK members of that committee. This was evidence of eithor total ignorance of the wago price relations under capital- ism or of a concealed accept- ance of the arguments of Big Business and their spokesmen like Donald Gordon. Only a couple of union leaders who appeared before that par- liamentary committee really challenged Gordon’s thesis. The majority allowed the anti-laber forces to utilize that hearing for the purpose of undermining la- bor’s struggle for higher wage rates which was really a strug- gle for the welfare of the over whelming majority of Canadians. Se: M BUGK’S treatment of this vitally important question in his “Wages and Inflation’ takes the ground from under the feet of all those who presented their anti-labor “theory” on wages cs if it were the gospel truth. it is exposed by Buck for what is—a falsehood and a cover tor keeping wages and living stand- ards down while actually creat- ing an inflationary situation to profit the corporations and the monopolies. Every thinking worker should read this pam- phiet and thus achieve clarity ou a central issue that stands be fore Canadian labor. The struggle for wages is not over, nor is the drive of the profiteers for more inflation. The — increasing living costs are al ready placing the wage ques- tion on the agenda even for those workers who have recently Gained increases. And there are hundreds of thousands of Ca: adian workers and employees: whose wage rates are still at the level which existed before the sharp rise in living costs com- menced. Untold thousands have not had their wages raised at all Since 1938, except for the cost of living bonus which was long ago discontinued. All these work- ers are now moving into wage negotiations and are determined to secure a wage that will halt the decline of their living stan- dard. The country will, there- fore, shortly be treated to a re- turn engagement of the spectacle which was put up during the re cent struggies to convince the public that a wage increase to (Continued on Next Page) See WAGES FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 1946