‘Out with Franco’ Jouhaux tells ClO body

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J.—A 3-

point program for world peace and a spirited at tack on Franco Spain were brought to the

€lO’s 8th convention here, Noy. 21, by Leon Jouhaux, general secretary of the French General Confederation of Workers and Ga

vice-president of the World Federation of Trade Unions. Jouhaux, who brou

and (3) world disarmament. Jou-
haux, who is_also a delegate to
the United Nations economic and
social council, said he did not ex-
pect immediate world disarma-
ment, but that the people of the
world must work through UN.
for world security and thus even-
tually to lighten the burden of
armaments.

Government diplomats, he said,
discuss peace but it is up to the
workers to demonstrate the in-
ternational solidarity without
which peace is impossible. 5

In a great, reusing voice, he
condemned Gen. Francisco 2s
the “Hitler of the Spanish peo—
pie.~ Ali governments ~ admit
that Franco is a fascist, he de-—
clared, but some gevernments
say he is not a real threat to
peace. But fascism anywhere is
a threat to peace, he cried! Fran-
co is a threat to world peace
and he must disappear.

The gray-haireqd Erench labor
leader, who was himself rescued
from a Nazi prison camp by Am-
erican soldiers, urged workers
within each nation to struggle for
decent living standards and to
break once and for all the hege-
mony of world capitalism which,
he said, deprives the people of
their rights and leads them again
toward war:

He said they must wela inter—
national unity despite differences
in race, religion or political creed.

Jouhaux’s speech was the most
dramatic yet heard here by CIO
delegates. Although he spoke in
French, his impassioned voice and
fluent gestures caused the dele-
gates time after time to break
into loud applause as he managed
to project his ideas despite the
language barrier.

Warmest greeting was for his
denunciation of Franco. At his
rearing demand that “Franco

must g0,”’ the entire convention
rose to its feet, applauding vigor-
ously. His speech was subsequent-
ly translated to’his audience by
a French journalist who accom-
panied him.

WU AN COUNTY, China—(By
Airmail)—The 330,000 people of
this -country have appealed to
the United Nations general assem-
bly in New Yorkto halt“US mil
itary intervention in China’s in-
ternal affairs.” This intervention,
the message charges, is making
possible the Kuomintang’s “all-
out civil war.”

Another message, addressed to
the CIO by a conference of Labor
Heroes—people elected by their
fellow-villagers because they made
outstanding contributions to the
growth and profit of the com-
munity—asks for “brotherly as-
sistance” in urging the U.S. gov-
ernment “to change its erroneous
policy towards China.’

The first Message was entrust
ed to me during a public re-
view of the village militia. The
second was prepared when I was
introduced to the county Labor
Heroes meeting, which came to-
gether to plan production for the
coming months. :

The appearance of any friendly
foreigner in the Communist-led
area immediately prompts such

messages. The people here have
been painfully cut off from the
outside world since last July,

when the Kuomintang started a

steady military attack against
them. :
Both messages stressed how

badly the people of the area want
peace after fighting for eight hard

year against the Japanese. In
their message. to the CIO, the
Ihaabor Heroes stated that the
U.S., through its support to the
Kuomintang, “takes the place of
Japan in enslaving the Chinese

people.”
it points -out that the people

are being bombed and strafed by

American-made planes and at-
tacked by American-trained and
equipped troops, and stresses that
“without the support of the U-S.,
Chiang Kai-Shek would not dare
to invade the Liberated Areas and
peace would be realized early.”
The -people of the area, the mess-
ag says, “oppose US. support to
Chiang Kai-shek and we constant-
ly request U.S. forces to evacu-
ate China.”

SHANGHAT — Intensification of
the Kuomintang government’s at-
tack against labor has prompted
Pres. Chu Hsueh-fan of the Chi-
nese Assn. of Labor to urge that
the World Hederation of Trade
Unions send an investigating \del-
egation to China at once.

The Kuomintang won’t allow the
CAL to operate its main office in
Chungking unless the union center
agrees to break all connections
with unions in Communist-led
China. The unity achieved in the
labor movement is regarded by
the Kuomintang as a drawback
in its civil war drive.

The Kuomintang also insists
that the CAL accept control from
a committee of 15 consisting of
five CAT, representatives, five
from the government and five
from the General Labor Union,
officially sponsored by the Kuom-
intang.

The arrest of 22 labor leaders
last summer was an attempt to
force the CAL into accepting
these terms. Fifteen of the lead-
ers have been acquitted as being
mere tools of the others. The re-
maining seven, including Chu
Hsueh-fan, are now out on bail
and are being threatened with re-
arrest unless the CAL capitulates.

Truman seeks to break coal strike
against miners’ union

by injunction

NEW YORK—Organized labor was up in arms this week at the government’s attempt
to break the strike of 400,000 soft coal miners by use of injunctions. AFL and railroad union
leaders sharply condemned the government action, as did the national CIO convention in
session in Atlantic City, N.J. Showdown will come Nov. 25

of the United Mine Workers
(AFL) has been ordered to ap-
pear in court to answer a civil

contempt charge.

Use of injunctions in labor dis-
putes is again the Iaw but the
government, which has been run-
ning the nation’s coal mines since
last May, interprets the law as
applying only to private industry.
Organized labor is fighting tooth
and nail against this interpreta-
tion, which could open the way
to widespread government strike
breaking. The government might

Seize any struck industry and,
under its new interpretation of
the law, jail union leaders.

The strike started when Sec-

retary of the~ Interior Julius A.
Krug, who has been operating the
mines for the government, refus-
ed to consider a UMW demand
for reopening wage discussions.
UMW members have to work a
o4-hour week to get a living wage,
but in recent months, most of
them haye been put on shorter
hours. The union is seeking 54
hours pay for a 40-hour week,
which would ameunt to about
$70 a week.

Krueg’s only response to the
UMW was a suggestion that the
miners hold off their demands
for 60 days. This would have post-
poned the issue until Jan. 16,

PACIFIC TRISUNE — PAGE 2

By GLADY’S CARTER

, when President John L. Lewis

JOHN L.

LEWIS
“ . . contempt of court’?

when Congress will have resum-
ed and will have had time to

pass labor-shackling legislation.
The contract signed~ between
the UMW and the government

last May, when mine owners filat-

ly refused to come to terms with
the union, granted an 1814 cent
hourly wage increase and carried
forward other clauses of the old
contact, which had a wage re-
opening clause. However, the
government now claims that the
miners cannot reopen negotiations
with the government but only
with mine owners. By declaring
the miners’ strike illegal, the
government is actually acting as
strong-arm man for the mine—
owners, who will probably get
their property back when “Can-
gress opens in January.

Cannot face public

Civic reform candidate Elgin
Ruddell challenged Alderman
Chas. E. Thompson, chairman of

the BCElectric franchise commit-
tee, to a public debate on the
granting of a 20-year franchise to
the BCER without submitting the
issue to a plebiscite of the tax-

payers. The new franchise is the
result of secret negotiations be-
tween the NPA civic administra-
tion and the transit monopoly.
Ruddell is still wating for a

reply from Alderman Thompson.

ght greetings from the WFTU and thanks to the work-

ers of America for their role in delivering France from the Hitler heel, told the 560 dele-
gates representing some six million workers that world unity of workers is essentiak to
maintain peace and freedom. The only basis for world peace, he declared, is: (1) to erase
fascism throughout the world; (2)_to win better conditions for the workers of the world,-

Chinese appeal to UN,
CIO, - halt US meddling

By ANNA LOUISE STRONG

Close te 600 delegates, representing the CIO’s six million members,
met in the 8th constitutional convention in Atlantic. City. Cie
President Philip Murray called for a wage policy to wipe out the
25 percent decrease in real wages caused by skyrocketing living
costs. Murray was reelected president by acclamation and given
@ rousing ovation by the convention.

CIO calls for Big Three

unity, ban on a-bomb

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J.—Fulfillment of Big Three unity
and an immediate end to U.S. stockpiling of atom bombs

were demanded by the CIO's

8th constitutional convention

here Nov. 22 as the essential basis for world peace.

In a resolution which by impli-
cation was sharply critical of
present U.S. foreign policy, the
convention’s 560 accredited dele—
gates, representing some six mil-
lion workers, demanded:

@ Destruction of all vestiges of
fascism in Germany and Japan
and complete elimination of Ger-
man and Japanese cartels.

@ That the U-S. immediately
sever all diplomatic and economic
relations with Spain and Argen-
tina as the “breeding places of
world fascism.”

@ That the United Nations take
early steps for “progressive uni-
versal disarmament.”

@ self-determination and self-
government for colonial and eco-
nomically backward countries.

@ Immediate end te interven-
tion ‘in China by the U.S. and
other countries.

@ Continuation of UNRRA and
the granting of food, loans and
other aid to “needy allies.’ Such
aid should by no means be used
to “coerce or influence free but
needy people in the exercise of

their rights of self-government.”

e international ~ centrol of
atomic energy with full power of
inspection and the outlawing of
atomic weapons. “However, if we
are to have peace,” the resohi-
tion declared, “the stockpiling of
atomic bombs must cease.”

The 8th and final point declared
that “above all,” Rosevelt’s basic
policy of unity among the U.S,
Great Britain and the Soviet
Union must be achieved. “We re
ject all proposals for American
participation in any blec or al
liance which would destroy the
unity of the Big. Three,” the reso-
lution stated. ~

The resolution, like others at
the convention, was a compro-
mise between left and right wing
groups. That it was not entirely
satisfactory to all, however, was
made clear when ‘Vice-President
Jack Altman of Retail Wholesale
and Departmient Store Union voic-
ed his support of the Vandenberg-
Byrnes foreign policy line. Some
10 percent of the delegates yoted
against the resolution.

Unions end

Dutch camp

SYDNEY, Australia—A Dutch concentration camp im

New ‘South Wales—generally

treatment of prisoners resembleq Nazi

called Little Belsen because
methods—is being

closed by order of the Australian government as a result of

repeated protests from the Aus-
tralian labor movement.

The freed internees are Indo-
mnesian soldiers, sailors and mer-
chant seamen who refused to
fight’ for the Dutch against the
Indonesian republic. The Dutch
were seeking to restore the is-
lands of Indonesia to their pre-
war colonial status but have now
been forced to accept the people’s

demand for self-government.

-A considerable number of in-

Dutch soldiers with tommy-guns
and others were tortured. One
died of suffocation when the Dutch
crowded more than 100 Indone
Sians into a small camp cell.

Australian unions, spearheaded
by the Waterside Workers’ Weder-
ation, pointed out to the govern-
ment that it was a blot on Aus-
tralia’s name to have these atroci-
ties committed on Australian soil

ternees were mowed down by |

by a foreign power.
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 1946