Leadership, not lectures need of unemployed By WILLIAM KASHTAN One would have hoped that some of the leaders of the trade union movement learned something from the econ- emic crisis and mass unemployment of the 1930’s. Appar- ently this is too much to expect, if statements issued by the Ontario Federation of Labor leadership and some United Auto Workers spokesmen are correctly quoted in the capitalist press. -These statements can be summed up as follows: unemployed should not organ- ize to protect themselves from the effects of unemployment. Instead they should leave it to the trade union movement to fight on their behalf. No one would quarrel with the proposal that the. trade union movement actively take up the cause of the unemploy- ed and press for effective poli- cies leading to useful employ- ment for them, and in the interval demand improvements in unemployment insurance, improvements in welfare pay- ments and legislation barring €victiens or dispossessions. This is a prime responsibil- ity of the trade union move- ment and failure on its part to Give energetic leadership in that direction would be harm- , €ul not only to the unemployed ut to the trade union move- ment in the first place. ‘It is precisely slowness as well as. resistance in some trade union circles. to doing anything, which has given an impetus to. the development of unemployed organizations in many parts of the country. “Pontifical statements , from time to time on ‘the state of the economy are not calculated. fo inspire or help the unem- ployed. Nor is it helpful to the trade union movement. It is now clear, or should be, that the economic decline and xising unemployment is not just a replica of other post-war wecessions. This one appears to ee of a deeper, more protract- @€d and serious character, -re- flecting the growing crisis in the imperialist system as a whole. And it goes together with a systematic and organ- ized offensive by monopoly against the living standards of the entire working class. The Yyailway and other groups of workers are already feeling it en their backs. Failure to recognize this and react to it in correct and timely fashion is to really “miss the bus.” Now more than ever is there need to develop and strengthen united action on the part of ali sections of the trade union movement. Now more ‘than ever is it crass folly to per- the} petuate divisions or seek es- cape from the hard. siruggle ahead where no escape exists. One important aspect of unity is the unity of employed and unemployed in whatever forms are suitable and useful to the working class, The fact that the unem- ployed have begun to organize is a criticism of right-wing do- nothing policy. not a criticism of the left-wing or the unem- ployed, Instead of standing in the way of organizing the unem- ployed the Canadian Labor Congress ought to give active leadership in bringing it about and work closely with them. Instead of only issuing state- ments, the CLC and provincial federations ought to bend their efforts towards organizing a national mass lobby on Ottawa to compel government and parliament to pay heed to its demands, Instead of attacking the left wing and the Communists be- cause they took the initiative in many cases in helping the unemployed to organize, the leadership of the trade union movement ought to re-estab- lish unity so that monopoly’s policies which are responsible for unemployment, can be most effectively combatted. What is an increasing urgent task for all segments of the trade union movement is the defense of the young genera- tion who are the first:to feel the whiplash of unemploy- ment. The trade union move- ment ought to take the initia- tive in organizing discussions so as to formulate an effective program of action in this field. Not least, the trade union ‘movement needs finally to di- vest itself of the mirage that more and more money spent on arms will solve unemploy- ment. It is time the CLC led the fight to cut arms spending and demanded that the funds be available for socially useful and _job creating _projects. Peace and jobs go together. It is leadership and activity along such lines which is sor- ely needed today not lectures to the unemployed on why they should not organize. Wages up six bill G i + ‘6l, defense Laid ret By MARK FRANK MOSCOW—tTry to imagine the impossible in Canada—an announcement from the Dief- enbaker government that~ it plans a multi-million dollar wage adjustment boost at the expense of the railroad com- panies for thousands “of rail- roaders. Everybody knows how un- thinkable such an action would be after the crackdown on the rail strike, which not ~- only froze wages but acted to de- press them even further: Yet—take a look at what has just happened in the Soy- iet Union. With one stroke of the pen a more than two _bil- lion dollar boost in wages has just been ordered. This boost is only for correcting inequi- ties and will take place in 1961. More exactly, the fig- ures amount to-2,222 million U.S. dollars. The details the budget report DyeVeE Garbuzov, Soviet finance min- ister, to the Supreme Soviet. The adjustments will take place mainly in transportation and communication services across the country as well as a start being made in adjust- ments of wages in retail and wholesale trade networks and public catering (hotels, restu- rants, etc.) ; The wage adjustment fea- ture of the budget is only one | of the many items that will advance the people’s welfare in 1961, the third year of the seven-year plan. Last year the whole country completed the switchover to the seven- and six-hour work- Victoria jobless Plan demonstration VICTORIA—B.C.’s new un- employment workers union ranks got new support with the establishment of a Victoria local of the unemployed on December 22nd. Meeting at the call of the Victoria Labor Council; the local jobless which now num- ber some 5,200, set up pub- licity, community organization, direct action and membership committees. The meeting also. instructed its action committee to pre-|! pare, in conjunction with the B.C. Federation of Unemploy- ed, for a mass demonstration during the coming session of the legislature. A number of resolutions were also adopted, including one calling for trade with Peoples’ China and any other nation seeking trade re- lations with Canada. were given in|] | Totem carvers fired ing day without any drop in wage earning power, but in fact an increase. This direction will continue with the aim .of achieving the shortest working. day in the world. ; The increase of real wages for workers and farmers will be five per cent in 1961. Compared to 1955, when 15.6 per cent of the budget revenue was made up of’ in- come taxes from the people, in 1961 these will make up only 8.8 per cent of revenue. In its move to wipe out all taxes on the people the budget provides for an increase of ap- proximately $613 ‘million in pay envelopes in the new year as a result of elimination of taxes for certain categories of workers. Social funds for the people (education, science, public health, physical culture, state social insurance and social curity spending will go up! 35 per cent, compared to 7 percent. in 1955. Boarding™ schools will tal one million students by Be end of 1961 and day boardi schools will increase _ thé population to a total of 746 000 students. Some $633 mi lion (U.S:) are earmarked f this purpose. A spectacular fig ure is the 15.6 per cent i crease in spending on scient —upping $4.2 billion roughll Pension payments go up’ staggering 150 per cent hight than in 1955 to reach a tol@ of $8.4 billion, up 8.7 per cel over 1960. Note by contrast that redill tion of defense spending hé brought this figure to just ov $10 billion or 11.9 per cent the budget as against 12.9 pe cent in 1960 and_19.9 per cel in 1955. t VICTORIA—Mungo Martin, the last of the great totem carvers in the Pacific North- West, has been given notice that he cannot be kept.on the government payroll. . For the past six years Mun- go, now 82, has been carving poles in. Thunderbird Park, courtesy of the provincial goy- ernment. : He and his assistant have been responsible for the most famous péles in Canada and the United Kingdom. : Also given notice was Hen- ry Hunt, Mungo’s 37-year-old grand-son-in-law, who learned the carving art from Mung and worked with him fashiol ing totems, masks and vesselé Dr. G..C. Carl, director ¢- the provincial museum, sail the project, which has attrad! ed thousands of tourists, wil be closed at least from. Decel) ber 31.to thé end of April. | He said it has been suf ported in the past two yeal mainly. by contracts frof agencies. However, there ha¥ been none this year and thel are no supplemental fund available from the budget. | : +oae —From “Native Voice: ADIOMATION ‘| ; »9 2 OUR NEW REPLACEMENTS | January 6, 1961—PACIFIC TRIBUNE—Page | ; . | { ' ts F