THE PEOPLE

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Trade Union Democracy

iil fase astounding action of Pat Conroy and J. H. McGuire in suspending the charter of the Vancouver local of the Boilermakers’ union and disaffiliating 10,000 members of the International Woodworkers of America without trial or prefer- ment of any charges has created a wave of indignation through- out the trade union movement of the province.

This unprecedented example of autocratic overriding of all traditional democratic trade union procedure, linked as it was with the inference that CCF members of the Boilermakers’ union were attempting to control it and the definite accusation that Communists in the union were attempting to capture control not only of the union but also of the Congress, as a justification for their high-handed action, is an insult to the intelligence of the working men of B.C., the inference being that because the union, an organization of working men, con- tains Communists and CCF’ers it could not be entrusted with the election of its own officers. To save the 13,000 members from themselves their union must be destroyed and new unions established with special by-laws under the benevolent guidance no doubt of Alex McAuslane and Dan O’Brien. Pos- sibly Conroy and McGuire believe that such an organization of workers should be composed of Liberals and Conserva- tives, but not CCF’ers or Communist-minded workers.

The most reprehensible aspect of this whole affair is the possible effect it will have on war production in the two largest and most important B.C. industries, shipbuilding and lumbering. The fact that the two largest unions in the prov- ince, both engaged in vital war production, were the ones chosen to be so shamefully dealt with, would almost appear to be a deliberate provocative act designed to disrupt war production.

At a time when ships and lumber are vitally needed for Canada’s war effort such an action can, to say the least, only divert attention from the main task of Canadian labor, to maintain and extend war production to back up the coming Allied offensive in Europe.

It is the membership of the unions which in the final analysis constitute the basic strength of the trade union movement and who are the producers for victory.

Casablanca

HE cause of the Allied Nations will undoubtedly be im-

measurably aided by the momentous and unprecedented meeting at Casablanca in North Africa between British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and United States President Frank- lin D. Roosevelt.

Meeting obviously to lay plans for an early Allied offensive, these leaders of two mighty nations apparently reached com- plete agreement on steps to be taken in 1943 to assure com- plete victory over the Axis powers.

On the other hand it was unfortunate that no arrange- ment was made whereby representatives of the Soviet and Chinese high commands could be present at this momentous meeting where the whole plan of future allied strategy was discussed. z

While the question of increasing aid to the Soviet Union and China was undoubtedly discussed, no indication has been given of any plan to coerdinate the British and American offensive with that of the other two nations, nor was there any word of the expected proposal of a Supreme War Council, representing ‘the big four.’

This omission has been a great disappointment to the peo- ple of these nations, who lauded the promises set forth in the Atlantic Charter and who have waited patiently for a con- solidation of these promises in some form of unified high com- mand with definite plans for allied victory and plans for fair and just peace terms to fully liberate the people now under the Nazi heel.

Nevertheless, to quote the London Daily Mail, “tremen-

dous events are on the move and may break in the near future.”

The meeting between Roosevelt and Churchill at Casa- blanea may go down in history as a turning point in Allied offensive strategy and we hope, will lead to a strengthening of cooperation and unified effort through a supreme war coun- cil on which will be represented not only Britain and the United States, but all our allies.

Only with such a coordination, not only of men and ma- terials, but also of confidence and all-out effort, can an early victory over fascism be assured.

Varied Program Betore LS. Congress

WASHINGTON.

N the first two weeks of the new session of Congress, -as

predicted, tory congressmen attacked America’s fighting Allies, conducted a reconnaissance-in-force for their 1943 onslaught against labor, rumbled against price control and rationing, denied Vito Marcantonio, only American Labor Party Congressman, a seat on the Judiciary Committee, and uttered the first oratory of the season proposing that workers earning $15 a week pay a 10 percent sales tax to make up

for Curtiss-Wright’s 994 percent increase in net profits in

1942 over 1941.

Also as predicted, administra- tion spokesmen gave few signs of readiness to fight, though pro- labor Congressman John Coffee from the shipbuilding center of Tacoma, Wash., announced plans for regular meetings of a bloe of some 60 Congressmen from labor districts. Administration leaders fave no indication that they would oppose new appropriations for the Dies Committee, the most effectitve fifth column ever de- vised in a democratic country, and received in silence the setting up of a “little Dies Committee” to investigate the Federal Com- munications Commission, govern- ment agency which last year ac- cused Martin Dies of being the most quoted American on the Axis radio.

This year the comprehensive legislative programs of the CIO and AFL are being taken out of the rarified atmosphere of Wash- ington in the union locals in Am- erica’s industrial communities. Every big CIO union will estab- lish powerful legislative commit tees in its locals to receive as much attention as the strike com- mittees of previous years and the production committees of today. Improvements in working conditions, increases in wages, preduction reforms in individual

factories, labor recognizes, are in- effective without a planned and coordinated national policy laid down in Washington.

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In the 1942 elections, when mil- lions of war workers who had not met voting requirements in their new homes and millions of soldiers did not vote, there was a total shift in the popular vote of less than 5 percent; and labor, from its experience with politi- cians, is aware that Congress- men elected with a 5 percent plurality are susceptible to popu- lar pressures.

Perhaps the most significant development recently was the sug- gestion sent from the national United Electrical office to UE locals that jealously-guarded de- fense funds be put -into legisla- tive work. Defense funds are the financial heart of American unions, most of which have gone through important strikes in the last few years. The defense fund of a big union may amount to as much as four million dollars. Even when the strike weapon was abandoned at the start of the war, unions hung onto their defense funds; the UE is the first to sug- gest diverting them into political activity, where ,fains are won which formerly could be won only by strikes.

Vodka, a Russian Orphan

LONDON.

AV CODES is a Russian war orphan, aged 644 and small for his age. He is one of hundreds of Russia war orphans evacuated to islands off a far northern Russian port. During the summer months, when the weather is fine and there is 24 hours’ daylight, the orphans are allowed to roam the islands like schoolboys on holiday.

Vodka’s story starts last sum- mer when a number of British corvettes and trawlers came to

this Russian port to help escort coastal convoys. Among them was the corvette Dianella.

While the corvette was secured alongside, the officer of the watch noticed a tiny figure curled up asleep on the quayside. The next day it was still there. He was worried and reported to the captain that he thought there was a child on the quay, dead or in a coma.

A sailor was sent ashore to investigate and returned with Vodka.

Vodka came to life with sus- picious rapidity as soon as he arrived on board, and showed 4

_ surprising knowledge of his way

about and of warship routine. He became a member of the ship’s company, and was christened ‘Vodka’ by the crew-

‘We never found out where he came from,” said the Command- ing Officer, Lieut. J. G. Rankin, RNR, but we did solve one mys- tery. He had been adopted for a short time earlier in the sum- mer by the British minesweeper Hazard. His passive resistance on the quay was his method of

joining the next British ship he saw.

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OR over two months whenever Dianella was in port Vodka lived on board. The coxswain made him shoes out of canvas and a ‘No. 1” and “No. 2” suit of blue serge. Other members of the ship’s company made him a set of badges to wear on his arm— long-service stripes, petty offi- ce’s badge, and gunnery rating. He took unofficial duties with the bosun’s mate as call-boy, re- peating the bosun’s pipes through- out the ship in true navy fashion. “No one could pipe ‘Up Spirits’ like Vodka,” said Lieut. Rankin.

“Tt was an extraordinary thing .

to see a whole mess-deck piping down and turning in at eight o'clock at night for fear of wak- ing Vodka.”

At the end of the summer, when the corvettes and trawlers sailed for home, Dianella lined the side to say good-bye to the tiny figure of an unknown Russian orphan, wearing navy rig and giving the correct navy salute, dwindling in the distance on the quay be- hind them.

“It broke all our hearts not tobe able to take him with us,” said Lieut, Rankin.

SHORT JABS

by OW Bill

A i ‘Inflation’ ARX would laugh in his gr |

if he heard the wails some people today about “ini tion.’ One who would create: big laugh would be Hump 2 chell, minister of labor at i) time this is being written. =| may have ceased to be by the ti it appears in print. Let us he’ so! :

In a- pamphlet being circula:’ by one of the government ¢ partments, Frederick Griffin — the Toronto Star writes on ¢ danger to Canada of “high” pric The minister of labor gets it the picture in Griffin’s pamph with some “Sage” remarks abe the terrible conditions that pi vailed in Germany after the lk war as a result of “inflation.”

Mitchell, according to the sto was in Germany as a trade uni delegate to an international cc gress when Hitler came to pow What he saw there made him f¢ for the consequences “if inflati came to Canada, if dollars shra to dimes in real value ...U controlled inflation would wu heave society as surely as a ¥ lent revolution.”

In his own words Griffin lin Mitchell and Finance Minisi Tisley with the theory at press being expounded by the bank and ‘industrial capitalists tk “inflation” is caused by “hig prices. As it ist expressed by sley: “Even though the gove: ment takes taxes, loans, Ww savings, 1144 million people hz more money left to buy gox than there are goods to go arow That forces up prices and sta inflation.”

so No Diee! _. Tes is not strictly true. flation is an economic p nomenon similar to ‘deba: metal currency.” When one the English kings added equal amount of lead to the sil at the mint in minting the coi prices went up 100 per cent; wt worthless paper is printed to lk like money and function as su prices go up in direct ratio the amount of paper issued. This is what happened in G many in the early twenties w! it cost 2% billlon marks to si a newspaper from Hamburg Vancouver. It happened in Tsa Russia, with the ruble discoun at 75 per cent in relation to sily in revolutionary France with “ossignats.” This alleged cri and fiat money represents wealth swhatever. The peo upon whom it is forced have

faith in the governments 1 issue it. This is reflected prices.

oo Reality!

It is different entirely f the natural rise in prices cat by demand in a market with sufficient goods. Labor powe scarce, the demand for it ereat. Wages, which are ~ price of labor power, should up just as surely as they ¥ down when the market was other way.

Wage ceilings are not es ished to prevent inflation bu keep down wages. If wages \ up naturally to meet an incre: cost of living, the economic tem would remain norm healthy provided the proces kept under control. Only the bankers and the governt begin printing phoney PD money will we have any real c to worry about “inflation” the conditions Mitchell sav Germany.