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Munich conference against Paris pacts

Bavarian unions want lrearmament plebiscite

From Bavaria, once the most reactionary part of Germany, trade unionists are de- manding stronger action to defeat German rearmament. Meeting last week in Munich, cradle of the Nazi movement and centre of the zone occupied by U.S. troops, the Bavarian Trades Union Congress, representing nearly a million trade unionists, unanimously demanded a plebiscite on whether Germany should

rearm,

Here a Pacific Tribune correspondent tells the story.

MUNICH

Representatives of nearly one million Bavarian trade unionists unanimously called

last week for intensified action against West German rearmament.

They instructed the

Bavarian TUC executive to organize a plebiscite in Bavaria on rearmament, and demand- ed that the West German TUC should conduct a wide and intensive campaign against

rearming,

‘This Bavarian TUC conference Was meeting to lay down policy for the next two years. There was Considerable criticism of the West German TUC for not having im-

_Plemented last October’s congress

€cisions against rearmament.

Th a unanimous resolution the Bavarian trade unionists asked the West German TUC to:

© Conduct a campaign with pic- _ tures, meetings, demonstra- tions, exhibitions and poster Parades against rearmament.

Produce a special pamphlet explaining the effects of re- armament and to publish articles on the subject in the trade union journals.

Take a secret poll on rearm- _ ament of the six million mem- bers of the West German TUG.

Submit petitions to the West German and provincial par- liaments.

Organize plebiscites through- out the West German Federal Republic.

Organize special joiht confer- ences of all trade unions and the TUC in Bonn to show the resistance to rearmament.

Oppose any alterations to the constitution which would pre- vent people rejecting con- Scription' on conscientious grounds. ‘The TUC’s economic expert, Dr. Victor Agartz, called for a great Wave of resistance to rearmament ® come from Munich. orenz Hagan, conference chair- man, read out a message of greet- ing from East German trade union- ists, which was warmly acclaimed. © said that growing numbers 'n West Germany rejected re- Militarization because they be- 'eved reunification was the Most important question. Ww Quite apart from the fact that €st German rearmament would aes reunification very question- Bese LON a long period . . . we stifiably fear that the burdens % Tearmament would lead to an PPreciable reduction in living Standards,” Hagan said. ’ renee Reuter, a TUC deputy i at also opposed West Ger- an rearmament on the ground

that it would hamper reunification. eee OG

Jamaica presses for independence

a KINGSTON

Norman Manley, new premier of piuaica following the victory of the People’s National party at a Polls earlier this month, has Sin eed that he will press Brit- fo to grant legislative demands

r full internal self-government. ba Said he would ask what is Ps done about the recommenda- Hoan of the House of Representa- ee Which voted unanimously for ho54 nal autonomy on October 21,

Expelled Socialists stay on commissions

PARIS

Sixteen French Socialist deputies who, true to the interests of France and the demands of their constituents, voted against the rearmament of Western Germany have been expelled by their party’s

executive. ~

But in the Socialist party's National Assembly group — where

members, unlike the executive, must face the rising tide of con- stituents’ anger directed against those who voted for German re- armament — right wing leaders have received a rebuff.

A move by Socialist party leader Guy Mollet to exclude the 16 de- puties from participation in the choice of Socialist representatives on the National Assembly’s com- missions was defeated by 47 to 26.

The 16 expelled deputies oppos- ed both the European Army plan and the Paris agreements. _

Max Lejeune, who voted against both projects, and whose appeal against his earlier expulsion will

-lbe heard together with those of

African mine

strike solid

CAPETOWN

Despite intimidation and at: temps to starve them out, the strike of 37,000 Northern Rhodesian Afri- can copper miners, now in its fourth week, remains solid. ‘

Only some 2,000 essential main- tenance men are still at work with the consent of the Northern Rhode- sian African Mineworkers’ Union, which heads the strike — one of the greatest in the history of the African labor movement. _

Union leaders have rejected claims by company spokesmen that these 2,000 represent a “return to work” and have emphasised that they are working on union in- structions.

Throughout the mine compounds a great campaign of meetings is under way in support of the miners’ demand for approximately $1.50 more a shift. pos ;

The present daily minimum 1s only 40 cents for Africans as com- pared to $12 for Europeans.

Few Europeans receive only the minimum rate, but most Africans are in the lowest grade. :

Net profits of the four big cop- per companies — Mufilira, Nchan- ga, Rhokana and Roan Antelope — rose from $63 million in 1952 to $90 million last year.

According to statements of the Rhodesia Selection Trust, which controls Mufilira and Roan Ante- lope, present profits of the indus- try are running at about $120 mil- lion per annum before taxes.”

The African miners’ wage claim would cost about $18 million.

the newly expelled 16 at the So- cialist party’s congress next month, retained the group’s support for his membership of two commis- sions.

Another opponent of German rearmament, M. Lacoste, who vot- ed against the European Army plan, was nominated as vice-presi- dent of the assembly.

At the same time, the Socialist deputies voted to exclude a prom- inent Socialist backer of German rearmament, La Bail, from the im- portant French Affairs Commis- sion.

Following the votes Guy Mollet and his closest supporters storm- out of the meeting.

Characteristic of declarations coming in from rank-and-file So- cialists throughout France is that of the Socialist mayor of the little town of Rivesaltes in the Eastern Pyrenees, Jean Jacquet. :

“We have suffered so much dur- ing two wars and from German occupation, that we cannot think of rearming that same Germany without alarm,” he told ‘a deputa- tion. :

“As an ex-soldier, wounded in the war, I am against such rearm- ament, and for general disarma- ment, simultaneously and controll- ed. That is the only way to a lasting peace.” — ;

vote d

Ratification of the Paris

for opening debate on the principle of the Paris agreements instead of February 9 as originally intended.

Postponement: of the debate means that the decisive vote will probably not be taken until March.

In the meantime, a tremendous campaign against ratification’ of the agreements is being conducted throughout West Germany by the trade union, youth and church or-

West German

elayed

; N agreements for rearmament of

West Germany, which Chancellor Konrad Adenauer had hoped to force to a vote in parliament early next month, has _ been delayed by the steering committee of the Bundestag (lower house). The committee set February 24 as the date

ganizations, and the Social Demo- cratic and Communist parties. ‘

Over the past two weeks there have. beén mass demonstrations in many West German cities, includ- ing a youth demonstration in Frankfurt organized by the So- cialist Students Organization and a torchlight procession through the streets of Bremen organized by the Communist party.

fo extend

CAPETOWN

The Nationalist government, now headed by fanatical Prime Minister Johannes Strijdom, has embarked on a campaign to extend its apar- theid (separation) policies which threatens to plunge South Africa into bitter strife.

Strijidom is moving in two directions, to curb the authority of the courts over the constitu- tional powers of parliament and’ to separate European and African populations by shifting thousands of Africans to segregated areas where they will be removed from direct social and residential con-

tact with Europeans.

Thousands of African workers are condemned to live in miserable hovels like that shown here.

Strijdom begins drive

apartheid

Aim of Strijdom’s measures to . curb court powers is to deprive some 50,000 colored voters in Cape Province of their franchise. Prey- ious government measures to trim colored voting rights have been thrown out by the courts,

First mass shift of Africans will take place in February when 60,- 000 Africans in Johannesburg will be forced to leave their homes and move to areas designated by the government. The South African National Congress, representing the majority of organized Africans, has warned that it will “oppose the removal at every stage regardless

of the consequences.”

Drive to ban A-bomb stepped up

-The Soviet Union may allow Western scientists to inspect a Soviet atomic power station,: Ilya Ehrenberg, famous Soviet author, told reporters in Vienna last week.

Speaking at the conclusion of the World Peace Council bureau session in Vienna, Ehrenburg said there was no obligation on the So- viet Union’s part to admit “the idle and the curious” to pry into Soviet advances in the atomiic field, but he felt there was “the probability or at least the possi- bility” that foreign scientists would be allowed to inspect a Soviet atomic power station.

Asked if he considered that by banning atomic weapons the dan- ger of war would also be banned, Ehrenburg answered: ‘

“No. But a ban on weapons which are essential weapons of mass extermination, aimed at mur- dering unarmed women and child-

ren, innocent aged people, the sick

and mfimed in their homes and hospitals—that would be a signifi- cant step forward toward a general easing of tension.” :

Asked if a 1,000-million signa- tures for the “Ban the Atom Bomb” campaign was the World Peace Council’s aim, Ehrenburg declared: “A thousand million is only about*half the world’s popu- lation. The number of signatures we want is unlimited.

“Our real aim is to force the governments of the nations to re- cognize the will of humanity and forbid the development, manufac- ture and use of such weapons of indiscriminate destruction.”

At the end of its session, the bureau issued a declaration say-

ing: “At the outset of 1955 two threats to the peace of the world have become definite: the remili- tarization of Germany and the steps taken to prepare and justi- fy atomic war.”

4

Scientists may see Soviet A-plant

An “appeal against the prepara- tions for atomic war” warned:

“Today certain governments are -preparing to let loose atomic war. They are trying to make the peo- ples accept it as inevitable.

“The use of atomic weapons would result in a war of extermin- ation. We declare that any gov- ernment that lets loose atomic war will forfeit the trust of its people and find itself condemned by all the peoples of the world.

“We demand the destruction of all stocks of atomic weapons wherever they may be and the immediate stopping of their manu- — facture.”

An “Appeal to the Peoples of Europe,” issued by the bureau, calls for the continuation of the struggle against the rearming of Germany, saying that “the peo-, ples cannot be bound by deci-

sions adopted by parliaments against their will.” -

PACIFIC TRIBUNE — JANUARY 28, 1955 — PAGE 3

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