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Gov't rail order ‘4 more peanuts, pie in the sky’

Blasting government terms as “a promise of four more peanuts and pie in the sky,” more than 1,000 fighting-mad trade unionists gathered in Vancouver’s Pender Auditorium on Thursday last week to protest the compulsory rail set-

tlement and unanimously resolve that Ottawa’s “odious class legislation be repealed immediately.” :

WAR PROGRAM

Finance Minister Abbott indi- cated, and announced his inten- tion to elaborate in the budget, ‘that in any choice between big business profits and working peo- ple’s earnings to pay the cost of the guns he would choose to slash the people’s living standards.

And External Affairs Minister Pearson, in the debate on foreign policy, indicated the purpose and point of the new war expendi- tures,

If the army’s Special Force did not go to Korea, he declared ominously, it would go elsewhere. Canada was starting “something important,” a move to give the United Nations forces with which to “combat new Koreas.” Where these “new Koreas” might be he did not state. Wall Street, which has an investment of over a bil- lion dollars in South Korea, also has billions invested in many countries and it might well be that the “new Koreas’ would come wherever Wall Street felt its in- terests threatened by the “aggres- sion” of people determined to win freedom and independence.

With the exception of a few French Canadian members who are opposing the government’s commitments in Korea, all par- _ ties in the House are whooping

it up for the government’s war

program.

The Tories are critical of what _they consider the government’s “evasion and hesitation” in com- mitting Canada to U.S. interven- tion in Korea, and they would go even further and commit the country to support of U.S. actions in Formosa. Greater “efficiency” in carrying through the war pro- gram is their demand.

The CCF, likewise, having offi- cially abandoned the irksome principles of the Regina Manifes-

to, is taking a similar position, qualified only by the demand — absurd in the circumstances—that the government take measures to provide “economic and social aid” to countries affected and extend social security at home.

External Affairs Minister Pear- son gave what was, for once, a logical and partiaily accurate an- swer to this CCF demand. The government, he said, wanted to do its share in building up un- developed areas, “but it is dis- couraging to see some of those that need aid spending half of their budgets on defense.” Again guns before butter.

CCF attitute was expressed most succinctly by Angus Mac- Innis (Vancouver East) who told MP’s they should “stop blaring about our unpreparedness and

The meeting, sponsored. jointly by Trades and Labor Council (AFL). and. Vancouver. Labor Council (CCL), was called as part of a nation-wide protest against the government bill which ordered railway workers back to their jobs on the eve of victory.

“The government further en- forces compulsory arbitration upon the workers, such legisla- tion being hostile, coercive and obnoxious to trade unionists and all fair-minded people,” the re- solution said.

“This mass meeting vigorously condemns the past actions of the railroad managements in their ar- rogant treatment of the negotiat- ors, and the federal government in its shameful apathy in the em- ergency,” the resolution continued.

“This meeting emphatically

demands that the railroad workers be awarded more leis- ure and wages; that odious class legislation be repealed imme- diately; and that the govern- ment and management give in- telligent and courteous treat- ment to the common people who produce all wealth.”

Hugh Allison, western repre- sentative of Canadian Brother- hood of Railway Employees, de- clared that “every trade unionist in the country is in jeopardy from the precedent set in the govern- ment’s anti-strike legislation.”

Jack Stevenson, Trades and Labor Council president, cited the gap in wages between tradesmen working for the railways and those in other industries,

“Railway carpenters get $1.04 to $1.08 while carpenters in Van- couver get $1.68; railway brick- layers $1.08, others $1.88,” he said.

A clause in the resolution stat- ing “that odious class legislation is intensely protested,” was changed to read “that odious class legislation be repealed immediate- ly” on an amendment submitted by Alex Gordon of the Fisher- men’s Union. The resolution, en- dorsed unanimously, has been sent to parliament and railway heads.

Determination of railway work- ers to continue the fight for high- er wages and the 40-hour week was expressed in plain language by Allison, who drew. cheers when he said: “We have had one strike and we can have another.

We can Say: no contract, no work.”

get busy building our defenses all

- along the line.”

Against this war program, the Peace lobby organized by peace, women’s and youth organizations is busy defending the people’s genuine interests in peace by rais- ing the cry in the capital, “Nego- tiate Now.” There is no doubt that this will be echoed by mil- lions of Canadians who find in the government’s program cause only for anxiety and alarm.

Can't afford breakfast bacon? Look who’s hogging profits

.

If you want to know why your food prices are going up and up —why you’ve had to cut bacon out of your breakfast menu and sub-

stitute margarine for butter, just take a look at the profit figures for Canada’s two biggest groce- terias, Loblaws, in eastern Cana- da and Canadian Safeway Litd., operating in western Canada.

Last week Loblaws published its financial statement for the year ending June 8, 1950. Profits were 17 percent* higher than in 4949.

The food empire of the Cork

family amassed a fortune of $2,- 185,915, out of the food purchases of Canadians last year, But Lob- laws also operates a U.S. chain which added another $1,569,258 to the profit account. Nor is this all these food trusts were able to gouge out of the people’s pockets. By a government ruling they were allowed to increase the amount of depreciation set aside by a half million dollars more than last year, That came out of your pocket and went to the share- holders: of Loblaws,

Well might Justin M. Cork,

s

president, say “Most satisfactory.”

Canada Safeway Ltd., operating 135 grocery and meat stores from the Lakehead west, last year passed along a profit of $2,255,823 to its U.S. masters in California.

Add to this the $1,479,000 profit for Dominion Stores and the huge, but unpublished profits of the U.S.-owned A & P, plus the $3 million profit of Canada Packers (23 percent higher than last year) ; then compare these to the measly four cents an hour wage boost allowed the Canadian rail work- ers, and it becomes clear who i8 pushing up prices.

Peace lobby urges wires

to MP’s

\

‘negotiate now’

As the Pacific Tribune went to press, a “Negotiate Now” Canadian Peace Congress with the cooperation of Congress of Canadian other groups, was in Ottawa seekin

lobby, sponsored by the. Women and

g interviews with cabinet members and MP’s to

propose that the Canadian government negotiate for peace rather than take part in

an arms: race.

Prior to the lobby, the Peace Congress appealed to all peace- loving Canadians to wire or write their MP’s, urging them to seek negotiations for peace according to the United Nations charter. “These messages should flood Ottawa both during and after the lobby,” said the Con- gress appeal.

In a press statement released this week, Congress stated that “Canadians should take warning that Defense Minister Claxton is asking parliament to surrender its right to, pass on the matter of peace or war. This in contrary to the principles that have been up- held by all political parties in Canada. x

“Claxton wants a prior approval -

of any commitment of armed forces the government might make in relation to the Atlantic Pact or the UN or any other ag- reement yet to be made.

“But Canadian forces are al- ready in action in violation of the UN, and this is said to be in response to the call of the UN.

“This means that the members are asked to give up their decision on peace or war to a decision that may well be made abroad. On top of that, with ‘aggression’ unde- fined, we could be invélved over

what somebody else might choose to label as such,

“All this is coupled with a pro- posal to spend two and one-half

billion dollars on preparations for

.Wwar. Here is a perspective of a? arms race that cannot but risk our involvement in a war of atomic destruction, and will cer tainly impair the Canadian stand- ' ard of living.

“We propose that the govern- ment seek negotiations as Pro posed by Nehru instead of a? arms race. ;

“Public opinion polls confirm our experience that most Cana-

dians do not see military action

as a solution. Our lobby wil

strive to make this plain to the

MP’s. With atomic bombs al

ready stockpiled, any mistake - could be fatal.”

PACIFIC TRIBUNE—SEPTEMBER 8, 1950—PAGE