TN

The PEOPLE

Phone MA 6929

Published every Saturday by the People Publishing Com- pany, Room 104, Shelly Building. 119 West Pender Street, Vancouver, British Columbia, and printed at Broadway © Printers Ltd., 151 East 8th Ave., Vancouver British Colum- bia. Subscription Rates: One year $2.00, six months $1.00.

Editor HAL GRIFFIN

_ Associate Editor AL PARKIN

HTT

Canada’s Role

ISCOUNT HALIFAX, British ambassador to the United States and long a dominant personality in British governmental circles, has made a speech at Toronto which,,in its implica- tions, is sharply at variance with the principles enunciated at Teheran and profoundly disturb- ing to those who believe that the future peace and security of the world lie in the imple- mentation of those principles to the full.

In the eyes of Viscount Halifax, three sreat powers will emerge into the post-war world, the United States, the Soviet Union and China. And, he says, “in the company of these titans, Britain, apart from the rest of the Common- wealth, could hardly claim equal partnership ... Not Britain only, but the British Common- wealth and Empire must be the fourth power in that group upon which, under providence, the peace of the world must depend.”

Qn this premise, Viscount Halifax advocates greater centralization of foreign policy within the British Commonwealth to balance its strength with that of the United States, the Soviet Union and China. But such centraliza- tion is impossible without impairing Canada’s independent role as a sovereign state in a world association of sovereign states as en- visaged by the Teheran Declaration.

The implications of Viscount Halifax’s speech are obvious. He visualizes the post-war world as one in which four great powers will be balaneed, dominating rather than leading the smaller states and concerned more with pro- tecting and advancing their own special inter- ests than in ensuring the common interest in peace and security.

This is not the perspective opened up by the decisions made at Teheran. It is not the view expressed by Cordell Hull, U.S. Secretary of State, who declared on his return from the Mescow Conference that “there will no longer be need for spheres of influence, for alliances, for balance of power or any other of the special arrangements through which, in the unhappy past, the nations strove to safeguard their se- curity or to promote their interests.’ It is tather the view of those striving to shape the new to the outworn pattern of the old.

Viscount Halifax states: “The dominions are free—absolutely free—to choose their path, but every time there is @ crisis in international af- fairs they are faced with the same inexorable dilemma from which there is no escape.” But his words, reflecting his concept of the post- war world, imply that the dominions have no choice.

Canada’s role, as a sovereign and equal partner in the British Commonwealth accept- ing the Teheran Declaration, must be to exer- cise its influence for united democratic policies

within the British Commonwealth, for exten- sion of the provisions of the Atlantic Charter

to the colonies, and, as fundamental to these policies, for full implementation of the Teheran decisions based on the complete destruction of fascism and the creation of a world associa- tion “of all nations, large and small, whose peoples in heart and mind are dedicated, as are our own people, to the elimination of tyranny and slavery, oppression and intolerance.”

Public Ownership

INE’ WESTMINSTER City Council is justly eritical of the failure of Vancouver City Council to call a meeting of adjacent civic and municipal bodies to consider acquisition of the B.C. Electric Railway as suggested by Premier Hart. Vaneouver City Council, properly plac- ing the onus back on the provincial govern- ment but without itself making any construc- tive proposals, informed Premier Hart that the other municipalities were not interested. Now, New Westminster City Council, which is interested in public ownership of utilities and transportation, has taken the leadership in ealilng the meeting of Fraser Valley municipal bodies.

At the same time, Alderman Charles Jones

chairman of the special committee appointed~

by Vancouver City Council to probe the find- ings of the Provincial Utilities Commission, has informed the council that if the B.C. Electric is allowed to earn 5.8 percent on a depreciated base rate of $78,951,523—the highly disputable valuation set upon the company’s assets by the commission—an increase in streetcar fares and gas charges is inevitable. In other words, Van- couver’s Non-Partisan City Council recognizes the problem but is unwilling to take any steps towards its solution.

It is obvious that popular pressure will have to be brought upon the provincial government to carry through its original proposal for ac- quiring provincial power resources and enab- ling the cities and municipalities to take over their own transportation systems. The B.C. Electric apparently wants to retain the power resources but is not averse to unloading its an- tiquated transportation systems upon the cities and municipalities. It is aware that in the immediate post-war period it will have to spend tremendous sums to bring these systems up to date. And any proposal for public acquisi- tion of these systems must therefore make ade- quate allowance for the fact that many street- car lines will have to be replaced by modern trolley bus services and much of the present rolling stock scrapped.

The question of public ownership of provin- cial power resources and transportation sys- tems is one of first of all for the Hart coalition government which raised it. But it is also a question for the cities and municipalities con- cerned on which Vancouver City Council must be forced to give leadership.

BRITAIN

Reconstruction |

HE campaign of British build- T ing trades workers to secure a post-war “charter” for their in- dustry gained headway last week when the building trades division

fhe Transport and General Oe eee Union called upon the government:

@ To instruct local housing au- thorities to prepare plans for post-war reconstruction.

@ To introduce legislation for compulsory acquisition of land

for housing.

@ To ensure adequate supplies of building materials at con- trolled prices.

The roposed “charter,” first seezocied by the Amalgamated Union of Building Trades Work- ers, calls for continuation after the war of the guaranteed 44-hour week, now provided by the Hssen- tial Work Order, and improved conditions.

Luke Fawcett, secretary of the Amalgamated Union of Building Trades Workers, recently pointed out that rebuilding of “blitzed” Britain after the war will require a force of 1,250,000 building work- ers, said:

“The fundamental problem is to ensure that this army of recon- struction is well fed, clothed and housed from the day of recruit- ment After the last war there were never less than 100,000 building workers employed. The question of the permanent employment of the available workers is the out- standing issue before the building industry.”

As a preliminary to winning their charter, Britain’s 18 differ- ent building trades unions are now discussing amalgamation.

Land Nationalization

Aves wages of agricultural ¢ workers in England and Wales have increased 75 percent since the start of the war—the highest rela- tive inerease in any industry—the National Union of Agricultural Workers has announced:

In four years the basic minimum rate for adult male workers has in- ereased from 37 shillings ($9.25) to 65 shillings ($16.25), stock men and cow men receive a minimum of 85 shillings a week, and 18-year-old girls can now get the minimum weekly wage of 48 shillings. Over- time must be paid after 49 hours.

“In addition to these wage gains,” Walter Holmes, NAW sec-

retary, told Anne Kelly, Allied Labor News correspondent, this week, “our unemployment insur-

ance scheme, which includes high accident and funeral benefits, now compares with benefits received by any industrial workers. Today none of our union members need fear victimization. Our members serve in advisory capacities on all country agricultural committees.”

During 1943 the NAW recruited 36,000 new members, bringing the union’s total membership to 100,- 000. At the beginning of the war there were 1,300 NAW locals. Now there are 2,100.

Holmes said he had “great hopes that the world trade union confer- ence in London next June will get down to the actual job of equaliz- ing and improving the standards of agricultural workers the world over —establishing minimum conditions in farm communities everywhere.”

The NAW, which believes it will be necessary for the government to control agriculture after the war, helped to draft the Labor Party's post-war farm policy call- ing for nationalization of the land, stabilized prices, controlled im- ports and adequate housing for farm workers.

E. G. Gooch, NAW president, re- cently wrote in the Country Stan- dard:

“I realize that exercise of state control over land is possible in private ownership, but it can be perfected only if the state controls the land as well as the producer. In other words, a prosperous agri- culture aiter the war is dependent

upon the state owning transferring all farming; ownership. After the Ij government succumbe™ farmers’ clamor for fre control and they got il- the neck too. Years of: followed. i

“It is reported that’ been a rise of a billion, the value of the .unde;, agricultural land in E; the war started. The — artificial land values -:- fit the landowners is vy a hindrance to plannii™ war. 5

“Tenants of landlords” is bought by the nation® tenants of the natio= farmer-tenants of the | have nothing to fear have security of tenure” tion as a landlord wil!) those services which 7. lords so often cannot +

4

AUSTRA:

17

Two Parties Amal T A CONFERENC) NSW, last week, i Communist Party an South Wales State 1]

which broke away ir

tralian Federal Labi? 1940, merged as th | Communist Party (w amalgamated the New | State Labor Party).

Having taken an ~ towards forging of a- ing class party, the ce. tended by delegates © 1,400 branches thr: country, decided to Labor Party for affili-

Under the propos the Australian Com. would agree to abide Party’s constitution : serving the right ol Communist activity ganda.

The program adc eonference stated in that “the objective ¢ social ownership of production and dis | Sialism is a moveme | jority and therefoi democratic.”

It outlined the for labor and natic victory, stressed the the Anglo-Soviet tre cow decisions and - conference, and urgt system of collective victory.

With membership figure of 28,000, ¢£ Communist Party, in- population, is now left-wing party in th monwealth. |

FREE FR}

ie

Problems of Vici :

“AS the hour cf proaches, pos

of the restoration <¢ tion of France arise monde Bonte, Frer fh leader, from Algier i Bonte made it fs forces of resistance }] are concerned mor} ate action to liberat than they are with 2 lems. i Nevertheless, hr French Communist }0 ers that it is not er}. quer freedom. This An be established on b

tion if it is not te: It therefore cons flaws in the kind we have known ca: come by a broader ine democracy.” He listed as es: Practice of these £},

@ Freedom of \ lievers and n¢

@ Freedom of th