No. 7.

5 Cents

Vancouver, B.C:, Friday, April 5, 1946 _ Formerly PACIFIC ADVOCATE

u

tiz an e

"he Federal Government

wpsented by the mil of the CCL the brief lays prob-

executive

‘al emphasis on the fof maintaining full employ- and increasing income Drawing attention to the nding contribution of Can- workers to wartime pro-

n the brief asks “why lessens learned during: Pwar should not be ap-

in peacetime, and why a which could build ships: Holanes and tanks of vast atricate proportions cannot @ the simplest type of homes, imake provision for decent 4rds of living.”

Ssmmending abolishment of artime Wages and Control and of the War Tabor & both national and reg- the Congress stated that from the defects of the order and the unsatisfac— “personnel of the NWiLB, /is no longer any need for B ccntrol in Canada and that ime to return to the normal

i z Sane ss of collective bargaining.

is felt,’ the brief continued,

GL. Brief Advances fages, Jobs Program

was informed this week that

Sanadian Congress of Labor has adopted a wage policy bg for a general wage increase for the purpose of pro- sz a higher standard of living.

“that in- view of the advances in industrial production made dur-

[Continued on Page 38] See CCL BRIEF

Billion For Homes - TLC

TORONTO, Ont.—The ‘Toronto and District Trades and Labor Council, largest AFI. council in the Dominion, last week went on record calling upon the federal government to provide one billion dollars to build low-cost homes as part of a national housing pro- gram.

The urgent request of the TLC delegates was expressed in the unanimous adoption of a report of the legislative committee of the council. The report petitioned the federal authority to estab- lish a housing commission im- mediately, and as a first step to

undertake a program to build 50,- 000 homes.

py Scare

Excuse For

Ignoring Home Needs

Speaking at an Ottawa LPP meeting last week Con-

troller Stewart Smith Government spent its energies

ironically

remarked, “If the King? on housing, it would have a

much better foreign policy.’ More fact than fiction!

Two reactions by Prime Min- | ister’ King this week throw light on this paradox, observers here believe. On Tuesday the Nation- al delegation of the LPP led by Buck tried in vain to present its brief on housing and the na- tion-wide petition signed by 200,- 000 citizens. The Prime Minister wouldn’t see them. Not even a lowliest cabinet minister to ex-

is oi

teek Phoney Elections

ve Reaction “‘Majority”’

a Regardless of the widespread demands for postponement die Greek national elections last week, these were forced

> elections were completely ytted by all sections of the the Communists, Socialists, tance movements and left Bais. The elections were car- Geout under conditions of vir- : terror. Police and military © fully mobilized at the polls, lin the factories the employers # every form of intimidation seak the people’s boycott of Seeclections. Early estimates that less than 55% of the jieorate voted.

tic National Liberation Move- =, HLAS, with which is as- Geited all the people of the Eix resistance movement, Com-

igh as planned by the Greek pro-fascist and royalist Fes, supported by the Bevin-Byrnes forces.

munists, Socialists, trade union- ists, ete., have already asserted that the elections were conducted under conditions which give them no validity. They declare that any government which may em- erge out of this election can only be a government of reaction, com- posed of Greek quislings and Nazi collaborators.

Royalist circles see in the re- sults of the election a big pos- sibility of returning, the mon- archy to Greece. A “plebiscite” to this effect is already being mooted by the reactionaries in Athens

and London.

tend government courtesy to a petition which was the result of energetic public effort!

On the same day Mr. Buck answered a question about the spy investigation to a sizeable press conference. “The most im- pressive fact revealed to date,” he said, “is that Canada held out against a hard-pressed ally.” He was referring to technical infor-

any. legislative program for labor, the feeling was beceming, preva- lent that labor’s demands were being sidetracked.

The strengthened bloc in the B.C. legislature, plus the pressure of Big Business against any new labor legislation, gave good eause for such concern on the part of organized labor.

The granting of a 44-hour week in place of labor’s demand for a 40-hour week; the one weeks’ holiday with pay, with its many limitations, disqualify many B.C. wage-earners from benefitting by its provisions, while the Work-

To New Post

mation—the high explosive RDX and radar, which might have made a tremendous contribution to the war effort of the USSR. Mr. Buck recalled the desperate back-to-the-wall days of Stalin- erad, “How many lives might this have saved—yes, I refer not only to Russian but to Canadian lives.” He wanted Canadian par- ents, wives and children—all Ca- nadians—to think of what we ourselves paid in dead because such information was withheld from our Ally.

This time the Government re- sponded, Mr. King spoke in reply to Mr. Buck’s statement in the House. He referred to the “nine- ty-seven million dollars’ worth of munitions and supplies sent to the Soviet Union in one year (lit- erally enough to Keep the Soviet war machine going: for 10 hours). But he studiously avoided any mention of the absence of techni- éal information.

[Continued on Page 38]

See SPY SCARE

The Provincial Hxecutive of the LPP anounce the appointment of Chas. (Chuck) Saunders, as party

organizer in the , Kootenays. “Chuck” Saunders was editor of the “Pacific Advocate” prior to that paper being replaced by the “Pacific Tribune.” Before coming to the “PA” he was president of the Ship and Dock Workers’ Union in Vancouver, and active in local trade union circles. Chas. Saunders is a veteran of the McKenzie-Papineau Battalion of the International Brigades, and served two years in Spain with that gallant organization. Comrade Saunders will take up his new duties immediately and for the next few weeks will work in Trail. His many friends and comrades in Yancouver wish him every success in this new field, and he is assured of the warm cooperation of the working class movement in the Kootenays. On his new job Comrade Saunders will remain as staff correspond-

ent of the “Pacifie Tribune.”

BOR’S PROGRAM CLIPPED

Gov't Legislation Far Below Demands Listed In Joint Labor Brief

The announcement of Labor Minister Pearson on March 28th that legislation would be submitted to the B.C. House, providing for a statutory 44-hour week, one week's annual ‘holiday with pay, and a number of important changes to the Workmen’s Compensation Act, broke the tension in labor circles. Owing to the government’s delay in bringing down

men’s Compensation amendments —good in themselves, do not square with Labor’s demand for 100 percent compensation for in- jured and crippled workers.

The sidetracking of labor’s de- mand for a 60c per hour mini- mum wage in BC, with the argument that “B.C. had de- veloped (under existing minimum wage regulations) the highest and most uniform standard of wages in Canada” is not in ac- cordance with fact.

The labor brief presented to the Cabinet in February of this year, listed a great deal of needed labor legislation, some 20 points in all, which the report of the minister ignores entirely. The bulk of the demands are brushed aside with the ministerial warn- ing that “the uncertainty of eco- nomic conditions immediately ahead of uS and the necessity of Suarding against action which might make rehabilitation and reconstruction more difficult.”

In the labor legislation brought down, the Coalition has weather- ed the session with a minimum of concessions. Labor has won 2 partial victory, but the main battle for improved standards is still to be joined. Rehabilitation and reconstruction will remain difficult so long as wage stand- ards are far below living costs, as they are in most basic industries in B.C. The government has not

[Continued on Page 8] See LEGISLATION

Fighting Fund For Ship Union

Shipyard workers moved for- ward in their fight for increased wages and the shorter work week as they approved a plan to double

their dues for the next two months in order to establish a fighting fund. In addition an

honor roll will be set up for vol- untary donations by the member- ship. This decision was taken at the membership meeting of the Marine and Boilermakers indus- trial union this week.

Malcolm MacLeod, chairman of the Joint Shipyard Conference, which embraces all of the unions in the shipyards has announced the ealling of a special meeting of that organization, to coordin- ate action, and work out joint policy. Meantime, officials of the Shipyard General Workers Hed- eration (CCL), will visit Victoria and Rupert prior to the calling of a B.C. conference of shipyard workers.