Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - January 10, 1947, Winnipeg, Manitoba Freedom of Trade Liberty of religion Equality of civil rights. Press Al lated and published the Winnipeg free press limited 300 Carlton Street Winnipeg Manitoba authorized As second class matter by the Post office department Ottawa. Victor Sefton Grant Dexter publisher. Executive editor. We. Lord Bruce Hutchison general manager. Associate. Editor. Winnipeg Friday january 10, 1947 Liberty in a closed shop 9 As the parliament of Britain and the Congress of the United states continue to debate it the Issue of the closed shop begins to emerge in its True Light not Asah expedient touching a few workers and employers but As a principle affecting the Basic Freedom of All citizens. In the Congress a determined Effort will be made this session to outlaw the closed shop throughout the nation As it has been outlawed already by four states. The argument in favor of such a decision is that the Law has already forbidden the so called yellow dog contract by which an employer could refuse to hire men because they belonged to a Union and that logically it should forbid the opposite arrangement by which no Man May be employed unless he belongs to a Union. Discussion of this question is in its Early stages i Washington. It has advanced much further in the British parliament. As it proceeds in almost continuous debate the dangers of the closed shop become More apparent not Only to the opposition parties but to the labor government itself. Clearly a struggle touching the very basis of British society is now under Way. The labor movement organized in the trades Union con Gress has Laid Down the principle that every worker in Britain must join a Union if he is to hold a Job. It refuses however to decide what Union a worker must join what Union a particular employer must Deal with and it Calls the closed shop a propaganda term invented by the enemies of labor. But the fact is that in important segments of Industry powerful unions Are demanding exclusive Possession of the Field Are attempting to crush out smaller unions As disruptive of the Union movement at Large. In the operations of the London passenger transport Board a Public authority the transport and general workers Union compelled every worker to join it. A handful of workers who refused and desired to remain in a minor Union were dismissed. Whether a government erected mainly on the strength of labor unions can Long endure remains to be seen. It will depend not Only on the ability of the government but. On the Good sense of. The unions. By the ancient Genius of British parliamentary democracy All these paradoxes of logic May be resolved by a system which does not depend on logic. But in Britain As in the United states and other free coun tries the Issue of Freedom represented by the closed shop principle cannot be evaded indefinitely thus despite the reassuring statements of the trades Union Congress a Public authority has been compelled to Lay Down the principle not merely that a worker must join a Union if he is to work but that he must join a particular Union even if he lacks Confidence in it. A completely closed shop has been enforced in the great Industry of London transportation. When this became Clear to Public and parliament a wave of protest swept across the nation. It has lately found its voice in the House of commons where the Liberal party forced a vote on the whole closed shop question. In a motion of no Confidence in the government the Liberal party deplored the threat to the personal Liberty of workers members and non members of Trade unions by the enforcement of the closed shop in Industry and it regretted that the government had pro claimed no policy on this subject. The resulting debate revealed the depth of the Issue thus posed. That Issue was by no Means closed by the defeat of the Liberal motion. Liberal members demonstrated by figures that the closed shop has been spreading rapidly since the establishment of the labor government. Apart from private Industry it was stated 30 municipal councils had enforced this arrangement compelling their workers to join a Union. While there were Only workers in unions affiliated with the trades Union Congress and outside the Union movement yet the minority of workers was attempting to dominate the majority and in Many places succeeding. In the end if this went on no British citizen could hold a Job in Industry without becoming a part of the trades Union con Gress. This to opposition speakers appeared alarmingly like the nazi system in Germany where All workers had to belong to the labor front. In Short the most elemental Liberty of a British subject to work where he pleased and under conditions acceptable to him was threatened. A a besides this another aspect of the main problem emerged danger that the trades unions a minority of the Popula Tion would finally control the government itself. That for the government is indeed the main problem and the government obviously knows it. At its last convention the trades Union Congress attempted to influence the government not Only in favor of Hundred per cent Union membership in Industry but in favor of Many changes in foreign policy. It almost seemed to regard itself indeed As a new state of the realm a kind of third unofficial House of parliament. And when the government resisted this pressure in foreign affairs and went its own Way As the representative of the whole people the revolt in the extreme left Wing of its party was not Long in coming. The protest of the labor rebels in parliament while not pressed to a final vote Shook the government to its foundations gravely embarrassed it in the new York peace conference and cast a Long Shadow Over its future. However in the recent debate on the closed shop the government sought Light of All these dangers. Speaking for the Cabinet or. Isaacs flatly denied that the trades Union Congress was dominating the government or even the unions but by a curious of the Tongue he seemed to betray the inner the ministers. He spoke of the Trade Union a remark which the opposition quickly seized upon and which or. Isaacs hastily withdrew adding do not be led away by any of this Bunkum about the . Dominating anybody else. It has no domination Over anybody and no domination Over its Trade unions. It has no Power to give an order to any Trade Union but it can give counsel advice and this is True in Law. But the . Is giving counsel advice and assistance so insistently in Many Fields of labor that the government cannot hide its. Deep concern. This was Clear for example when or. Morrison and other labor leaders had to denounce the Willesden Borough Council for attempting to Force doctors and nurses on its Public staff to join a Union. It was Clear also from the former speeches of or. Attlee who in 1927 seemed to foresee this Issue when he said we ought not to say Here is a particular Trade Union you must join that and leave your own i have resisted that when it was tried on. That is not but it is precisely what has happened under or. Attlee s government in the London transport Board an Organ of the state. For the moment the government is dodging the Issue. Under repeated demands for a statement of its attitude. On the closed shop it has continued to reply that the matter must be left to the decision of individual industries. The government s dilemma Here is apparent. On the one hand to hold together the Union support on which it was elected and now lives it must satisfy the Union movement. The other because it is the govern ment of the whole country and not the Organ of any particular group it must satisfy a Public restive under the growing strength of the unions. And above All because Britain s economic survival depends on it the government must make sure that the production of British Industry increases enormously during the next few years when no serious Industrial warfare can be endured. Winnipeg s heavy traffic toll Winnipeg s record of traffic mis haps in 1946 is truly shocking. There were 24 persons killed were injured and altogether there were it is the worst in the history of the City and should Shock citizens and authorities into an acute aware Ness that something is seriously wrong. Primarily of course responsibility rests with the individual. If there is carelessness on the part of either the Drivers of vehicles or pedestrians or both the Accident toll will be High no matter what measures Are taken to regulate and control traffic. The need of exercising care and watchfulness and of taking no unnecessary chances has been preached continuously but without re sult. The daily reports of accidents with their dead and injured seemingly have made Little impression. Pedestrians still Barge across intersections against the red lights. Vehicles too often try to beat the change by a split second. In other Western cities the traffic lights Are obeyed and their Accident rate is. Lower. But the traffic regulating sys tem should take account of this human element and be so arranged that it reduces the hazards to a minimum gives the least Opportunity for carelessness or reckless Ness to bring serious consequences and keeps traffic conscious of the need of alertness. And with any traffic control system there must be adequate enforcement and penalties. The record of mishaps last year was one to make every Man and woman pause to think about the dangers that beset themselves and their children upon the streets. Neither Winnipeg nor any other City can afford to pay such a High Rice for carelessness and the Only Way that it can be stopped is for the City authorities both City Council and police to take what Ever Steps May be necessary to end this shocking condition. Shaping agricultural policy Winnipeg will be the scene of two highly important agricultural meetings at the end of this month they Are the 62nd annual convention of the Manitoba Dairy association and the Lith annual meet ing of the Canadian federation of agriculture. Each will attract More than Ordinary interest on the part of the general Public which has been warned that it will soon be paying More for the meagre amounts o Bacon allowed on the Domestic Market and that Price rises for Dairy products Are becoming progressively More difficult to avoid. The federation which will have delegates from farm groups in every part of Canada is planning to devote an entire Day of its meeting to a debate on National livestock and feed policy. At the in another part of the City the provincial Dairy association and its component parts representing Many manufacturers As Wel As producers will be examining the thorny problems of an Industry which is struggling to maintain it output in the face of rising Cost of labor and feed. These meetings Are taking place in a period of stress one which i hardly less difficult than during the War for Canada has obligation to Supply vast quantities of food abroad As Well As to look after the needs of her own people. Indeed the whole productive machine which in spite of All handicaps me the emergency of War is showing signs of Strain. They come too at a time when agitation is being renewed for a system of subsidies to bolster production Barley is an example even while the trend of National policy is away from such subsidies delegates at both meetings i do Well to ask themselves Whethe the permanent interests of Canadian agriculture and of the country a Large will not be better server by measures to promote a Maxi mum efficiency of production am distribution rather than by reliant upon props which can have Only the reverse effect. The prime n is to shake Down farm production costs and no subsidy that was eve invented will Ever solve that prob Lern. They make a great team breaching the closed shop pan of London it looks today As though the closed shop Issue has been broken in Britain. The Only temporary but Retreat it is. A tradition of Toler Ance has asserted itself and the results Are beginning to show. It All began Early in december Vith a Small group of doctors and nurses in the Willesden Borough hospitals it has culminated in the decision of the postmaster general o refuse sole bargaining Recagni Ion to the Union of Post office workers. The government having Given act support to the closed shop ambitions of the t. U. C. Unions has now rebuffed one of the Arger of this group. Labor Council Willesden Council has a labor majority. Like a great Many other dominated councils it decided to enforce the closed shop Imong its Public employees. First he Council picked on three Plymouth Brethren and ordered heir dismissal because they were not members of a recognized Union. The Brethren had refused of join on the grounds of con science. Next the Council decided to move in on the medical staffs of the two Borough hospitals. It ordered the doctors and nurses to become members of recognized trades unions As distinct from the Ordinary medical and nursing associations. The doctors and nurses refused. Council them. They still re used and then the storm broke n the House of commons and out by Frank b. Walker Side of it three Cabinet ministers berated their socialist colleagues. Council surrendered. First or. Isaacs the minister of labor spoke i Hope trades unions will respect religious opinions of the sort Are honestly and sincerely held. Then or. Aneurin Sevan the minister of health spoke. I am sending a circular to local authorities pointing out. That their primary duty As health authorities is to main Tain the efficiency and smooth running of their health serv ices and ensure the welfare of the patients for whom they Are responsible. All other considerations must be regarded As secondary. I certainly Hope there will not be a repetition of the incidents. And then or. Morrison spoke the hospitals Are Short of nurses and Why one or two foolish local authorities should be Messing about with this applause drowned the rest of his sentence. There were other signs apart from applause which showed that Broad mass of the British people that none too Happy about the closed shop. There was a flood of letters to newspapers and not All from the tories either. Now at the close of the year the next breach has been made in the Walls of the closed shop. In its negotiations with the Post master general the Union of Post office workers asked that it should be regarded As the Only staff association entitled to negotiate with the Post office on behalf the position of the . Following is an excerpt from an address by or. B. T. Richardson editor of the Star Phoenix of Saskatoon to the Cana Dian club on thursday. The Impact which United states exerts on world affairs will always be difficult to predict but it will Likely be Plain enough from time to time. Ideas activated in America will shatter ancient Walls of thought a hemisphere away. Ideas lying at the base of american opinion will undermine other ideas in a Hundred other countries. To Many europeans America is still a doubtful Experiment. It is not Likely that there is any special american Wisdom to guarantee a perpetual Prosperity to Mankind yet there is some secret in the american system which has elevated the american people far beyond the material standards of any other people. One thing that the americans contribute to world affairs is a Universal belief in Freedom for the United states is a vast area of Freedom. The americans Are free Dom worshippers. The american system operates on the Peculiar principle of free action and free reaction and out of its Sharp conflict of ideas a million americans make up their minds sometimes rightly and sometimes wrongly and then change them again. If you believe that the free mind of Mankind will not tolerate permanently an error or an atrocity then you will have Faith in american leadership in world affairs. It will Spring directly from american democracy. American policy is formed slowly laboriously with a great Deal of muddling. Fearful of tyrants the framers of the american Constitution Laid endless restrictions upon the president and seriously Crip pled his Power to exert National leadership. Congress is guilty of mistakes which none but the Rich est most powerful nation could afford but Congress is tie most sensitive legislature in the world to the pressure of events. If Ameri can Power is concentrated behind the United nations it is Well to remember that the United nations cannot survive without a concentration of colossal Power behind it the Force needed to make the Rule of Law effective in the affairs of nations. The United states is the least warlike of nations. Already de mobilized the americans will not Send any Caesars to conquer Gaul yet the lesson of 1941-45 is Plain to All that the . Fighting Power is incomparable once mobilized. It is also Well to remember that the symbolism of the atomic bomb the most costly weapon in history is that Only the United states can produce and assemble weapons o this the atom bomb is Only one thing. In an armaments race which depends on the Labora tories of science and the Assembly plants of Industry american leadership will not be lost in our time the great thing that the Ameri can people have Learned from the bitter experience of a most bitter and dreadful even for americans than any War for them since the civil been tha Victory came when America linked its economic fortunes and its Mili tary planning with those of its Canada Russia and the others. It achieved full employ ment in doing so and the Transi Tion in thinking is easily led to the argument that International co operation in economic policies i the Way to Prosperity and Maxi mum employment. Birthdays mrs. H. Marr Keewatin ont. Born Ric Carton jet., scot., Jan. 10 1866. John h. Clay Gilbert Plains Man. Born Dewsbury Yorkshire eng., Jan. 10, 1870. F the rank and file of Manipula Ive trades. It was emphasized by the Union hat in making this claim it not attempting to enforce the closed shop but in fact it would ave meant that four other smaller organizations would have been excluded from negotiations and there Ore rendered impotent to serve heir membership. The official reply by the Post master general recognized this lord Listowel after care fully considering All the views put Forward by the interests , has now decided that this Union s claim must be rejected because it would not be just to ignore the views of responsible and properly constituted minority bodies hav ing in membership a substantial proportion of the organized staff in the grades which they seek to represent. He admits that administrative difficulty does arise when negotiations have to be carried on with several different associations but he does not think it would be., right to withdraw recognition from the smaller bodies merely for the Sake of removing that difficulty. The reaction of one of the smaller have not had much to cheer about Ubbant. The reaction of Union f Post office workers was to Erm the Issue of the postmaster eneral s decision to the press the most disgraceful and discourteous act that any postmaster general Las done since staff associations vere recognized. The statement is he first intimation that my Union has had that the postmaster general has replied to our repro the school teachers have also stepped into the fight. At its an Nual conference the National in on of women teachers also came out against the closed shop with the statement that while eachers would disagree that 1 was desirable All workers should belong to their appropriate organization or trades Union they Dis agreed emphatically with the theory that they should be compelled. To join one Union. On the platform the Issue a been joined As effectively. In a newspaper article a few weeks age or. Will Lawther of the National Coal Board wrote if an individual sets himself above the considered judgment of his Fellows it is licence not Liberty that he is or. Dingle foot replied for the Liberal party there in one sentence. You have the whole argument for despotism. It is a sentiment which would have been applauded by Hitler and Musso Lini. It would have been Well understood by the Spanish inquisition. And no doubt in still earlier times it would have been received with rap Turous enthusiasm by the prophets of Baal. They had to Deal with a troublesome individual named Elijah who insisted on setting himself above the considered judg ment of his Fellows and they were the original exponents of the closed shop. Earlier or. Foot had said a transport Lon Don or a Coal Miner anywhere in the United kingdom who happens for some reason to be Persona non grata with the local Branch of the monopoly Union will find himself banished. From his own Trade. His training will serve for nothing. His special skill will be rendered useless. He will become an Industrial outlaw. That is a terrible Power for anyone to exercise and it is a Power which in a free country we cannot permit to any Pri vate irresponsible organization. All things considered by Goin too far the Willesden count have rendered a notable Public service. At the last session the oppose on developed especially heavy at Acks on an appropriation of voted for improvements and new stations for . Including the new Toronto and Calgary actions. Because of time needed or preparation. Engineering lans As Well As delays in procuring materials not a great Deal of his has been expended o that it is unlikely any Large additional sums for . Expand on will be asked for at the Cong session. However the question of radio License Lees should e raised above the present ?2.50 year or . Take on More commercial business will have to e threshed out in the radio com Mittee. At present . Gets bout two thirds of its Revenue rom License fees and one third rom commercial programmes. But oth together Are insufficient to Over All operating and Over Ead charges so that the Corpora on will show another deficit for 946. There has been some Sugges Lon that . Might abandon the commercial Field entirely. This would mean an increase in the fees to at least ?5 a year r placing the corporation on a straight government subsidy basis he argument in favor of the later is that As . Is a National aimed to encourage Canadian Talent and listener a of Good music am educational programmes the a Ion As. A whole should pay of any deficits concerned. The objection is that a subsidy system might put the corporation unde he thumb of government Polit cans. Some safeguards might b erected by putting the subsidy o a statutory basis. Problems under attack the government is girding itself to rebut deter ined progressive conservative tracks at the coming session january 30 Ori various of its enter rises which encroach on Corn Ier Cial Fields. Chief under fire will be the acadian broadcasting Corpora Board the acadian information service and by Chester a. Bloom the he polymer synthetic corporation. He radio rubber Canadian War inform on service which has been operated factually under external f fairs for the last year by order n Council will be placed under the jurisdiction of that department by he act which was held Over from ast session. In 1945, the old War Ime information Board required to operate. After meting Wib with cis., the Bill Fer 946 was John Bracken progressive con Ergative opposition Leader at tempted to have this appropriation it in half but his motion was de rated by the government and . Majority. The attack will be renewed at this session. The Peculiar manner in which Bis film Board has been financed y charging its expenses to various government departments for sup lying films photographs and like my licit services has made it most difficult to ascertain exactly. Inhat the Enterprise is costing the country. Travelling. Expenses con tit Ute a huge part of its expenditures. Both the Canadian information service and Canadian film Board have absorbed numerous employees of the old wartime information Board. The progressive conservatives. Will make a deter mined attempt to ascertain exactly that the film Board is costing the country. Hostility to monopoly the government film Board photographers and movie opera tors were Given exclusive entry to make pictures at the recent citizenship ceremony in the supreme ourt. This monopoly aroused violent hostility among Many Canadian newspapers which will no doubt add acrimony to the dispute. The opposition charged at the last session that the huge polymer synthetic rubber c wartime Plant operated by the government at Sarnia was losing some a year. The government claimed the Plant was making a profit. This subject will again be threshed out plus the question of whether with the f ailing natural rubber it is advisable to keep on manufacturing synthetic. No. 1, 338. Hail stones kill pelicans. Last week the news column married a report from Sydney Australia that hundreds of per on were injured and much prop try damaged during a Hail torm which showered Down ice jails two and three inches in Dia Neter. Hail storms of such sever to never lash our Prairies but hat we do not entirely escape Uch catastrophes is shown by re ports received following our re cent column on the White pelicans of grand rapids Man. A n. Venables Winnipeg in us that while holidaying at grand rapids about 16 years ago he was told about a terrific Hail storm that caused the death of Many pelicans and gulls and suggested we write Valentine a Mckay grand rapids for particulars. Or. Mckay replied As allows the disastrous Hail storm Gorman Venables refers to happened in the summer of 1929, when i was at Lac do Brochet at the North end of Reindeer Lake. However i have All the Partick ars about the storm and its effect on Birds from the people Here. When the storm was approach ing it was preceded by a Dull Roar which became increasingly louder As it got nearer. Some of the Hail stones were the size of Hen eggs and the Saskatchewan River was literally churned up by the falling Hail stones. After the storm passed away pelicans cormorants and gulls were seen floating Down some dead and others wounded and crippled with broken wings. Residents claim Many of these crippled Birds died when win Ter came As they were unable to go South on account of their in juries. Shore covered with dead Birds or Mckay Indian travellers Between Here and Long Point Lake Winnipeg reported the Shore of the Lake was covered with dead Birds mostly gulls washed ashore. This place was in the direct path of the storm. To show the hard hitting Power of the Hail stones one woman Here was Black and Blue Over her shoulders from the Impact of the stones As she tried to run for cover. I presume she had some Protection for her a Hail storm that did great damage to Birds nests was re ported by e. S. Norman to Chickadee notes in -1921. On the evening of june 10, a heavy Hail storm passed Over the Birch Lake area Mulvihill Man., Leav ing in its Wake a Trail of smashed today s scripture o taste and see that the lord is Good blessed is the Man. That Trust eth in him. Psalms nests and dead Birds. Nests in Trees were battered Down and nests of All kinds on the ground destroyed. Raven at Hudson Man. Rev. D. Alexander son has a big Black solitary silent Haven. This Winter. He flies All Over own. He belongs to the Northern hemisphere and does not Migrate Home is in the Mountain and desert and he is looked upon As a rebel and robber by other Birds. He feeds on animal matter either dead or alive and judging from his Strong flight he is faring Well with Hudson As a Winter Rendez Vous. One wishes he would give out a croak once in a while but he maintains silence appeals to one s inner Winnipeg artists add to laurels Bird not be sorry to learn that Terence m. Shortt formerly of Winnipeg now of the Royal Ontario museum of zoology Toronto has so Many new assign ments that he is positively getting housemaid s and round shoulders through poring Over his drawing Board. He is making about 500 Black and White sketches for a Bird Book for the University of Michigan making some new illustrations for booklets on the Birds of our National Parks and pre paring drawings for a Book on nature in the Toronto Region and another on the of on Tario. We May a fed Fiat in his spare time he draws a Bird sketch weekly for a Toronto Bird column makes sketches and paintings of Birds and mammals for Canadian and contributes to the conservation series issued in National advertisements by a com Pany catering to the thirsty. have watched with pleasure the Ever widening Circle of recognition accorded the gifted Shortt Brothers Angus h. Of Winnipeg and Terence m. Of Toronto. Angus is Best known for the Fine series of Duck paintings appearing in sports and Terry for the color plates in Kort right s ducks geese and swans of North another Winnipeg nature artist whose Fame is spreading across the Border is Clarence l Willenius. Or. Willenius specializes in mammal drawings and paintings and is a great admirer of the famous swed ish nature artist Bruno Liljefors. Whose work he has intensively studied. Or. made the mammal drawings for game Birds and animals of Manitoba and has illustrated stories in the nature country guide and sports natural history society on monday january 13, Kalaher. Director of game and fish will give a lecture on the fut bearers arid their conservation. The meeting will be held in theatre f of tiie University commencing at 8.x5 . The Public is invited ;