PROFITS IN WAR

Grey River Argus, 18 January 1940, Page 10

PROFITS IN WAR

“There are those in this country (Canada) who would like to become little H tiers,” said the CCF (Canauian Commonwealth Federation) National Chairman. , “We must beware lest in fighting Hitlerism overseas, we establish a Canadian type of the same d.sease in this country.” “We must start now to concern ourselves with the aftermath of the war. he emphasised, not only by maintaining our civil liberties but in preparing for a tremendous economic dislocation. Thousands of men would have to be demobilised from the army, and tens of thousands would oei dismissed from war industries. Throughout the world the changefrom a war economy to peace-time eondit.ons would shake the economic structure to its very foundations, in order to minimise the economic chaos which was bound to ensue, the government should take over the entire munitions and other war-production industries. z

Private industry had already sabotaged our war effort to an extent which would not be permitted in any other group, Mr. Coldwell declyr&d. As a result of the Bren Gun probe, Parliament last May had passed a statute limiting profits on war con tracts let without tender to 5 pm cent. Yet on August 26 the Government, by Order in Council, had seaside this- provision because manufacturers of airplanes had bluntly refused to obey the law of the land ana ■accept, the limitation. Hon. C. D. Howe had told Parliament in September that in spite of appeals to tne patriotism of manufacturers, tne government had been unable to place one single contract with the 5 per cent limitation. To-day there was no ‘limitation on war profits, only a tax which admitted by implication that there would be excess profits. “What would be said,” Mr. Coldwell asked, “if a group of work ngmen or farmers refused to undertaKe war work or to raise produce unless they were given an increase in wages or prices? Yet these manufacturers did exactly that: They carried on a sit-down strike against Parlament and won without a protest.”—“The New Commonwealth,” 30/11/39.