The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1924-07-30
CANADA MINERS
DEMAND HOWAT'S
Reinstatement
District Is Supports
Militant Miners

Especial to the DAILY WoRkEN
CALGARY, Alta, July 29-In spite
Of the opposition of the reactionary
ofIicialdom of District 49, U. M. w. of
A., the rank and file of the miners
have shown themselves to be whole
heartedly behind the movement to
secure the reinstatement of Alexander
Howat into the union. Eighteen local
unions have demanded that a special
convention be Immediately called for
the purpose of demanding on behalf
Of the district that the Lewis admin
istration call a special international
convention to take up the question
Of the reinstatement of the militant
miners, including Howat, expelled by
the Lewis machine. In spite of this
demand by more than half Of the local
unions of the district, the officialdom
| led by Sherman, the renegade mill
tant who has lined up with Lewis, a
district convention has not been
lcalled. The locals that have passed
the resolution demanding a district
convention have also endorsed the
call for a special convention passed
by the Illinois miners in their district
convention.
Striking Two Months.
Since April list the miners of this
district have been on strike against
a reduction of SLIT day. For the
first two months of the strike no
relief funds were available until the
workers of Canada started supporting
the miners with donations. In this
work the Communist Party of Canada
has taken leading part. The Off
cialdom of the district also introduced
the policy of signing individual agree
ments with local operators at the old
scale of wages. Resentment against
the Lewis administration because any
funds for relief were refused the
miners, combined with the misman-
agement of the strike, and the deter
mination to aid the fight to reinstate
Alexander Howat led to the demand
for the special district convention.
The yellow district ofhcialdom refuses
to call the convention because 1t
knows that the convention would sup
port the resolutions introduced by the
militants in the union.
Don't Be MisIed.
The work of lining up the locals
for the calling of a special convention
is continuing, and in some places the
more impatient of the miners are talk
ing of the necessity Of rank and
| file" convention to be held in spite
Of Sherman and his gang. But this
step is held to be premature by many
miners, since it would play into the
hands of Sherman. They hold that If
the rank and file" convention is held,
Sherman will expel the locals par
ticipating in it on the plea that he
has to preserve the unity Of the union
during a strike, and that the conven-
ton is called to split from the U. NJ.
w. 1t is also common knowledge that
Sherman would be only too glad to
get rid of the militants before the
district elections take place in De-
cember of this year. Whether the
miners are led into a rank and file
convention, thus giving Sherman a
chance to smash them, will depend
upon the leadership of the militants
in the local unions.
The Canadian coal miners are sol
idly behind the fight of Alexander
Howat and the other expelled mill
tants to get reinstated into the union.
District rs is under the provisional
government" of the Lewis machine
and is therefore unable to demand
that a special international conven-
ton be called, but the miners of
District Is are taking steps to add
their forces to those already lined up
in the reinstatement of Alexander
Howat.