CANADA BACKS HER BRAVE BOYS!

Fifteen thousand dollars worth of comforts were sent to the boys in Spain for Christmas. Shoes, socks, cigarettes, tobacco, chocolate. Every volunteer received an Xmas package.

This fine shipment was made possible by the warm support given to the campaign of the Friends of the Mackenzie Papineau Battalion by Canadians from coast to coast. The National Committee thanks all who answered its appeal so splendidly.

The B.C. Committee sent in over $1,300 in cash and $800 in goods. More than $3,000 as well as goods came from the cultural organizations, outstanding among which was the $1,500 for boots from the Ukrain- ian progressive organizations. Halifax, Winnipeg, Toronto, Montreal, Regina, Windsor, Hamilton — all cities big and small, various groups of people from all walks of life, responded splendidly. The National Com- mittee of the Young Communist League donated 100,000 cigarettes. The Jones Boys Club, a small Toronto group gave over $200., the trade union locals furnished more then $1.000., with the BC. loggers topping the list with $400 and outstanding donations came from restaurant locals, miners, B.C. Electric Railway employees, the pulp and paper industry, etc. Women knitted 800 pairs of socks including three pairs by an old woman of 72 years from Shere, B.C. Old George Rudvak of Manitoba himself collected $270, ten year old Shirley Silverman saved her pennies for cigarettes. Such were just a few of a thousand incidents, proving the love and devotion of the Canadian people for our boys defending demo~ cracy in Spain.

Said the young American Capt. Bob Thompson, who commanded the MacPaps for a while:

"I can only say that I consider it a privilege to have had the honor of com- manding during its first action, such a battalion (MacPap), and to have had, as my comrades in arms these splendid stan- dard bearers of Canadian democracy.

I am confident that the Canadian people will insure that their boys and this battalion receive a continuously swelling stream of support.”