LWA wage talks col

ae Some 10,000 Vancouver citizens gathered
in the greatest May Day demonstration this
Half that number made the long march fr
Led by horsemen in cowboy regalia, and swingin

Sry.

Wee

sees. ml

Of private cars, extended for more than a mile.

But this great’ May Day parade and rally apparen

A. A. MacLeod, former Ontario MPP, is seen (top) speaking
to the huge crowd at Sunday’s May Day rally
With him on the platform are Mrs. Effie Jones of

&

in Stanley Park.
Civic Reform As-

Sociation and Roland Lawrence, chairman of the Negro Citizens

League. Horsemen leading the mile-long parade (bottom),

added

an authentic western touch to this year’s celebration.

city has witnesse

By BERT WHYTE

tly didn’t qualify as “‘news’ in the editorial rooms of the city’s daily papers,
Vancouver Sun didn’t give a line on Monday, but printed a short
report Tuesday; the Province. dismissed the huge demonstration in
seven paragraphs devoted mainly to police complaints about the
traffic jam; and the News-Herald “covered” May Day by publishing
one photograph and a caption reducing the parade to 800.

Nevertheless the impact of this year’s impressive march and
rally was tremendous. “The best May Day in many years,” was the
unanimous verdict of pEecpents and spectators alike.

be j

rally.

sun (the temperature was near the
70 mark and many people got
their first sunburn of the year)
MacLeod hammered again and
again on the theme that the peo-
ple are on the march, that peace
is winning the battle against war,
and that the labor movement must
lead the struggle for democracy
and security.

“Yes, the fight for peace is be-
ing won,” said the LPP spokes-
man. “Nothing is surer than that.
But we must not stand as spec-
tators—even cheering ‘ spectators
—-while this great struggle is in
progress. We must all become
active participants in the crucial
battle between the forces of
peace and the evil makers of
war.”

MacLeod spoke of the 800 mil-
lion people in the world who have
accomplished “victories for hum-
anity” and quoted some lines from

a poem by Canada’s great working
| class poet, J. S. Wallace:

Grain workers win victory =
after 11 weeks on picket line;

Eleven long weeks on picket lines paid off
Week with the signing of an agreement granting a
$1571, The wage hike will be retroactive to

One year,

Also included in the settlement are tw

°n the graveyard shift differential
and double pay for Sunday work,
and job classification.

b Grain ships are already being
erthed at elevator docks and the
ve terminal elevators which were
Te up in Vancouver and New
ti €stminster have resumed opera-
ae Tt was estimated that it will
ae a full month to ship out the
8,000,000 bushels now in the elev-
‘tors and stalled in thousands of
Oe ey cars throughout British
_“Olumbia and Alberta.

shu ictory of the grain strikers has
wrattered Vancouver employers’
r the wage line” front (al-
Beany cracked by recent wage
ns won by firemen and carpen-
&rs) and will help unions now in
€Sotiations with employers.

fy other happenings on the labor
°nt this week included these:

Abd Members of Street Railway-
tae Union are expected to re-
on a six-cent conciliation award,
0 the grounds that BCE transit
Perators are among the lowest
oa workers in B.C. Bus drivers
a Set $1.51 an hour, but con-
-Tsion from ‘two to one-man

t Tuesday,

for 270 striking

December 1, 1952,

ipment has substantially in-
uae the amount of work they
have to do.

@ Trade unionists have con-
demned Premier W. A. G:Ben-
nett’s proposal to revise the In-
dustrial Conciliation and Arbitra-
tion Act by eliminating the ae
ent government supervised strike
vote and put in its place a gov-
ernment “scrutinized” strike vote.

@ clo International Seed
workers of America have applie

‘for a conciliation officer after wage |.

lks broke down last Friday be-
reed the union and 160 oa
operators. Some 32,000 coas
woodworkers are eee et -

TLC delegates “deplore

cc raiding of Hotel and Restaur-
ant Workers Union at Vancouver
Trades and Labor Council meeting
but some sharp remarks
were addressed to A. R. Sen as
international representative uf
AFL Hotel Workers. Tate
unity has been absent for : pee
time in your union,” said de egate
John Hines. “This situation in
vites raiding, and it should be

cleared up.”

sbi and the new agreement will run for

o addditional paid statutory holidays,

lapse

grain elevator workers here this

to bring their hourly pay to

a five-cent: boost

Save parks,
urges Turner

BURNABY, B.C.
Hazard of locating oil refineries
close to residential areas Was
stressed this week _by William
Turner, LPP provincial candidate
for Burnaby, in protesting propos-
ed construction of a Civil Defense
building in Confederation Park.

‘sVancouver Heights, Capitol
Hill and Westridge face a constant
danger from fire or explosion be-
cause of the oil refineries in their
midst,” he said. “This was shown
by the Shell Oil dock fire last year.

“The oil industry has already
grabbed several Burnaby park
lands and the Civil Defense pro-
ject is not unconnected with the
hazard created by. the folly of
placing refineries in residential
areas. Public opinion must insist
now that our remaining parks be
preserved against further en-
croachment, whether from indus-

try or government.”

x

“We are part of a billion people—half the human race—who
are celebrating in all countries of the world on this May Day,” said
A. A. MacLeod, former Ontario MPP and guest speaker at the park

Addressing the huge crowd for nearly an hour under a baking

“Freed from the dark jungle
Erect the new man stands _
With yesterday’s chains be-

neath his feet
And tomorrow’s sun in his
hands.”

“The area of the world over
which imperialism exercises its
domination is getting smaller and
smaller every day—and it will be
smaller at seven o’clock tonight
that it is now at four o’clock this
afternoon,” said MacLeod, amid
cheers.

Bert Martin, president of Local
333, Grain Workers Union, review-
ed the heroic strike struggle of the
grain workers—they hit the bricks
last February 16—and declared:
“We are fighting this battle not
just for ourselves but for all union
men, and for you, the working
class. We have been solid on the
picket line and we will remain
solid until victory is won.”

(On Tuesday this week operators
agreed to.grant a 744-cent hourly
pay boost and include the conten-
tious job classification clause in
a new labor contract with the
union.)

Effie Jones of Civic Reform
Association, who polled more
than 17,000 votes as an alder-
manic candidate in the last
‘municipal election, denounced
BCElectric’s latest threat to in-
crease transit fares again and
stated that she would lead a vig-
erous fight against the move.
She also hit out at the Clark
plan to further restrict civic de-
mocracy by placing enormous
power in the hands of an ap-
pointed commission.

Roland Lawrence, chairman of
the Negro Citizens League, review-
ed the history of the Clarence
Clemens case and said that the de-
mand for a government probe in-
to the coroner’s jury verdict
would continue. He lauded the
role the Pacific Tribune played in
exposing details on the case which
the daily press tried to hide.

“There is a great deal of racial
discrimination’ practised in Van-
couver,’ said Lawrence. ‘There
are sections of this city where Ne-
groes, Japanese, Chinese, Hindus
and Jews cannot live. Why should
this be?”

* * a

The big parade began to form
at Georgia Viaduct at noon, and
by 1 p.m. it stretched for several
blocks, with more and more gaily
decorated floats joining constant-
ly.
“Among the most interesting of
the floats was the LPP entry, de-
picting Yankee seizure of Canada’s
natural resources: a Jumber work-

ers’ float with two husky workers

operating power saws; the Feder-
ation of Russian Canadians’ decor-
ated truck carrying musicians and
gaily-clad dancers; a Finnish float

PACIFIC TRIBUNE — MAY

be a ni nm ”

le-long May Day parade,
0 attend rally in Stanley Park

at Lumberman’s Arch Sunday afternoon under banners calling for ‘‘Democracy, Peace, Security,”’
d since the ending of the Second World War.
h from Georgia Viaduct to Stanley Park, through streets lined with. additional thousands of spectators.
g along to the music of a union band, the colorful parade, replete with floats and followed by scores

The
featuring a huge peace dove and
the slogan, “Our cultural aim is
peace.”

The National Federation of
Labor Youth flcat showed youth
engaging in various sports activ-
ities, and carried banners pro-

‘testing the Socred’s slash in Pro-
Rec appropriations and demand-
ing youth’s right to votes at 18,
education and recreation.

“Trade with all countries” was
the theme of the Fishermen’s float,
while the Chinese float urged
trade with People’s China.

At 1.30 p.m. the parade moved
off, paused briefly at Victory
Square while a wreath was laid
at the Cenotaph, then proceeded
along Hastings towards Burrard.
Near the post office at Hastings
and Granville three Negro Am-
erican air force members, after
reading the slogan on the float
of the Negro Citizens League
(“Peace on Earth, Goodwill To-
ward Men”) stepped off the curb
and joined the parade, while
spectators clapped and cheered.

Solidarity, Hold the Fort, Union
Maid, The Red Flag and other

working class songs were sung en
route, and dense crowds of people
lined the roadsides as the parade
entered Stanley Park.

At Lumberman’s Arch the pro-
gram quickly got under way, with
Bill Stewart of the Marine Work-
ers Union chairing proceedings.
Songs by Arne Jonsson, accompan-
ied by Kay Rankin, and a clever
chalk talk by Fraser Wilson, help-
ed swell the crowd, so that at least
10,000 people were present when
the day’s key speakers were in-
troduced.

LIFT

THE

BAN |

ON.

Dr. Monica

FELTON

Write or Wire:
HON. WALTER HARRIS,
HOUSE OF COMMONS,
OTTAWA
TODAY!

PEACE RALLY

FRIDAY, MAY 29

8 P.M.
EXHIBITION GARDENS
ALSO

@ Victoria
MAY 25 — 7:30 P.M.
NEWSTEAD HALL

@ Nanaimo
MAY 26 — 8 P.M.
ODDFELLOWS’ HALL
@ New Westminster

MAY 27 — 8 P.M.
HOLLYWOOD BOWL

B.C. PEACE COUNCIL

8, 1953 — PAGE 7