‘ OUT OF DIMES MILLIONS ARE MADE. The day after the election, August 28, B.C. Tel announced that it rung up a substantial profit increase during the first six months of 1969 over the same period in 1968. Revenues over this period rose by 14.9 percent. This week B.C. Tel launched a major public relations campaign to convince phone users that the high rates they pay are justified. Calif. table grapes called health hazard “The indiscriminate application of pesticides on grapes in California is a serious health threat not only to the grape workers but also to consumers in sB.CK warned Pamela Smith, B.C. representative of the United Farm Workers. Miss Smith said in a press release last week that the Cali- fornia State Department of Public Health records annually about 3,400 cases of acute pesticide poisoning of farm workers and farm children. The pesticides which cause the poisoning are divided into two groups: Organo-phosphates and chlorinated hydrocarbons. She said that one drop of (an organophos- - parathion phate) can kill an adult worker within hours. Parathion is exten- sively used by California grape growers on table grapes shipped to Vancouver. Parathion is applied to grapes with an oil base so that it does not wash off. The second pesticide cate- gory, chlorinate hydrocarbons, includes D.D.T. The Agri- cultural Commissioner of the Delano California area, states that over 100 tons of D.D.T. have been used on grapes this year. This is four times more than the amount of D.D.T. used in any previous year. Miss Smith charges in her press release that, ‘‘both parathion and D.D.T. residues have been found on a sample of table grapes tested by the Department of Agriculture in Vancouver, sold by Super-Valu stores.’ She says there are no HO CHI MINH MEMORIAL MEETING Monday - Sept. 22 8 p.m. Dell Hotel: in Whalley Speaker - MAURICE RUSH, Assoc. Editor, Pacific-Tribune Ausp: Fraser Valley C’ttee, Communist Party. PACIFIC TRIBUNE—SEPTEMBER 12, 1969—PAGE 12 safeguards in California to protect consumers. Eeeeees sare Seerse ei ster nee NCO ee cee ale OBITUARY THOMAS BAIN Following a long_ illness, Thomas Bain of 4044 Pandora Street, Burnaby, passed away on August 5th in the~ Burnaby General Hospital. Mr. Bain was 81-years of age. Born in Alloa, Clackman- nanshire, Scotland on August 28, 1888, Tom Bain emigrated to Canada when he was 31 and settled in Winnipeg, Manitoba. In that traditionally labor city — Tom Bain spent many years of active life on behalf of labor. Always an active participant in civic affairs and at times an aldermanic candidate for civic office, Tom was widely known among the railway- workers of his adopted city. © On many occasions Tom Bain represented his fellow railway shopworkers as a delegate to the annual conventions of ‘‘Division Four’”’ of the railway back-shops or ‘“‘non-ops’’ as the shop crafts were generally known. Tom Bain and his family moved to Vancouver in 1943, where he worked in the Burrard Shipyards and was an active member of the Marine & Boilermakers Union until his retirement. Mr. Bain was also a long-time member of the Communist Party and a strong supporter of the Pacific Tribune and the progressive Marxist press generally. He is survived by his loving wife, Lillian Bain, four daughters, six sons, eighteen grand-children and two great grandchildren. Mr. Bain was pre- deceased by one son, William Bain. Funeral services’ will be held at Forest Lawn Cemetary, 3789 Royal Oak, Burnaby, (on Canada Way) on Saturday, September 13th at 10:15 a.m. i | LABOR SCENE: “Don’t Thursday of this week 3,200 members ‘of the International Longshoremen and _ Ware- housemen’s Union (ILWU) in six key B.C. ports are taking a strike vote to back up current wage negotiations. The ILWU old contract expired on July 21. Several weeks ago ILWU members overwhelmingly rejected a conciliation board recommendation for a 70-cent wage increase over a 2-year period. ° Towboat workers, members of the Canadian Merchant Service Guild, involving some 1,300 skippers and approximately 700 deckhands and oilers are also in wage negotiations with their employers, with negotiations pretty well at a standstill. These two disputes in the B.C. maritime industry, if unresolved in the near future, could tie-up all shipping on the B.C. coast. Already, although denied by shipping companies, ships destined for B.C. ports are being diverted to U.S. ports. A lengthy warning in the current edition of the Dispatcher by the ILWU from San Fran- sisco, Alaska and Hawaii advise the B.C. Maritime Employers Association in clear and simple terms that cannot be mis- understood, ‘“‘Don’t try to divert ships’’. In the event of strike action being necessary to win ILWU wage demands and improved working conditions, cargo ships diverted to U.S. Pacific ports would be regarded as ‘“‘hot’’. * KOK A recent decision of the Mediation Commission (Bill 33) to reject a bid made by Victoria policemen for wage parity equal to that paid to Vancouver’s “finest”? is causing many civic workers in Vancouver to think ‘“‘mebby we are next”’ on the Bill 33 compulsory arbitration block. ‘Union Newsbulletin’’, organ of the Vancouver’ Civic Employees Union (CUPE), in its current issue correctly "observes: ‘‘Most trade unionists Don't divert freighters, ILWU warns dock bosses! in B.C. won’t be surprised. They knew from the start what Bill 33 was all about. They didn’t expect it to bring down decisions that would be acceptable to organized labor, and they weren’t prepared to toss out their hard-won trade union rights and throw them- selves on the mercy of the Mediation Commission. “Those who voluntarily go before the Mediation Com- mission and agree to accept its decisions as binding are hardly in a-position to criticize those decisions. There is no substitute for free collective bargaining, and that can never take place under the threat of compulsory arbitration. So let’s stop collaborating with the enemy and get on with the job of fighting for the repeal of Bill 33”. Very sound advice for each and every union in B.C. to follow. Meantime, the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), currently holding their fourth biennial convention in Toronto, have approved a_ projected merger with the 120,000 member Public Service Alliance of Canada and also instructed their incoming executive to seek a merger with the 40,000 member Canadian’ Brotherhood of Railway, Transport and General Workers Union. A merger of these three union bodies would approximate a single trade union body of some 290,000, the largest single union in Canada. At the moment the Steelworkers Union holds top place in membership numbers. Reporting new wage gains won in a new contract with Allied Engineering in Vancouver, the Marine Workers and Boiler- makers bulletin, “‘Ship & Shop” adds an observation which most unions need to take serious cog- nizance of. The Bulletin says, ‘‘Winning a wage increase isn’t good enough if some government can take it away next day through increased taxes, or employers getting it back by jacking up prices. We _ heed to fight on both fronts —_ _the BCFL Executive Coum,, — if we economic and political ui are going to make any " gains’’. Arguing the case for its $1-P& hour wage and other {rim benefits before the Mediatiol Commission (Bill 33), the Ol Chemical and Atomic WorkelS 4 (OCAW) have presented : mountain of statistical facts ® to why the six struck ¥ companies, as seen by hell respective profit balance sheets: are well able to meet the unions wage demands. 1’ So much so that Shell’s counsé George Robson, regarding ° monopoly profits as “iprele vant’’, stated before f Mediation Commission ‘@ “the ability to pay is ™ relevant. We are not comine before the Commission pleadia we can’t pay the same Wa rates as other industries Canada.’’ a This admission by the ee “mouthpiece’”’ of the 5! é monopoly prompted on mission chairman John P ane i. to observe that ‘Jim Wilson,” | union’s counsel, would welcon your statement that ability © | pay is not an argument’. fe Meantime, the Oil Workel® Union repeated violations 0! ¥;— Federation of Labor polidl ” during the course of its ~. month strike against the § «major oil companies in B. been referred to the upc? BCFL annual November. i: Says. ming convention — iy These violations of ae policy include; disregarding ied BCFL boycott of all Bill 33 on mission hearings; disregard BCFL policy of concentra upon, and declaring only. shi ng Oil products ‘‘hot’’; soliclt financial aid from affiliate unions direct, insté through the BCFL Bie Defense Fund; promoting 4 ic E and-run’’ picketting pole against other industrial en 4 prises without consultation ve i the BCFL or its affiliated uma, immediately affected by S™ | picketting. BCFL policy regarding boycott of Bill 33 mediation mission hearings was ad0P ss unanimously at last yer convention, even by those 14 of union leaders and members iis | com cil, who later defected 10 Bennett camp to serve 08 33’s mediation apparatus. ‘kell It is therefore highly } its that the OCAW strike and ch consequent violations of B t rom! policy will occupy a p t bod: ill labor’s struggle monopoly-government upon living standards an rights. ee attack q basi TOWLE SICK _ Veteran PT supporter BO, Towle is presently in the. 1's couver General Centennial Pavilion. he recently —_ underWe surgery. The PT joins Bob's ma” ] friends in wishing him speedy recovery.