Shopcraft workers at B.C. Rail set up picket lines Sunday in their dispute
over wages and conditions. They are seeking parity with B.C. Hydro
rail workers. Several other unions — there are 12 involved at B.C. Rail
are also entering bargaining.

Labor delegates hear
Soviet trade unionist

In a historic meeting, a brother
trade unionist from the Soviet un-
ion addressed delegates to the Van-
couver and District Labor Council
Tuesday night and told them of his
own experiences as an auto plant
worker in his native Moscow.

Veniamin Karpov, a shop
steward in the Moskvich plant and
a member of the delegation of 19
presently visiting Vancouver, was
invited by the executive committee
of the council. It was the first time
in the council’s history a Soviet
trade unionist has ever spoken to
the delegates.

Karpov, through his interpreter
John Sharko, told the council that
“he was honored to be the first
Soviet guest ever to address the
members.” ‘

He heralded the meeting as an
indication of the closer ties and
friendlier relations between work-
ing people and trade unionists of
the two countries.

Karpov was flooded with
questions from several delegates,
many of them concerned with the
role of trade unions in the U.S.S.R.
and the benefits available to Soviet
citizens through trade union
membership.

Delegates were visibly impressed

when he outlined the vacations
that were arranged for trade union
members paid by the union and
full health care facilities that were
provided. Other unionists were
concerned about trade union
jurisdiction in such industries as
construction and the role played by
union committees in plant manage-
ment.

In response to one question
about inflation and the rising cost
of goods in this country Karpov
noted that in this country there had
been no increases in the price of
food over the last year with the ex-
ception of fruit and vegetable
prices which fluctuate according to
seasonal availabiity.

He also pointed out that rents,
which have been increased sharply
in this country in the past year, are
stabilized in the Soviet Union, and
are based on four to six percent of
monthly income.

As Karpov was leaving, Bob Lun-
dy IBEW delegate and editor of the
Hotline who visited the U.S.S.R.
earlier this year, rose to express his
gratitude for the courtesies af-
forded while he was a visitor and
said that he hoped for greater com-
munication between the trade un-
ionists in Canada and the U.S.S.R.

Faculty club reception

honors Soviet

The 19 Soviet visitors on a cross-
Canada tour were received in Van-
couver Tuesday night at a recep-
tion at UBC’s Faculty club. Two
hundreds guests, including two
provincial government represen-
tatives, MLAs Carl Liden and
Harold Steves, were on hand to
meet the Soviet group.

Delegation leader, Igor
Zabrodin, the general secretary of
the USSR-Canada Society in-
troduced to the reception the
delegation which included three
doctors and the dean of the
Moscow Medical Institute, a
geographer, a lawyer, a historian, a

PACIFIC TRIBUNE—FRIDAY, OCTOBER 19, 1973—-PAGE 12

visit

poet and author, a specialist in
ethnography who is the author of
a book about Canadian Eskimos,
and the Vice-minister of Education
from the Uzbek Republic and the
Vice-minister of Forestry from
Estonia.

On behalf of the provincial
government, MLA Carl Liden
offered greetings to the Soviet
guests. “We recognize that the peo-
ple of the USSR have much in com-
mon with the people of Canada and
tours such as this which means in-
creasing. cooperation between our
countries can only be of mutual
benefit,’’ Liden said. :

The Provincial Council of
Carpenters has produced an attrac-
tive pamphlet called “The truth
about the swelling cost of housing”
which blows the roof off the hous-
ing crisis and shows the way to
solve it.

In well documented facts
prepared by the Trade Union
Research Bureau, it points out,
among other things, that today’s
cost of a Vancouver house eats up
56% of an average wage earner’s
take-home pay. ‘The cost of hous-
ing in Vancouver in 1973 can only
be described as outrageous,” says
the pamphlet.

Pointing out that housing prices
have risen three times as much as
other prices in this period of infla-
tion, the pamphlet says what is

ENERGY

Cont'd. from pg. 1
ment from this key energy
resource.
The B.C. Federation. of Labor in
its presentation to the cabinet last
spring also urged action to cut gas

costs to B.C. consumers and get a:

better return to the people of this
province for their natural gas.

The B.C. Energy Commission in
a report to the government.a fort-
night ago underscored the fact that
under the present pricing arrange-
ment the government was losing
over $100,000,000, a year — ad-
vocating that the price be upped
from 31-32¢ per thousand cubic
feet to 57¢ and 58¢. Additional
legislation is expected this week
for increases in royalties paid by
natural gas and petroleum
producers.

First priority is reported to be
directed to increasing the well-
head price of B.C. natural gas,
which will mean of course a sub-
stantial hoist in fuel costs to
residential as well as industrial
consumers. And since expropria-
tion powers are expressly exclud-
ed, and Westcoast Transmission
will be permitted to continue as a
profit-making carrier, part of the
increased price will go to subsidize
the U.S.-controlled operation —
which sells B.C. natural gas in
California cheaper than it can be
bought at the well-head in Fort St.
John.

NDP policies which continue to
shy away from nationalization of
highly-profitable Westcoast
Transmission and provision of
natural gas and petroleum services
at actual cost of service, are not
likely to meet the new re-
quirements.

Nationalization of energy
resources, pipeline and distribu-
tion services, from the well-head to
the consumer — with firm govern-
ment controls to ensure long-term
planning and guarantees that all
domestic requirements can be met
before exports are considered, is
what’s needed.

With the severe energy crisis
developing in the United States —
now considerably worsened as a
result of the disastrous Israeli
aggression in the Middle East

Short-sighted policies of
successive Liberal, Tory and
Socred governments have created a
serious energy crisis for B.C.
Strong, firm measures are re-
quired, and expected of the NDP
government.

true of Vancouver is true of all
parts of Canada. “‘It is truly a
national scandal and a major factor
in the attack on.the living stan-

‘dards of millions.@f Canadians.”

The pamphlet breaks down the
costs of owning a home in Van-
couver and points out that whereas
it was possible to own a home in
1961 at a monthly cost of $129.37 to-
day it costs $336.47 for similar ac-
commodation.

What accounts for this sharp
rise? That is a question to which
the pamphlet mainly addresses
itself since the big business press
and spokesmen have attempted to
put the blame for high prices on
labor. It points out that the actual
increase in labor costs, other con-
struction costs and taxes, are not
out of line with the average move-
ment of prices as measured by the
Consumer Price Index. ‘But, the
cost of land, mortgage interest, and
interest included in the amortiza-
tion of down payments has risen by
more than three times the average
increase in prices.”

In:a section headed, ‘‘The hous-
ing scandal,’ the pamphlet points
out that taking the cost of a house
at 100% the break down of costs is
as follows: 51.8% goes to money
lenders; 13.9% to labor, on-site and
in the factories; 13.2% paid to city
for taxes; 11.7%paid to land-
owners for a lot; and 9.4% to other
costs.

It makes the startling point that
half the total increase in housing
costs since 1961 is due to higher in-
terest charges, only one-tenth to
higher wages. Further, that today’s
typical mortgage payments have
increased 319% over 1961, from $64
a month to $268 a month.

“There can be no mistaking the
significance of these figures,”’ says
the pamphlet, “‘whether one thinks
that construction wages are too
high, too low or just about right,
they are obviusly not the cause of
the outrageous cost of housing to-
day. Inflation has rewarded land
speculators and money lenders
with astronomical returns, but it
has given building tradesmen only
the wage increases needed to keep
abreast of living costs.”’ ‘

In a section headed, ‘‘What you

economia nacional.

_ adquisicion de medicamentos.

rs union exposes truth
about swelling cost of housing?

can do about the high cost of

-housing,” it says that no individual

can beat the high cost of housing by
his own efforts. ‘It is necessary 0
bring concerted pressure to beat
on the only source that can effec:
tively deal with the situation — the
government, and in particular the
provincial and federal
governments.”’ ‘

The best place to start, it says, 8
the provincial government,
through massive pressure on Vic
toria, including letters, petition,
delegations and lobbies. In the

_ pamphlet the Provincial Council of

Carpenters puts forward a two
point program: :

1. That all municipal, provi
cial and federal land be taken of
the market and put in the hands ©.
government bodies, and that tis
action. be followed by a policy ©
leasing land only, not selling it: In
this way government would be abl
to control land costs.” vid

2. The B.C. government shoul
use its enormous financial SUt
pluses. to make mortgage money
available in the 6% range, or evel
lower. The federal governmel
should be pressed to do the samé

“No private enterprise financla
corporation is going to do Wh ‘
Only the government can take .
socially responsible action to fulfi
a fundamental human need —
right to decent and inexpens

housing.” aa

DELEGATION

cont'd. from pg. 1
cabinet — in secret — issued @ cold
war directive, not so much ag4!
the Soviet food workers, as 48410"
the UFAWU, a legitimate C4
dian trade union.” yet
Speaking in the VancoU
labour council meeting, F nked
president Homer Stevens thant
the council for its support 17 Pt nat
ing the issue and pointed oun in
UFAWU delegations have aa
times visited the Soviet Unio? ©,
the federal government tl
prevent the UFAWU
reciprocating. 0
With vibe cleared, the 0
Soviet unionists were expectt Oc
leave Moscow on the 17th i
tober.

ive

from

ar fondos para la reconstruccion de Ja

| Lo recaudado sera puesto a disposicionde las autoridade
_ Gobierno con la recomendacion de usar los dineros pal

1139 Lonsdale-Ave.

— —
— = —~

__ The above advertisement appeared in the Vancouvel
October 6. In translation, it says that a campaign has beet
to gather funds for “reconstruction of the national econ¢
that what is collected will be placed at the disposition

government — meaning the military junta.
Undoubtedly, the Chilean Consul was e

ncouraged in tle

by Ottawa’s recognition of the junta. Canadians should p

appeal to help the fascist:

ne in Chile, and demand
it and withdraw its recognition of the junta. = -