Vol. 6, election pledges and negoti- ate an agreement with the municipalities affected. The resolution placed Van- couver Labor Council on record as: ® Expressing “firm opposi- tion to a 20-year BCER franchise unless such fran- chise has been submitted to a ratepayers’ plebiscite. e@ Emphatically demanding -“that the provincial govern- ment and the municipalities re-enter negotiations and work out a mu- oxffBo No. 3 tually satisfactory agree- ment for achieving public ownership of power and transit facilities...” ‘Vancouver, British Columbia Friday, January 17, 1947 Five Cents Vets protest gerry-built homes POWELL RIVER, B.C.—vVeterans living on the LABOR SEEKS PUBLIC OWNERSHIP OF TRANSIT lred by Vancouver City Council’s action in approving a new 20-year franchise for the B.C. Elec- tric'in face of strong labor and community demand for a plebiscite, delegates to Vancouver Labor Coun- cil this week reaffirmed their intention to fight for public ownership of power and transit facilities by unanimous adoption of a resolution calling upon the Hart Coalition government to carry through its Joint union delegation presents brief to gov't Cranberry subdivision here are adding their complaint against poorly constructed houses to the protest voiced y veterans on the Braefoot estate, Victoria, and the Tait subdivision, Lulu Island, which has already forced Veterans’ Affairs Minister Ian Mackenzie to approve an Investigation. A letter signed by 19 veterans asked I. T. Barnet, superin- tendent of veterans’ affairs in Vancouver, to send an inspector to look at their homes, which “are falling apart very rapidly.” The letter continued: “We all agree that there has been much inferior material Used in the construction of these homes, and at the terrific cost of these homes to us we feel that we are justly right in ask- ing you for an inspector to visit this vicinity immediately and see for himself the condition of the houses, plaster cracking, doors shrinking badly, floors coming apart, cupboards coming away from the walls, etc.” lL. A. Schon, the department's construction inspector while the houses, completed last June, were being built, pooh-poohed the complaint after he made his investigation on Barnet’s instructions. The complaint about cracked plaster, he claimed, was not Serious, Admittedly the floors had shrunk, but first-class floor- ing could not be obtained. “In my estimation the houses are excellently built, and on the whole the workmanship was good, especially considering that they were built under wartime conditions and with war- VICTORIA, B.C.—All sec- tions of British Columbia’s powerful trade union move- Ment want eStablishment of a National Labor Code embody- ing the basic principles of the wartime PC 1003 and until the federal. government can be induced to bring in such legi- slation they want their rights safeguarded by amendment of the provincial Industrial Con- ciliation and Arbitration Act. This was made clear to Premier Hart and members of his cabinet this week in a meeting held with a delega- tion representing the provin- cial executive of the Trades and Labor Congress of Can- ada and the B.C. Federation of Labor whose proposals had (Continued on Page 8) See PRESENTS BRIEF Ask facts on police shakeup If the.current shakeup in Vancouver’s police force, si- milar to that instituted by Mayor G.:G. McGeer during his first term of office, arises from corruption and laxity in the morality, liquor and gambling squads affected, the public is en- titled to know the full facts. Otherwise, if the shakeup is sim- ply a reflection of the political A member of one of the comic clubs time materials and labor.” Besides, he added, “it must be’ remembered that these houses suffered from the earthquake which came just as they were: completed.” Newsmen strike parade stops to read in Philadelphia’s famous Mummers a copy of ‘The Real Record,’ published esas In the opinion of R. Jack LeClair, one of the 19 veterans who signed the letter, the earthquake was not responsible for the deterioration of his house, for which he is paying $5,956. (Continued on Page 8—See VETERANS) by the Philadelphia~-Camden Newspaper Guild (CIO) whose members have been on strike against the Philadelphia Re- cord and Camden Courier-Post since November. Price hike may bring buyers’ strike Woodworkers of America Mrs. Mona Morgan, protest movement and as an initial step were urging con- sumers not to buy any but the most essential commodi- ties. The women’s auxiliaries of other trade unions, house- wives’ and consumers’ groups are being approached — for support of this proposal. Organization of a buyers’ protest movement will be fur- ther discussed at the coming conference of IWA Women’s Auxiliaries, to be held in Na- naimo January 25-20. MRS. MONA MORGAN Threats of a buyers’ strike as a result of in releasing many articles from price control, prices, were voiced by the Vancouver this week. the federal government's action with a consequent upswing in Women’s Auxiliary of the International B.C. district director of organization, said this week that |WA Women’s Auxiliaries were prepare d to cooperate in a consumers’ Communist elected to union post LONDON—Election of the first Communist to the executive of the Amalgamated Union of Build- ing Trade Workers is announced in a recent issue of the union’s journal. He is W. H. Smart, temporary London district organizer of the union pending election of a suc- cessor to E. H. Bryan, who has been given a new union post. Smart played a leading part in the wartime building program in southern England prior to open- ing of the Second Front. Following the flying bomb at- tacks, he was brought to London to help organize the vast labor force needed for bomb-damage repair, He was also responsible for initiating joint production ma- chinery on bomb damage repairs in 31 localities. Only 38 years old, Smart will be the youngest mem- ber of the union’s executive coun- cil. ‘A nationally elected delegate of the union to the Trades Union Congress, he made a notable con- tribution at its last convention on the problems of the govern- ment’s housing program, empha- sizing building workers’ needs. changes at the city hall a grave injustice. is. being done to some members of the force. This is the opinion expressed by Bruce Mickleburgh, city direc- tor of the Labor-Progressive Par- ty, in a letter addressed to Mayor McGeer this week. The letter states, in part: “Vancouver citizens are very much concerned about ridding our city of gamblers, bootleggers and organizers of prostitution. If the operations of such elements are known to considerable numbers of the public there is some justifica- tion for believing they must be known to the police. “Hence many people believe the bulk of them could only continue to operate with the connivance of, or as a result of laxity on the part of the police. This would seem to be the only legitimate basis for the current police shake-up. _‘If this is the basis, then the public should be fully acquainted with the facts. There must be tc covering up. To date the public has been kept completely unin- formed, beyond hints, general statements, and insinuations, as to whether this is the real basis. “If there is some other basis, if politics is the basis, then a grave injustice is being done to some of the members of the force, “Finally we should like to sub- mit for your consideration that in any plan for the improving of the work of our police force that wages be materially increas- ed above some of the, existing sub-standard levels.’