ELGIN: RUDDELL

Name Ruddell
for alderman

The Civic Reform Committee
here’ announced this week that
Elgin Ruddell, who polled more
than 5,000 votes last year in his
first bid for a seat on Vancou-
ver City Council, would again be
its aldermanic candidate this De-

- eember.

“I shall continue the fight I
began last year to give our city
good progressive government,”
Said Ruddell. “And I have no
doubt that I shall. receive the
support of a great many more
citizens who have become con-
vinced of the need for a change
at the city hall by the present
council’s sorry surrender of their
interests to the BCElectric.

“Last year the council conclud-

ed a new 20-year franchise agree-
ment with the BCElectric. and ob-

tained a charter amendment to
_ avoid «submitting it to a plebis-
cite.

“Now: the company and the coun-
sil are taking the public for a
ride—by making them walk.”

The .Civic Reform Committee
stated that -Ruddell would cam-
paign on this six-point program:

@ Seven cents is fare enough.
No increase.‘in transportation
costs. ‘2

@ Twenty-five percent reduc-
tion in light and power rates.

@ Home ownership security by

_ exempting $1,500 of improvements
from property tax. .

@Low-rent housing through a
civic housing board to build and
manage housing for lower income
families. . - ce

@ A graduated business tax tu
protect small business.

e@ <A square deal from senior
governments to relieve civic taxa-
tion. ; :

HAST. 0340 766 E. HASTINGS

Hastings Steam Baths
Expect _Masseurs In Attendance
| OPEN DAY and NIGHT

Style
Value
Quality

_ Always at the Home
. of UNION MADE
CLOTHING — and |
Friendly Service
Established For
Over 40 Years

1 rHE —- Hus

_ & E. Hastings — Vancouver
Phone PAc. 3645

a

rrr

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 24, 1947

BCElectric

stating: “The company must cover
its cost of services if it is going
to give efficient service or if it
is to remain in business at all.
Improved. wage rates and work-
ing conditions, one part only -of
the cost situation as a whole, are
not the reason for the company’s
wish for higher fares.”

@ The increased profits and de-
creased wage costs of the _BCElec-
tric in its transit operations dur-
ing the past few years as pub-
lished by the Pacific Tribune on
October -3. An article prepared by
Bert Marcuse and Emil Bjarnson
showed that the Public Utilities
Commission in 1942 found that the
BCElectric had made a profit of
$960,570 from its urban transpor-
tation and another $681,170 from
its interurban transportation.

The article stated: “In 1939, the
company carried 73,038,503 fare
passengers on its streetcars and
busses. It paid $3,210,595 in wages
to transportation employees, so
that wages cost per passenger car-
ried was 4.39 cents. In 1945, 145,-
039,747 passengers were. carried
and transportation wages amount-
ed to $5,737,856 or 3.68 cents per
fare carried. This is a decrease
of 16.2 percent in wage costs.
Figures are not available on
transportation wages in 1946 and
1947. But in each of these years
the number of passengers has in-
creased; the 1946 figure is 156,-
000,000.”’

In Vancouver this week many
citizens, mindful of the raw deal
they got from their city council
last year when the BCElectric was
given a 20-year franchise by
charter amendment in order to
avoid a plebiscite, looked with
concern to the city hall and were
net reassured to hear Alderman
R. K. Gervin state:

’ “Tf the BCElectric proves to the
satisfaction of the Public Utilities
Commission that a fare increase is
necessary, as far as I’m concerned
that increase should be granted.”

Alderman, Gervin made his com-
ment when Don Guise, business
agent, submitted a protest from
Local 28, Civic Employees Union,
against any fare increase, point-
ing to BCElectric profits as sub-
stantiation for the protest.

_ George Morrison, international
vice-president of the -Street

Railwaymen’s Union, put the
issue bluntly in a press state-
ment declaring, “We are on
strike against the company and
the BCElectric is on strike
against the public for higher
fares. I am open to any reason-
able offer to take back to the
men.”

His sentiment was echoed by
union pickets interviewed by a
Pacific Tribune representative at
Kitsilano barns where they had
refused to permit interurbans op-
erated by members of the Brother-
hood of Railway Engineers under
separate agreement with the BCEI-
ectric to go out again after they
were brought in for servicing, de-
spite threats of an injunction.

One of them pulled out a copy
of a BCElectric advertisement
claiming that street railwaymen
here were rejecting the highest
wage rates in Canada.

.“The company is trying to mis-
lead the public,’ he asserted. “It
doesn’t say anything in this ad
about a two-year agreement, does
it? The rates shown for other
cities are what the men there
are getting now. But they’ll be go-
ing for wage increases, too. The
company’s offer of 10 cents and a
reduction of hours until we get
the 40-hour week in 1949 simply
means that two years from now
we'll again be getting less than
in other cities.” ©

The men-on ‘the picket. line
were indignant at the company’s
refusal to send them their pay
cheques from which, they were
informed, change money and
tickets held by conductors, one-
man car operators and bus drivers
would be deducted unless the
money was turned in as demanded
in a letter sent to employees by
the company.

A member of the union’s pub-
licity committee summed up ‘the
strikers’ attitude for: the Pacific
Tribune this way:

“The company is jugling wage
rates the same way as it jug-
gles its profits. But it will find
it a good deal harder to juggle
the public into believing that
it is making so little profit that
it needs the 10-cent fare to meet
the men’s reasonable demands.”

HIGHEST PRICES PAID for
DIAMONDS, OLD GOLD
Other Valuable Jewellery

STAR LOAN CO. Ltd.

EST. 1905
719 Robson St. — MAr. 2622

| JOHN STANTON

Barrister - Solicitor
Notary Publis

502 Holden Bldg. — MAr. 5746
Night: ALma 2177-M

The I.T.U. is not seeking higher wages.
Shorter work week is not an issue ©
A master contract is not asked for.
Dues check-off is not wanted.

We do not seek a welfare fund.

Holidays with pay are not sought.

The only issue is

that the Southam
Company give the same fundamental
treatment to each division.

~ CONSTANTINE |

FINE CUSTOM TAILORING

For Ladies and Gentlemen
501 Granville St. PA. 1452

DELIVERED FREE
C.0.D.

~ Phone:

PAcific { 384
1385
1386

1387

This advertisement is not published or displayed by the Liquor
Control Board or by the Government of British Columbia

25c Per Dozen Paid
For Empties

Please have them ready
when driver calls.

CASH

for your empty
BEER BOTTLES

25c per dozen will be paid
for empty beer bottles.

Phone TA 2753

for free pick-up
or

Deliver them to any of
the following addresses:

1445 Powell St.
1040 Hamilton St.
2790 Vine St.
755 Homer St.
115 E. Second Ave.
6 E. Second Ave.
600 Main St.

PACIFIC TRIBUNE—PAGE §