Rally of 500 marks ci

While millions marched and
demonstrated in the capitals of the
World last Monday to mark labor’s
International holiday, Vancouver
Was host, the day before, to one of
the most successful May Day
Tallies in recent years.

And while around the world calls
for international solidarity and the
advancement of workers’ rights
and living standards rang out, in
Vancouver the fight for full em-
ployment, for a shorter work week,
for labor unity and for solidarity
with the freedom fighters of

- Southern Africa formed the themes

of a spirited and united May Day
Celebration.

On the platform were the
Tepresentatives of the B.C.

Federation of Labor, the New
Democratic Party and the Com-

MARGARET MITCHELL

Munist Party. They were com-
Plemented by the music of Tom
Hawken and Bargain at Half the
Price, and the audience of more
than 500 at Templeton School
cheered and sang all through the
concert/meeting.

It was the 50th consecutive year
that May Day had been recognized
n Vancouver under the auspices of
the Vancouver Trade Union May

ay Committee, New Westminster

abor Council president Gerry
Stoney noted in opening the
Meeting, and although it wasn’t the
largest of those 50 years it was
Indicative of a growing awareness

and militancy in B.C.’s labor
movement,

“It’s unfortunate that the North
American labor movement was
separated from the rest of the
world seme years ago by the
adoption of labor’s holiday in
September, rather than May 1, for
it has tended to obscure the in-
ternational significance of the
labor movement,” B.C. Federation
of Labor president George John-
ston told the meeting.

That may change, however,
Johnston said, by virtue of a
resolution pending before the
executive council of the Canadian
Labor Congress to establish May
Day as labor’s official day and
calling on the federal government
to declare it a statuatory holiday.

Unemployment in B.C. is a
“human tragedy”, Johnston said,
pointing to information that the
real unemployment rate in March
of 1978 in B.C. was 12.8 percent —
or 160,000 people.

The unemployment crisis, in-
flation and the anti-social policies
of the federal government all point
directly at the coming federal
election, Johnston and the other

_speakers stressed. In B.C., as well,

he added, the Social Credit
government introduced no less
than seven pieces of legislation in
the last session of the legislature
which attacked the rights of
workers. There are two challenges
facing workers this May Day, he
said, ‘First is to tackle the federal
elections and elect working
people’s representatives to
parliament; second is to' throw out
the government in Victoria and
banish them to the wasteland of
used car dealers where they
belong.”

Johnston received his strongest
response from. the audience when
he noted the origins of May Day in
the fight for the eight hour day and
said, “It is time now to lay the
battlelines for the four day, eight
hour work week and a new future
for working people.”

NDP federal candidate
Vancouver East, Margatet Mit-
chell, appointed by the provincial
NDP caucus as its representative,

Va

DRIVE

We have $27,000 yet to raise!

TRIBUNE

It's Week Five of our financial drive and our total is
€ginning to rise. As a matter of fact, we are keeping pace
with last year’s record achievement. But please — don’t let up.

€ owe our success so far to some extraordinary efforts.

~

in’ ~

Our staunch supporter Mike Stevens has raised an incredible
$2,171. Ed Dotzler has raised $810; Burnaby’s Beth Chobotuck
has $602 turned in and Surrey’s Rita Tanche has $595 raised.
Even though he’s retired, Steve Nickyforuk, is working hard
aS In past years and has $513 to his credit.

hen there is the collective efforts of clubs like the Van-
Couver East club whose members rolled up their sleeves last
Weekend and put on a May Day dinner and bash that raised
about $400 and pushed their total over the $3,000 mark. :

But most of all the success of our drive depends on the
Support — no matter how small — of our readers. And that too

aS been extraordinary. :

It was summed up well in a note that drive manager Pat

Connor received this week from a young letter carrier:

I’ve been enjoying the Tribune since it started arriving, but
ever so much as the May Day issue. It was when I was
Teading the article on the Post Office sitdown that it occurred
to me that this is a story I could only have learned about

Tough the Tribune.
“Back the paper that fights for labor. I’d be happy to con-
tribute. Find enclosed a cheque for $25.00”

\.. Thank you for *17,208 _)

chose unemployment. and the
particular problems of women
workers as the theme for her
remarks. :

She asked: for special con-
sideration for the problems of
women who work at the lowest
rates of pay, suffer the highest rate
of unemployment, have no job
security, inadequate pensions and
lack of day care facilites.

Some women, like slaves, are
still imported into Canada to work
as domestics for the rich at
minimal wages, she said.

“TJ challenge the Liberal
government, and their
representative in Vancouver East
to aggressively create jobs for
women and all unemployed
workers Mitchell declared,
“Permanent jobs — not makeshift
ones. 3 =

It was Communist Party labor
secretary Jack Phillips, however,
who received the loudest ovation
for his address that drew several
responses from the audience.

Phillips began by pledging “‘the
full support of the labor
movement”’ to the officers of the
United Fishermen and Allied
Workers Union who were to appear
before a Vancouver court May 1 for
the “crime of defending their
union.”’

With wage controls coming off,

big business is ‘‘testing the
waters”, he said, before em-

GEORGE JOHNSTON

barking on a new program of ac-
tion aimed at “holding the line’
against labor, and further reducing
standards.

While the real income of working
people has been cut, Phillips said,
corporate income has _ risen
steadily and high income earners
have increased their share of the
national wealth by 25 percent over
the past 10 years.

Turning around the argument
that too many workers are over-
paid, or are welfare bums, Phillips
charged that former MacMillan
Bloedel president Denis Timmis is
“a classical example of a welfare

—Sean Griffin photos

TOM HAWKEN ... in May Day concert with Bargain at Half the Price.

ht, D4

bum’’. Even though he has been
ousted from his post as chief of
MacBlo, Timmis still receives a
life long pension of $62,598 per year
for “doing nothing”’. Phillips called
the relationship “‘parasitical’’ and
demanded that he be ‘‘taken to
task’’.

Phillips, CP candidate in Van-
couver Kingsway, singled out the
RCMP for special attention for the
more than 400 illegal break-ins by
the force between 1972 and 1976.
“We don’t want a police state in
Canada where any person out of
favor with a Liberal, Conservative
or Socred government would be
fair game for the dirty tricks
brigade of the RCMP,’’ he
declared.

The RCMP needs to be brought:
under parliamentary control, he
said, and in B.C. where it is hired
as a provincial force, its contract
should not be renewed unless
adequate control can be main-
tained, and B.C. should form its
own provincial force subject to the
control of the B.C. legislature.

The meeting gave unanimous
endorsement to resolutions on
unemployment, disarmament,
self-determination for Quebec and
on international solidarity. An
appeal by May Day committee
chairman George Hewison drew
$1,023 to be used for humanitarian
aid to southern Africa.

CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING

MAY 6 — The upper hall seating
for the AUUC Kobzar Dancers
3rd Annual Hutzul Night has
been sold out; tickets are
available for lower hall dinner at
$4 and for the dance at $3. For
reservations phone 325-5760, 299-
8172 and 594-1786. No tickets sold
at the door. :

MAY 6 African National
Congress social. South African
food, music, 8 p.m. 7130 Curtis,
Burnaby. Admission $5.. RSVP
298-9778. _

MAY 13 — First showing of
“Konnen Sie Kappler?’’, 50-
minute GDR film on the revival
of fascism in the Federal
Republic of Germany. Film
begins 8:30 p.m. sharp at Karl

Zuker’s, . 2809 Wall St., Van-
couver. Admission $2.50.
Refreshments. Proceeds to

Tribune drive.

MAY 13 — Garage Sale, Saturday,
May 13, 3446 W. 19th Ave.,
Vancouver, 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.
Tools, kitchenware, pottery, etc.
Proceeds to Tribune drive.

MAY 14 — Annual Mother’s Day
breafast, pancakes, bacon,
sausages, coffee, refreshments
and our annual horseshoe
tournament at Gidora’s, 12715-66
Ave. (go along 128 St. to 66th
Ave.) from 10 a.m. to? Proceeds
to Tribune drive.

CAMPBELL RIVER

FOR RENT

‘MAY 13 — Campbeli River and
Courtenay May Day dinner and
social at the Campbell River
Labor Centre Hall, 1105 16th
Ave., Campbell River. Starts
7:30 p.m. - music, entertainment
and guest speaker, Sean Griffin,
Tribune editor. All proceeds to
Tribune financial drive.

BUSINESS PERSONALS

CARPENTER
874-1814

MOVING? CLEANUP — Wanted
articles for resale. All proceeds
to P.T. Phone 526-5226. “THE
GOODIE BIN.”

»

SEE ALEX THE BARBER at 611
Smithe St. on Saturdays and help
_ the Tribune Press Drive.

READERS IN BURNABY AREA
wishing to assist in the Tribune
financial drive donations,
banquet tickets, ph. 526-5226.

Ned ihe
Siinellon

JEWELLERY REPAIRS,
remodelling, appraisals at
reasonable charge. For ap-
pointment phone 254-7678. Will’
pick up and deliver in Vancouver
at no extra charge.

2 bedroom bsmt. suite with large
kitchen, $175 mo. near SFU,
(Duthie & Curtis), available
now. Phone 298-9778.

FOR SALE _
FINISHED SOLID OAK garden
and patio tubs, 15’’ deep and 24”
wide $15.00. All proceeds to PT.
_ Phone 936-7308 afternoons.

11th World Youth Festival Posters
(50c), pins ($1.00), pennants
($2.00), calendars ($3.00)
available at 254-9797. All
proceeds to the Canadian Youth
Festival Delegation.

Strawberry plants for sale.
Proceeds for Tribune Drive.
Phone 526-3916.

HALLS FOR RENT

WEBSTER’S CORNERS HALL —
Available for banquets,
meetings, etc. For rates: Ozzie,
325-4171 or 685-5836.

RUSSIAN PEOPLE’S HOME —
Available for rentals. For
_ reservations phone 254-3430.

UKRAINIAN CANADIAN
CULTURAL CENTRE — 805
East Pender St., Vancouver.
Available for banquets, wed-
dings, meetings. Ph. 254-3436.

PACIFIC TRIBUNE—May 5, 1978—Page 11