Dae, O Da o@ | e] Bl i } ay LABOR ALERTED leis Lt _ FRIDAY, MARCH 14, 1958 Price supports The following table shows how Tory “price Supports” fail to meet the needs of farmers. The first column shows the minimum support price guar- anteed undér Tory legislation. Since, in the election cam- paign, the Conservatives’ are short of needs floor prices will actually be, it is most likely that they will correspond to the minimum indicated here. The second column shows the parity price as calculated by the Canadian Federation of Agriculture representing what farmers actually need to make keeping quiet about what the a living: z Government Parity Floor Price Grade B1 Hogs, per ewt (at Toronto) __.___ $23.27 $33.58 Butter, per pound (at Montreal) _-. | 49.6c 71.6¢ Eggs, A large (at Montreal). 305 ee 45.4¢ 65.6¢ Cheese No. 1, per pound (at Toronto) --__ 26.6¢ 38.3¢ Good Steers, per ewt (at Toronto) _..._ $17.44 $25.17 Ontario Winter Wheat, per bushel (at farm) $ 1.42 $ 1.91 China trade issue at kanagan meet VERNON, B.c. — Recognition of China and an end to NATO Spending would ease the present unemployment crisis, LPP candidate Alexander (Sandy) Mowers said at an Okanagan- Revelstoke riding all-candidate meeting here last week. Five candidates (Tory, Liberal, CCF, Social Credit and LPP) outlined proposals for solving the agricultural crisis and the unemployment crisis, but Mowers was the only one to deal with trade with China and an end to cold war poli- cies. During the question period which followed the 10-minute speeches the audience demand- ed that the other four candi- dates take a stand on trade with China. Under pressure, all agreed that it would aid qAaa p.m. Every Sun. DIAL 1070 LABOR-PROGRESSIVE POINT of VIEW by. . NIGEL MORGAN B.C. industry and agriculture. This led Mowers to accuse them of insincerity, as all the four parties they represented | had approved trade blockades and support of NATO cold war policies. Continued H- PLANES other issue in this campaign, the threat of U.S. planes over Canada must be taken up. I chalienge Pearkes anytime, anywhere to debate the sanity of this policy.” The U.S. Air Force admitted this week that its bombers do carry H-bombs over Canada, and that detonation of conven- tional explosives used as part of some nuclear weapons could spread atomic dust. The USAF claimed, how- ever, that H-bombs are not fused ‘on training flights” and consequently would not ex- plode in a crash, or if acciden- tally dropped. current issue. Commenting on the Electrical Workers strike, “In today’s world a power failure is no longer one of those inconveniences which the public has come to accept as byproducts of legitimate strike action. It is a major emer- gency... “If their strike lasts longs and begins to affect the ‘public’s right to survive’ they. may find that same public’s aroused opinion forcing re-, sponsibility on them the hard ” way. Says the Civic Employees’ Newsbulletin: “Tt is no secret that big busi- ness has. been lobbying the provincial government in Vic- toria to take away the right to strike from workers em- ployed in public utilities. “If such legislation was pass- ed, it would be a black day for organized labor. It could also be applied to bus drivers, rail- ‘way employees and civic em- ployees. “The Canadian Labor Con- gress, representing more than a million organized workers in Canada, has consistently taken a position against com- pulsory arbitration for public service and municipal employ- ees. “Compulsory arbitration would mean that workers would lose the right to strike. This would strengthen the hand of employers in collective bargaining. It would also place ‘workers at the mercy of a biased chairman appointed by the judiciary or an unfriendly government official te ete Speaking in the legislature on Wednesday this week, George Gregory (Lib. Victoria) declared that his own party, “if necessary,” would sponsor legislation to outlaw strikes in public utilities and impose compulsory arbitration. He was supported by Don Robinson (SC, Lillooet), himself a mem- ber of the Railroad Brother- hoods, who said he would fa- vor such legislation if the government introduced it. See danger of | anti= strike law A leading editorial in the Van ness and political circles want to impose com says Union Newsbulletin, organ of V. Continued from page 1 . : i ust couver Province of March 11 indicates that certain © pulsory arbitration on public utility employe”. ancouver Civic Employees Union, Outside Workers ! the Province editorial said: / : BRITANNIA cn the labor contract, or the ilowe Sound Company itself wishes to place ‘itself in’ a Position to dictate the terms cf a new collective bargaining «sreement when the term of the present agreement expires in October, under conditions of closure where the workers could be offered employment at inferior wages and condi- tions on a take it or leave it basis. In either event, the temporary closure of the mine fits into the policy of out- put curtailment.” The Mine - Mill described how, workers are affected: “Tt is the workers in Britan- nia who are the principal vic- tims of this callous attitude. Many of these people have made their homes in Britannia for the greater part of their adult lives, 35 to 40 years in seme cases. “In that time, they built up a thriving community, with decent living standards schools, utilities and all the other things that £0 to make up. the good life. A telegram from New York presumes to put an end to all of this on a matter of a few hours notice. “The company has _ stated that it will not immediately evict those people who wish to stay on in Britannia until: they can relocate themselves. This may seem like the great- est generosity, but it covers up one of the most outrage- ous real estate scandals on record. “Employees who were un- able to obtain homes from the company built their own homes ‘on property provided by the company, the land being leased to them by thé company at $1 per year. In many cases the homes were later sold to other employees with the approval of the com- pany. The agreements of sale drawn up by the company in such cases contain the fol- lowing addendum: ° “My attention has been ex- March 14, 1958 — PAQIFIC TRIBUNE—PAGE » f pressly directed to the ge that, due to economic oa ; tions, or otherwise, mY oy | ployment by the comP oY | may, through no fault 0!) | Own, only continue limited time afcer (a) under clauses 8 and 10 iy above, I will automatic®. | cease to have any interes nis | the cottage covered by permit.’ “It is apparent, that in giving notice rn employees, on February olf | the company was not suet | separating them from ; jobs, but was also sumed i confiscating homes that by been built and paid fF the employees.” the Since the mine closed, re company no longer takes ne sponsibility for utilities. B.C. Electric is left t0 vide electricity at wh@ rate it may charge. No e rangements have been ™ H) regarding garbage disprr. Transportation service no been discontinued, althou® es part of the community a at the Townsite which - located at the 2,000-foot lev" five miles above the Belle Workers at Britannia W t covered by a pension Pa but employees are now gst without any assurance iof their accumulated pe?® rights will be honored. — , “The Britannia mine 184 natural resource belongité Je the first instance to the pe? ft of British Columbia, no ™ ter under what legal {0 af its occupancy and use "ot be alienated to private 1? ests,” the union brief said. 1 “When those private i! ( ests are foreign, and co! te their business with the oe disregard for our national a terests that is manifested { this instance, the gove and people of Canada are 4 litled to take a second 100” at the legal rights those in ests have acquired in property «.... ” r which: th erefor H pro” tev 0