Page Six THE PEHEOPLE’S ADVOCATE September 2, i938 Rap Conditions In Hop Fields oman Works | 13 Hours, Gets 55 Cents As Pay By GEORGE LANGSTAFFE AGASSIZ, BC, Sept. 1—A crippled Indian woman, working 13 heurs a day for 55 cents. A family of three, one crippled, toiling for eight hours and receiving, at the end of the day, a food ticket valued at $1.75. A friend wheeling the crippled girl to the fields every morning and back home at night so that she might eke out a living by eating the vegetables she raised herself. These are some of the things I found on a tour of the hop fields @ this district with Len Shep- herd, MILA, this week. Revolting conditions, long heurs, low, miserably low, pay- This sums up the situation in the hop fields. Bunks on which the hoppickers are supposed to rest are just hard boards, one above the other, in ten by twelve foot compartments. Gingle boards separate compart- ments resembling horse pens, un— bearably hot in the day and bit- terly cold im the early morning. Children catch running colds and fun about crying with discomfort. On these hard boards women tired out from a day’s picking are sup- posed to obtain sufficient rest for the following days grind. Friendly, kindly people, robbed of their heritage by big business, exploited by the BC Hop company because they are willing and eager to work, are forced to live in ter- rible discomfort and unsanitary conditions. Toilet facilities in the hopfields are nothing more than a hole dug in the ground, coyered by an old piano box, which is shifted from place to place as the pickers move about. Children are always in dan- ger of falling into these open trenches of filth and the whole area is polluted with an vver-— powering stench. Disease is rife and the Department of Indian Af- fairs, whose wards the Indian pickers are, make no effort to com- bat it. : If picked heps are not entirely free from leayes or stems, the box is returned to the picker and dumped on the ground to be sorted again, while abuse is heaped on the unfortunate Indian’s head. TI was told about August Andrew who had had many operations, dis- eharged Sick from hospital and allowed $3 a month relief. His Fife applied for relief for herseif and the children. This was granted put immediately she received her allowance, August was eut off and is now dying. The crop, it is claimed by the company, could be handled by 600 pickers and there are at present oS Communist City Picnic Provincial Recreation Centres Display Is Feature Of Seymour Program. RECORD CROWD By JACK WILSON From Mission, Bradner, New Direct V ote Will Elect New Board Westminster and other Valley points came members and sup-= porters to the Communist par- ty’s great outdoor event — the annual pienic — held at Sey- mour Park last Sunday. Tt turned out to be a gala day VICTORIA, BC, Sept. 1 Amendments te present vege- table marketing regulations will be required before the system of electing members of the BC Coast Vegetable Marketing Board can be altered ,it was stated here this week. The proposal is that growers in each district will elect a repre- sentative by direct vote. The pre- sent system of electing delegates who, in turn, choose board mem- bers, has caused considerabie dissatisfaction among growers. It is expected that an order- in-council authorizing election of @2 new board by direct vote will be passed shortly. Voters’ lists will be revised in preparation for a plebiscite on the vegetable marketing scheme and election of a new board this year. Living Costs To Be Probed Bureau Of Statistics Will Make Survey Survey of family living expenses in Vancouver will be launched this month under direction of H. F. Greenway, Dominion Bureau of Statistics, as part of a dominion- wide survey of all major cities in Canada. Object of the survey, Greenway states, is to indicate relationship of living standards in different regions, putting special emphasis on nutrition in comparative dis- tricts, : Investigation will be made into wage scales “for possible adjust- ment in what earnings buy in dif ferent areas.”’ The survey is expected to reveal changes in consumption habits be— tween periods of prosperity and de pression, and a theoretical basis for family budgets may be developed 900 pickers on the fields, hoping to from reports. get work. Wes WE PIC tern Electrotype 726 HOMER STREET SEYMOUR GSO K-UP 33 AND DELIVER SPECIAL! “While You Wait -.. Men’s Half Soles and Rubber $1.06 GSe¢ Empire Shoe Repairs Heels). Ladies’ Half-Soles - 66 East for the affair and the crowd was the largest in attendance. The two thousand odd people attendins thoroughly enjoyed the excellent fymnastic display by the Provin- cial Recreation Centres men’s and women’s teams under the direction of Ed. Kelter. Running races for young and old, and an eloping race provided thrills and spills for participants and picnickers alike. Other free sports were not run off because of the lengthy program. Vendors of ice cream, hot dogs and midway operators were cleaned out of edibles and prizes by early evening, but the merry— makers enjoyed- themselves with dancing until a-late hour. The Finnish Society entrant in the popular girl contest copped the Wrist watch for first prize, Ukrain- jan’s choice came second, winnins a box of chocolates, and the YCL entrant trailed third to win an umbrella. In the main draw J. Wickstrom, 1776 E. Gorgia, won the suit of clothes with ticket INo. 3160, the wrist watch went to EF. Powers, 1807 Renfrew St., with ticket WNo- 4356, while G. Puska, 50414 Mar- gurite Ave., with ticket No. 3656 won the pair of shoes. Leslie Morris, popular Dominion Committee member of the party, spoke briefly. Continued ~ Jobless pointe. Although the majority of RPWU members have been able to obtain relief, there are still 200 odd un- employed single men in the city un- able to get relief. Among these are boys whose own parents are on relief and who have left home rather than become a burden on them. Full details of the plight of single unemployed men will be given by RPWU officials in a broadcast over CKEMO this Friday at 8:30 p.m. wWeeting Called For Sunday A mass meeting arranged by the Citizens’ Defence Committee will be held in the Colonial Theatre this Sunday at 8 p.m. to raise funds for defence of the Six boys charged with rioting on June 19. Speakers will include Chas. Stew- art, representing Trades and labor Council; Mrs. Dorothy Steeves, MLA; Malcolm Bruce, Communist party, and representatives of Van- couver Mothers’ Council and Relief Project Workers’ Union. Specialists in Waving Fine White and Grey Hair Street Rese Sa or Greetings to the People’s Advocate Local 71 INTERNATIONAL WOCDWORKERS OF AMERICA Greetings to the People’s Advocate PACIFIC COAST FISHERMENRN’S . UNION (B.C. Section) GREETINGS! Hotel & Restaurant Employees Union, Local 2S THE TRGCADERO CAFE is on the ‘WE DO NOT PATRONIZE’ LIST oft the VANCOUVER TRADES AND LABOR COUNCIL : | Carn, 180 W. Hastimegs St. PHONE - - SEYMOUR 2417 2000 Attend | ‘Pins and Needles’ A scene from the sensational musical revue, ““Pins and Needles,” a be staged by the ILGWU Players at the Empress Theatre here on September 19 and 20. Continued North Shore Continued Liberals favor of a parks commission, presenting all lower mainland municipalities, immediately acquir- ing the property by obtaining 2 loan under the Municipal im- provements assistance act and have signified their willingness to pay a nominal weekly fee until the loan is repaid. Suggestion is also made that the park commission should buy the Heep timber at market value. If Heep refuses to sell, the timber lots should be expropriated and paid for at market value. Declaring that such a project opens vistas of a major industry in sports equipment for Vancouver and other municipalities near, as well as proving an immense attrac- tion for winter visitors, Holland said he thought relief labor should be employed. ‘If possible, give the single boys some work at decent pay,” he said. re- Spencer’s Boycotts Japanese Goods In reply to a letter from the Canadian League for Peace and Democracy, asking the company not to buy any more Japanese gods, the firm of David Spencer, Ltd., stated it has not bought any Japanese goods this year. Other stores, including Hudson’s Bay, Woodward's, Keresge’s, Metro- politan Stores, Woolworth’s, have not yet replied. Medical Aid for China Commit tee acknowledges donations from Mrs. N. Snider $1.10; Mr. Drexler $5; raffle of Chinese vases $3.20. in Every Room. Telephone Sey. 431 All Rooms Completely Redecorated. .- - Steam Heated. ...- There was little discussion on the resolution to stop all Ovental immigration into Canada, Mrs. Main being the only delegate to raise the question of alarming Japanese control of British Colum-— bia’s natural resources. A resolu- tion to include the Doukhobors in the Oriental resolution was ruled out of order by the chairman. Similarly, a resolution favoring restricted, selective immigration was passed with little discussion, Mrs. Main again being the only delegate to voice opposition. Main debate centred around superannuation and health insur— ance. Dr. Hon. G M. Weir, pro- vineial secretary, was given an ovation by the 600 delegates. “J shall try to make health in- surance operative as soon as pos- sible,” he said. “The present act is actuarily sound. Negotiations are proceeding with the doctors and, as long as I am a member of the government, I shall endeavor to get the best possible terms for our people.” The resolution urging amend- ment of the BNA Act to permit 2 tional unemployment insur- ‘ance scheme was passed unani- mously and without debate. Presented by R. H. Carson, MLA (Kamloops), the resolution on un- employment approved youth re- habilitation work and recommend- ed a “far-reaching and coopera— tive” program by both federal and provincial governments for a com prehensive plan of road construc- tion and other public works. The resolution passed unanimously. GREETINGS! COMMERCIAL HOTEL 340 Cambie Street _ Hot and Cold Water Moderate Rates. REFRESHMENT PARLORS PAUL BEDNER, Mer. 716 East Hastings Street 4068 East Hastings Street 1769 Commercial Drive e Quality Products at Rioderate Prices We Deliver to East End and Grandview Homes “Thrifty Housewives Shop at Hastings Bakery!’’ 9909090404906 906090006 100% UNIONIZED New York EMPRESS 659 GRANVILLE BROADWAY’S MUSICAL HIT presented by Labor Stage, imc. The Most Distinctive Novelty Stage Presentation | Pins and Needles Coming with an Criginal Mon. and Tues. Sept. 19, 20 8:30 P.M. MATINEE: TUES., 2:30 P.M. SEATS ON SALE AT M. A. KELLY east to the THEATRE TRINITY 2418 Famous Revue To Be Staged In City Soon ILGWU Players Will Appear In ‘‘Pins And Needles,’’ Bis Hit Of. Broadway. UNION SPONSORSHIP From sitdown strike against the revue to membership in Equity because of it is the his- tory of “Pins and Needles,” the unusual musical reyue which the garment workers of the In- ternational lJadies*%. Garment Workers Union are presenting at the Empress Theatre here September 19 and 20, with an extra matine on Tuesday, Sep- tember 20. The cast never dreamed that the show would be such a success, in fact, when the proposal was first Imade it was against producing ik : Instead the TLGwU Players asked for something more orthodox until convinced that the revue provided an ideal form for a iabor play. INO stage musical in the history of the theatre has met with such astounding success. Songs from the score, “Sing Me a Sons With Social Significance,” “Doing the Reaction— ary” and many others are now Wew York night club favorites. Fascism and Nazism come in for a good share of the bitter barbs. ““The Mussolini Handicap’’ scene, in which Tl Duce awards prizes for women producing the greatest families of future cannon fodder is an excellent scene, as is “Four Little Angels of Peace,” in whic:. Hitler, Mussolini, the Mikado and Ghamberlain wind up by destroy- ing each other. Local 276 of the TLGWU in Van- eouver is sponsoring the appear-— ance of the play in this city and has arranged a fashion show of union-made jJadies’ coats and suits during the performance. Tickets are on sale at Kellys, 659 Granville street, priced at 5s eents, $1.05, $1.60 and $2.20. ‘Don’t Miss It! SEPT. 2s “Qne of the finest films ever ‘ made.”—Dieterle, Director , of Zola. AMKINO preserts PETER I Soviet Russia’s Mightiest Film Spectacle! RUSSIAN DIALOGUE ENGLISH TITLES The flesh and blood story of Peter the First ... war- rior, lover and emperor— and of the captured seryv- ant girl who rose to share the throne of Russia as Catherine I. ADDED ATTRACTIONS: q Moscow Youth Sports Parade & Violm Competition 3 Latest News 4. Cartoon [=e . TRULY A MAGNIFICENT THRILL FOR EVERYONE! Bargam Matinee 10¢@ ll 1 p.m. ROYAL THEATRE