Page Two THE PEOPLE’S ADVOCATE December i6, 1935 Important Acts Passed At Several Enactments Granted As Result of Vide Pubiic Demand pecial te the Advocate Victoria, BC, Dec. 15.—A total of seventy bills siven final reading and assent by the Lieutenant-Governor was the result of the second reading of the Nineteenth Legislature which pro- rosued last Friday. The session was distinguished from a number of its predeces- sors by several enactments of considerable importance to BC people. Heading the list of such legislation was the much-debated Public Utilities Bill, a complicated piece of lawmaking in 132 sections and containing 12,000 words, which in effect establishes @ public utilities commission of three men with authority to decide wow much people will pay for elec- tricity, transportation, water, tele- phones and telegraph. Given conditional approval by CCE members pending any outcome to the commission’s actions during the next few months, the bill was regarded somewhat doubtfully by lobbyists for the BC@Electric, 50 doubtfully in fact that Premier Pattullo went out of his way to re— assure the utilities octopus that the bill ‘meant them n0 harm.” Tt was this attitude of the Pre mier's that ferced many progres-— Sives to conclude the commission would not be any too active in the public interest unless pressed to do something. A second and equally import ant enactment was that amend- ing Clause 5 of the Labor and Gonciliation Act giving recogni- tion to union officials. While passed as a compromise to wider changes demanded by the trade | union movement, the amendment was regarded as a definite ¥vic- tory for labor and an achknowl- edgement from the government that it was conscious of the de- mand for trade union legislation - with teeth in it - Several other amendments to ex- isting legislation won the approval of labor and progressive people. Dr. G. M. Weir’s change in the Mar-— riage Act providing compulsory medical examination before mar- riage was 2 definitely progressive measure placing BC ahead of all other provinces for this type of legislation. The change in the Mineral Act “put forward by Minister of Mines Asselstine will bring benefit to the smail prospector and penalize the big Mining corporations by forcing ¢hem to abandon their custom of blanket staking of whole mineral ‘territories in the province. Legislation governing the estab- lishment of Credit Unions was also pressed, though co-operative organ— ization will find many points in PRISE eee te ee ee eee) COMPLIMENTS OF THE SEASON! Battison’s Meat Market 5116 Joyce Road Carleton 540 SSS SSS SSS SSSA GLENBURN FLOWERS Fit Every Occasion 3736 East Hastings - High. 928 -FLORIST SSS SSS SSS aSee Rigieie ia ete ITI ee ee ete Fred’s Corner Confectionery Ice Cream, Soft Drinks, Tobacco, Magazines and Groceries 5009 Victoria Rd. Fraser 1814 MSS SS SSS WAH AAa Sais wee ees ESTesees= f =s es Se ee SS CHRISTMAS CHEER! e Dine at the Baltimore S: Dabovich, Prop. 338 Carrall St. - Sey. 31 a weceee creer vuesee=eEseSeeSes=e= Pebete rete (SEE IIIS IS eS ee Christmas Specials! AAABRARRABRAAARABABAAAEAARS ABAABABAAUARABREAARABBBBEABRE One artistic 8x10 hand-colored photograph in chromeplate frame, for only — $2.95 Or with 3—4s6 photographs in beautiful folders. Special, only— $4.50 Choice of 4 Proofs We Are Open till 9 p-m.—Phone SEW. 1763-R for Appointment. WAND STUDIO 8 EAST HASTINGS ‘Just East of B.C. Electric this new act which will require amendment in the future. Other labor legislation put through as a result of prolonged agitation was the increase in bene— fits under the Workmen’s Com- pensation Aet boosting payments to 662, percent of the wages in- stead of 6212 percent, $125 instead of $100 for funerals, and the raising of widow's pensions from $35 to $40 a month. Dr. Weir's department was also responsible for a2 progressive en- actasent extending the age of free tuition in public schools as weil 2s amending the Game Act to give better housing for animals in captivity. One other enactment which: eaused a slight ripple of uneasiness in financial eirecles was that taxing individual holding com- panies and hidden undivided prof its. On the debit side of the ledger, however, the government had much to answer for. Passing of amendments to: the Elections Act enforcing a resi- dence limit of one year in the province and six months im the constituency before citizens can vote will have the eifect of dis— franchising large numbers of transient workers, particularly loggers and fishermen, and will be strenuously opposed. The Redistribution Bill, while not passed in its entirety, failed to take giving Vancouver, with 2 third of the provincial population and only nine out of 48 seats, greater repre- sentation in the House. Changes to the Land Act in ef- fect handed over government land rights entirely to large corporations owning company towns, while Pat tullo bitterly opposed a bill pro- posed by Colin Cameron, CCE-— Gomox, providing public right of way through company towns and breaking down the domination of large companies exercised over res— jdents of such municipalities. Also voted down was a progres- sive amendment to the Hospitals Act brought down by E. B. Winch, which would have improved wages |jand working conditions of hospitai | employees. Pensioners are up in arms over the revamping of the Pensions Act which slashed allowances of former municipal employees drasti- cally on the plea of putting the pensions fund “on a sound basis financially.” REPEAL Bilt 39 3 Wall $1.00, Christmas Special, 3 LBS. (approx.) PLAIN ORDER NOW! From your into consideration the problem of_ Artistic Bust, modelled in the Soviet Union. Books and magazines bound. ‘initials gold-stamped. Music bound the “Stay Gpen Wray.” Picture-framing THE ART BOCKSEHOP 541 BE. Mastings St. — High. 3657 NEW AGE BOOK SHOP 50-A West Hastings Street NO TIME FOR BAKING? CHRISTMAS CAKE SPECIAL: 3---LBS. (approx.) LIGHT DARK FRUIT CAKE In Genuine Pyrex Casserole, DECORATED, Cake value $2.00, Casserole value or phone Fairmont 44. CANADIAN BAKERIES LIMITED 24 EXCHANGE OF WAR PRISONERS IS REPORTED Final Contingent Of Volunteers Left Spain This Week BARCELONA, Spain.—Re- presentatives of the Loyalist sovernment and insurgents were reported to have reached agreements this week for the exchange of prisoners before Christmas. The Loyalist government will ex- change more than one hundred Ita- lians for an equal number of for- eign volunteers among whom are a number of Canadians, Britons and Americans. Among the Canadians to be ex- changed are Leslie “Curley” Wil- son, Prank Woods and Peter Masa-— luk of Vancouver. Frank Blackman, Willis Nunne- maker, Wicholas Ledinck, Percy Hilton, Ernest Miller, Nels Madsen, LL. Martillo are other Canadians slated for exchange- Two Canadians are listed as dead and are presumed to have been executed by the fascists. A League of Nations commission reported that all foreign volunteers have now been withdrawn from the Spanish Republican army in ac- cordance with Dr. Juan WNegrinis pledge to demobilize all foreign volunteers. Last contingent of Canadian and American volunteers passed through France Thursday enroute to their homes. The party num— bered 154 and 50 men are left in hospitals recovering from wounds received in battle- Progressive Slate in Cumberland Race CUMBERLAND, BC, Dee. 15— Progressives of this town have placed a full slate of eandidates in the fiela. for three seats on the council and three for school board. Elections will be held Saturday. Alex Maxwell, retiring -mayor, was returned Monday by acclama-— tion as were Robert Aitken and Iouis Francioli to the parks board. William Henderson Jr. was elected police commissioner by acclama- tion. Francioli and Aitken were sup- ported as progressives last year. The latter is a candidate for school trustee and has as running mates S I. Robertson and J. R. Walker. Other candidates for school board are A. J. Taylor and W. S. Wood. Candidates for council are J. W- Watson, S. L. Robertson, James R. Walker, A. J. Taylor and William HIenderson Jr. The first three have the support of progressives. 2ERETS PETES IS SLED ETE EEE RSS Gompliments BLACK and WHITE Shoe Repairs 1015 St. Sa Se aS SSS SSE Thurlow Vancouver Titles and Music Manuscript Paper. or ama PUDDINGS Solve Your Problem! +260 BOTH for 4X Grocer or Deliveryman Leading Riem ber > The Comox CCE member's fight for abolition of company town control and fer investigation of the provincial police in the Blub- ber Bay strike during the recent session won him the acclaim of the labor movement. COUNCIL BARS DAILY CLARION TORONTO, Ont., Dee. 15——Re- porters for the Daily Clarion, pro- gressive labor journal of this city, were barred from their seat at the press table of the City Council when that body voted support to a Board of Control motion stipulating what papers should be given privi- leges. ; The board’s motion laid down that only daily papers subscribing to and members of Canadian Press, Audit Bureau of Circulation and Canadian Daily Newspaper As- sociation should be given facilities in reporting city council meetings. Alderman J. B. Salsberg argued strongly against the motion, stating that cost of Canadian Press service was beyond the reach of labor papers. Alderman F. M: Johston trotted eut the time-worm argument that the paper was the mouthpiece of the Gommunist party both here and in Moscow. The Daily Clarion was barred once in 1937 under similar circum-— stances. Suit For Injunction — Against Unionists For Picketing Proceeds Hearings opened this week before Justice D. A. MacDonald in a case which Vancouver unionists consider may establish a dangerous precedent threatening the right of unions to picket premises of strikebound establishments. : The case involves officers and trustees of the Motion Pic- ture Projectionists’ Union and the Trades and Labor Counce defendants in a suit brought by the Hollywood Theater Limited which is seeking to permanently restrain the union from picket ing the theater. for the union, stated at that time Justice D. A. MacDonald granted the application of Alfred Bull, KC, and Hugo Ray, counsel for the theater, for an order to sue the defendants as representatives of the union and Trades Council in the action, when hearings opened Wednesday. Claims are made by M. E. Fair— leigh, theater manager, that the officers conspired to publish defam- atory statements, and that the the— ater has an agreement with the union whereby union members would be employed where no mem- bers of the family are available. Officers named in che suit are: J. W. Donnelly, F. G. Graham ,J. Low- den, L. W. Pantages, J. ©. Rich- ards, F. W. Smith and W. Tenney for the union; PP. R. Bengough, A- Fordyce, F. Griffin, T. Holland, S. S. Hughes, —&. A. Jamieson, E. H Morrison, D. MacPherson, W. Stew- art and GCG: M. Stewart for the Trades Council. Defending the ac- tion is J. C. Campbell: Dispute between the Motion Pic- ture Projectionists, Local 348, and the theater arose last May when the manager, Fairleigh, discharged a union member in order to hire his son who had just received his projectionists license but was not a Member of the union. E. Guy Graham, business agent Ree PZEN FEV AY POA 5} ee es