BRITISH CG LUMBIA?S PROGRESSIVE HOME NEWSPAPER FOR PEACE, PROGRESS AND DE MOCRACY aS @ 5 Cents FULL No. 208. VANCOUVER, B.C., FRIDAY, JANUARY 6, 1939 PLANS OF TELFORD GREETED Vancouver's first progressive civic leader, Mayor Lyle Tel_! ford, took office this week and in his inaugural address to the 1939 City Council outlined a comprehensive 18-point civic program placings “human values as the first consideration.” Hshlishts of the new mayor's prosram, outlined shortly after a brief informal cereniony which of Hieially installed him as “first citi- zen” for the next two years, in- cluded more squitable aistribution Of tasation, more taxes and better Service from public utility ‘ecom- panies, a municipal housing and shim clearance plan. development of recreation facil lower living costs and increased relief. Speaking to overflow crowds packine City Hall chambers. Mayor Pelford deciared his council would do ali in its power to “lighten the economic burden of the people and sive them hope for econoniic secur- ity in the future” AS a step to this end, he pro- posed provincial responsibility for the city’s financial plight and res- teration of a just share of the taxes now being taken from city by Victoria. ituge profits are being made by public utilities, some of them show= ing definite monopolistic trends, and our people should receive Sreater benefits than they are now receiving, the mayor stated. “Failure of these institutions to meet their just obligations would amply justify this council either entering into such 2 com- petitive business or arranging to purchase on a fair basis the Physical assefs n0w possessed by such institutions.” Lower living costs must be sought by protecting citizens from un- regulated and uncontrolled anti- social monopolies. Coupled with this). the mayor advocated efforis te ensure that relief recipients are not humiliated and degraded fur- ther as a result of their economic misfortune. As one solution to the jobless problem, he sugzeested study of some plan whereby relief recipients cS (Continued on Page Six) See TELFORD MAYOR TELFORD RESIGNS CCF Resignation of Mayor Lyle Tel- ford from the CCF party was an- nounced this week by the provin- cial committee of that organization. Im resigning Mayor Telford stated he did not want to leave any open- ings for charges that politics op- erate at the City Hall. Tihe statement released by the provincial committee of the CCF and signed by W. W. Lefeaux, pro- vincial president, H. E. Winch, CCF whip in the legislature, and Mayor Telford, states that it is in the best interests of all concerned that he resien from membership. : Appreciation of the mayor's years of work in the CCF is fully recog- mized in the statement and confi- dence is expressed that he will carry out his office an mayor with the same principles as he has worked for while a member of the organiza- tion. : The mayor's resignation 3 ject to the approval of the constitu- ents of Vancouver Fast, where he was elected, along with Harold Wineh, to the provincial house in 1937. He will now represent that riding in the legislature as an in- dent. eee the mayor has signed £A2 resignation statement which reads him out of the CCF, itis understood he will still work very closely with the provincial committee. : The mayor's resignation was made pecessary, if is understood, is sub- through existence of a clause in the CGF constitution forbidding mem- bers from holding two public offices at the same time. the Embargo Aided By Unions Shearer Named _ As Delegate To Embargo Council Embargo Council’s appeal for official representation from the Trades and Labor Council -was fulfilled this week when President A, E. Jamieson named Samuel Shearer. Council’s boycott com- mittee chairman, as delepate and empowered him to select another member from that committee to make up the delegation. Shearer told the Advocate that Stewart Houston, Bakery Sales- men’s delegate. would likely be the choice to attend the Embargo Council's meeting on Monday, January 16, in the Daily Province auditorium. He also stated the boyeott committee would meet With representatives of the Jevw- ish Community in the board room at Labor Headquarters, 529 Beatty street, Monday January 9 at $ p.m. Reporting on the boycott com- mittee’s activity to Trades Coun- ceil delegates, Shearer declared “the boycott is becoming effec- tive and we are going to make it Stick.” Japanese trade in the city had dropped off by 21 percent during the Wuletide shopping season, he said, warning delegates of glass- ware comings here labelled ‘made in Czechoslovakia” when it was actually exported from Germany. Petifions of the Embarzo Coun- cil ere meeting with wholeheart ed response, reported John Stan- ton, Council secretary. While not in a position to give actual data at the moment, the labor attorney assured the Ad- vocate that response from church congregations had been very en- couraging and cited some names of leading public officials and clergymen that augured well in his opinion for securing of the million signatures favoring an embargo against war materials being shipped from this port to Japan. Working in a more directly humanitarian field of endeavor is the Coordinating Committee to Aid China which has notified all organizations of its meeting in St. Andrews Wesley Church on Thursday, January 19. This organization’s plan is to have one central body act as a elearing house for all appeals for food and medical aid, ete. City Relief Cases Show Big Increase Weed of an enlarged city relief office and staff was contained in the amnual report of -Ald. H. L. Gorey, social service chairman, to the ctiy council Wednesday, unless the provincial and federal govern- ments can be induced to take over unemployment relief. Three additional investigators and two more clerks will be re-— quired to handle the additional re- lief cases which have shown an unprecedented rise this year as compared with the previous year. On December 31 there were 9972 cases as compared with 6011 a year ago, or an increase of over 2700. Gases of single women rose from 423 to 1513 during the same period while indigent single men cases rose from 264 to 1604 and unem- ployed single men from 67 to 1955. Relief expenditures totalled $2,294,250 for 1938 of which the pro- wincial government contributed $1,546,332 and the city $747,897. , Im addition grants to the medical association, dental society, and the eltohing committed brings the ex- penditure for these items up to nearly $1,025,000. Want Decision By City Council A special meeting of the City CGouncil’s standing committee on town planning is scheduled short— ly to determine to what extent council is prepared to participate in low cost housine schemes under the Dominion Hiousing Act. : The housing committee, compris- ing Prof. E. Buck and Ald. Helena Gutteridge, has already proposed building of low rental homes in the Bast Hastings district. STRIKE VICTIM W oodworkers Open On ‘Closed’ Camps, Drive Mills As a basis for success, Supports Housing = — ALD. BHALFORD D. WIESON ROYAL CITY PLANS HOUSING 'is to be relieved, NEW WESTMINSTER, BC Jan. 5.—Relief of present housing con- ditions, where rentable houses are at a premium, is expected in the program of home building and other projects scheduled for this | year. Dominion government buildins plans include a $200,000 extension te the post office at Sixth and Columbia and a new $30,000 fish- eries building. Business buildings and a home building program is estimated at another $200,000. Mayor F. J. Hume has planned for a new city hall in the park area near the Pattullo Bridge and a city owned hotel on the present city hall site, but the latter may be dropped since a pri- vate enterprise thas sought a beer license plebiscite before starting work on a new modern hotel struc ture. Construction of the new veneer plant is expected to get under way shortly since taxpayers approved a bylaw governing taxes of the prop- erty. | of BC woodworkers, in conjunction |; IWA Pres. locals covering all logging areas handed in credentials when the sessions opened Tuesday morning. The gathering was augmented by presence of 12 fraternal delegates from four district councils in Washington and Oregon. The two-day convention opened With an address by Alderman Hal- ford D. Wilson, who brought greet- ings from the office of the Mayor of Vancouver. Alderman Wilson decjJared the loggers and millworkers should take the initiative in measures which would benefit themselves and the whole population, citing Such questions as forest conserva— tion, housing and other reforms. | In a comprehensive report, Pres. j Hjalmar Bergren of the BG Coast District Gouncil deciared it should be the policy of the convention to follow the broad program set by the second constitutional conven-— tion of the TWA, held in Seattle last September. “Organization of all woodwork ers in BC is the first requisite in this program,” declared Berggren. “British Columbia now produces 55 percent of all Jumber in Canada, and will be producing more as time goes on. Workers must be orfan- ized to safeguard their interest in the industry~’ i Bergren also cited the heavy toll of life in BC lumber operations, with one-fourth of all loggers em- Ployed being killed or permanently injured every ten years. ~The vi- cious operation of the employers’ association blacklist must be re- moved so that safety measures can Extension of organization into “closed” camps and mills, launching of a drive for reforestation and conservation coupled with demands for federal housing and slum clearance—these were the keynotes of the BC Coast District Council convention of the International Woodworkers of America held in Vancouver this week. a program of intense organization is planned by the BC section of the IWA, along with the political efforts to secure passage of legislation which will do for the Ca- nadian workers what the Wagner Act, the wage-heur law done for workers in the United States. ij Eifty delegates from seven BCS and other progressive legislation has EW A Leader PRES. HAROLD J. PRITCHETT FEDERAL WORKS PROJECT URGED be effected. Fred Imndstrum, IWA executive board member from BCG, declared in his speech that political activity with other workers, was of prime importance. The disregard with which em- ployers violate Bill 94, which Suarantees workers the right to organize into unions and bargain collectively, must be changed in- to strict compliance with the layw —and this can be done only through the election of pro-labor officials for the administration of provincial law. Lundstrum called attention to the lack of voting facilities in log- ging camps and mills, and the re- fusal of employers to cooperate with workers who want to use their right of franchise. “Tf the loggers of BC had been in a position to vote, Mr. Pearson would not now be in office, knifing the workers in the back as he has been doing at Blubber Bay and elsewhere,” declared ‘Lundstmim. The convention was addressed by Harold Pritchett, him- self a Canadian and member of IWA Local 1-74. Pritchett declared the aim of BC workers should be (Continued on Page Six) See WOODWOREERS Vancouver Railroaders Oppose CPR-CNR Unity Railwaymen of Vancouver and district again reiterated their unalterable stand against amalgamation of Canada’s two rail- way systems at a meeting of nine lodges of the Standard Railway Unions Local Conference Committee held recently in Hotel Vancouver. Delegates reported a meeting of general chairmen at Ottawa Mon- day, January §. to consider the subject of unification as advanced by Sir Edward Beatty. The resolution passed at the Niagara Falls convention of the Trades and Labor Congress on the ! Subject haa a elause read into it assuring the general their comprising stand against offering any consideration to terms of amalgamation, unification or co- ordination of the Canadian vrail- ways. “Tf the financial burden now ac- cumulated on the railway systems it is not te be ¢done by tearing up tracks,” stated ; dation, structure, chairmen of | continued support in an un- | a delegate. “We consider that legislation Should take action to revise the basis of capitalization of the rail- Way properties on a physical foun- instead of a paper debt and thereby lift the heavy burden of taxation from the shoulders of the common people. “Such a measure would prevent these indispensible public utilities from being a perpetual source of wealth extraction for a fey bond- holders, and would thus enable the railways to become fully modern- ized, provide more efficient trans- portation, give more work to Tail— | racoders and opportunities for the youth,” he concluded. With reopening of parliament slated for Thursday, January 12, Re- lief Project Worker's Union this week forwarded to Prime Minister Mackenzie King and Hon. Norman Rogers, minister of labor, a reso- lution urging the government to implement a jarge scale federal works program during this session. The resolution points out that provincial projects of building parks and engasing in small scale road work is not conducive to solv- ing the problem of unemployment, and as these Measures are only of a temporary nature are totally in- adequate. Men wandering around the coun- try in search of work have placed themselves in the category of tran- Sients, and as such have been de- nied relief. Constant recurrence of the transient problem has taxed re- lief authorities for a solution but as yet no permanent settlement has been reached. “The federal government has been on record since its election in favor of a national program for rehabilitating the able bodied unemployed, which on the eve of this session is more urgently needed than ever before,” states the resolution in reminding the government of its obligations. immediate inauguration of a na- tion wide federal works program of sufficiently large proportions to absorb the Canadian youth, thus enabling them to maintain a pro- per standard of living and be of some constructive use to the coun- try is strongly urged in the resolu- tion. “We stand in full accord with the government in its plans to pass un- Employment insurance legislation at this session of parliament.” the resolution concludes. : School Trustees Elect Committees Inaugural meeting of WVancou- ver’s 1939 school board Wednesday roon elected Trustee David Spencer chairman. Thomas Brooks was elected dep- uty chairman, chairman of the ways and means committees. Other Chairmen of committees were David Fall, srounds and sites: Mrs. Ada Grump, management; James Blackwood, buildings main- tenance; R. N. WNeelands. finance; j}anmd Miss A. B. Jamieson, nomina- tions. | PCEU | legislation but | block ILL DEMAND GAKALLA PAROLE Grave fears are held for the life of Robert Gardiner, con- victed Blubber Bay striker, who was ordered removed Thursday from his cell in Oakalla to a hospital cot in Vancouver Gen- eral Hospital by Dr. Fred Rob- ertson, chest specialist. Gardiner is suffering from influ- enza contracted in his » weakened condition as a result of a beatings administered by Special Gonstable Williamson at Blubber Bay on Sept 17 after he was lodged in jail. it is feared that pneumonia may develop, which Dr. Rovertson states will prove fatal. Mrs. Gardiner has been sent for to be near her husband and petitions for his parole have been made to the Department of Jus— tice at Gttawa and to Attorney- General Wismer. \ Should Gardiner Succumb a charge of murder will be laid against Williamson, now Serving Six months in Oakalla for the as- sault that broke four of Gardiner’s ribs and inflicteq other injuries. Word that Gardiner was very ili was ...communicated — +o. Attorney John Stanton by men brought from Oaxalla to testify against strike- breakers now on trial on unlawful essembly charges arising out of the fracas September 17. The sick man was to testify in these cases but was too ill to ap- pear. Tt was then that John Stan- ton phoned Warden Waiter Owen and jail surgeon Dr. W. H. Suther_ land about his client’s health. Dr. Sutherland stated the labor prisoner had a touch of influenza and was running a little tempera-— ture but stated there was no cause for alarm. When asked if it would be advisable to have a Specialist visit Gardiner, he said it was not mecessary but it could be done. A letter was written by Stanton to Attorney-General Wismer on December 19 pointing out that Gar- diner was still suffering from the beating and suggested the man be examined by a specialist. A fey days later Wismer replied that the jail surgeon and facilities at Oalk- alla were sufficient to take care of anyone committed there. ELECTION ACT CHANGES URGED A joint Committee of the Salmon Purse Seiners’ Union and the Paci- fic Coast Fishermen’s Union initiat ed a campaign this week to compel further amendments to the Eilec- tion Act to prevent disfranchise- ment of thousands of fishermen, leggers and miners. The move which is being strongs- ly supported by Grant McNeil, €GF- MP for North Vancouver and A. W. Weill, MP for Comox-Alberni, fol- lows the “recent decision of the convention which went on record as opposing the new election setup. As the Election Act now Stands, absentee voting is abolished and a fisherman who may reside ordin- arily in North Vancouver and whose name is on the voters list will be unable to cast a ballot if he happens to be fishing at any other point on the Coast. Loggers and miners come under Similar refulations. Reason for the amendment to the Act abolishing absentee voune was the expense in connection wtih the system, Sovernment mem- bers explained at the time the ehange went into effect. It is claimed that during the 1935 elec- tion each absentee ballot cast 365. Difficulty of guarding against corruption was given as another reason? During the last federal house | S€ssion both the member for Worth | Vancouver the member for fought against the were not able to ef the amend- and Comox—Alberni enactment ments.