THE seiners Gain Sweeping Agreement With Canners | Contract Hailed As| | BUILDING PARIS AIR RAID DEFENSES Laying Basis For Unionized Industry An important victory in negotiations for 1939 salmon prices was won this week as the Salmon Purse Seiners’ Union, Local 141, became party to an agreement with the Salmon Canners Operating Committee giving the union’s several hundred mem- bers on the seine fleet a two-year contract, union recognition, PEOPLE'S AD Y OC ATS! Page Three cn ae 1} STOOD FAST AND WON “otepaimenimter seis ane LEWIS HINERS SCORE LEAN VICTORY IVER OPERATORS UMWA Wins Closed Shop Contract For s| 400,000 Members NEW YORE, NY.—The CIO uted Mine Workers of Amer- i appeared to have won a de- five victory this week follow- > the signings of a tentative reement last Friday with the »palachian coal operators: ‘fhe agreement, arrived at after me two months of negotiations, luded a clause granting the (ion shop, one of the main de mds placed by UMW=A President an L. Lewis. The settlement now ‘aits ratification by a full con- Pence of operators’ and miners’ resentatives. / Majority of the 464,000 bitiumin- [> coal miners began returning to rk this week, thus ending a mplete weeklong shutdown of > nation’s vital soft coal indus- ~ Some 338,000 miners in the palachian fields had been idle ce April 1 when their old con- ct expired and the operators “used to continue it pending final tlement in negotiations. )s0me two weeks ago they were 'oed by miners in other fields Being about a complete paraly- of the industry. Seriousness of the situation sught about the personal inter- ation of President Roosevelt 10se influence helped to break > deadlock. | The contract concluded last ‘eekend is essentially the one to hich miners had agreed some we weeks ago. It retains the 3s7mer wage scale, setting a asic rate of S6 per day in the orth and $5.60 a day in the ea: With a 35-hour weel in we days. ‘John IL. Lewis had charged that \e deadi@?kK in negotiations had ‘en fosterea by large corporate —erests in the public utilities "ld, the steel industry and Wall jreet finance. ‘The UM WA, with more than 4 “If million members, is the strong- — union in the history of US or- mized labor. It is regarded as e backbone of the CIO and the fficulties it encountered were be— ved to be the beginning of an tack on the CIO all along the Le. Settlement in the Appalachian 2id paves the way for a quick ttlement in all other soft coal eas. im addition, a separate contract © 100,000 anthracite (hard coal) iners in Fastern Pennsylvania, hich is still te be drafted, is ex ‘ected to be signed with less dif 2ulty in view of the victory. Full effect of the miners’ victory cdifficult to gauge immediately, it it is believed it will bring »OUut a stiffer attitude on the part the CIO unions in the steel and 1temobile industries. Qniy obstacle to complete peace the coalfields now is the refusal the Harlan, Kentucky, coal op- ators, long the most murderous- anti-union in the industry, to zo ong with the rest of the opera- rs. upert Citizens Protest ew Zoning By-Law PRINCE RUPERT, BC, May 18. Passage of a zoning by-law with- t submitting it to the ratepayers S roused the wrath of the izens. According to the by-law favored Siness enterprises are siven pref ence on choice building lots in yvorea sections of the city, while other parts of the city lots with feet frontage are offered for le. These lots are considered too rrow and should a person Gesire build a large home he would be lized to purchase two or more. George Casey, former city alder- an, addressed a meeting in the Wmunist Party hall recently d warned citizens ta be wary of George Miller, SPSU agent, and Frank E. Payson, sec- retary of the Salmon Canners Operating Committee, which re- presents all major packing com- panies in British Columbia. This year’s price scale for seine caught salmon provides for 14 cent increase Over sockeye prices of last year and 44 cent increase on pinks, all areas. Price on chums or dog salmon is also boosted i4 cent in ali areas except Johnstone Straits, where the increase will be two and three-quarter cents. Last year’s prices were 3714 cents for sockeye up to July ii, after which the price jumped to 474% cents, which brings the new schedule up jto 38 and 48 cents. Cohoes remain at 25 cents to August 5, and the agree ment on fall prices will be ar- ranged before that date. Particularly important is the elause providing for the checkoff system, while the agreement may be reopened for revision or ter- mination prior to March 30, 1940. Business Agent George Miller expressed great satisfaction with the terms of the settlement. “We are justiy proud of the fact that our union has been able to gain its point,” he told the Advocate. “Undoubtedly the settlement will have the effect of bringing greater stabilization in the fishing industry, which has been plagued by disputes between canners and fishermen fer many years. “From the trade union poimt of view, our victory is also sig- nificant, opening up new avenues for complete organization of the industry and ultimate amalga-, maton of various union lIocalis into one powerful organization, an objective sought fer years,” he said. “Then again, we are con- tributing in no small way to the , sockeye higher prices and the checkoff system for dues payments. Terms of the agreement were ratified Sunday by the union membership and the contract was officially signed Tuesday by businessS success of the organizing cam- paign announced by the Trades and Labor Council, since union- izing BC’s basic industries will depend on the success or failure of the Trades Council drive.” Approval of the SPSU agreement seemed to assure a similar success to the Pacific Coast Fishermen’s Union, organization of gillnetters and trollers, which conducted ne- gotiations jointly with the seiners. PCFU locals are now voting on the contract and Secretary Vic Hill expects to have full returns in by the weekend. The contract will cover the blueback as well as seasons, is substantially the same as that of the SPSU as regards union recognition and the checkoff, and provides for a price of 4314 and 4814 cents for sock- eye Rivers and Smiths Inmiets, a one cent increase over 1938. Meantime the so-called Central Price Committee comprising the Vessel Qwmners’ Association, BC Fishermen’s Protective Associa-— tion, Amalgamated (Japanese) Fishermen, Wative Brotherhood and Pacific Coast Native Busher-— men is still deadlocked with can- ners over prices, having been re- eently refused appointment of a mediator by the provincial goy- ernment. Observers believe the deadlock is partly due to what is termed-“im- possibly high” price demands, as well as the Price Committee’s at- titude in ousting the three biggest unions, the PCFU, SPSU and Uni- ted Fishermen’s Union, prior to opening of negotiations. The three ousted unions had insisted that the Vessel Owners’ Association not be included on the Price Committee, since it was an organization of employers and not working fisher- men. Trades Council Applauds Striking Union Victories the Salmon Purse Seiners’ Union informed delegates that his local and the Pacific Coast Fishermen’s Union had just coneluded agree- ments with the Salmon Canners’ Operating Committee for union recognition and higher prices for the 1939 season. “We regard this agreement as an important means of putting in- to effect the Council organizing ecommittee’s program to organize the unorganized workers,’ Miller declared as delegates applauded. The second union victory, an agreement between the Hotel and Restaurant Employets’ Union, Local 28 and the CPR’s new Hotel Vancouver, as report ed by Business Agent Bill Gate- Iman, also brought an enthusias— tic reception. Gateman reported the hotel management had Enthusiasm reached a high point at Tuesday’s regular meet- ing of the Vancouver Trades and Labor Council when reports of union victories in the salmon fishing and catering industries brought prolonged applause from Council delegates. Business Agent George Milter of g sigmed a contract which gives wage increases and improved working conditions to the build- ing stafi, while negotiations are now going ahead in behalf of 76 employees of the catering de- partment. “We expect to report at the next Council meeting that the new hotel is 100 percent unionized,” Gateman said. Delegate Don Maxwell also re- ported ratification of new agree- ments between the Retail Clerks’ Union and Safeway Stores provid- ing wage increases for meat cut ters (reported in the Advocate, May 12). Observers saw these victories as indicating the possibilities of or- ganization under the forthcoming drive of the Trades Council and auguring well for its success. British Housing Expert Urges Slum Clearance which should be removed and housing to the city. PR. UU. Stratton, honorary trea- surer of the Vancouver Housing Assoeiation, in a memorandum submitted on the basis of a survey of Vancouver's slum conditions. He gave as his opinion that the city should tackle the problem or low rental housing while slum cno- ditions were in an incipient stage and while the Federal Government is willing to assist. “Experience in Europe and America proves that slum hous- ing conditions, once arisen, can never be eradicated without some form of subsidy,” Sir Fre- derick wrote, “because the low jmcome groups cannot afford a rent that would give a remumer- e moves made by big interests. ative return to private enterprise Vancouver has conditions of overcrowding and bad sanitation which at present are within a manageable scale, in the opinion of Sir Frederick Unwin, noted and town planning expert, and a recent visitor to on the lowest rate at which the The opinions were expressed tof dwellings could now be built. “The case for low rental housing is so clear, the necessity sco obvi- ous, the results so advantageous and the need for confidence in the whole scheme so great that I think a simple subsidy of so much per dwelling per annum given by the Federal Government on condition that the local authority make a proportionate contribution from local revenues, all to be used to reduce the rents, would in many ways have been preferable to the forms of low interest and tax ex- emptions adopted in your act (CNa- tional Housing Act) “That system has worked well in England, where the central gov- ernment contributes two-thirds and the local government one-third of the subsidy.” Start of construction on a system of emplacements for anti-aircraft sums and bombpreof shelters on the edge of the landing field at Le Bourget, principal commercial airport in the Paris area. CITY PURCHASES | World Labor Parley Called UNFAIR GOODS Despite assurances of the City Council that union firms would be Siven preference in the award of eontracts and purchase of ma- terials W. A. Shepperd, city pur- chasing agent, awarded a contract for 500 firemen’s badges at a price said to be 300 percent below that of a union firm. The Jewelry Workers’ Union is protesting the arbitrary action of the purchasing agent, who gave out the contract to Pressed Metal Products because they had always done the work and had the dies. Gordon Farrington, union repre- Sentative, told the Advocate that the wages paid in Pressed Metal Products are $8, $10.50 and $12.50 per week while the union scale runs from $14 to $35 per week. “With such wages existing, the plant is entering into unfair com- petition with union firms employ- ing union labor,” stated Farring— ton. The union is taking the matter up with the Firemen’s Union, Trades and Labor Council and with Aldermen Wilson, Corey and Gutteridge to have the contract Cancelled and placed with a union firm. VICTORIA, May 18—Survey of one of the alternative routes of thep roposed Alaska Highway will be conducted shortly. Two ground survey crews are leaving here about the end of the month and will be equipped to stay the entire Summer on the job. An aerial sur- vey will also be made later. fa ge eee ee eee ee \Lo Halt Hitler Advance PARIS, France. — Senator Marcel Cachin, chairman of the Communist Party of France and frequently representative of the Communist International in negotiations with the Second (Labor and Socialist) International, has despatched a letter to Major Clement R. Attlee, liamentary leader Gabor Party, urging him to throw British labor’s weight into the seales for a conference of world workers’ organizations to break the resistance of Ghamberlain and Daladier to a “Stop Hitler” front. “Mr. Attlee Knows very well that at the present time the gov- ernment of his country as well as of our-Own is not seriously treat ing the question of a defensive alliance with the Soviet Union,” Cachin wrote. “For this reason we ask him if he does not believe, as we do, that united action of the working— elass parties of the world will bring such pressure on the govern- ments as will break the resistance of the most reactionary forces. “There is not a smgile valid ar- Sument against international working-class unity. It is the main question in this troubled and dan- gerous period.” The Communist international has meanwhile opened negotiations with executives of the Second In- ternational and the International Pederation of Trade Unions seek- ing such a world conference, Sen- ator Cachin announced. Boycott Japanese Goods! ERNIE CLARK and ANDY GILLIS Cordially Invite You To Visit Their Newly Modernized Licensed Premises par- . of the British | MAC-PAPS SCORE CENOTAPH BAN Se pe eee a ee ae ne ne an ee en Ee en ee oe ee 2 ee 2 Soe Veterans of the Mackenzie-Pap- ineau Battalion who, while parad- ing as a unit on May Day, placed a wreath on the cenotaph, did so as a tribute to all men who had given their lives fighting for democracy and not for the fallen of any par- ticular war. Mayor Telford was in receipt of a letter to this effect from W. Graham, secretary of the Mac-Pap veterans, in answer to the action of the City Council in appointing Col. W. W. Foster, police chief, as custodian of the Cenotaph with power to refuse or grant permis- sion to groups wishing to place their tributes on the Victory Square memorial. The council’s actions was the culmination of protests by wat veterans’ organizations who were led to believe that the wreath placed on the memorial was meant only as a respect to the vet— erans of the Mackenzie-Papineau Battalion who died fighting to maintain democracy for the Span-— ish people against fascist forces of Germany and Italy. THE Come TODAY and Enjoy the Comforts and Beauty of This New Refreshments Parlor. Surroundings’’ Mae aan aan nee a ee a a a aaa aaa ae ae a aa a aaa eee es oe ee “Friendly Service in Beau- tiful and Cheerful Pe Se GRAND UNION HOTEL e BEAUTIFULLY DECORATED - NEWLY 44 West Hastings Street 7c 8 ooo oe eS ee a = S Pe FURNISHED Se ee