Board To Ensure Workers’ Health To keep employees well, prevent loss of time from sickness and increase efficiency through improved health will be the aim of the Industrial Health division of Wartime Merchant Shipping Lid., according to a bulletin received by Vancouver Labor Council in reply to a letter sent by Secretary Harold Pritchett on delegates’ instruction asking for provision of a doctor and nurse in each shipyard. A program designed to reduce the present alarmingly high acci- dent rate, as revealed in The People last week, and prevent both indus- trial and non-industrial illness is outlined in the bulletin. Hlimination of unsanitary conditions dangerous to health and working efficiency, physical examinations to determine Suitability for specific jobs, a nurs- ing service to include home visits and health education, and a nutri- tion service covering diet at the plant and at home are among the proposals listed in the bulletin. A letter received with the bulle- tin states that the Industrial Health Division of Wartime Merchant Shipping is being established “to prevent and contro] industrial as well as non-industrial accidents and sickness.” The present major time Joss, the letter continues, “would appear to be due to factors other than injury or illmess of an -in- dustrial nature.” The statement that “non-indus- trial illness usually causes 10 to 15 times the loss occasioned by in- dustrial causes” led to critical dis- cussion by delegates. “Non-industrial illness is far too general a term,’ stated Malcolm Macleod, delegate from SBoiler- makers’ Union, pointing out that many men are now losing time because of colds contracted on the job. He declared that lack of lunch- room facilities in all yards was re- sponsible for many colds among men who have to eat their lunches in unsheltered corners of the yards. ‘Would this be classed as in- dustrial illness?”’ Macleod wanted to know. “Probably not. Yet the fact remains that the job is the main source of the spread of in- fection. Our huge casualty list warrants the greatest precau- tions. A well-equipped first aid post, almost a small hospital, is called for in every shipyard, and an ambulance should be always on the spot.” A delegation elected to interview the Workmen's Compensation Board on the question this Thurs- day included Malcolm Macleod, Charles Saunders, Harold Pritchett, E. E. Leary, Mike Lucas, and Angus Harley. Showler, Pritchett On Aid Committee The capacity last Sunday loudly applauded guest pianist Jan Cherniaysky’s masterly performance of Tchia- kovsky’s Concerto in B flat minor, and the beautiful old tunes of Liadow played by the Vancou- ver Symphony Orchestra with Greg- eri Garbovitzky conducting en- thusiastically received the appeal made by the Hon. Erie Hamber for support of the Aid to Russia Fund campaign here. The drive is sponsored by the British Columbia section og the Canadian Aid to Russia Fund. On the committee are representatives of all religious denominations, busi- messes, professions, and industry. Organized labor is represented by Harold Pritchett and E. E, Leary, secretary and president of Vancou- ver Labor Council. P. A. Wood- ward is chairman of the com- mittee. The Aid to Russia Fund has been endorsed by the Canadian Red Gross Society, which has urged its members to give their full support to the drive for $1,000,000 for Rus- sian medical aid. Donations should be sent to the treasurer, 906 Royal Bank Building, Vancouver. Surrey Tag Day Realizes $570 CLOVERDALE, B.C. — Accord- ing to a report of the Surrey Rus- sian Medical Aid committee, Coun- eillor Tom Binnie, chairman of the committee, has recommended to the municipal council that the com- mittee, be continued by the in- coming council as a War Activi- ties Committee. The committee, in a recent tag day, collected $569.66 for Russian aid. The slogan used for the tag day was “An opportunity for the children and people of Surrey to aid the people and children of Russia.” audience that®= Inter-Shipyard s oe Competition Keen NEW YORK.—(ALN)—Well-tried industrial practices developed by union workers in Soviet factories are being introduced in different forms in American war plants. When a Kaiser shipyard in Cali- fornia, by assembly line methods and an extensive use of pre-fabri- cation, recently finished a Victory tanker in four days after keel-lay- ing, labor-management committees in other West Coast shipyards put up “Beat Kaiser!” posters in the yards. Keen competition is also develop- ing between CIO ship-builders on the Atlantic and AFL ship-builders on the Pacific, to the benefit of the Condemn . Closing Of. Sawmills — Closing of three more mills in the Vancouver area this week was seen by Harold J. Pritchett, regional head of In- etrnational Woodworkers of America, as jeopardizing supplies of lumber used in war construction. Possibility that the closures might become permanent, as in the case of Straits Lumber Company at Na- noose Bay, shut down for the dura- tion of the war because of failure to obtain log supplies, in Pritchett’s opinion required prompt statements from the managements of the mills so that workers might be placed in other war jobs without loss of time. Several mills, however, are clos- ing not because of log shortage but for repairs, it was revealed. “We are unable to understand why these mills are allowed to shut down at this time, “Pritchett re- marked. “They are all important units in lumber production and the announced closures come at a time when a demand has veen raised by the government for more lumber.” Vancouver City Council last week named a special committee to con-— fer with officials of the fuel divi- sion of the Wartime Prices and Trade Board, offering suggestions that the board should forbid local mills closing down at a time when there is the greatest demand for sawdust and firewood. Alderman Corey, introducing the subject, complained that the mill Q@wners seemed to have no sense of responsibility to the city, and stated that in his opinion controls would have to be instituted as had been done with other scarce. com- modities. “Fuel is just as important as food or shelter,” he insisted. Meantime, dealers state that the coal shortage is considerably re- lieved, but they expect a further aggravation of the wood and saw- dust crisis. The Fuel Control Board is at- tempting to deal with emergency orders piling up daily. Appeals to the householders to conserve their fuel are not solving the problem for those homes entirely without, and officials of the board complain that a policy of “too little and too late” has been evident in the poli- eies of the government in dealing with this problem. If the- board had been on the job at the first signs of the developing crisis, and if a definite policy had been worked out, this critical situation might American shipbuilding program. not have come about, they felt. Shipyard Man Wins Drive First Prize Individual winners of prizes in the press drive were an- nounced by The People Central Press Drive Committee this week, with the explanation that considerable delay in announc- ing the list had been caused by sub-committees. to the fact that the list of those qualifying for book prizes is still incomplete, while many of those on the list have not yet selected their books. First prize, $25 cash, will go to Sid Sheard, of South Burrard ship- yard committee, who turned in $128 in donations and subscriptions. Second prize of $15, for the in- dividual selling most subscriptions, goes to Ann Clozza, a press drive worker familiar to the whole labor movement and gq member of Bill Bennett's committee. Ann sold 154 subscriptions, totalling $176, and also turned in $9.05 incash. Third prize, also $15, for the in- dividual turning in most cash dona- tions, goes to Mrs, Mary Gaurychi, The committee’s statement called attention obtaining full details from drive a member of the Russian commit- tee, whg sold seventeen books of dance tickets, a total of $85. Many committee members have earned honorable mention for out- have qualified for book prizes, standing work and several of these have qualified for book prizes, among them Bill Petrie, who raised $123.50, Charlie Stewart, John Les- ire, Bill Bennett, H. Rosenquist, Alec Blair, Mike Bagle. embers of the Dock and Ship- yard Workers Union played a major role in raising money for the shipyard committees, promi- nent among them being Freddy MeNeil, in North Burard ship- yard whose squad raised $328, nearly half the total raised in that _ Vancouver thousands in this city, is yard. Popular Trade Unionis' By ELSIE ANDERSON WEEN members of Division 101, Street Railway En ¥ ployees, the other day elected Charles M. Stewa: as president of their union they accorded a deserve fj} honor to one of the hardest working trade unionists if Vancouver, and one of the most popular. Most nights ¢ the week when he has finished his shift, he has a meet to attend, if not of his own am : union then of another union, or perhaps his ARP block committee, or the Comm unist- Labor Total War Commit- tee, of which he is chair- man. At home, neighbors ~ or fellow trade unionists; are wont to drop in to dis- cuss their problems, for Charlie, as he is known to always ready to listen and’ js advise, no matter how busy : he is. Eee. When I called last week, he excused himself to two women chatting with his wife in the dining room, shooed three small girls from the living room sel (“Neighbor’s children,” he Charles M. Stewart, delegate } explained), and settled te Vancouver Trades and down with the remark that Labor Council, who, aftez he really couldn’t see why holding executive positions he should be interviewed in the union for nine years, anyway. has been elected president of § Charlie Stewart has Division 101, Street Railway | lived in Vancouver since Employees. ob 1912, with the exception of g a couple of years spent in the copper mines at Butt } Montana. When he returned to Vancouver in 1918 he wer a to work for the BCElectric and he’s been a member of th } union ever since, nine years as an executive member. Bs Mrs. Stewart, for many years organizer for the Wor f}, en’s Labor League, is now active in the Housewive f,, League. They have one son in the shipyards here, anothe &;, at Sinclair Mills in northern British Columbia-and one i §,. the RCAF, and their daughter is a stenographer for th }, United Fishermen’s Union. Individually and as a famil jj the Stewarts are known throughout the labor movemer here. The Street Railwaymen’s union will continue to cay paign for two-man operation of the new street cars, Charl fm Stewart told me discussing the recent plebiscite on on: man Cars. I “The men are not acting from purely personal, selfis .f motives,” he declared. “During the controversy on tk - question of one-man cars, we have continually pointed ot that service to the public is the main consideration. W_ meet the public all day long and we know their needs ar requirements. We say that the one-man car, operated wit AS the addition of a conductor, as is done in several Unite j States cities, is the safest, fastest and most efficient cz yet made. ut “The company wants to save thousands of dollars = } labor costs at the expense of the travelling public. won't reduce fares, in consideration of this saving. W claim that the BCElectric is taking advantage of war cor }, ditions to force the people to accept one-man car servic The people are being asked to pay in reduced service | while the company makes greater profit — as a “wz | measure.’ : ij “Then it tries to confuse the issue by explaining th: these cars are the only qnes available at the present tims Well, we’re not against the type of car—only we believ that in the public interest, in the interests of safety, thes cars should be operated with a conductor.” “But if men aren’t available?” I suggested. “There is no shortage of labor in our field,” Stewa™ replied. “We know for a fact that some men got in onl nine hours’ work during the past two weeks. And anothe thing—even if there should be a shortage of men to at as conductors, the union is not opposed to taking in wome for this work.” . Pores ase Ss 10 st