8

British Shipyards Break AU Records

As in the United States, British shipyards are achieving mir-
acles of production to help win the battle of supplies. As an
example of the new records being made, one shipyard alone
set itself a target of 16 seven-thousand-ton merchant ships.
during 1942. By autumn, well under the scheduled time,

fourteen had left the stocks.

Shipyard Union Heads
Move To Cut Absentees

Immediately following their re-election, executive officers
of Boilermakers Union, Local 1, got down to work this weele
on the dual job of combating absenteeism in Vancouver ship-
yards, and conducting the referendum vote on adoption of the

Richards report. The vote, sched-
uled to begin Isst Monday, but
postponed a day to enable union
officials to explain the report to
men by means of sound trucks in
the yards, was the first step in a
drive for cooperation with man-
agement to eliminate absentecism
from the shipbuilding industry.
The report recommends a seven-
day work week production pro-
gram, holidays with pay, bonuses
for work attendance and improved
health facilities.

“We've got to cut out absentee-
ism, and this means combating all
its causes,” Malcolm McLeod,
Boilermakers business agent, stated
this week. One cause, he felt, was
lack of drying room facilities in
the yards, which would be corrected
by Richards report recemmenda-
tions, Because men coming off

work in wet weather had no place
to dry their clothes, colds were
frequent.

Two other suggestions were of-
fered by members of the executive.
One advocated the Introduction of
a new hygiene system whereby a
worker who became ill and could
not afford medical attention would
be visited by a physician and given
treatment. If his illness were
chronic, he would be given-a thor-
ough examination by the company
physician.

The second plan suggested turn-
ing over time records of men in
Vancouver yards to Selective Serv-
ice. If a man were found to be ab-
senting himself without legitimate
reason and was eligible for mili-
tary service, he would automatical-
fy lose any preferred status as a
War worker and become liable for
military service.

Granby Mine Union
Baeks Victory Loan

COPPER MOUNTAIN, B.C.—At a meeting held here Sun-
day, April 11, Copper Mountain Local 649, International Union
of Mine, Mill and Smelter Workers declared itself as being

solidly behind Canada’s Fourth Victory Loan Drive.

President 3. Ogbourne asked for
volunteers, members im-
mediately came forward to signify
their willingness to canvas the dis-
trict in aid of the drive. The meet-

ing also voted that a 100 dollar
bond be purchased out of union
funds.

It was decided to send a cable
to General MacNaughton, chief of

twelve

HOME of...

© MEN’S

e CLOTHING
and

@ Furnishings

45 East Hastings St.
eee EES

When
Canadian forces overseas, advising
him that Local 649 supports an
all-out war effort and is “definite-
ly part of the home front.”

A gratifying attendance was
shown at the meeting as of the
398 members, approximately 95
percent of workers eligible for
union membership, only a few
failed to attend and these few were
on shift at the time,

Union Made Clothing and Friendly Service

Continued

Cost Of Living Ind

cording to figures released by the parently even this simple luxury,

Dominion Bureau of Statistics on
April 28, 1942, only 20% percent
of Canada’s male wage
receive over $1,500 a year.

Thus it appears that the govern-
ment’s “typical family” whose in-
come in 1938 was $1,453 does not
represent the majority of wage
earning families.

According to government statis-
ticlans, the “typical family” spends
$110 a year on clothes. It is no
wonder that workers question the
index when many of them have
to spend a hundred dollars a year
or more on working clothes for
themselves alone, let alone a fam-
ily of 4.6 people. The clothes in-
dex may represent the costs of
white-collar workers but it cer-
tainly does not include those items
required by industrial workers.

It would be interesting to know
how many of the government’s
“typical families” are white-collar
workers and how many are in-
dustrial workers.

The obvious need here is for a
completely revised index or for a
supplementary index based on the
needs of the non white-collar
worker.

In » survey carried out last
fall by the writer, 200 workers
In a logging camp in BC showed
an average cost of S111 per year
for work clothes. On the basis
of the index, and assuming that
they had the income of the *typi-
cal family” (which most of them
did not have) they would have
$59 ‘left to clothe the 3.6 remain-
ing members of the family—
$1650 each per year! And only
work clothes for themselves!

earmers

Vancouver workers are eagerly
searching for “six-roomed houses
with modern conveniences” for

which the index shows a prevail-
ing monthly rent of $22 to $27.
Failing this, most of them are
willing to accept one “with in-
complete modern conveniences’ at
$16 to $22 per month. But some-
how they have been unable to
discover any houses at these uto-
pian rents, which is another reason
why, through their unions, they
are raising a strong demand for a
re-survey of the cost of living in-
dex to conform to what they con-
Sider the real facts

A rather important aspect of the
whole problem of the cost of liv-
ing is that tax inereases are not
indicated in the index. In the case
of many lowerpaid workers the in-
come taxes they pay are a rather
heavy burden. Moreover, the cost
of living index does not reflect
this type of expense which is sure-
ly part of the cost of living.

In Canada income taxes are paid
by tens of thousands of workers
who, in the United States, would
be exempt because their income
was too low to warrant taxation.

The government's pamphlet deals
with the complaint that the new
tax on cigarettes last June has
not been included in the cost of
living index. They find it to be
a simple complaint to deal with.
It seems that the government
simply wants “to discourage peo-
ple from smoking quite as many
cigarettes as they used to.’ Ap-

Complete
Stock of
WORK
CLOTHES

Vancouver, B.C.

if it can be called -a luxury, is
frowned upon by Ottawa.

It is not difficult to find many
other items that are on the index
that might more justifiably be
considered luxuries which should
be discouraged rather than one
of the very simple pleasures of
most workers. ;

The pamphlet also admits com-
plaints about the quality of clothes
becoming poorer. In a previous
article the writer quoted state-
ments from the US Department of
Labor warning against this dan-
ger. The government tells us that
it recopnizes this fact. Then the
pamphlet comes out with another
prize statement. This time we are
told that we mustn’t be too in-
clined to judge clothing by its
appearance and that we may often
be fooled by what we think is in-
ferior quality! 5

The moral seems to be that
if it looks inferior it’s probably
better, So you can stop worrying
about quality here and now.

Unfortunately those who suffer
most from the increases in the
cost of living are the lower paid

i Morale, that Canada’s war

‘

workers. There is a ver
reason for this, It is
among the lower paid w
greater percentage of t)
come must go to such nr
as food and clothing a: |
or nothing to recreation,
care, and non-essentials.
As it happens, food ant
ing have risen most in c™
the non-essentials least |
The effect is of course tj
the lower paid workers’ ©
living index completely 3
line with the governmen”
The workers are not ti
embarrass the government j
timely criticism, On the cj
their own experience has”
to them that their cost ¢
bonuses simply do not
sate for the increased
living and that obviously {
of living index requires ri}
It is only through
workers, possessed of the

can be productive of the ,;
results.

All that Canadian work;
is the opportunity of conti
their utmost to this effort

Ask Visa For
Pritchett Entry

Members of International Wood-
workers of America in Portland,
Oregon, are petitioning the laber
department in Washington to per-
mit Harold Pritchett, IWA_ presi-
dent here, and other Vancouver
delegates to attend the seventh an-
nual convention to be held in
Sacramento, California, in August.

Pritchett was also invited to
speak at the North Washington
district convention this week, but
was refused a visitor's visa by the
American consul-general in Van-
couver, on the grounds that he had
failed to establish non-immigrant
status, References were also made
to a decision reached some time
ago in the United States that his
admission to the USA would be
“contrary to the public safety.”

Due to the Good Friday holi-
day, which is being observed by
the printing firm that handles
our paper, we were unable to
print our regular 12-page issue
this week. Publication of the
paper was advanced a day in
order that no printing work
would be done on the holiday,
which made it -impossible for
the printers to handle the extra
pages. We will publish the 12-
page issue next week, however,
and regularly thereafter.

thousands of

Continued

Kimberl
was not involved in the vo}

“J understand that some
Vancouver papers have stat |

vote was between our org

tion and the Workmen’s |
mittee,” he sald. “This is ©
tortion: of the facts. The vo:
conducted by Blaylock’s m_
a straight yes or no issue
no mention of the smelter
ers union, and we have so
fied Labor Minister Pe
drawing his attention also

illegality of the action und
ICA Act.”

Meantime the IUMMSW
ued its spectacular organizin
Paign which has already 1
Consolidate:
ployees into its ranks. Mas:
ings for morning and aft
shifts are becoming a regul
ture. Recent meetings hav
addtfessed by R. A. “Duke” ?
secretary of the newly-or;
Kimberley local. At one r
in Cranbrook, addressed b
sop and Tom Uphil, Labor
115 Kimberly employees
there joined the union in ¢

The union is rapidly 1
the stage where it will b
to ask for certification as
senting a majority of all €
dated employees.

Another Sullivan

PARRY

by Capt. C. L. Arnold.

WSS

SSS SS

Genevieve, sister of the famous five Sullivan brothers
went down with the USS Juneau, carries on the traditi
her family by joining the navy. She is sworn in as a W