THE PEOPLE Published every Wednesday by The People Publishing Co., Room 104, Shelly Building, 119 West Pender Street, Vancouver, B.C. Telephone: MArine 6929. Eprror Manacinc Eprror Bustwess MANAGER Six Months—$1.00 One Year—$2.00 Printed at Brosdwey Printers Limited, 151 East 8th Arenuc, Vancouver, B.0. Labor Wants An Answer ING that production has resumed at the plants of Boeing Aircraft after having been arbitrarily shut off by action of the “cracked” Mr. Bell and the management, what of the issues that provoked the dispute and which remain unsolved? The workers returned to the job because they were sincere in desiring to get on with the job of producing planes for war against fascism, a move that has won them the sincere approval of the public generally. Unfortunately, the pro-victory atti- tude displayed by the workers was not in evidence among company or goyernment officials involved. On the contrary, the arrogant position of Ralph Bell in originally revoking the rest period system in effect at Canadian Pacific Airlines, then extending this ruling to Boeing Aircraft, resulted in his sabotage of the war effort to the -tune of some 40,000-man hours lost when the plants were shut. And all this trouble, all this weakening of Canada’s war effort, is brought about on the excuse that ten-minute rest periods would result in “needless loss of time.” que whole question, of course, goes deeper than the ap- parent dispute over rest periods. Members of the Aero- nautical Mechanics Union made this plain when they de- manded the immediate appointment of a Royal Commission to investigate mismanagement and waste effort in the Boeing plants. Disgust and discontent by the workers over the lack of production has been increasing for monihs. It has been one of the main causes of absenteeism. Attempts by the union to initiate labor-management production committees were at first barely tolerated, then obstructed by the management. The companys “solution” to production problems was to in- troduce a succession of managers and supervisors, none of whom have been successful. As a result of the general con- fusion provoked by mismanagement, the labor turnover at the plants has been tremendous. In view of all this, the government’s rejection of the union’s proposal for a ten-minute rest period twice daily, which had already brought a 25 percent production boost in the CPA plant, is all the more difficult to explain. Ww” did Ralph Bell and C. D. Howe refuse the workers’ request for a commission to enquire into the rest period question? Is it because they were afraid that such an inyesti- gation would also uncover other matters, expose the tragic mismanagement at Boeings, take the lid off a situation that may be even worse than many suspect? Their action has given justifiable rise to such a question, and has added point to the union’s demand for appointment of a Royal Commission that not only would investigate the grievances of the employeés but also dig deep into the whole question of production bottle- necks, This is not just a question between the management and employees of Boeing Aircraft. Labor as a whole is vitally interested, because labor wants to see all such disputes settled quickly through arbitration so as to get on with the real task of producing for victory. That’s why labor feels it is time for a showdown with these employers and government officials who put their interests before those of the Canadian people. Ralph Bell is one of such people, and he should be replaced immediately. More than that, the government should act quickly in appointing an in- vestigating commission that will inquire into all phases of the Boeing situation. 4 Sir Stafford Cripps, British Minister of Aircraft Produc- tion, has already obtained results by taking over the plants of Short Bros. Aircraft in Britain. If such a step is necessary in this case in order to resolve the difficulties at Boeing Air- craft, then that step should be taken. Whatever is done in a positive direction, it will receive the full support of labor and the Canadian people as a whole. S. G. Blaylock Makes a Report By TOM McEWEN Bees COLUMBIA’S amended Industrial Arbitration and Conciliation Act established the right of workers to organize in trade unions and bargain collectively. It out- lawed company unions—a cancer that has sapped the vitality of labor for many decades. -Labor’s “Bill of Rights” as the ICA Act has been termed, provides statutory means to an end—that of enabling organized labor to take its rightful place in a society struggling for na- tional survival, and the recon- struction of a better life. The ICA Act and similar statutes are the first important steps towards labor's full role in the “shape of things to come.” @ HEN the IGA Act amend- ments were being promoted by Minister of Labor Pearson and a united trade union move- ment, powerful influence @x- pressed through the Canadian Manufacturers Association and the groupings of industria] and financial monopolists were hard at work seeking every means to block and obstruct the legislation. Perhaps the most consistent of the powerful industrial groups to fight the ICA Act was the Con- solidated Mining and Smelting Company of Canada at Trail. The CMS maintained a steady barrage of “constructive” opposi- tion (we have another name for it) and “deplored” legislation as a method or means of harmoniz- ing capital and labor relations. It is a well-known fact that the president of CMS, Mr. Blay- lock, is an ardent promoter of company unionism. In curren} editions of Canada’s leading or- gans of big business and in the press, Mr. Blaylock never tires of painting rosy pictures of Trail as a haven of happy contented workers, wishing for nothing more than to be left alone by bona-fide trade union organizers (Mr. Blaylock calls them “outside influences” and “agitators”) and to enjoy the munificent blessings of company unionism. e HE latest Blaylock effusion in defense of company unions is a full° page spread in the Van- couver press of April 30 under the caption — “A Company Re- ports To Its Employees,” This blast, we are told, was prepared especially for Consolidated em- ployees, “but because of its wide interest, is made available to the general public.” We do not flatter Mr. Blaylock when we say it is a very clever piece of corporate trickery with a double-edged intent—to fool his employees and to hoodwink the public. His closing quotation from one of Mr. Churchill’s recent speeches—“I end where I began ——” js hardly true in this in- stance. From the grave of Ginger Good- win, shot to death like a hunted rabbit in the woods of British Columbia twenty-three years ago for opposition to Mr. Blaylock’s company unionism; from the blacklisting of hundreds of good union miners—to the business of kidding the Trail miners and smeltermen that each and every one of them, by virtue 'of the blessings of company unionism, have “an investment of over $15,- 000—is an unbroken chain of re- pression and duplicity. eS BT us skim over Mr. Blay- lock’s report to his employees —a report well garnished with the “profitable patriotism’ im- mortalized by the late and un- lamented Ernest Lapointe, and sheer skulduggery. Nothing was paid to the share- holders for years, says Mr. Blay- lock; instead “all profits made were plowed back into the busi- ness.” This hat trick is simple. The shareholders merely reinvest their shares in new bond issues. In this recapitalization a share with a par value of $25 sold a few years later for $200. Not a bad rate-of-interest crop as a re- sult of the “plowing back” policy. We have no quarrel with the government's policy in financing additions to basic war industries to aid in stepping up the nation’s war effort to a maximum. But we don’t like “George F. Babbitt's” slick naivette in speculating just what may become of these gov- ernment-financed plant expan- . Sions after the war. “When the war is over those plants will re- main the property of the goyern- ment and, if our company wants or requires them to expand its operations, we will have to meet the price offered by the highest bidders.” Just imagine that. Now who is going to be the “highest bidder” for the éxtended CMS—except the CMS itself. The public—perhaps! But that is not what led Mr. Blaylock into this speculative flight. It is clear he anticipates some more “plowing back’ may be done. ie 1942 Blaylock states the CMS paid salaries and wages to the tune of $15,844,000. This, of course, includes all the high-sal- aried officials of Consolidated. For the vast majority of the workers, five or six dollars per day is the limit. Exclude the high salaried officials and the actual wage total per annum can be brought down to ten million dol- lars or less. Dividends in 1942 were over $8;000,000. Thus, for every dollar paid in wages, an- other was paid to non-producing shareholders, most of which went to privately owned CPR. Blaylock’s balance-sheet to his employees is an Interesting docu- ment: $23,900,000.00 capital is held by shareholders: $26,200,000.00 as accumulated profits since 1906. Added together, the sharehold- ers could realize fifty million dol- lars by selling their shares, since there is nothing to stop the com- pany from paying out all the sur- plus as dividends (except per- haps, to avoid taxation). Thus, with 700 workers at Consolidated, a little arithmetic shows that each worker since incorporation has helped to create additional accumulated profits to the tune of over three thousand dollars per man, to say nothing of the fixed capital, plant, holdings, etc. e UT “George F. Babbit” is at his best lick on “employee welfare.’> Over $150,000 for holi- days with pay. For every holiday dollar to a worker — $55 to a shareholder. In 1942 they had 1387 apprenticeships in effect. It is hardly likely any money is lost in this endeavor. Again, $330,000 is loaned to workers to build homes, with the best security in the world-(which “George F.” fails to mention)—control of the payroll—ownership of the land— a lien on the house—the economic and social existence of the worlk- er in the hands of his “benefac- tors” Then two scholarships for uni- versity studies in applied science. (Continued on Page 8) by OV Bi: Consolidated q ' HEN a rat is corns squeals. Big cor ¥@ have enough ratlike qu | them to make them act a rat when they are re - Corporations, of course, /a. personal so that special lz to be passed to give then | blance of personality, a lc Sonality. Thus it is not ‘ porations that do the si ge but individual persons wt spokesmen for them. This was pronouncedly strated on Thursday, A when full page ads costiz ¢ $1200 appeared in the thi couver papers, paid for #& Consolidated M&S Compa: was a report by S. G F president and managing of the company, to the dated’s employees. If t] and Kimberley smeltern @ miners had not moved jy union organization, ther not have been these fr apologies from Mr. Blay j the International Union 13 Mill and Smeiterworkers making its present drive, employees (and only s them) would have seen port, or maybe there wo g been no report at all. , No Dividends M=: BLAYLOCK says, * years” no dividends w: fo the shareholders, “All were plowed back into tl ness.” The Consolidated c ly started with $4,500,0( ital. $100.000,000 worth o ings have been “plowed” j accordine to Mr. Blaylocl is one of the reasons ¥ / company assets are value by Mr. Blaylock at 120 dollars. Less than 16 mill lars of this was contriby’ the shareholders. The bala gouged out of the worker: smelter, the mill and Kiz | together with the workers: 17 subsidiary companies by the Consolidated at knife; Pinchi ake, G Saskatchewan., Caribou, 7 in Quebec, and of the Coast Terminals and the Steamship Company. Mr lock’s plowing is more | able than the plowing Fraser Valley farmers. Mr Blaylock hastens plain why the original $100 became $25 shares, lest s | may think there was “me tion,” but he fails to tell the $25 shares became $5 in 1986. The payments pe annually might help. Fertilizer! N the past four years tr 000,000 invested in paid-1 ital has brought the sha ers $38,791,257.00. This was all produced by the and smeltermen, and on that, every nickel that wa in mining and income taxe to directors, lawyers and parasites and every cent th “plowed in.” Lest Mr. Blaylock label ‘“jgnorant and malicious ~ ganda” we must not forg Christmas turkeys and the fertilizer. After reading fully as Mr. Blaylock as! believe this report of his i of the free fertilizer. Speed the organization — Mine, Mill and Smelterw: Union!