ON ead eat ean

Around the
Slipways

By Charles Saunders

HILE we are fighting for safer working conditions and
the elimination of accident hazards from the job, a part
of our campaign to cut down the accident rate should be to
see that no unnecessary risks are taken. Our shop stewards’
committees should take this question up seriously, and safety
rules should be understood and enforced just as rigidly as any
other union rule. : j
It is bad enough that in spite of safety inspectors and safety
committees, accidents, in some cases unavoidable, should con-
tinue. This is to be expected in such a hazardous occupation
as shipbuilding, but when avoidable accidents occur, through
somebody taking undue risks, it is doubly regrettable.

T= week a young lad of seventeen was drowned off the
North Vancouver ferry in just such an accident. It is true
it occurred off the job, but I think it is still a question for
the unions to consider.

Anyone who has seen the ferries coming into the Van-
couver dock, with men standing all around on the fender,
hanging on by their eyeteeth, will not be surprised that such
an accident occurred.

I have expected to see men crushed between the ferry
and the dock before now. It is a very dangerous practice and

Canada Builds Mighty Air

The Canadian Army and the Royal Cana dian Air Force, cooperating with other
Nations Air Forces, have forged a mighty link in
the rugged Labrador coast to embattled Britain.
is one of the world’s largest and most impor tant
erate the air line taking the vital ships to battle zones,

peeoooons

the wartime bomber route which j
The Canadian-built outpost at Goose! ;
air bases. The combined air forces
Canadian Army units guard

area and Canadian construction gangs enlarge and maintain the outpost facilities. Mig
trip to Britain by the Royal Air Force Training Commi

bombers are readied for the

Runways going into the distance are 6,000 feet long.

Brotherhood

inviting serious accidents, especially at night. What is the
purpose? At the most, they get off the ferry a half a min-
tute before she docks at the risk of life and limb, and then wait
ten to fifteen minutes for a streetcar anyway. The trouble
is that even this serious accident has not curbed the practice
to any great extent. Action on the part of the shop stewards
is needed and should be taken.

HIS whole question of accidents is a serious production
problem, and must be tackled as such. Avoidable acci-

dents must be reduced to the lowest possible minimum and
certainly reckless individuals who endanger their own lives
and others should be checked. Every ounce -of manpower
available is going to be needed in the shipyards in the coming
months; North Burrard estimated a need for 1500 extra men,
and a canvass of the country reveals that this extra man-
power is practically unobtainable.

It means, first of all that every effort has to be made to
use the available manpower to the best advantage. There are
many ways in which this can be accomplished, and these are
the questions which should concern the Labor-Management
Committees now, as the foremost production problem. These
problems can be solved ‘by proper cooperation between labor
and management to eliminate some of the major reasons for
lost time.

Absenteeism is one of these questions which need jmmedi-
ate attention and can only be satisfactorily tackled by a thor-
ough investigation into the causes. Accidents, health, trans-
portation, fuel shortage and housing are some of the things
entering into it. Then there is the question of eliminating
bottlenecks of supply and organization so that men on the job
can use their time to the best advantage.

al? accomplish these aims, the Labor-Management Com-
mittees must be reorganized to fulfil their proper func-
tion. Grievances which properly should be taken up through
regular union channels must not enter into the discussions,
which should center around these real production problems.
These committees should be based on equal representation
of labor and management, so that there is a real cooperative
committee. The present method, where one representative
of the management lends an ear, sympathetic or otherwise,
according to the subjects introduced by labor, does not consti-
tute a committee. Equal representation will form the basis
for an authoritative committee which can make decisions and
carry them through.

Signs Wage
Agreement

Salmon Canners Operating Com-
mittee has agreed to sign the first
union agreement between native
cannery workers and employers,
it was announced this week by
Andy Paull, business agent of Na-
tive Brotherhood of BC.

While several clauses in the
agreement are still under consid-
eration, the Operating Committee
has agreed to recognize the Bro-
therhood as bargaining agent, and
to recognize plant committees.
Wage scales have also been ac-
cepted, and in most cases the new
minimum wage provided corre-
sponds with the maximum paid
last year, according to Brother-
hood spokesmen.

Cost-of-living bonus will also be
granted native workers, and em-
ployment of matrons to look after
children of women workers will
be provided for in the agreement.
Strikes and lockouts, as long as
both sides adhere to the contract,
wll be outlawed.

Final meetings between the Bro-
therhood and Canners Operating
Committee will take place within
the next faw days.

SHIPYARD WORKERS!
Eat at the

Sugar Bow! Cafe

NORTH VAN

Scviet Women in the
War Against Hitlerism

14 Stories, including one about
Pavlichenko; 76 Pages — 40c

WE CARRY ON
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THE HEROIC DEFENCE OF
SEVASTOPOL
128 Pages — 65c

UNIVERSAL NEWS

138 East Hastings

Delegates from local War Ag-
ricultural Production Commit-
tees representing ail districts in
the Valley agreed on basic rates
for all classes of seasonal and
permanent farm labor which in
practically every instance showed
an increase over previous years.

Strawberries, first crop to be
harvested, will pay a minimum of
8 cents a pound for jam berries,
plus one-half cent a pound bonus
if the worker remains for the con-
tract period. Shipping crates will
pay 40 cents with a ten-cent bonus. |
Jam raspberries will pay 4 cents

with a half cent bonus, and crates
75 cents with a ten-cent bonus.
Logan and boysenberries will both

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Farm Wages Fixed!
Seale Slightly High:

Average wage scales for all types of farm labor i
Fraser Valley were set at a meeting held this week i
botsford and called to establish rates which could be ¢
with some uniformity to volunteer field fighters.

pay 3 cents a pound, Wi
half-cent bonus. :

General labor on berry
will range from 30 to 40 ©
hour, according to circum |
of employment, Bean pick
receive a2 maximum of one
half cents a pound. Potati,
pay nine cents a sack 6
cents per hour, working
machine diggers. S28

Rates established for mi
dairy farms will be as folle i
single dairymen, $60 per |
and board; married men, =
housing, fuel, milk and |
general farm labor, sing
$50 and board; married &
with house, etc.

PAIN

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$2.15 per |
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156 West Cordova Si’
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