| We Propose...

| The following are excerpts from the brief presented to all
| members of the House of Commons for British Columbia by the
|United Fishermen’s Federal Union secretary Wiliam Burgess
|and Andy Paull and Dan Assu of the Native Brotherhood of BC.
| Phe brief is also endorsed by the Deepsea Fishermen’s Union of
Prince Rupert.

OPS ORGANIZATIONS endorsing this memorandum
|-— are not motivated by selfish considerations that place

vas exceptionally high.

Our proposals are motivated by the intense desire of
ishermen to fulfill their patriotic duty in time of war,
o keep on fishing without interruption or delay, to get

be maximum possible production of fish to feed our

tmost to back the attack.
We therefore submit:

1. That the consumer should pay the same price, the
processor should get the same price, the fisherman
_ Should pay the same price for his gear and get the same

for his fish as obtained in 1942.

2. That it is unjust and unreasonable if the con-
sumer is not to benefit thereby that the fishermen, the
» primary producers upon whom all else depends, should
| be asked to accept lower prices in 1943 than obtained

in 1942.

age Increase Awarded
9 Shipyard Unionists

(he National War Labor Board has notified Boilermakers
‘Iron Shipbuilders Union, Local No. 1, that their applica-
for a wage increase for men classified as acetylene gen-
r operators has been partly granted.

Board reports that: “The|ploying about 100 men on three
nal Wage Board therefore di-| shifts haye started operations re-
the Burrard Drydock Com- cently,” stated Norman McSween,
Vancouver, with effect from | assistant business agent, “They are
Tst payroll period beginning working on sub contracts for war
' after April 1, 1943, to es-| material. We will hold union meet-
4 occupational classification | ings at the plants within the next
etylene general operation at] week with the object of signing
ic Wage of 75 cents per hour.” | up the men, and then we will ap-
Boilermakers had asked for proach the managements for agree-
nts per hour for the opera-| ments.’
who had been classed as Permission has been received
bs at 67 cents per hour. from Ottawa for publication of the
i union has also announced | new weekly paper published by the
it will start a membership} Boilermakers’ Union, the Main
aign in about 15 small shops} Deck. Hach week 15,000 copies will
neouver. be distributed to union members

number of small plants em-| free of charge.

Notice

TAKE NOTICE that the Boilermakers’ and Iron
Shipbuilders’ Union of Canada, Local No. 1, does not
endorse any scheme or plan cf health or accident
insuranre sponsored by any company or association.

Members are notified that any insurance sales-
men who use the name of the Union while selling
insurance are doing so without authorization what-
SO ever.

THOMAS G. MacKENZIE,
Secretary-Treasurer of the Boil-
makers’ and Iron Shipbuilders’
Union of Canada, Local No. 1.

Gov't Fails To Move
On BC Fishing Crisis

Fishermen’s Union secretary
Bill Burgess and Native Broth-
erhood officers Dan Assu and
Andy Faull were in Ottawa
this week where they present-
ed a brief to government of-
ficials which makes clear the
attitude of fishermen toward the
Wartime Price Board’s arbitrary
order, passed without consultation
With unions, which pegs salmon
prices to fishermen at last year's
minimum. If the proposals sub-
mitted in the brief remain un-
answered by Department of Fish-
eries and Wartime Prices Board,
the 3,000 members of the URFU,
the 2,000 members of the Native
Brotherhood and the entire mem-
bership of Deep Sea Wishermen’s
Union of Prince Rupert will leave
their boats in dock, stay at their
winter shore jobs, and refuse to
begin fishing for salmon.

To date, Ottawa has refused to
clarify the situation which may
result in a complete tie-up of the
salmon industry. During last week
it became clear that developments
were rapidly leading to a crisis,
with fishermen opposed to the gov-

ernment’s present unfair rulings
governing salmon prices which,
while cutting fishermen’s wages
below last year’s levels, raise
profits to cannery owners. R

Fishermen resent the govern-

men’s action on two major points.

First, the government showed
their contempt of the fishermen’s
organizations, fishermen believe,
but handing down the price
pegging order without explana-
tions.

Secondly, early in 1942 fishermen,
more wide-awake than canneries
or government to the importance
of the fishing industry in wartime,
proposed the setting up of a joint
production board for the industry,
with equal representation of fish-
ermen and operators, such a board
to act in an advisory capacity to
government departments. The sug-
gestion was completely ignored. The
department of fisheries “didn’t con-
sider the matter within its juris-
diction,” and dissention* arose be-
tween operators as to the advisa-
bility of creating such a board.

Similarly, telegrams and letters

asking for explanations of the
price pegging order were left un-
answered on the desks of Fishery
Department officials, and it be-
came clear to union members
that the whole price order was
not only made with the approval
and consent of cannery operators,
but was actually drawn up by
them.

DAN ASSU

During the last few days, these
events followed in rapid succes-
Sion: |

The operators conducted a

Series of meetings among them-
Selves to enforce an arrange-
ment for eliminating all compe-
tition among buyers. They drew
up plans for a system of alloca-
tion whereby no buyer would pay
more than the maximum price
and the fish (as well as the
profits) would be shared among
themselves by a system of allo-

cation, Under ordinary circum-
stances this would be illegal
under the Combines Act, but

under WPTB Order A-723, pegg-
ing salmon prices, they could

plead that only in this way could
they comply with the order.
Fishermen’s locals began to meet,
and in no uncertain terms made
clear that they. were not prepared

to begin fishing under the order.

Dr. D. B. Finn, deputy minister
of fisheries, in a wire to the union,
expressed regret for two weeks’
delay in answering communica-
tions, and offered to recommend
to WPTB to amend Order A-723
in order to allow fishermen to sell
all salmon by the pound “provid-
ing Same return to fishermen is
achieved.” He considered that
maximum prices for fall chums
provided in the Order (23 cents)
was high enough, although it is 7
cents lower than the minimum
agreed on between the union and
operators in the fall of 1942. He
admitted that the canners, due to
competition, paid slightly higher
prices than the fishermen agreed
to accept last year, but in defence
of the operators stated that ‘no
allowance has been made for in-
creased cost of wages, lumber and
other materials and in addition
they must absorb selling costs on
domestic proportion.” He added
that ceilings on salmon other than
for canning purposes were now
under consideration by WPTB, im-
plying that the department is pre-
paring another administrative
order fixing maximum prices for
fishermen on all salmon.

The following day the WPTB
administrator of fish products
Wired that “matters of ceilings on
salmon for freezing are now under
consideration,” and confirmed the
other points raised in Finn’s wire.

Last Saturday, at all points on
the coast where union locals are
established, meetings were held to
discuss the critical situation and
authorized negotiating committee
to take action.

Sunday the joint negotiation
committee met, attended by repre-
sentatives of eight UFEU locals
and Native Brotherhood.
were read from five other locals.
There was unanimous agreement
among representatives that it was
impossible for fishing to start
under present circumstances.

An indication of the seriousness
of the situation was given Satur-
day, when reports reached UFFU
offices here that blueback trollers
at Quathiaski had stopped work.
A later report stated that fishing
was resumed Monday. Most of
these men, unorganized into any
union, have expressed resentment
at the price freezing order, and
declared the temporary strike as
a protest. :

Chinese Train At American Center In India

At an American training center, located somewhere
Forces train for the day they will meet and oust

in India, Chinese Expeditionary
the Japanese invaders from China.

SSN

Wires _

ben

#4

Sean