8 61 Local Groups Plan Consumer Problems confronting consumers in British Columbia were thoroughly discussed at a meeting held last Tuesday night for the purpose of forming a Consumers’ Council. Ninety-one delegates were present, representing 61 organizations and some S 50,000 people. Mrs. Doris Hartley, Research Gonvener of the Housewives’ League spoke on the necessity of forming a Consumers’ Council, and emphasized that the members of the Housewives’ League spoke for all Ganadian housewives when they pledged themselves willingly to sac- rifice anything for the beneft of our armed forces. “However,” she added, “the League feels it their duty to strive for fair distribution of all consumer goods available. We therefore rec- ommend that a point system for certain goods be put into effect.” The problems of decent housing and adequate fuel, Mrs. Hartley maintained, were ones which de- manded a favorable solution to in- crease war production. Resolutions were passed by the delegates asking authorities to con- Sider very seriously the possibility of increasing the allowance of can- ning sugar, especially to rural con- sumers, that jam, marmalade, syr- up, peanut butter, canned and dried fruits, etc., be rationed by the point system, and that the sugar quota Council to wineries and soft drink manufac- turers be drastically reduced. Other resolutions asked that the Federal Government subsidize pro- ducers of bushwood to make it available to consumers at not more than $9 a cord, and that distribu- tion of goods should be made ac- cording to the population as shown by the number of ration cards is- sued in each district, and not on the basis of a quota on previous sales. Other speakers were Nellie Mce- Kean, of the Housewives’ League, Alderman George Miller, who gave a brief picture of the workings of local Advisory Rationing Boards, and R. McCulloch, representing Vancouver Trades Council, who was chairman for the conference. The conference authorized for- mation of a continuations commit- tee for further study of the prob- lems presented, to consist of dele- gates from the Housewives’ League, Amalgamated Building Workers, and Vancouver Trades and Labor Council. This committee is to be charged with calling a further conference at which the Consumers’ Council will be formed. ‘Stamp Out > Drive Gets Under Way Twelve hundred depth charges from the citizens of British Columbia — each one contributing to the destruction of Nazi U-boats in the ever fiercer Battle of the Atlantic — are the minimum objective for BC ina U-Boats’ “Stamp Out The U-Boat” cam- paign planned for June 28 to July 31 by the National War Finance Committee in connection with the sale of War Savings Stamps. Residents of Ganada’s great Pa- cifie province will be asked to buy enough stamps during those five weeks to pay for 1,200 submarine- killing depth charges at $90 each. The BC objective is $108,000, and half of this or $54,000 has been allocated to Vancouver. This am- ount will purchase 600 depth charges. As a special feature designed to kindle the Hitler-hating imagina- tions of Canadians, arrangements are being made whereby stamp- buyers in this campaign will be permitted to send “personal greet- ings” to the Axis. Every purchaser of four 25-cent stamps will receive a printed “Stamp-O-Gram” mes- Sage to be signed with his or her name and address. Eventually each group of 90 messages will be stamped to an actual depth charge which the money will buy for the Royal Canadian Navy. Announcement of the campaign comes in the wake of numerous re- ports indicating that the summer and fall of 1943 will bring an in- — ~~ UKRAINIAN CANADIAN ASSOCIATION —— ANNUAL PROVINCIAL PICNIC Sunday, July llth — 1 p.m. Military Park Grandview Highway and Slocan Street _ Musical Program — Ball Games — Contests — Supper tensification of sea warfare dwarf- ing everything that has gone be- fore. Grand Admiral Karl Doenitz, arch-apostle of the idea that the U-boats are Germany’s one hope of winning the war, is in supreme command of Hitler’s fleet and is diverting almost its entire energies to undersea assaults. Officials mapping out the War Stamp drive are pointing out that even one properly placed depth charge, costing $90, can smash and sink a submarine costing up to $2,000,000. Depth charges have played a key role in the RCN’s already impres- sive record of U-boat sinkings. Again and again, in the official ac- counts of such victories, credit is given to “‘ashcans’” for either sinking a submarine at a blow or blasting it to the surface and ex- posing it to lethal gunfire. Thus far the RCN has listed three destroyers Assiniboine, Skeena and St. Croix—and seven corvettes — Chambly, Moose Jaw, Oakville, Wetaskiwin, Ville de Quebec, Port Arthur and Regina— as having definitely destroyed one Or more U-boats each in various theatres of war. British Columbia officers and ratings featured in them all. which Shirley Booth and Stocks for Stalingrad Bundles of equipment for a children’s home, stage and screen stars and Soviet sailors. T resulted from a special performance of the Broadway hit, Ralph Bellamy (center) Actors Pavel Bikov (left) and Lida Palmena, are Soviet merchant seamen. rebuilt in Stalingrad, are packed by Ami hat’s right, the gal’s a sailor, too. The hb t “Tomorrow the Worle Equity, AFI members, with all the problems entailed. PENTICTON, B.C.—The busy season has hit the Okanagan®=3gq no: be left ai home. now 2 creche is under di to be set ip in some cent and supervised by a re nurse. and capable available labor. Here is one industry where, in so far vesting is concerned, the machine has not superseded human hands and human hands this year are hard to find. Okanagan Valley Peop! Tackle Labor Problem Central among them is that of as har- Penticton south centre has two labor- offices—the Selective Service proper, which last year claimed the proud total of two placements as far as orchard labor is concerned, and the new local committee offi- cially titled the Farm Labor Emergency Committee. This latter js an offshoot of the Penticton Board of Trade, and maintains an office under the direction of H. K. Whimster, local orchardist, with Mrs. May Campbell, secretary. Its object is to provide a genuine labor pool for the three districts of land. At the outset a volunteer group of residents known as the Wo- men’s Civic Group made a block- by-block canvass of all households and stores in search of full or even part-time workers, even those who could help on Sundays. All from 14 yeasr and older have been asked to register, whether experienced or not, and those as young as 12 can add their names to those of adults with whom they might choose to pick. This has a double advantage. Many older women are willing to pick near the ground if assured of the assistance of younger arms to deal with the high branches and to help shift heavy ladders. And in this territory of orchard homes, many youngsters not yet in their teens rate as experienced orchard work- ers. There is no standard rate of pay but thinners are receiving 85 to 45 cents an hour according to experience, and cherries are to be harvested at around two cents a pound or a similar rate where hourly wages are paid. : The supply of thinners is defin- itely inadequate and the situation has been in no way eased by the opening of camps for cadets at this busiest moment in the hand- Penticton, Naramata and Summer-|. ling of perishable crops. The overhead of the farm labor committee and permanent salaries are to be met through government and local funds. Many valuable workers seem likely to be cancelled out by reason of having young children who orchards, cannery and Transportation is being provided | houses, and a strictly mii on a basis of mutual sharing of|charge for the daily seryil’ expenses by pickers and growers. contemplated. 2 sentative of the Emergency Labor Service, week and spoke of Penticte § the “bright spot’ among th @ tricts seeking to cope with thi vesting problems. ee | This would release women ft Everett Clarke, district — visited here } For Mussolin A petition calling on the people of Italy to abandon the is now being circulated among Canadians of Italian extrat for signatures, it was announced this week by the Prowis Committee of Italian-Canadians. — i's Defeat | The petition will be sent to Ot® tawa, and the committee plans to present a radio program, to be short-waved to Italy, which will explain to the Italian people the real issues at stake, and appeal to them to free themselves from Nazi domination. : “Anglo-American armed forces, in whose ranks are to be found thousands of men of Italian ex traction, are preparing to land in Burope,” states the preamble to the petition. “These forces do not come as conquerors but as liberators — to free the Italian people and other peoples from their oppressors. “ixpressing the desire which is in the hearts of millions of Ital- jans throughout the world, we Italian-Canadians also appeal to you, our brothers: “ree yourkelves from fasqist and Nazi domination. Gompel to abandon the war. A |” truly democratic peace ~ yours. March with the Nations towards victory ov ism.” : eose HOME of UNION MAD and FRIENDLY SER