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PACIFIC ADVOCATE

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PEOPLE’S VOICE FOR PROGRESS§&

Published every Saturday by The People Publishin -
pany, Room 104, Shelly Building, 119 West Pender Shen
Vancouver, British Columbia and printed at East End
Printers, 2303 East Hastings Street, Vancouver, British
Columbia. Subscription Rates: One year $2; six months $1.

Editor
Cc. A. SAUNDERS tA eons

Critical Situation

HE housing situation in Vancouver has de-
veloped into an immediate crisis.

The overcrowding that has existed in the city
even in prewar days was aggravated by the influx of
war workers to the point where families are lucky to
have one or two. rooms for,accommodation. Now,
with the return and partial demobilization of the
armed forces the situation is so acute that imme-
diate emergency measures are necessary to provide
any living quarters at all for the increased popula-

. tion of Vancouver. When we add to this the increas-

ed concentration bound to result from the shifting
of the theater of war operations to the Pacific, it is
evident that there is no time for further procrastina-
tion —— action must be taken, decisively and imme-
diately..

Vancouver’s city council must accept the re-
sponsibility for the developing crisis. The citizens
have been bringing the urgency of the situation to
their attention Tor over two years now and last year
a big campaign was waged through the 5,000 Homes
Now Committee to bring relief to the situation. How-
ever, our shortsighted and moribund city fathers
have consistently found excuses—lack of material
—lack of labor—anything to justify their do-noth-
ing policy. A policy which is reflected in the long list
of admitted city needs talked about and left to solve
themselves.

The onus is directly on the shoulders of the city
council to move, and move now. To take up the of-
fer of the Federal government, to seek assistance
from the Province if necessary, and to get started
solving the housing crisis instead of continuing to
look for excuses for the lack of action. If the council
is not prepared to overide the objections of Ald. Bus-
combe, a notorious obstacle in the path of progress
with a soft spot fot real estate speculators, then they
must accept the responsibility for the developing re-
sentment among the people.

We need a low rental housing scheme and we
need it now. :

There is no argument to justify the withholding
of such a scheme. Over a third of the population are
in the lower income group. And it is exactly in this
group that the need is greatest. This is the group
that cannot solve its problems by purchase and must

‘have access to housing with rental within the limits

of their income. If subsidies are needed to take up
the slack between good housing values and low rent-
als, these should be provided. The Federal govern-
ment has expressed its willingness to cooperate. it
is interesting to note that the initiative in getting
action from Ottawa was taken by the Citizens’ Re-
habilitation Council and not by the city. While the
Vancouver Rip Van Winkles pursue their slumbers,
citizens’ committees are showing that things can be
done if gone after with determination. The people
of Vancouver must let it be known in no uncertain
terms that they do not intend to allow our alder-
manic procrastinators to remain as obstacles in the

way of an efficient housing plan for this city.
PAGE 4 — PACIFIC ADVOCATE

In | Passing By C. A. Saunders .

F anything were needed to emphasize the fact

that postwar problems are upon us, in spite

of the fact that the task of wiping out the last

of the fascist aggressors is not yet completed,

the attitude of a large por-

tion of the employers would
be ample evidence.

These employers have al-
ready started their postwar
planning, and item number
one on their agenda is the_
smashing of the trade union
movement, to be followed by
a policy of wage-cutting and
breaking down of working
conditions. That the employ-
ers are organized and intent
on this end has been brought
out in recent attempts of
workers to negotiate new
agreements and renew old
contracts. In every case they
are referred to a Canadian Manufacturers’
Association representative and in every case
the employer’s hand is displayed in the refusal to
accede to any kind of union security clause.

So intent are the employers on weakening the
hold of the unions, that they are prepared, as a
temporary measure,sto grant almost every de-
mand made by the workers snort of union
security, preparatory to launching an attack on
living standards when the unions are smashed.

It is no coincidence that the shipyard unions,
where the closed shop is already established, have
become the focal point for these attacks. These

_attempts to break down closed shop conditions

have been going on for a considerable time with
the main fire directed at the Boilermakers’ Union.

The method used is a variation of the old and

Around Town By Cynthia Carter ~~

HIS week the subject of housing jumped back
to page one again. And daily reporters who
had thought the thing was a dead issue looked
up their notes, called city officials for state-

ments, and came up with a
headline. Funny part of it is,
the news highlighted by the
dailies is actually the least
important part of the hous-
ing story, and the part least
likely to have any great ef-
fect in bringing about a so-
lution to the crisis.

No, the big news. wasn’t
that building permits will be
released. This act will fa-
cilitate building of homes by
private owners, but will do
absolutely nothing to pro-
vide low-rental homes for

working people and ex-servicemen. If anything, it
will tend to divert materials from low-cost hous-
‘ing projects to higher cost single dwellings. But
there was a pretty important bit of information
reléased to®the press; the fact that the federal
government is considering a scheme by which
municipalities in Greater Vancouver area will
provide land and Ottawa will foot the bill for
a large housing project here. AA second plan, call-
ing for erection of a prefabricated home building
plant here is also worth note. If the government,
through its new housing committee, O.K.’s the
plan and work goes ahead on prefabrication, and
if by some means the gity council can be per-
suaded to make a few tax concesssions and other-
wise cooperate, then the overall housing picture
here will look a lot brighter.

The big question mark, of course, is the at-
titude of the council to the idea. In the past the
council] has refused to have anything to do with
any plan which might cost money. In the past,
aldermen have offered objections to housing plans
by raising technica] obstacles. To listen to men
like Jones, Miller, Bennett and the rest, you’d
imagine the city council had no authority to say
anything but no. This time, the council must
agree to the federal government’s offer.

_ The question of prefabricated home produc-
tion is important from several angles. First, of

‘fight to oppose the machinations of the &.

tried “Divide and rule,” and, unfe
open'shop employers have received a}
from within the unions from those whi
disruptive policy and help to unde:y
prestige of the leadership and thus ©
itself.

&

The Boilermakers have been subjec ¢!
all-out attack from within and with
considerable period. And along with ¢%
have been involved in a series of eccifM
most of which have been deliberately :%
undermining the effectiveness of the ¢
contracts. The decisions in most of ti
have gone against the union with a |}
astounding to the uninformed observei }

During the war, at the expense of?
ernment under cost-plus contracts, the {
were willing to grant concessions. ME
prerequisite for postwar production, -}
to safeguard their profits at the exper
workers. So we see the stiffening attiti p
employers, Empty ways are used to iif
the prospect of unemployment is the +E
which they hope to drive the workers Y
ducing the most for the least wages.” —

This was implicit in the statement 3
Clarence Wallace in which he poses :§,
shipbuilding program as dependent,
workers. rc Sees 2

The unions have a fight on their h®
A fight which must transcend all inter §
ences and lead to a tightening of org: ;
forces. The trade union movement h:&
potential strength than ever before in 1}
of Canada. This strength must be ral })

wages and working conditions.

*
course, its a pretty efficient way of ff
homes quickly. Second, new industrie &
couver mean new jobs for Vancouver.
tablished, such a factory could look = Bs
great postwar expansion. Here in th:
logging country, materials are availak
quantity. Great numbers of servicen
tending to come to Vancouver upon di.
a good labor supply is guaranteed.

YES were turned to the city hall

week when the subject of relief for
ers who came to Vancouver from~ oth’ §
Canada appeared upon the council age]
Vancouver, where hundreds of shipya #
from the prairies live in wartime hou:=
ready more or less decided that wi
weren’t citizens, insofar as relief was ©
Now Vancouver has passed the ques. a
city legal department to see if a loop, | 4
found in laws which hold the city rest}
people who have resided in the city
months.

Ald. Miller is quite concerned aboj
he wants to know, should Vancouver h4
a lot of outsiders who-sjust came h :
jobs and big money?

Nobody kicked when the war wo)
their mgney in Vancouver stores. “Th
any protests from the council when. |
near the yards made a killing sellit
badly prepared food at high prices. b
very concerned when the shipyard w
in line outside theatres, and. hotels,
spend the money they earned in the:
earned it in, and there was nobody te.
these same war workers poured tl
dollars into the coffers of the BCGo!

But now a couple of war workel
a run of bad luck and need a helpin
all of a sudden. they’re foreigners. It
good to the rest of Canada, mustn™
poor Leo Sweeney is trying to make
lieve that Vancouver is the city of sw
light!

SATURDAY, JUNE 36