Windsor —
Struggle
Continues

The flat rejection by the
Ford Motor Company of new
proposals by the United Au-
tomobile Workers of Ameri-
ca for a settlement of the 94-
day-old Windsor strike sent
anew wave of anger against
the monopoly concern sweep-
ing Canada and brought a
fresh feeling of admiration by
labor for the courageous fight
being waged by the 10,000
Ford workers. ;

; The new settlement proposal.
3 submitted by UAW Local 200
: last weekend, asked that arbitra-
i tien to end the strike be opened
‘ with a decision to be given with-
Q in 24 hours after negotiations
on the issue of union security.
The men would remain on the

‘picket lines while the issue was
under arbitration.

SC eee

Strikers

Striking members 0:
national Woodwork
America Local 1-35
Westminster, contin
walk the picket line t
while negotiations conti
tween the union and the
ment of the Keystone
Mills.

The manager of the m
Beach, held a meeting >
resentatives of the stri
week, but. refused to
‘agreement with the unig
proposed that an agreén
signed with the employe
‘District Office of the Unj
been advised that the ui
bers will stay on the pi
until the company gives
able consideration to
demands.

The IWA District Stril
mittee meanwhile sent o
to all ocal unions request
members donate a sum of
from each pay in order

me oe be

These Italians, marching through streets of Rome, are typical of thousands of their

excited countrymen as cabinet of Premier Ferruccio Parri fell. Alcide de Gasperi, candidate
of the progressive six-party coalition, is new premier.

Issues Obscured

The company’s answer was to
reiterate its demard that the
strikers return to work before
any negotiations started, a pro-
posal that was voted down by
the union membership two weeks
ago.

By this action the Ford com-
pany maintained intact the ar-
bitrary and provocative position
which has characterized its at-
titude throughout the dispute it
defiance ef.the federal govern-
ment and~ public opinion. And
there was no indication in this
case, any more than in others,
that the federal cabinet, in parti-
cular Labor Minister Humphrey
‘Witchell, intended to take any
action against the monopoly
such as has already been de-
manded by hundreds of thou-
sands of Canadians.

The UAW’s next move has not
been stated, though it would ap-
pear now that the strikers have
gone more than half way in their
efforts to bririg about 2 settle-
ment. -

Meanwhile in Vancouver Har-
old Pritchett, secretary of the
B.C. Windsor Ford Strike Com-
mittee, announced that a total of
$3,000 has been forwarded by the
committee to the Windsor strikers
to date, bringing the approxi-
mate total sent from B.C. as a
whole to the $50,000 mark.

Pow some local unions have
‘been donating was shown by the
report to the Vancouver Labor
Council this week by Locai 3,
Amalgamated. Building Workers
Union, that it had already sent
$3,000 east and
its current month’s dues of $2,000
to the strike fund.

BEAN RAFFLE—No. 46 Winner
L. Adams 4312 Cambie guessed
1981 in CONTENTS. Jar held
1080 BAZAAR SOUTH HILL,
at John GOSS STUDIO, Sat. Dec.

8, 1945.

ee

The United States is still
making atombombs, according to
the President, but for experi-
mental purposes. Aim of the ex-
periment evidently is only to find
out how long it takes to make
10,000 bombs.—Alan Max.

would turn over |

ee ame)!).LU DAC OO

unemployment is
coming a serious problem and
General Hoffmeister’s plan to
divide them from their brothers
who served in production at
home offers no. solution and
courts disaster.

Jobs are important to farmers
in the more remote settlements
of the North Okanagan. Many
are “stump ranchers” not yet
properly established on their
farms and they depend on sea-
sonal work to supplement the
family income. When news of
unemployment registers in ‘most
country points, it registers as a
direct threat to the livelihood of
the people.

Anyone who lives in the
North Okanagan cannot but be
aware of its rich potentialities
for development and they have
a right to demand an end to the
stallin gand evasion that has
marked government policy as it
has yielded more and more to
the pressure of -Tory monopoly.
The government has yet to pro-
duce evidence of a really com-
prehensive plan of power de-
velopment, here where the ex-
tension of rural electrification
and irrigation facilities are
burning needs. Power develop-
ment, extension of irrigation,
encouragement of new indus-
tries, the opening up of market
roads, and remaking of
which are in a dangerous state
of disrepair, provide the key to
a program of jobs and develop-
ment which can do much to
maintain the spending power of
the North Okanagan. These are
very real demands in the North
Okanagan byelection which no
amount of soft-pedaling on the
part of the coalition can effect-
ively silence.

CANNERY MONOPOLIES

Farmers of the Okanagan
have other grievances and not
the least of them has to do with
the operation of the local can-
nery monopoly. Facilities for
handling vegetables are so in-
adequate that lines of farm
trucks stand hours on-end wait-
ing to unload. To wait through
the entire night to hold a place
in the line, or to be urged to
take their loads home again —
has been the common experience
of many farmers..

Add to that the fact: that

already be-:

roads |

farmers are in danger of having
their market cut off at a single
stroke through cancelation of
contracts. They are required to
purchase seed from the cannery
when they sign the contract, but
have no assurance that the con-!
tract will not be cancelled. A|
wholesale cancellation of con-
tracts followed the recent cut-
ting of a British order for car-
rots. The British order was later
re-instated but not before thous-
ands of pounds of carrots had
frozen while awaiting disposal.

Tentative plans have been
made to form a cannery coop-
erative but imitial costs are too
high to enable farmers to meet
the immediate emergency with-
out assistance. What is required
is an immediate loan to aid far-
mers in launching a cooperative
together with government insur-
ance to protect farmers against
losses due to cancellation of con-
tracts.
HOUSING

In common with other parts
of B.C. and cities of B.C., the
North Okanagan has a_ serious
housing problem. On this ques-
tion municipal and provincial is-
sues have a meeting ground. In
Vernon there are people who
have lived months on end in
hotel rooms, and converted
shacks and garages or crowded

dignation is a mild word to de-
scribe their reaction to Mayor
Howrie’s cavalier treatment of
the housing issue in a recent
council meeting. He derided .a
legion resolution which had .de-
scribed the housing situation as
drastic.

I did some investigating. A
tour of real estate offices and
visits to homes in Vernon re-
vealed a housing situation of
which the Mayor should be in-
formed and I _ hereby invite
Mayor Howrie on a _ personally
conducted tour of his own city.
Mr..Morrow, coalition candidate,
has thus far been silent on the
question. A public repudiation of
the Mayor’s position is the least
that could be expected of any
individual offering himself for
public office.

SECURE THE PEACE

Jobs, homes, improved farm

facilities, pressure for a floor

in with friends and relatives. In- |

ment of the Okanagan are the

main issues in this by-election
There is one other question on
which all other parties will be

(Continued on page 8)
See ISSUES

it possible for striking W
to stay on the picket line
Committee also stressed #
portance of bringing ge
to a successful conclusion,
gotiations will begin in # -
year for the 1946 Masts 4
tract. =

The publication

potential of the Okanagan.

The program raises the de-
mmand for the development of the
North Okanagan, urging support
of a public works project, includ=
ing power development and en-
couragement of new industries
to realize the rich possibilities
of the North Okanagan and to
maintain the spending power of
the people.

Urgent security for farmers,
protection’ by law from evictions
and fore-closures due to losses
beyond the control of the farm-
ers is emphasized. Conservation
of water supplies, extension . of
irrigation. facilities and. revision
of rates and installation charges
to asist small producers and re-
turning veterans to become €s-
tablished on the land are de-
manded.

To asure full employment and
a strong ‘veteran-labor move-
ment, Mrs. Cooper asks immedi-
ate launching of public develop-
ment and new industry projects
to provide jobs for returned men
and others unemployed due to
cancellation of war contracts.
provincial support of a Domin-
ion Labor Code, strict enforce-
ment of minimum wages fixed
at not less than 55 cents per
hour. and the 40-hour wek.

Provincial government. pres-
sure for the revision of the Na-
tional Housing Act to bring
home ownership within the
reach of returning veterans and
workers in low income brackets,

under farm prices, and develop-

Minerva Cooper Propose
Realistic Byelection Progr

;
of a realistic eight-point pi

7

marked the campaign of Minerva Cooper, Provincial
tional Director and Labor-Progressive Party candic:
the North Okanagan by-election. Based on the rea’
of the people of the area, the program covers a fi
points aimed at the most complete utilization of ti

plank. Also urged is the: }
ment of government s'?
low-rental housing. i
Provineial support o |
cation of taxation powel
vide an- all-inclusive soci:
ity plan, and pressure
plete ‘medical services,
pensions for aged ani:
capped, and 100 percent:
sation are stressed tc |
health, pensions an: |
security: oe eae
Regarding education,
gram urges provincial -
ment responsibility for —
of education. free textb
and including ‘ grade”
grants to students ¥ |
leave home to. attenc
schools, and aid to st.
quiring financial assis
higher education. . q
The paving of roads s |
Vernon-Kamloops highv |
hold back. developmeni
danger lives is stress: |
program. - }
The demand is also
provincial government |
of Peace and Trade
Also urged are incre:
sure for equalization {|
rates, encouragemnt
measures to stimulate

7
E
+
s

posure of all esemer
to make North-West

is emphasized in the housing! against the Soviet Un

base for the launchi”