THE B.C. LUMBER WORKER 4

January 11, 1943

OFFICERS: JOINT REPORT

TO SIXTH ANNUAL CONVENTION, INTERNATIONAL WOODWORKERS OF AMERICA, DISTRICT NO. 1

In accordance with the constitutional provisions, your District Officers submit herewith their Annual Report—what was

accomplished, what remains

‘This year is no ordinary year,
terrible year is behind us;
sponsibility to do everything that nee
beaten the enemy in 1942, but this war, now in its fourth year,

and a terrible year lies ahead! The IWA, as a h
ds to be done to make sure that the Canadian people win this fight.
has been transformed from a war of defeats and defense,

to one of offensive action for the complete destruction of fascism.

We must today remember the five million dead Russian people, the sixty thous
who have fallen in struggle against the fascist barbarians, and our own fallen heroes of Diepp'

ber them, but we must take practical steps to avenge their loss.

oday there are only two sides
to choose between—“WIN” or
“LOSE,” “fascism” or “democ-
racy.” The “lose” side is the one
that works to have the Canadian
people Iose this war, so that we
Canadians, and every detail of
our lives, may be clamped down
beneath the cruelest tyranny that
exists—the tyranny of fascism,
fostered and organized through-
out the world by ruthless, finan-
cial powers, and put into effect
by torture, treachery and terror.

The “win” side, is the one which
pledges that the people shall go
forward to more democracy,
greater freedom and greater se-
curity; the side that is resolved
to drive fascism off the face of
the earth. On this side, the IWA
has xightly taken its place along-
side the overwhelming majority
of the Iabor movement, the over-
whelming majority of the Cana-
dian people; alongside every man
and woman who understands that
the issue in this struggle is the
life or death of democracy.

Fascism has struck some deadly
plows, not only at the labor move-
ment, but at our entire country as
a whole, Therefore, our first job
as union members, is to strike back
with all our might to destroy the
fascist menace. Without such a
victory, everything the IWA and
the rest of the people have gained
through years of struggle, every-
thing we work toward in the fu-
ture, will be destroyed. Unionism
is the one means we lumberwork-
ers have found by which we can
really protect our past gains and
remain in a position to make addi-
tional advances, But to continue
to protect unionism, the first thing
is to make sure we have a coun-
try in which to protect it.

‘With the IWA thus pledged, we
are obliged to give serious thought
to what needs to be done.

Our report this year has to be
more than a simple recording of
happenings; we have also to ex-
plain the pattern of events, where
each part fits in, and, above all,
what it all means in practical pro-
gram and practical activities for
our union, =

Into this report has gone much
‘of the vast experiences which the
thousands of IWA members in
B.C. their Local and Sub-local
Officers and Job Stewards, have
acquired during the past year in
meeting the day-to-day problems.
To the results of these experiences
careful attention should be given.

One of the most outstanding fea-
tures shown in this report, is that
the IWA membership is working
hard, and more than that, that it
is working in the right direction.
‘The tremendous growth of our
amon in this District during the

to be done, what difficulties lie ahead, and what can be done to overcome these difficulties.
for we Canadian people are engaged in the most important fight of our whole‘history. A
part of the Canadian people, has an important re-

We have not

and British people murdered by Nazi bombs, the millions of Chinese
e and Hongkong. In this Convention, we must not only remem-

"a

Left to Right

District President Harold Pritchett, Assistant
and District Secretary Nigel Morgan—Photo by courtesy “Vancouver Sun.”

Director and 0)

fed
rganizer George Brown,

lumberworkers find that the IWA
policies as applied are helping
‘them. The IWA, during 1942, has
accomplished much in protecting
and advancing the interests of its
members and, by so doing, has
made a vital contribution toward
the welfare of the whole people.

During 1943, the IWA must
struggle with renewed vigour for
those economic conditions for
workers in the lumbering industry
which aré needed: to help win
victory this year, With a member-
ship trebled during the past 12
months, the big job still is—OR-
|GaNIZING — ORGANIZING the
unorganized;; ORGANIZING pro-
duction, and ORGANIZING vic-
tory. During the past year a great
deal has been done. But not yet
enough. Victory has yet to be won,
and until it is won, nothing any of
us can do is too much!

WE ARE NOT YET WINNING.

Despite the tremendous gains of
the United Nations in recent weeks,
we cannot say We are as yet win-
ing the war. That is a terrible
fact, but it is so. When we realize
that Hitler's African army com-
prises less than two percent of his
forces, it is clear the major battles
of this war are yet to be fought.
‘until Hitler's military might has
been smashed, there can be no
hope for the liberation of the
subjugated nations of the world;
there can be no lasting peace.

Potentially, the strength of the
United Nations in man-power, ma-
chines and morale, are overwhelm-
ingly superior to that of the Axis,
but we have yet to find the means
of uniting and utilizing to the
fullest extent, this superior
strength.

‘The great courage of Britain, the
undying heroism of Soviet Russia
and the brave heart of China,
which wiped the words of “sur-
render” from its vocabulary, has
shown that the peoples alongside
whom we are. fighting, are second
to none in fortitude and ability.
But, despite their heroism, during
the past year the enemy has seized
vast territories twelye months ago

jast six months, shows that the

held by the United Nations, and

dug a lot deeper into our strength.
The Red Army, subjected to the
virtually undivided forces of the
Nazi army last summer, was
driven back to an extent that
created a situation of unparalleled
danger to the strategic position of
all United Nations. In the Pacific
area, Japan has seized vast re-
sources and valuable bases, some
of which, in the Aleutian Islands,
are more than two-thirds of the
ocean route to the B.C. coast. As
the Japanese have crept closer and
closer across the Pacific, as warn-
ings of eminent danger to our
homes and lives on this far way
rim of the Pacific were given by
government and military authori-
ties, as that Japanese sub-shelled
Vancouver Island last summer,
this war with all its terrible con-
sequences, became something very
near and very real.

WE MUST NOT DELAY.

“We must make sure to fight
our many enemies only one at a
time’—is the strategy of Hitler.
It is the strategy of disunity, and
it has worked well for the Axis,
to the extent we have permitted
it to work in China, Spain, in
Europe and on the eastern front.

Realizing that we were thus far
fighting a losing battle, the United
States, Britain and the Soviet
Union—last May reached an agree-
ment to concentrate their forces
in an offensive against Germany;
the main base of world fascism.

This Pact, signed by Prime Min-
ister Churchill, President Roose-
velt and Mr, Molotov, declared the
necessity of opening up a second
land front against Nazi Germany
on its own: territory, Europe. Be-
that such an attack, forcing the
Nazis to divide their armies be-
tween the European and Russian
fronts, was necessary if the war
was to be won in the shortest
possible time, labor hailed this
second front agreement and
pledged all support to the job of
opening annd keeping open such
a front, against the enemies of
our people.

‘The recent remarkable American
and British successes in the Afri-

can campaign can be, and must
be, developed into a spring-board
for a drive’ into the weakest and
most vital part of fascism; its
European heart. The agencies of
the Axis, in their propaganda, make
no secret of their opposition to
the second front; and this is but
another reason why the people
have ‘the duty to make known
their support of the step, rather
than just keeping it to themselves.
The support of labor strengthens
the recommendation of our Ieaders
and puts them in a much better
position to overcome the groups
which are either opposed to, or
shaky on, this question, which
would do more than any other
military move to bring this world
struggle: tto a speedy and success-
ful conclusion. Our leaders need
our support. We must give it to
them; not only in words, but in
deeds. We must press harder than
ever before for that development
of the African offensive into a real
second front invasion of Europe—
we must work and produce to
make that invasion successful.
EXTEND THE OFFENSIVE.
During the last four years, Can-
ada has developed all the essential
pre-requisites for the development
of an all-out war effort. With
practically half a million men in
arms, Canada hag also the ma-
chnery by which our army over-
seas can rapidly be built up to
two fully manned and equipped
army corps. These, with all the
auxiliary forces, must be prepared
to participate in an invasion of
the continent, That is the only way
the menace of fascst reaction can
be destroyeyd and peace and se-
curity restored. Canada can supply
all the neéds of a greatly enlarged
overseas force in a sustained of-
fensive, and can, at the same
time, even increase their present
substantial shipments of weapons,
munitions, vehicles, lumber and
other supplies to our allies on all
the fronts of this global war.
Canada. is now at the stage when
the full mobilization by means of
a selective draft of all the coun-
try’s men and women, and util-

ization of their services where they
can best be used, is absolutely
essential. Man power is urgently
needed in all phases of our war
effort—the armed forces, war in-
dustries and essential civilian serv-
ice.

If we intend to win this war,
then it naturally follows we must
do everything from day to day
which will make the winning of
the war a certainty. In terms of
our daily job, that means we must
guarantee that our camp or mill
will turn out the maximum foot-
age of airplane spruce, logs, lum-
ber or plywood which they can
produce,

Our Convention last year gave its
wholehearted backing to a “Pro-
duction for Victory” program. The
delegates voted unanimously for
the establishment of joiont man-
agement-labor production commit-
tees in every camp and mill in
our industry. The Convention urged
establishment of an Industry Coun-
cil to coordinate the work of the
Production Committees and to
work with a Federal Ministry of
Production in seeing that the gov-
ernment’s urgent war needs were
met. These proposals have been ig-
nored to date, and with three ex-
ceptions, the committees have been
bogged down so that they have
achieved very little because of the
unwillingness of the lumber oper-
ators to cooperate.

The main problem is one of labor
partnership in the nation's war ef-
fort; partnership of labor, not only
in carrying out, but in actually
helping to shape policy. There are
three ways in which labor can win
partnership, and thereby assure
winning of the war and its rightful
place in planning the peace that
must follow.

First, 100 percent effective or-
ganization of labor.

Semondly, for labor to continue
to make its proposals constantly,
and in every possible way bring
them to the attention of govern-
ment officials and management,
hoping in time they will appreciate
the value of cooperation and accord
to labor its rightful place in the
war effort.

And thirdly, by electing in the
clvic, provincial and federal field,
men and women who will make the
greatest possible contribution to
uniting the people from all sections
for a maximum effort.

Before military victory can be
achieved, the battle for production
has to be won, and in winning the
battle for production, we have an
important role to play.

Lumber production, according to
the government scale, has been but
65 percent of the normal during this
part year; while the government's
war needs have greatly increased

our demand for lumber. According