THE B.C.

©

LUMBER WORKER

April 19, 1948

LETTERS

Camp Comments

“Every Reader a Correspondent”

EPORTS

Stewart Re-elected To
Lead Boilermakers

While more than six thousand members cheered, William
Stewart was elected president by acclamation of the Boiler-
makers and Iron Shipbuilders Union, Local No. 1, at a huge
general business meeting held in Athletic Park, Thursday,
April 15. It was the union leader’s third victory in léss than
five months, In December he was chosen to head the organiza-

tion and ousted when the election
was declared unconstitutional by
the Canadian Gongress of Labor.
Another election was held in’ Feb-
ruary. Stewart headed the polls
but the balloting was ruled null
and void by Justice Sidney Smith
in Supreme Court,

Other officers elected are: Fred
Cardwell, vice-president; Thomas
G. MacKenzie, secretary-treasurer;
Norman McSween, recording sec-
retary; Ed Simpson and Austin
Delany, executive members; M.
Taylor, guard; T. Thomas, warden;
Jock McColl, Joe Wright and Bill
Christie, trustees.

In thanking all those who had
contributed to the success of the
meeting, William Stewart said,
“This mass demonstration should
settle once and for all the right of
the Boilermakers’ Union to hold an
election. Fyll opportunity was given
all members to cast their ballots as
they saw fit. It would be a dast-
ardly crime on the part of any in-
dividual or group of individuals to
interfere with our union. I might
add that the membership of the
Boilermakers’ Union have been
very patient these last three and a
half months, and I am certain they.
will tolerate no further interfer-
ence in the lawful objects of the
union. The election is over. Our

future plans are clear. Now we

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will get on to business. It was the
biggest meeting of any single local
ever held in Canada, so far as I am
aware. The meeting therefore
creates history in the Canadian
labor movement.”

Favored by sunny weather for
their first great outdoor meet, a
strong procession of unionists
started for the grounds an hour
before the session was due to start.

They were met by 200 shop stew-
ards, wearing red and white badges.
‘The officials examined credentials,
passed out ballots, prevented con-
gestion at the three main gates,
and ushered the members to grand-
stand sections reserved for the sub-
locals.

Here, in the atmosphere of a new
era of boilermaking, many an old-
timer brushed shoulders with girls
in overalls, now members of the
union. Many of the boilermakers,
reamers, welders and burners ‘ar
rived in their overalls right from
the job. Others marched in carry-
ing their lunch pails, on their way
to the night shift,

At 7:30 p.m, the North Van Ship
Repairs Brass Band played “Hail,
Hail, the Gang's All Here,” as the
stands and bleachers filled to ca-
pacity, and hundreds found stand-

See BOILERMAKERS

‘WE’LL FORGET YOU in the FALL’

An Expose of Company Unions

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Vancouver, B.C.

Camp Conditions At
Port Renfrew Good  -

To the Editor:

Dear Sir,—I wish to draw to your
attention the item which was pub-
lished in your last issue of the B.C,
Lumber Worker of March 22 in re-
gards to the camp conditions at
the Hemmingson and Cameron Log
Co. at Port Renfrew.

I wish to contradict the state-
ments made by one of the so-called
“fallers,” on the conditions of this
camp, “which have been exagger-
ated beyond redson.

This faller stated that two cold-
deck crews walked off the job,
which is not true. The bunkhouses
are old but are comfortable and
dry and are a lot better than some
camps. He also states that there
is no dry room and no bathroom.
True, there is no dry room, but an
empty bunkhouse is being used at
present. There is a suitable wash-
room and five shower baths. In
how many camps does he expect to
find a bathroom?

He also states that the grub is

Chilliwack
Sub-Local Initiates
Membership Drive

Ernie Dalskog, secretary of Local
1-71, met with the Chilliwack Sub-
Local last week. A very good meet-
ing was held and it was decided
that a drive be initiated with a view
to bringing all- members into good
standing. A special committee was
elected for this purpose. It was also
decided that a survey would be
made of the wages at Vedder
Crossing Logging Co. with the ob-
ject of ‘compiling and submitting
a brief to the Regional War Labor
Board for an increase in wages for
this crew. -

COMMISSIONER TO
INVESTIGATE THE

FIRING OF MADSEN
Mr. Harrison of the Federal De-

partment of Labor, has. been ap-
pointed Conciliation Commissioner
to investigate the discharge of Bro.
Nels Madsen of Local 1-71 from Pa-
cific Mills, Camp A-35 in the Queen
Charlotte Islands. Brother Madsen
has now been off work since be-
fore Christmas. A brief is being
prepared by District President
Harold Pritchett and Local 1-71’s
Secretary Ernie Dalskog for presen-
tation to the Commsisioner. The
next hearing will be held on Mon-
day, April 19, at 9:30 am. in the
Department of Labor Offices in
Vancouver.

Sc per Issue

READ
“THE PEOPLE”

Published at
104 Shelly Bldg. — Vancouver, B.C.

poor and no potatoes or vegetables
for two weeks. This is beyond a
doubt -untrue. The cook at this
camp~is one of the best on the
Island. The grub is the very best
on the Island, and he will go a long
ways before he will find better in
any camp. I have been at this
camp since before last December
and I have never heard anyone say
anything against the grub. As‘for
not having vegetables, I can say
this much that there has never
been a day gone but what there
been three or four different kinds
of vegetables on the table. ~True,
they were without potatoes for six
days—not two weeks as was stated.
I would like this fellow to name
me any camp on the Island or any-
where on the coast that is not short
of one or more items due to ration-
ing system now in effect. The cook
can certainly not be blamed if he
runs short due to the rationing;
that is certainly not the cook’s
fault.

So in the interests of the cook
and the union members of this
camp we would like you to publish
this in the next issue of the Lumber
Worker. We do not want other
members to be under the impres-
sion that this camp is no good just
because of the-untrue remarks
made by this so-called “faller.”

Card No. 2625
Card No. 4598
Card No. 5336.

Cook. Dislikes
Ration System

The following is an extract from
a letter from a cook in one of the
camps.

. “I will say this ration . business
sure gives me a headache. It works
out strangely. If, like we were
here, we have 19 men on the job
at the end of March and we send
our monthly report to Ottawa, our
May quota is based on that. But
say our crew increased in April
by seven men, we would still have
to feed those extra seven men on
the other men’s quota until June.
There seems to be no extra allowed
in case a camp is fortunate enough
to get a few men. Maybe the boys
should buy a couple of weeks’ ra-
tions before: they leave town or
someone should look into this and

See RATION SYSTEM
(Continued on Page 7)

$2.00 a Year

CAMP ACTIVITY

By ROVING REPORTER
4

Vassey Camp, Aero Timber Prod-
ucts Ltd., Shannon Bay. This camp
has been only a short time in opera~
tion in QCI. Camp was moved from
Pitt Lake, Road is being built two
miles back in to a lake. Grub is re-
ported good, but the bunkhouses
are haywire. No first aid and no
commissary as yet. Organization of
the camp will proceed soon.

Johnsons Camp, Seymour Inlet.
Reports from this camp state that
it is 100 percent union crew here.

Camp A-88, QOI. A strong feel-
ing for N. Madsen’s reinstatement
to his job exists amongst the crew
at this camp. They state that they
are willing to back any move to
get him reinstated.

Morgans Log Co. All camps in
QCI of this company have the same
old battle for conditions, such as
sanitary and comfort, which are
inadequate in all Morgan’s camps.

Kelley Log. At Church Creek the
men have got some-of their de-
mands, and conditions are reported
fair. At Skedans the same, al-
though there are still quite a few
grievances in existence at that
camp. Kelleys seems to be the
only one that is really producing
spruce in QCI. The other outfits’
attempts. are very feeble, to say
the least.

Aero Timber Products Ltd.,
Cumshewa. In this, the former
Allisons camp, the production has
not been up to snuff, because A. P.
Allison logged right up. to the end
of rail and left very little timber
on the ground. There had to be
a lot of construction and a lot of
falling done before timber could
be brought to tide water. In this
camp as well as in the North Coast
Timber camp at Skidegate Lake,
organization is going ahead rapidly.

Sunrise Camp, Aero Timber Prod-
ucts Ltd. Massett Inlet. All but
one man in the union. Meeting in
this camp has again passed a reso-
lution for a greater allowance of
gas and oil for the boats. Good
work, boys; we will get it yet!

Sorns Camp, Aero Timber Prod-
ucts Ltd., Massett Inlet. A meeting
in this camp has been held and a
camp committee has been elected
and organization of camp is pro-
ceeding.

MoIntyre’s Camp, Drury Inlet.
Crew here is now 50 percent union.
We are promised that more will be
in soon, Swell stuff, James. Our
regards to all the boys there.

Gildersleves Camp, Provincial
Cannery, Rivers Inlet. Al but
one man is in union in this camp
(he is only out through circum-
stances beyond his contro]) so it is
almost 100 percent.

All Aero Timber Products camps
in Queen Charlotte Islands are over.
70 percent organized now.

Niemi Log Co., Sechelt. Two sets
of fallers at present in this camp;
ground rough and falling is almost
completed. Construction crew has
left for Brittain River, The grub

is good,