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Bi-monthly f.:\'etin Published by The B.C. District Council, International Woodworkers of America, Affiliated to Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO)

Vol. XIII. No. 16.

VANCOUVER, B.C., MONDAY, AUGUST 7, 1944

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Printers Ita.

MEETING OPENS WA ORGANIZATIONAL
DRIVE IN INTERIOR, LANGMEAD REPORTS

LADIES’ AUXILIARY DISTRICT COUNCIL REQUESTS ”

IWA-CIO HEADQUARTERS NOW °
ESTABLISHED AT CRANBROOK

CRANBROOK, B.C.—The first report from International
Representative Bill Langmead,
the Cranbrook-Nelson area, is to the effect that the situation
looks extremely favorable and good progress is being made.

A mass meeting of millworkers was held there last week
with Brother Langmead and Harvey Murphy, representative
of the International Union of Mine, Mill and Smelter Workers

being speakers,

A good office has been located’
in one of the most up-to-date
buildings in the central part of
Cranbrook. The first issue of the
B.C. Lumber Worker in that area
is now in the process of distribu-
tion.

According to Bro. Langmead’s
report there are some 56 opera-
tions in the district, wich between
one thousand and seventeen hun-
dred workers employed. The two
largest operations are located right

_s»in_ Cranbrook, with dozens of tic,
mine-prop and pulp camps scat-
tered along the railroad line.

Woodworkers at interior points
are urged to give the IWA full
support so as to build one indus-
trial union solid from the stump to
the finished product all the way
from the Alberta horder to the
Pacific coast, stretched irom the
Yukon in the north to the United
States border in the south. By
making it 100 percent strong it
will be possible to usher in union
conditions and union standards for
woodworkers throughout this great

CCL To Hold

Convention In
Quebec Oct. 16

OTTAWA, Ont.—The call for
“the annual convention of the Ca-
nadian Congress of Labor has
peen sent to all local unions across.
the Dominion. The conference this
year, which will be one of the most
jmportant in the Congress history
‘and will bring together delegates
fom all industries in all parts of
Canada, will be held in Quebec
City on October 16,

he B.C. District Council of the

ywWA, which will have one of the
- Jargest delegations in the whole
“convention, went on record in
executive board meeting Wednes-
gay, August 2, urging all local
‘unions to elect and send their
gull quota of delegates to make

convention an outstanding

recently assigned to organize

NIGEL MORGAN
APPOINTED T0
NATIONAL P.A.C.

A special meeting of the Na-
tional Political Action Committee
of the CCL has been called for
August 11 and 12 in Toronto to
map an, aggressive Politica] Action
campaign.

Nigel Morgan, IWA Political Ac-
tion director, who has been named.
by the unions of Comox-Alberni
to contest that riding in the forth-
coming ‘Federal elections, has
been appointed as IWA represen-
tative on the Congress P.A.C.

LOGGER AIDED
BY RCAF PLANE |

Don Stanich, Nanaimo logger, in-
jured while working at Juskatla
Inlet, Queen Charlotte Islands,
was rushed by RCAF aircraft to
Vancouver Wednesday, hurried
into awaiting ambulance and
taken to Vancouver General Hos-
pital, where his condition is re-
ported “fairly good.”

He was hammering a wedge
when a piece of it flew into his
eye. When his condition did not
improve an appeal was made to
the RCAF authorities, who co-op-
erated and flew him 800 air miles
to Vancouver.

Pilot of the mercy plane was
FO Don Ritzell.

Stanich was working in the
blacksmith shop of Aero Lumber
Products camp when the accident
occurred. %

Vancouver Aux.

Receive Charter
A special meeting has been
called for next Tuesday night,
August 8, at 702 Holden Building
for the Vancouver IWA Ladies’
Auxiliary. President Harold Prit-
chett will be guest speaker at the
meeting at which the new charter
will be installed and officers
elected for the Vancouver Aux-

iliary,

PLAN FOR ADEQUATE HEALTH INSURANCE

The second quarterly district council meeting of the auxiliaries held in Nanaimo on July

23 heard progress reports from 10 locals

in Renfrew and Camp 3.

, and greeted the news that locals were to be set up

The council passed many resolutions which were an application of the political, or legisla-
tive action resolution passed formerly. The political action resolution pointed out that in no
way were we supporting any one political party but that we would use our influence to

bear on the governmental bodies®

to pass legislation which would
improve our living standards.
The resolution on National
Health in its preamble stated that
millions of working days are lost
due to sickness -and disease re-
sulting from no safeguards, care
or collective responsibility of the
nation. Many farmers and -work-
ers are unable to get the proper
care when sick. The council sup-
ported the National Health Bill in
the main, but pointed out that the
proposed system of financing it
was_too heavy a burden on the
smaller income brackets, while
the employers and - corporations
would gain millions from the in-
creased health and consequent in-

crease in production. The coun-
cil went on record demanding that
the system of financing the scheme
should be by general taxation to
the sum of $250,000,000 and that no
special levy or fee be imposed
upon the people, that the cost be
borne by the entire nation col-
lectively and according to the ab-
ility of each to pay.

They urged cash benefits be
paid to maintain a minimum in-
come during interruption of earn-
ing power through illness, that the
plan embrace factory, school and
health centres, that more hospit-
als and sanitariums be built. That
mobile medical and dental units
be used to service the rural areas.

Canada's Dive Bombers

Heaviest and largest dive bomber used by any of the American
forces, as fast as a fighter and extremely manoeuvrable, the Curtis

Helldiver is being produced

in Canada for the Unit
to the tune of one fourth of its total aa et those,

Production, One of the two

Canadian plants producing this heavily armed plane is the Canadian
Car and Foundry Company at Fort William, Ont. Photo shows bay

of plant with camera’s eye directed along

completed Helldivers,

fong line of nearly-

The council urged that joint
committes of representatives from
Labor, management and medical
and chiropractic authorities and
government be appointed to ad-
minister the plan to insure equit-
able distribution of benefits and
responsibility to the province.

The Ukrainian Farmer Labor
Temple Association was declared
an illegal organization in June
1940. All its propertiés including
108 halls with their furniture, li-
braries, musical instruments, etc.,
were seized. and. placed under the
custodian of alien properties. The
association has at no time proved
itself to be a subversive organiza-
tion (many members are serving
in the forces today) and in 1943
that all properties be returned to
their rightful owners. The value of
the halls and instruments has de-
teriorated and taxes have accumu-
lated. Judge McPhee has ruled
that these halls should be returned
but definite action has not been
taken, therefore the Women's
Council went on record demand-
ing that his recommendations be
immediately carried out and that
discrimination against a large séc-
tion of our population be stopped.

Another important resolution
adopted was to, request Mr. Pear-
son, minister of labor, to take ac-
tion that would lead to chiroprac-
tors receiving the same considera-
tion from the Workmen’s Compen-
sation Board as is now accorded
to physicians.

The boys overseas were not for-
gotten. The council went on record
in support of the Red Cross Blood
Donors and urged that every local
get as many new donors as pos-
sible for the needs of the boys
on the fighting fronts.

The council went on record as
strongly urging the government to
assume the responsibility that we

as a nation must feel for the boys
who are doing the job of fight-
ing on the home fronts, that the
present -discharge clothing allow-
ance is totally inadequate and
must be raised to $150 if we are
to rehabilitate them back to ciy-

ilian life.