THE BC LUMBER WORKER

Published Every Second Monday By .
INTEENATIONAL’ WOODWORKERS OF AMERICA (CIO)
DISTRICT COUNCIL NO. 1
22,000 copies printed this week

Subscription Rate: $1.00 per year
Editor: B, J. MELSNESS Advertising: MATT FEE

Room 504 Holden Building—Phone PAcific 4151—Vancouver, B.C.
Authorized os Second Class Mail, Postoffice Dept., Ottews.

The deadline for the coming issue is 4 p-m.
Thursday, April 18

Middle Courses

T= failure of the government to include the forty-hour week and

the sixty-cent minimum wage in its proposed changes to existing
labor legislation cannot, of course, go by without comment in these
columns, It is unfortunate in our opinion that our legislators have
decided to steer a middle course in this most important of all issues
facing the Canadian people at this time, that is the providing of jobs
for all at decent wages and with decent conditions. The public is at
the present time crying for the increase of production of consumer
goods, at the same time many workers and returned veterans are
seeking employment. We can only repeat that the government should
show the same initiative for the winning of the peace that it did in
prosecuting the war.

Middle courses did not win the war and they will not provide the
necessary initiative that is required now to do a job in preventing
a return to depressions and future wars. The present proposals of
labor, for increased pay and the reduction of working hours is a
logical and basic step in the solution of these problems. The fruits
of technical improvement in production methods, which are increas-
ing the productivity of the workers, must be shared with those
workers, and if this is not done either by legislation or bargaining in
good faith on the part of the employers we cannot hope to avert
sharp clashes between labor and management, Labor and soldier gave
evidence of its good faith to a very high degree in the prosecution
of the war through which we have just passed, Government and man-
agement should now return that show, of good faith in this crisis.

If the governments of the day persist in their disregard of the
real issues as they are doing we will return to days of low wages and
high prices and provide the employers with an extended “Roman
Holiday,” in which prfits will be almost unrestrained. This we cannot
allow and labor is fully prepared to see that it does not happen. The
question of the hours of work is one where consideration must be
given to labor's proposals.

Jurisdiction

EWHERE in this issue there is an open letter to the members

of the American Federation of Labor and in particular the mem-
bers of the Carpenters and Joiners, It is with reluctance that we ap-
proach this question but at the same time we feel that hesitation
would be an error. The recent action of the Carpenters in establish-
ing a Charter within the jurisdiction of the IWA is one that cannot
go unchallenged. We are referring to the granting of a charter to the
employees of Sitka Spruce, who were formerly a company union. AS
a company union these people carried on slanderous attacks on the
leaders of the IWA and as they were the mouthpiece of the company
this could of course be expected. Now that they are members of an
organization with which the IWA has had the best of relations, the
type of campaign which they are continuing is rather surprising.

Disputes over jurisdiction have no place in the union movement
of today, espceially in this province. They can only serve the interests
of the bosses as they have done in the past, and we do not think that
this is the policy of the AFL. However, events move us to ask, “Is
the AFL seeking a jurisdictional dispute with the TWA?”

‘The record of the IWA is one that any group of workers can be
proud of, We do not want to appear to be blowing our own horn, but
‘we must say that we are the only organization in the basic lumber-
ing industry of B.C. that ever provided the service and results re-
quired. The union was built by sacrifice on the part of all the mem-
bers and we have no idea of ever again submitting ourselves to the
beaurocracy of Big Bill.

‘The IWA is interested only in furthering the cause of labor and
will continue to do so, The IWA is interested in cementing the excel-
lent relations that now exist and will spare no effort to contribute to
that end. We can only do this on the basis of cooperation and will
continue in spite of these provocative actions on the part of the Car-

penters.

‘We do, however, want honest answers to honest questions and
feel that only in this way in which the problem can be resolved, We
are prepared to do our part and hope sincerely that the membership
of the Carpenters are prepared to accept their equal responsibility.

By Don
= 8 ® Barbour

Heading Out

One would assume that under present conditions, more men
would be available for the lumber industry, yet facts are that there
are’ more jobs listed in the Union Hiring Hall than there are men
ready to accept them. Especially is this true in falling and bucking,
and with the added help in our Hiring Hall, everyone will be able
to find out all particulars about any job listed, at any time between
the hours of 9 and 5 daily. Therefore, I again wish to stress that any
member in need of, or even considering going to work, first contact
the Union Hiring Hall at 206 Holden Building, or phone MArine 7051.

The facilities of our Hiring Hall today are second to none, and
with the growth of the IWA, our services will also expand. New prob-
lems arise daily, for each day the different make up of individual
members of our organization present the spice of life. While it has
been said loggers are uncouth, rough, uncultured and given to bad
language and strong drink, this may or may not be true, according
to how you look at it. But no one can deny that these same loggers
can’t get out the raw material that goes to build homes, provided, of
course, no one tries to get them to work for too low a wage. Then it
must follow the bottleneck in the housing program can not be found
amongst the loggers, who are basic to any housing scheme that will
benefit all those so badly in need of homes today.

Without Apology. id

By Terredo

Every spring, the poets say, green things begin to spring to life;
me being no exception. Having put out my “at home” shingle, I again
commence activities with a light heart; not to mention my head,

For succumbing to the pressure of my many ardent admirers,
who waste no words in telling me what they think of my journalistic
abilities, the editor says: “Okay, so I'll let you write your column
again, but take that g——d d— pistol out of my ribs, and just re-
member this, times have changed for the better since you first wrote
for us and we want them to stay that way.”

Religiously promising to hold my tongue, sald appendage all
the while in my cheek, I check up on my friends, twice removed, to
hear what's cooking. Harold Pritchett is out of town they tell me—
So I push on, Ernie Dalskog is in Victoria—so I push on. Don Barbour
can only tallc about another girl—so I push on, In fact, I'm darn near
pushed on ont of the place until I rebel and refuse to move any fur-
ther, Making up my mind to “get real nosey, bub” by the next issue,
I decide to leave just a trace of my existence on the ‘pages of history,
which puts us one step closer to putting out the near perfect issue.

As my rival, the Old Bullcook, would say ... but that's another
story!

school for
there are si

every job in the woods now, in-
cluding the lost art of falling

timber. I

these schools for training fallers
are so good the graduates get as
much as their board plus their
gratuity pay of $60.00 per month,

in the case

the “grape-vine” says only veter-
ans are taking the courses) when
they have to put their theory into

practice.

cooking, I

spondence course quite cheaply,
but the best bulleooks are men
who have grown old in the log-

ging indust

accidents thrown in. Such train-
ing brings out the best points in
men, gives them a sort of human
understanding and tolerance that
is not gathered in any other way.

But if enough “stakey” loggers
would enroll in my school for

“bullcooks,”

Jar full course

much to rai:
ing for the

course), so
should ask,

the cost of producing lumber,
would be answered in the twink-
ling of an eye. Just to show how

I work the

for instance, I takes\ a number,
any number, say 9, Well, multiply
it by the same figure, so 9x9 is

54; then yet

in the fifth race. It never fails
to pick the winner. si

A demand for skilled bullcooks
would mean that gratuity pay in
the case of, veterans,

stake” in lo;
be used to

shine, or even moonshine,

To get back to these powersaw
faller schools, I hope the gradu-

ates won't

of the small potatoes in Ireland. f

Times was
I got a job

am thinking of opening up a

To teach the manly art of bull-

think, fellers, of having a bull-
cook with a diploma (yes, you'll
get a diploma if you take the hull

bullcooks, because
chools for dang near

,

hear that some of

of veterans (so far

could give a corre-

ry, with several bad

I could give a regu-
that would do
ise the standard of liv-
boys in camp. Just

that any question you
from hoss racing to

system of hoss racing

t bet the fourth hoss

or “the
ggers' language, could
buy some amber sun-

be like me the year

hard that winter, so &
looking after 200 head q

of cattle for an old “hay shaker” 3
for my board. Well, in the spring

a job come:

8 along that paid the

“going wages” of them times, and
when I told the farmer I was

leaving, he

That has bothered me ever since,

said I was ungrateful.

for the longer I live the surer I
am that I got gyped that winter. }

If these
the power

ence were to get married, it would

help a lot.

here graduates from
schools now in exist-

Their wives would

not long stand for them to use
up their savings to learn a job
that the best qualifications for is,
a strong back and a weak head.
Can't be compared to the bull-
cook profession no how. Their
wives would join the Ladies Aux-

iliaries, whi

ich would dang soon

want to know how come wages

‘were not being paid.
women’s movement that every

logger that
sister shoul

Ain't quite exactly the same as

the young

There is a 4

has a wife, mother or
ld fully support.

man speaking at a

public meeting who stated he was
“very much interested in wo-
men’s movements,” and an old

heckler said: “Do you know any
new ones laddie.”

So long.

THE BULLCOOK.