B.C.

LUMBER WORKER

Page Five

Lochin’ Aneund

ATTLEE’S PUBS... Heil Duplessis!... RED TRIALS...
John L's Pensions... U.K. PLANS... U.

The Drinking Classes

They’re all stirred up over the
public owners! hip of pubs in the
Old Country. The Labor Govern-
ment brought a Bill into Parlia-
ment, proposing state ownership
and operation of licensed prem-
ises in the new towns that are
being planned to house workers.

_ The Tories said this was So-
cialism at its worst.

The Government replied that
they had no intention of going
into the liquor business, in any
large way. In some instances it
was necessary, because the law
forbids the moving of a liquor
license across a county, boundary.
it was a concession to the thirsty.

A well-known Labor journal-

st, Vincent Brome, visited Carl-
isle, where all pubs have been
owned and operated by the Gov-
ernment for 30 years. He mixed
with the patrons at the Malt
Shovel and the Black Lion to get
their opinions.

Mostly they favored state-
owned pubs. They were pleasant
and comfortable places. ‘The fa-
miliar customs of the British pub
had been preserved. The civil
service publican did not say at
the first hiccup, “His Majesty's
Government hopes you do not get
high—”.

From the depths of his state-
owned chair, a grimy worker just
from work, ironically stated, “Work
#5 the curse of the eee classes.”

A Welshman, answered, ‘Aye,
sun... me and butty can get
drunk in peace-and quiet now.”

A profane Scotsman burst out,
“State breweries. They'll be havin,
state babies next, that’s what it will
will come to...”

The customers have one conso-
lation, They can take any griev-
ance about their “alves” or “gin
and It” right to Parliament or
even to the foot of the Throne.
Or they can order a cup of coffee
in the pub!

Quebec Code Muzzles Labor

FROM here, the new 80-page

draft of the new labor code,
introduced into the Quebec Legis-
lature recently, looks like a Can-
adian edition of the U.S. Taft-
Hartley Act.

It provides for a six-man Labor
Relations Board, with full power
to act as judge, jury and court of
appeal for all labor questions in
the province.

The Board can investigate la-
bor leaders and unions, It can
punish witnesses for refusing to
give evidence requested.

Any labor official, found to be a
Communist, a fellow traveller, or
who “cooperates in any manner with
Communists”, must be bounced from
the union in’ fifteen days. If this is
sot done the union may be outlawed
by the Board,

: Fines up to peo) and jail sen-
ences may be imposed f.
breaches of the code. oe <a

Heil Fuehrer Duplessis.

Lawyers’ Field Day

‘TH lawyers are having a field
day in New York over the
trial of twelve Communists for
conspiring to overthrow the U.S.
Government with violence. The
Communist lawyers challenged
the system of picking “blue-rib-
bon juries”. Judge Medina told
them to start “sawing wood”,

Communist panty members
marched up and down outside the
courthouse chanting “solidarity
forever”. Four hundred policemen
were on hand “just in case”.

‘The trial promises to be a long
drawn out affair, and will focus
attention on civil liberties in the
United States.

The Smith-Connolly Act under
which the Communist Twelve were
brought to trial was defended by
them during the war years, Leading
Communists worked for the prose-
cution of the Trotskyites imprisoned
under the Smith Act. Louie Wein-
stock, nationally known Commie,
Painters’ Union (AFL), opposed
support of the accused in his union
and wrote the Attorney-General for
information in defence of the Act
and against the Trotskyites.

The Stalinists refused to sup-
port the campaign in support of
James Kutcher, legless veteran,
fired from the Veterans’ Admin-
istration for his Trotskyite affi-
liations.

Civil liberty means civil liberty
for everyone.

World Federation Splits

REPORTS are that the recent

sessions of the Executive
Committee of the World Federa-
tion of Labor in Paris have been
stormy.

British and American trade
union delegates have asked for
suspension of the Federation. The
Russian and satellite country de-
legates have been trying to con-

vince their fellow-delegates that’

any such action would. seriously
prejudice the cause of interna
tional trade unionism.

V._V. Kuznetsov, President of
the Central Council-of the Soviet
trade unions, asked whether the
British TUC would consent to
allow the WFTU to carry on with
“defined and limited functions”.

Arthur Deakin, President of
the Federation and TUC spokes-
man, said “No, We have tried
previously to reach a measure of
agreement to enable the WFTU
to carry on, with the functions
for which it was created. Our ex-
perience has-shown that this is
not possible.”

J. B. Carey, ClO, stated, "The
GIO sees no point in remaining in
an organization in which no agree-
ment is possible. The purpose of a
world organization of labor is to
Serve workers. It is not to serve
Governments, or polithuros, or po-
litical parties. A world organization
of the workers must be free and
independent of these influences...
When the Communists sought to
pervert this organization” to their
own ends they irrevocably split it in
two.”

Both Deakin and Carey denied
the Communist charges that they
were under instructions from
their governments. Said Deakin,
“T have not even been asked to
visit the British Embassy.”

Miners Paid Pension

HE old veteran John L. Lewis

has given woodworkers some-
thing to think about before the
March, Wages and Contraet Con-
ference in B.C.

In a recent statement, Lewis re-
vealed that over $68 million has
been paid out to 11,689 retired mi-
ners on the $100 a month pension.
The United Mine Workers Welfare
and Retirement Fund is fed by a 20-
cent rake-off on every ton of coal
they mine.

It shows what can be done with
a strong and united industrial
union. The scores of broken-
backed loggers produced each
year by the B.C. lumbering in-
dustry deserve the same break,
‘The lumbering industry is in even
better shape to support such a

fund than coal-mining.

Production Enquiry Slated

A party of British trade union-

ists will shortly tour Canada
and the United States to make a
first-hand inspection of produc-
tion methods on this side of the
Atlantic.

This has been sponsored by
Anglo-American committees pro-
moting increased production in
the British Isles.

Possibly it is by way of retalia-
tion for the invasion of the
United Kingdom by a touring
committee of American trade
unionists to demonstrate the effi-
ciency of American techniques.

Steel production in Great Britain
during 1948 was the highest on rec-
ord, and exceeded the target of 14,-
500,000 tons. On the basis of im-
proved conditions, the steelworkers
have accepted the continuous opera-
tion of melting plants as in other
countries.

The plan of nationalization
now under consideration provides
for replaced and new plant to in-
crease capacity by 4,000,000 tons.

The steelworkers, although en-
joying excellent labor-manage-
ment relations are in the main
supporting nationalization in the
belief that they will gain sub-
stantial advantages.

American Wage Position

Canadian labor officials are
watching events in the United
States as well they might.

Opposition to 1949 wage in-
creases on the part of the large
corporations is crystallizing.
They use the argument of declin-
ing ‘living costs. The-unions are |
plagued with increasing unem-
ployment.

The first big union to‘ make a
try for wage increases was the
CIO Textile Workers. They de-
manded a 10-cent an hour in-

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FIR PILING

Woods run lengths, 25 to 100 ft.
For revised specifications, apply:

CANADA CREOSOTING CO. LTD.
P.O. Drawer 2408
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Phone: NORTH 1421

crease across the board. The de-
mand was rejected by the em-
ployers and carried to arbitration.
The arbitrator decided that the
prospects for the industry did
not warrant any wage increase.

The union contract which runs
till 1950, includes a “no-strike”
clause, but enables further wage
talks in September, Previous
wage rounds chalked up a gain of
41.5 cents an hour for the Tex-
tile Workers since the war, as
compared to 43 cents in most
other big industries.

The Auto Workers are talking
about a fifteen-cent demand. In
General Motors wages are tied
to the cost of living index. The
drop in the index may wipe out
the automatic three-cent increase
due in the late spring.

The large CIO unions are de-
veloping a new strategy. This
year’s demands are to stress wel-
fare benefits, pensions and insur-
ance plans,

Walter Reuther, UAW-CIO, is re-
ported to have stated that his union
will place welfare issues first, wages
second. The UAW will ask employ-
ers for a pension of $100 a month
for retired workers, plus an insur-
ance program with life, accident,
hospital, and health benefits. Cost of
these programs is estimated to be
equivalent to another 10 cents an
bour.

By “High Rigger”

S. Wages

PROBE INTO
IWA DEATH

Investigation of the circum-
stances surrounding the death of
Thomas G. Thomas, a logger for-
merly employed at Englewood
Camp, caused District President
Stewart Alsbury and officials of
Local 1-71 to demand more ade-
quate medical attention for per-
sons in custody at the Vancouver
City gaol.

Thomas, e TWA,

a. member af

was arrested at.2:00 am. on the ~~

moming of Jan. 18th, and was
booked as a drunk. Later the
same morning, he was discovered
in a state of collapse, and was
pronounced dead on the arrival
of a physician. Medical examina-
tion revealed the cause of death
to be meningitis.

IWA officials attended the coro-
ner’s inquest to make certain that
the facts were placed on the rec-
ord. The jury brought in a
recommendation, as on previous
oceasions, pointing to the need of
a properly’ equipped hospital
ward, with medical and nursing
staff in the jail. This reeommen-
dation received the immediate
support of B.C. District No. 1
TWA in conferences with the
authorities.

INTRODUCING
WOODWARD'S

SMOCKS
$4.75. each

(1) Form Fitting Outsize

(2) Safety Bib and Rule
Pocket

(3) Sanforized Shrunk 9-
ounce

Sanforized Shrunk 9 ounce

DENIM WORK CLOTHING FOR MEN

BIB OVERALLS
$4.75 pair

"7” STAR FEATURES

(7) Each Garment inspected 4 times

VANCOUVER
“YOUR WESTERN SHOPPING CENTER”

MAIL ORDERS ACCEPTED
Out-of-town Customers write for Catalogue

KKkk kak
STAR UNION MADE

WORK PANTS
$3.95 pair

(4) Full Fly’ Rip-Proof
Crotch

(5) Special Pocket Con-
struction

(6) Laboratory Tested
Denim

From Page 2—New Westminster’s Fight

1S the Local elections of early

1947, we cleaned that element
completely from our office in the
Local Union. Those elected were:
Stewart Alsbury, president; Al-
bert Rose, 1st vice-president;
Andy Smith, 2nd vice-president;
Francis Lacasse, 3rd_vice-presi-
dent; George Mitchell, financial
secretary; Rae Eddie, recording
secretary; Gray Fraser, conduc-
tor; Harry Switzer, warden; and
Phyllis Grieve, trustee.

In our office staff we have Re-
cording Secretary and Business
Agent, Brother Rae Eddie; Fi-
nancial Secretary and Business
Agent, Brother George Mitchell;
Bookkeeper and Assistant Busi-
ness Agent, Brother Lawrence
Vandale and Mrs. Vera MacKen-
zie and Miss Peggy Seagar.

From the time the above men-
tioned officers took office, our Lo-
cal advanced by leaps and bounds. |
The elections of 1948 did not
change the officers materially.
From a membership of 2600, at
the time the LPP clique lost con-
trol, this Loca] advanced to over
5000 members in approximately
one and a half years and the fi-
nancial standing in the same time
increased from a $1100 deficit to
a surplus of approximately $25,-
000; hard to believe but neverthe-
less true. <

‘We have now set up what is
known as the IWA Local 1-357
Society. This Society is com-
prised of all members of this Lo-
cal and we have purchased our

‘

own building at a cost of $17,000
on which we owe approximately
$7,000. This debt we contemplate
paying off this summer if all goes
well.
WE in this Local think we can
take the credit for initiating
the action that resulted in clean-
ing up the mess in District No.
1, which at one time appeared to
be_a disaster.

Following the Convention of
January, 1948, where an audit of
the District finances was pre-
sented to the delegates, signed by
Eric Bee, on behalf of the Trade
Union Research Bureau, Brother
Lawrence Vandale, a member of
this Local, who had had previous
accounting. experience, spent con-
siderable time studying this audit
and found numerous discrepan-

cies in the balances. Brother Van-}

dale drew up’ a report’on his

findings and presented it to the|

Local Union meeting which meet-

ing went on record as demanding ,
that the International Union’
make an investigation into the fi-;
nancial affairs of District No. 1.'

The International Board took
action on the basis of Brother
Vandale’s report and set up a
Committee which made the inves-
tigation. A brief on behalf of the

Local Union to substantiate their”
charges was presented to that:

Committee by Brothers Mitchell,
Eddie and Vandale. The District
officers, Pritchett, Dalskog and
Forbes, were brought before that
committee to answer questions.

The committee then retired to
Portland to present their findings
to the International Executive
Board.

The report was brought to the
International Board on October
7, 1948. Pritchett and Company
engineered. the disaffiliation on
October 3rd, 1948, in fear of the
publication of this investigating
committee’s report, which has
since proved the charges made
by this Local,
pF conclusion, we wish to en-

courage those other Locals who
may doubt the ability of the IWA
to pull through this present erisis
We know what can be done by
able, honest, leadership of the
Locals and of the District. I have
enumerated the advances made
in our own Local finances under
Brother George Mitchell, who
also acts as Business Agent. Ad-
ministration under Brother Stew-
art Alsbury, with the able assis-
tance of all the other officers and
the membership of this Local
Union, has made it a powerful
organization in the interests of
working people. It has been
raised from a point where it was
formerly despised by business
people and the public to recogni-
tion as a highly respected organi-
zation in this community.

‘The same can be done by other
Locals and the District by elect-
ing people who will work in the
interests of the Union and not
just use it to further the inter-
ests of some outside group.