Page Four B.C. * % LUMBER WORKER : s e “X” Marks Your Spot JRUMORS out of Victoria these days point to an early provincial election. Members of the IWA, being citizens of British Columbia, as well as trade unionists, will have to make a choice when election day rolls round. . At least one IWA local has decided not to take any. official political action and possibly others will follow the) same course, the District Convention having left the ques- tion of political action in the hands of the locals. But the decision not to take political action as an orga- nization does not provide the answer for the individual|| member. He still has to make up his mind what to do on election day. Shall he support the Coalition Government, whose rec-|] ord is on file, or the CCF, which is an unknown quantity? ERE is no way of telling for sure what sort of legisla-|} tive action we could expect from the CCF. Our only|] guide is the fact that the CCF has committed itself to the policies of the Canadian Congress of Labor. Whether the CCF would honor that committment when in power, no one can’say. But if the CCF is an unknown quantity, the same can- not be said for the Coalition Government. Organized labor has had eight years experience of Coalition policies. In making their choice as intelligent citizens, [WA members will have to examine that record, Since the last election the Coalition Government has brought in the following measures: Amendments to the ICA Act which provide for the|] government supervision of strike votes, authority for the Labor Relations Board to decertify a union which, in its opinion has contravened the Act, authority for the Board to compel a union to take a vote on any offer made by the| | employer during a strike, a definition of “labor organiza- tion” which leaves the door wide open for company unions. AMENDMENTS to the Forest Act which provide for a|'] system of management licenses which will in effect}| turn over control of the forests to a few large corporations | and which is being bitterly attacked by the small opera- tors on that score; A compulsory Automobile Insurance Act which has re- sulted in greatly increased revenues for the private insur- ance companies, and which gives to those companies the right to say who shall drive a car on the highways of the province ; A 3 percent Sales Tax which has been proved to be unnecessary and which is working a hardship on those least able to afford it—the workers. Before making up their minds, WA members will want very clear and definite answers from the Coalition Gov- ernment as to its intentions in regard to the above listed legislation, with which organized labor has consistently expressed its dissatisfaction—a dissatisfaction which the Coalition has just as consistently ignored. a Q Program Needed . E. T. KENNEY, Minister of Lands and Forests, has been painting a gloomy picture of the lumber industry to the Legislature. He has warned of “serious depletion” of timber reserves and also that the industry faces a glutted market. With regard to depletion, responsible officials of the Forest Branch have been warning the public and Legisla- ture for years. Periodically the spokesmen for the lumber operators have tried to offset these warnings by declaring that the picture is not as black as it is painted. But even the most gifted publicity man finds it difficult to get around plain simple arithmetic. Reliable forest ex- perts tell us that the Coast forests have a capacity of 2,500,000,000 board feet. That is to say that a cut of no more than that will be balanced by the annual growth. Last year the cut on the coast was 3,266,384,000 feet. ‘OR lumber workers the question boils down to this— shall we start reducing the cut now and thereby reduc- ing the number employed in cutting timber, or shall we wait until depletion has reached the point where there are virtually no jobs at all? The answer to all these questions can perhaps be found in the very situation to which Mr. Kenney has referred. On the Coast of British Columbia there are over a million and a quarter acres of former forest land which require replanting if they are to be brought back into production. The initial cost of replanting this area would be over $13,000,000. In addition to this accumulation of barren lands there are 35,000 acres left each year in the same condition after logging. 2 : F A program of reforestation, adequate to deal with this situation, and to look after the replanted areas until ma- turity, would absorb a small army of men at least equal to the number thrown out of work by a reduction of cut Industrial Opportunitie Hou Mout 2 Slee NOW eos hy Soe “s < Bey = se ‘Blatant?’ Error The Editor: Re: January 13 issue, page 8, column 3. On this page you mention “bla- tant injustices” of two 50-cent raises in the board. Now this word “blatant”; does that not sound entirely out of place and unnecessary? That is the kind of reading I would not be surprised to find in the WIUC rag, but not in THE LUMBER WORKER! Let’s use civil and respectable, and a little more dignified lan- guage in our paper! And I’m sure we will gain more respect from everyone and get farther, in the long run, Other people besides loggers read this paper, so let’s keep it on a little higher plane than the LPP’ers. Before you throw this letter in the wastepaper basket, let a few more read it and see if I haven’t got something here. I am writing this letter with the interest of the IWA at heart and do not wish to be unduly cri- tical. I hope you Will not take offense. Fraternally and respectfully submitted. Card 2214. Achievement The Editor: At the last Executive Board meet- ing of Local 1357 it was recom mended that we pay off the remaining payments on our building some seven thousand dollars thus saving seven hundred dollars in interest, Looking back a short period of two years this is a remarkable achieve- ment. At that time we had around 2500 members and a debt of 2500 dollars bequeathed to us by the former officers. Compare that with the record of today—and the records prove these statements. ‘A membership of approximately 6400, a building valued at $18,000, a bank balance of over $11,000, besides very generous donations to various worthy ‘causes. The table officers of this Local have every reason to be proud of their record while in office during this two year period. ‘While they could not have done this without the co-operation of the members (this they are the first to admit) neither could the members have done this without the officers’ co- operation. This was proven as the members were there under the old administration and we still got no- to the carrying capacity of the Coast forests. 4 where. Space Boys! Men with this experience behind them are the logical one’s to go to the District Office. With Bro. Alsbury and Bro. Mitchell as District President Readers Veiwkel ON THE AIR ...| and Secretary we can really look for-|| yANCOUVER ward to a bigger and better District, Wanle fier my iis alias coc 600-CJOR, Thurs. able their records are riot proven and|| Green Gold - =» = « 7:00 p.m, 5 ced men we want in at this critical time. To me|| 1410-CKMO, Thurs. will mean the making or the 1g of our union. If we come this year solid there is no limit to the results that can be obtained by the IWA. We of Local 1-357 will be sorry to lose these two Brothers but are consoled with the fact that we have 550-CKPG, Friday others already trained to take their IWA Program - - « = 6:30 p.m. places who will get the same support x as the others. * CJAV Alberni, Thurs. Voice of the IWA - - 6:15 p.m. Labour Headlines ~ ~ 7:30 p.m. 1410-CKMO, Sun. CCL Radio Session - 6:45 p.m. PRINCE GEORGE Fraternally, New Westminster + Jimmy Abrams LET THE CHIPS FALL by Woody Woodpecker Here’s a story of poor labor-management relations that cost a man his job and an ore drilling contractor $18,000 —and it all started over a measly three-buck ball neen hammer. ; F Fact of the matter was that both the roughneck who got fired and the contractor’s tool pusher who caused the Hose 08 a8 send were wrong about the business. Anyway, without trying to draw a moral, it’s a s read about it in the Int. Oil Worker. seed Sra This contractor was making hole and had reached 5,000-foot depth. The bit was pulled up to make changes in direction of the hole. The roughneck tapped the bit with his little $3 ball peen hammer. The hammer slipped out of his hand and fell into the hole. $ Well, they had to call in a fishing crew. The fishing ji cost $750 a day and the loss to the cane es job was shut down amounted to $1,250 a day. cutee days and $6,000 later, the hammer was fish out. The li'l ole hammer, battered and mudd by ee nous npeele who Hep bed it. There ne eon, am in hand, when the tool pusher, pl i the man and yelled: bs Plenty ae be “Anybody who is dumb enough to do what d not smart enough to work for us. You're fred” i The roughneck, embarrassed in front of his sy1 thetic fellow workers, looked at the hammer and the’ the tool pusher. “Okay,” he said. “If I'm fired I won't need more. And he tossed the hammer b second fishing job took six. N sgt Bare