“B.C. LUMBER WORKER

TWO MORE TRAGIC
“Accidental Deaths” HERE

With the deepest we record on this page the
deaths of Bros. G. Bu; and B. Hamilton.

CARL WINN
GETS CONFIDENCE
MOTION

PORTLAND, Ore.—With only
one Board member dissenting,
the 18-man Executive Board of
the International Woodworkers of
America, CIO, passed a motion
here yesterday expressing “com-
plete confidence” in the organiza-
tion’s Secretary, Carl Winn, in
regard to his actions in the mat-
ter of the employees of the Gal-
pbraith Logging Company. |

‘Accused by officers of the No!
thern Washington District Coun:
cil of the IWA-CIO of having
met with the employees of the
Galbraith Logging Company at
‘Acme, Washington, while they
were out on strike and of sug-
gesting that a separate cl
of the Union be issued to, the
so that a settlement of the strike
could be effected. Winn has de-
nied the charges as being falsi-
fication of people “embarked upon
a suicidal campaign to ruin the
International Woodworkers of
America.”

ONE “NO”

The question came before the
Board, meeting here for a regu-
lar quarterly meeting April 28th
and 29th, in a discussion of the
Union’s policy regarding parti
pation in collective bargaini(@®)
elections where non-compl,
Locals are denied a place on the
ballot because of the Taft-Hart-
ley non-communist affidavit re-
quirement, :

The lone dissenting vote cast
on the motion, made by K
Ohnemus, of Olympia, Washi :
ton, who represents the Boomm
and Rafter’s District Council on

b
a Chance |

By Charles E. Plester
How many times have we all
heard the old hurry up saying,
“J think it will hold, we haven’t
much time left, it’s almost quit-
ting time.” This often results in
minor and major accidents, _

One such instance remains in
my memory. While working in
an operation where rigging
wasn’t too ‘plentiful or substan-
tial for the work that was ex-
pected of it, the boss, just before

witting time, brought 2 cold
decker into the woods on a truck.

‘There wasn’t time to make the
usual unloading landing, so he
said, “we will unload her with
the boom at side one.” The
hooker said the tree wouldn’t
stand it, but the boss said, we
will take a change on it, we
haven’t much time left.

The consequences were, just as
they had the’ niachine suspended | }
in mid-air, the top came off the
spar tree, including all the upper-
most fixtures, and it didn’t yell
“Jook out below!” as it came.

After the uninjured had helped
the less fortunate out from under
guy lines and other rigging, the
boss consoled us by scratching
his head thoroughly and saying,
“I thought she would hold her.”
The only way we can overcome
instances such as this, and be
sure of promoting safety, is to
become safety conscious our-
selves, and form an IWA “safety
Heke committee in every opera-

ion.

If we all get behind our safety
program and become determined
to make it work, we can make

The District Safety Council joins with Locals 1-80 and
1,957, TWA in extending sympathy to the relatives and.

In both instances the coroners’ juries returned verdicts
of “accidental death”, One occurred in a mill, the other in
a logging operation.

It’s not enough to express regret. We must acknowledge
our responsibility to the living. y

We mow the facts about both tragedies. The most tragic
fact is that both could have been prevented. We cannot fix
the blame. We do know that carelessness was the main con-
tributing factor.

These deaths ‘are a stern reminder that we must at all
times accept the self-distipline of safety ‘habits.

Safety committees must insist upon management pro-
viding all necessary safeguards. They must also take steps
to prevent fellow-workers from endangering the lives of
themselves and those around them on the job. s

It is more important to prevent death, than to mourn it.

Wm. Gray, ;
Sect’y District Safety Council.

TRACKMAN DECAPITATED
BY FALLING TREE

Tragedy struck the Copper Canyon Camp of the Vic-
toria Lumber Co., on April’11, when Bro. George Bugecta,
56, employed as trackman, was decapitated by a falling

tree. Se SE
Regrets will not bring Brother
DEATH IN
FUEL BIN

Bugecta back to life. But his
A_coroner’s jury returned a

VUVVVVVVVVVIVFFFCVCVOST

Reminder

General Hospital
Sisters Kae Woods, Gladys
Gole and Jean MacKenzie distrib-
uted flowers, cigarettes and the
ban anaheeetad Worker to the fol-
others:
Bric Ward, Universal Box—Bro.
Ward had his operation and is
doing nicely.

death will not have been entirely
in vain if safety committees will
take note and establish rules by
which such an accident cannot
occur again.

Nels Berglund, Quesnel — Doing
as well as can be expected.
Back injury. Will be in for
some time.

Rey Bryan, Queen Charlotte Is-
lands—Just in with injured leg.

Frank §olomon, Canadian White
Pine—Stomach trouble,

Hakkon Larson, Vancouver Bay
—Doing fine, out soon.

William Soder—Hurt in accident
on city streets. Doing fine.

William Roberts, Roberts Creek
—Now in a wheel chair. Out

Alexander Ross, Missi Le

xander Ross, Mission — Leg
still draining,

James Dick, Comox Logging Co.
—Doing well.

Albert Mailey, Holberg — The
hospital has decided to keep
Brother Mailey in for another
month,

Jacob Duerksen—Jacob is now a

* student, but worked at Cana-
— White Pine last summer.

ee cap injury.

George Jackson, Bay Lumber—
Knee cap injury. Doing fine.
John Smith, Victoria Lumber,
Chemainus, Camp 1— Brother
Smith was having his Imee op-

erated on Saturday.

George Fowkes, Hillcrest Lumber
Co—Leg injury.

Keith Rumhey—Doing fine.

e eos

‘St. Paul's Hospital

Sisters Phoebe Olsen and Helen
Sim report they visited the St.
Paul’s Hospital distributing “The
B.C. Lumberworker”, and cigar
ettes to the following:

J. Peterson, Englewood Beach

Camp — Ankle injury, in hospital | all
fine. .

‘11 weeks, Doing
Q. Paita, \Chemainus, B.C.—
to go home soon,

“4 O'Connor, Alice Lake Log-| Wardn:

injury. Coming alone
Davis, sete Island — Back
. Doing fine,
J, Botzeur, Benson Bros.—
Expecting

Knee injury. to go
home soon.
Q. Anderson, Allison Harbour

logging as safe, or safer, than
any other occupation. It’s up to
us as individuals, to think safety,
talk safety, and not leave it up
to the other fellow or Provi-
dence.

FIRST ‘AID
ALWAYS COMES
FIRST

By Fred Hockey

Safety Director Local 1-357

Many minor accidents become
Jost time cases of infection, which
might have been prevented by a
little early medical attention.
It is quite a problem to con-
Vinee all workers of the need for
immediate first aid for all
wounds, because it is such a com-
mon human failing to take a
“Jittle” chance. What is it in a
guy's mental make-up that causes
him to pass up treatment for a
minor injury?

It might be conceit. You know,
the old “I don’t need anything for
a little scratch

fections may result from wounds
that do not bleed much.

It might be stubborness,, some
fellows have the idea that they
are being pushed around if they
obey too many rules. Especially
rules they themselves consider

ardness. The injured worker
might not know just where to go
or he might think, “why shoul

I bother with such a little thing.”
He should know that a First Aid
man is there to be bothered with |
Such little things.

It imight be the attitude that,
because he got by without treat-/
ment for other small wounds in}
the past, he'll get by this time
too. That is a bad gamble against |
the law of averages. |

Te might be diligence. The
worker might not want
the few minut gic
A worth-while

It might be a touch of back-}gram

The coroner’s jury, in bringing
in a verdict of accidental death,
recommended that all workers
except fallers and buckers be ex-
cluded from the immediate vic-
inity of falling operations.

Evidence disclosed that the
warning had been given before
the tree fell. But Charles Luo-
man and Frank Quarin, trackmen
working 20 feet away from the
deceased, stated that they had
not heard a warning. |

J. N. Clarke, logging foreman, |
thought that the noise of power
saws in the vicinity might have |
prevented the fallérs’ warning |
from being heard.

It was stated that the failers
did not Inow of the presence of
the trackmen. They were work-
ing on a lower level than the
track, but an intervening bank
obstructed the view of each party
from the other.

Safety committees have been

alerted to avoid circumstanees
such as led to this tragedy.

verdiet of “accidental death” fol-
lowing enquiry into the circum-
satnees surrounding the suffoca-
tion of Bro. R. Hamilton, Local
1-857 IWA, employed by Thurs-
ton-Flavelle Ltd., Port Moody.

Bro. Rae Eddy, Business
Agent, Local 1-357, attended the
inquest on behalf of the union.

The accident was not witnessed
by any of the fellow-workers of
the deceased. He was engaged in
his duties at the fuel bin at the
time, and it is surmised that he
jumped into the bin alone and
was overwhelmed by dust.

When discovered a few minutes
later, he had almost managed to
reach safety but had fallen back.

The attending physician and in-
halator squad were called imme-
diately, but their efforts were un-
availing.

A post mortem revealed that
his lungs were solidly packed
with cedar dust.

‘A resolution of sympathy has
been forwarded by Local 1-357,
IWA, to the-family.

The control of accidents is 2
production problem and is, there-
fore, basically a responsibility of
Management. In spite of this, it
is a truism that no safety pro-
will be successful without
the interest and co-operation of

e worker. |

He must be interested in his!

his fellow workers, and cooperate |
with them and with Management
to free the place he works at of
all conditions and practices that|
might produce accidents. The/
worker has responsibility along!
with Management to make his|
fob as safe as possible. _ i
It has always been known that}
the majority of cases the last |
and vital link in the chain of cir-{
cumstances that leads to an ac-/

SAFETY IS BOSSES’ JOB,
BUT CO-OPERATION VITAL

By Arthur Francis
Chief Inspector, Workmen’s
Compensation Board

of his wages. But the fact re-
mains that as long as the worker
has any degree of blame for acci-
dents, he has a responsibility to
the employer to help control ac-
cidents.

The workers have as large a

stake in Safety as the employ-

er. It is true that the full cost

lown welfare as well as that of} of Compensation and accident

control is borne by manage-
ment but, comparatively, the
sworker loses more financially
than ‘the employer."

For every dollar received by
the worker in compensation, he
is losing fifty cents, plus earn-

| ings over $2,500 per year and

time lost for cases in which the
pee three days are not paid
‘or.

the Board, was that of Karly
Larson, of Seattle, Washington,
President of the Northern Wash-
ington District Council and one
of those whom Winn declares
would like to follow the lead of
Harold Pritchett, former British
Columbia District officer in try-
ing to split the organization
through a disaffiliation move.

PAC ADDS
25,000 VOTERS

The “Get Out And Vote” cam-
paign of CCL-PAC trade unions
has resulted in adding the names
of 25,000 persons to the provin-
cial voters’ lists, it was claimed
at a PAC planning conference in
the Steel Hall, Vancouver, April
24, attended by 75 CCL delegates.

Representatives of IWA Locals
1-857 and 1-217 were in attend-
ance, and reported full coopera-
tion in supplying registration
cards to their members through-
out the plants, in the metropoli-
tan area.

Plans of the National Council
CCL were outlined by Jack Wil-
liams, National Publicity Direc-
tor. In his address to the confer-
ence, Williams stated that the
National Council was prepared to
render all possible assistance to
plans already developed in Brit-

sh Columbia, The purpose of his
sit was to work out co-ordina-
tion across the Dominion.

The PAC program, he ex-
plained, would be undertaken in
four stages. Registration, until
the voters’ lists were closed,
would assume first importance.
It would then be necessary to ex-
plain the issues of the campaign,
that union members could exer-
cise an intelligent choice from &
trade union point of view. PAC
would undertake to locate the
union members in their own rid-
ings, and persuade them to cast
their votes.

“The more door-bells we ring,
the more votes we'll get,” he
added.

Harold Winch, M.L.A., leader
of the Opposition, was invited to
address the conference on the
outlook fer organized labor. He
seored the actions of the Coali-
tion Government in refusing con-
sideration of the reasonable de-
mands of the trade unions wher
presented to the Legislature.

_ If the workers are to get their
rights, and enjoy their rightful
status in industry, they must

have law-making rights,” he de-
The employers had used their
to curtail the