By Eleanor

many of us have alter-
between wishing our hus-

‘would quit the Union for-
, and wishing they would in-
de us in what they are doing,
unaware that our part in the
le labor movement is a vital

When I first married, I wanted
a nice home where we could en-
tertain any of our friends. I
wanted my husband to be in a
with money and leisure —
‘enough to enjoy our home.

___ Then he became interested in
the labor movement. It took
him more and more away from
home evenings. Many is the
time I haye thought, “Does he
haye to go out tonight? Why
can’t he stay home and work
on that kitchen cupboard I need
so badly?” So I started to lose
interest in doing anything
ound the house myself.

Mutual Interest

_ ‘Then one day I was talking to
some friends, They gave me a
new idea of what labor, with in-
jired, sound leadership could do
ioe the country and the whole
_ world, I have always wanted my
husband to be doing something
worth while in the worl
gradually I began to see this
was his opportunity, and we could
do it together.

That night we sat down and
talked things over. For the first
time I really wanted to hear
about his work. He told me of
his hopes and dreams for labor.
I told him of my hopes and
dreams for our home, and he
really listened. I saw that if I
took time to understand what he
was doing, I could think with
him for his work.

My first job was to create the
kind of home atmosphere where
he could relax and be happy, and
find inspiration to do his best

‘m just a union widow,” I used to think. I was like many a
wife who thinks her husband is out doing the interesting,

things while she stays behind the scenes keeping
and spending long, lonely evenings at home.

B.C. LUMBER WORKER

WOMEN’S CORNER
ion Widows To Union Wives:
Plea For Understanding

J. Karlstrom

at work. It was up to me to send
him off with a tasty meal in his
lunch-box, a plan in his head, and
an inspiration in his heart.

It was fun to feel I had a part
in my husband’s work, and he
began to take much more interest

lin our home. He said, “It’s no
good trying to fight for good
working conditions for Jabor out-
side, unless I first improve the
working conditions right at
home.”

He built the cupboards in the
Kitchen. Later I started painting
the fence around the yard, and
when he saw I was putting my
heart into it, he found time to
help me. We ended up by paint-
ing the whole house.

“What Are Daddies For?”

Our six-year-old son has felt
the effect of new team-work. He
used to say “What are Daddies
for, anyway?” Now his Dad
spends time with him doing the
things he likes. We plan together
for the whole family—a picnic and
a swim (in summer), a trip some-
where, or just a little family
party at home. And its fun to
have our neighbors and Union
friends in to plan how to spread
teamwork in the neighborhood
and the Union.

Dignity. at Home

Home: has ‘taken on the dignity
that I always felt a home should
have.

The labor movement took on
the same dignity after my hus-
band told me about the early la-
bor pioneers who made great
sacrifices to improve life for the
workers. I felt ashamed of the
way so many of us women had
been enjoying all the benefits and
protection of organized labor, but
taking no responsibility for it
ourselves.

‘When I saw the importance of
levery man being responsible for

SICK

Vancouver

General Hospital

_ During December, Sisters Jean
MacKenzie, Gabriella McDougall
and Lucille Busch visited the
General Hospital, Vancouver, dis-
oe cigarettes, and copies
of the International Woodworker
and theB.C, Lumber Worker to
patients from the industry.
Christmas week they | took
Christmas parcels of fruit, ‘choc-
olates, ete., and were warmly wel-
eomed by the men.
Among these visited in the
Rimgon, Victoris ‘Head injury.
i _ 5
Ross Alexander, Mission—An old
patient back in for treatment.
Stan Quaye—After a visit home
to Brandon, Brother Quaye is
: back in hospital,
Peter Hardeastle—Doing well.

Ken Fleming, Hope — Progress-
ing.

List =a

* * +)

his Union, I wanted my husband
to go to the Union meetings.
Then if he said he was tired, and
wondered if he should bother to
go that night, I did everything I
could to see he got there. I fixed
a meal he really liked, and plenty
early so he could relax before go-
ing out,

Now I laugh when I think how
I used to day dream and wish for
more glamor and romance in my
life. There is plenty of drama in
knowing that your husband’s vote
in a union, or what he says at a
labor council meeting can affect
a whole industry.

Labor does have a great des-
tiny, and it is a privilege to
have a part in it. I am con-
vinced that as a every “union”
widow” becomes a union wife
who thinks for her husband—
for his work and union, as well
as their home—labor will fulfil
its destiny in helping to build

(MRS. JACQUELINE CLARK-
|SON, President, Women’s Auxili-
ary, Local 1-217, IWA.

The Lunch Box

With a surfeit of Christmas
turkey and rich cake, what about
some simple tuna fish sandwiches
for a change?

Mix the fish with some grated
onion and salad dressing and
spread on whole wheat bread.
This makes a tasty and nutri-
tional lunch.

a sound world, a world safe
and sane for our children.

The purpose of this col-
umn is to provide a means
whereby our readers who
want information on Unem-
ployment Insurance can ob-
tain it.

If you have a question
respecting Unemployment
Insurance, write it out and
send it to the editor. For
identification purposes it
would be well to include
your name and address.

We will send your ques-
tion to the Unemployment
Insurance Commission at
its head office in Ottawa.
The answer will be pub-
lished as soon as possible
after being received.

|Eugene Ducharme, Jackson Bay

Both legs broken, Quite
cheerful. i

Lawrence Smith, Williams Lake
—Injured knee.

Singh Jarnail, Kapoor Mills, Bar-;
nett—Crushed heel. Doing well. |

St. Paul’s Hospital

Sisters Kay Woods and Pat

Fulljames played Santa Claus to

men injured in the logging indus-

try at St. Paul’s last week.

They took Christmas boxes and
copies of the B.C. Lumber
Worker to the three men who
were unfortunate enough not to
get out before Christmas. They
were:

Larry Laughren, Sweeney Coop-
erage—Spinal injury. Still on
back, but feeling cheerful.

T. Kowlchuk, Powell River
‘Arm, finger and leg injury.

L. R, Kennedy, Half Moon Bay
Broken leg.

Other patients visited earlier
in the month by Sisters Muriel
Bradley and Pat Fulljames were:
Oscar Garneau, Port Alberni —

Broken leg.

Lucien Baird, Copper Canyon —

Broken elbow and dislocated

shoulder.

Arthur Carmichael, Chemainus—

Back injury and knee opera-

tion,

G. Boot, Port McNeil—Arm and
leg broken; back injury,

Ross Chiles, - Holberg—Operation
on elbow.

Nick Liwchuk, Rock Bay-——Head
injury.

-|nothing to do with his benefit

Do not hesitate to send in
your question or questions.
The Commission has a
vised us that it will be glad
to furnish answers as ra-
pidly as possible.

SO SEND IN YOUR

QUESTIONS

?

Q—Why can’t a man who is
sick draw benefit?

A—This question is asked fre-
quently. The answer is that the
Unemployment Insurance Act
provides for insurance against
unemployment. It is not sickness
insurance, Under the Act, an un-
employed insured worker must be
able and willing to work if he is
to draw benefit. If benefit was to
be paid to sick persons, the Act
would have to be changed, and
provision made for increasing
contributions.

?

Q—If a man is laid off be-
cause of age, is he entitled to
draw benefit?

A—The age of a worker has

vights. If he is able and willing
to work, he should register for
employment at his local office of
the Unemployment Insurance
Commission. The local office will
then attempt to find suitable em-
ployment for him. If no suitable
employment “is available he can

For the odd corner, put in a
few sticks of crisp celery filled
with cream cheese.

?

Q—I was employed as a care-
taker in a building, but lost my
job at the end of October.
When I went to apply for bene-
fit-.early.-in December they
granted my claim, but said
they would not date it back. I
didn’t know that I had to apply
for benefit as soon as I lost
my employment. Can you tell
me why I can’t draw benefit
from the time I became unem-
ployed?

A—From your question I
gather that the only reason why
you failed to claim benefit at the
time of separation from employ-
ment was ignorance of the law.
The Unemployment _ Insurance
Act has now been in operation
for many years, and it is reason-
able to assume that by this time,
jts more important provisions
should be known to those who are
interested. Presumably you were
directly interested and could have
ascertained the requirements of
the law and regulations by in-
quiring at any office of the Un-
employment nIsurance Commis-
sion. As you did not do this, and
as a consequence did not file your
claim immediately, your request
for antedating has been refused.
Such refusal might, under eer-
tain circumstances, react to your

advantage.

Q—For nearly a year I was
employed as a cashier in a
store, and paid contributions.
At the end of that time I mar-
ried and moved with my hus-
band to a small town nearly
200 miles away from the pear-
est industrial centre. As I was
not working, and as I had made
my contributions, I applied for
benefit. At first my claim by
post was accepted and I re-
ceived benefit, but finally I was
offered a job at a city seyeral
hundred miles away from my
home. This offer I refused and
immediately my benefit was
stopped. Why should I be re-
fused benefit because I will not
Jeaye my home to go and work
in a_ place a long distance
away?

A—While it is easy to under-
stand that you do not wish to
leave your home due to your do-
mestic circumstances, the Act and
Regulations provide that a per-
son must be available for work

W.A. DELGATES

The W.A. Local 1-217, IWA,
fraternal delegates to the forth-
coming IWA convention are as
follows: Sisters Kay Wood, Pat
Fulljames, Phyllis Cole and Lu-
cille Busch with Jacqueline Clark-
son and Elsie Gray as alternates.

This was decided at the De-
cember meeting of the W.A,,
which also welcomed Sister Mae
Patten, a former member, now
resident at Lulu Island.

New members received by the
Auxiliary are: Sisters Gabriella
McDougall, Mary Wood, Francis
Hall, Mabel Good, Alison Brown,
Teenie Shure, Agnes Ulanska,
Vera Wild and Bernice Wilde.

350 Kids at Party

Members of Local 1-85, IWA,
and the W.A., played host to 350
children at Port Alberni last
week.

Santa Claus distributed goodies
'to the delighted youngsters, who
were thrilled also with the fine
program provided by J. Erickson.
and his orchestra. J. Johnson and
his children’s band, and several
vocal and dance numbers.

Among the performers were:
Dusty Corbett, Jim Jarmson, El-
aine Dame, (aged 4, who sang
“Rudolph the Red-nosed Rein-
deer), Jeannie Muir, and Shirley
Madell, tap dancers, and Jessie
Hilton’s song hits.

Unemployment
Queries Answered

some time, but when an offer of
employment came you declined it.
Apparently, employment of the
kind that you were engaged in,
is not available: in your home
town. Consequently it would be
necessary for you to leave in or-
der to obtain employment. You
were probably disqualified  be-
cause of your refusal to accept
employment offered.

?

Q—I understand that the un-
employment insurance fund is
invested in government bonds
and the interest on these bonds
is added to the fund. If that
is right, can you tell me how
much the interest has been
added since the plan was ad-
opted in Canada?

A—You are quite correct in
saying that the fund is invested
in government bonds. The Un-
employment Insurance Act pro-
vides that it shall be invested in
government bonds.~ The Unem-
ployment Insurance Act provides
that it shall be invested “in ob-
ligations of, or guaranteed by,
the Government of Canada”. In-
vestment transactions are carried
on under the direction of an In-
vestment Committee of three
members. One of these members
is the Governor of the Bank of
Canada, or, in the event of his
absence or incapacity, the Dep-"
uty Governor or the Acting Gov-
ernor. One member is nominated
by the Minister of Labor and one
member by the Minister of Fin-
ance. Transactions authorized by
this Committee are carried
through by the Bank of Canada.
Since the beginning of the pro-
gramme up to Oct. 31 last, a total
of $556,651,653 has been added to
the fund through interest on in-
vestments and profit on sale of
securities.

wd

Q—How much has been paid
in benefit since the plan
started?

A—The grand total of benefit
payments up to Oct. 31, 1949, was
$199,482,898, During the present
fiscal year benefit payments up to

|
if they are to claim benefit suc-

then file a claim for benefit.

cessfully. You drew benefit for,

the end of Oct, have totalled $49,-
826,752. he