July 20, 1950

A&N Strike 11 Months Old

The strike against the Army and Navy Department
Stores (Western) Ltd., New Westminster is in its 11th
month. eeeiay,

This department store is on the “We do not patronize”

list of the Vancouver Labour Council, CCL.
Funds in aid of the strikers are urgently required.

MISSION CCF BACKS STRIKE

The Editor:

The Eddy Match Co. employees
are out on strike for a fairer

B.C. LUMBER WORKER

’ “Ge Merry Lali of Giscome”

Now if a better way some may know,
We should all like to hear,

So let the ginks come forth and tell it,
They will be full of beer,

Be full of beer, my lads, be full of beer.

j Come all you merry lads of Giscome
And sing a roundelay,
There is nothing like the Union
When you want a raise in pay,
A raise in pay, my lads, a raise in pay.

Those who to the Union do belong

They can afford to cheer,
For it showed its worth down at the Coast,

And sure can do it here,

Now there are ginks with brains they’ve got
From being fed on hay,

‘They kick if asked to join the Union

But they take the raise in pay,

danger of cont: ig dermatitis,
a disease which’is incurable and
‘for which there is no compensa-

‘The raise in pay, my lads, the raise in pay.

How many hours they work for nothing
When they have made their pay,
Is beyond their brains to figure out,

And why the shorter day, -

The shorter day, my lads, the shorter day.

Can do it here, my lads, can do it here.

Tighten up your ranks my merry lads,
Be ready for the play,

Rally to the Union for your rights,
‘There is no better way,

No better way, my lads, no better way.

Canadian Labor’s PAC Plans
Originated 77 Years Ago

Development of a political action program originated in the
earliest days of the trade union movement in Canada, and until
the present time has been a demand of the organized workers.
The history of this struggle forms an interesting chapter in

trade union organization.

The Ottawa Trades Council was
functioning as a live and aggressive
intitution by 1873, with D. J. O-
Donoghue as the leading spirit! In a
by-election for the provincial Jegisla-
ture in 1873 the Council offered its
president as a labor candidate and put
another entry in the regular elections.
Both were elected.

With the completion of the govern-
ment buildings shortly after this and
the general depression of the time
there was a general exodus of me-
chanics and Jaboring men from Ot-
tawa. The Council disappeared, and a
third political effort failed. In 1879
there was but one trade union in the
city.

Agitation

The Canadian Labor Union was
formed at a convention called by the
‘Toronto Trades Assembly at Toronto,
September 23, 1873. First part of the
constitution adopted read: “To agitate
such questions as may be for the bene-
fit of the working classes, in order
that we may obtain the enactment of
such measures by the Dominion and
Local legislatures as will be beneficial
to us, and a repeal of all oppressive
laws which now exist. (Collapsed
within three years.)

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Loggers, millhands,
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CLOWES |

In 1883 the Toronto District Trades
and Labour Council placed two candi-
dates in the field, one in East and one
in West Toronto, both seeking elec-
tion to the provincial legislature. They
were defeated.

In 1886 it tried again and also had
one federal candidate. All were de-
feated. It failed again in 1894. In
1891 J. W. Patterson, President of
the Ottawa Trades Council, came with-
in 300 votes of being elected to the
House of Commons. At Montreal one
or two labor candidates did succeed
in municipal elections.

At about the same Ralph Smith of
the Miners’ Union of Nanaimo, presi-
dent of the Canada Trades and Labour
Congress, was elected to the B.C,
legislature. Acting on instructions of
a resolution passed by the Winnipeg
Congress in 1900 he resigned his seat
and became a successful candidate for
the federal House, running on the In-
dependent Labor ticket. A. W. Puttee
of Typographical Union No. 191 of
Winnipeg and editor of “The People's
Voice”, the official organ of the Win-
nipeg Trades and Labour Council, was
elected to the House of Commons.

The Trades and Labor Con-
gress of Canada was formed in
1886, At the convention at Ot-
tawa in 1894, the following mo-
tion was introduced and ad-
opted: “It being proven that
this Congress has outlived its
usefulness through its incapac-
ity to obtain even a fraction of
justice from the federal and
provincial governments; be it
resolved that before its ad-
journment this Congress be re-
constructed on a system in ac-
cord with the ideas of the age
and which may permit it to
grant charters for the organ-
ization of workers’ societies in
no matter what branch of
workers, to the end that at all
times we may be in a position
to concentrate our forces for
the political battle, being con-
vinced that to petition govern-
ment for reforms is a loss of
time, and that it is only by in-
dependent political action, like
that of the Socialist Workers
Party, that we will obtain the-
measure of justice that we
have so long sought”.

In 1892 the Vancouver Trades and
Labour Council called upon the Con-
gress to form a labor party, one plank
‘of whose platform should be the ex-
clusion of the Chinese immigrants or
at least the raising of the entrance tax
from $50 to $500, with a yearly sesi-
dent tax of $200 thereafter.

_ The Provincial Workmen's Associa-
tion (a coal miners’ union) in 1886

threw itself enthusiastically into poli
tics.
contested the field for the local legi
lature in Cumberland, B.C., and in
Pictou, N.S.

TLC-PAC

‘The 1905 convention of the Trades
and Labour Congress passed this reso-
lution: “That... where there is a
reasonable hope of electing a labor
candidate one should be placed in the

reasonably held, the candidate whose
record gives most hope of receiving
from him support for such measures
as the Congress is endeavoring to
have enacted should be supported by
wage carners without regard to poli-
tical affiliation of the candidate.”

The 1906 convention at Victoria
passed the following resolution by
vote of 68 to 7:

“1, ‘That this Congress endorse the
idea of sending representatives of Ja-
bor to Parliament and to the Local
legislatures.

“2. That such action as may be

Labor candidates unsucessfully |

field, but where no such hope can be |.

wage. Very few people are
aware of this, as no publicity has
been given the strike in our local
paper.

This issue if of great impor-
tance, as more than 40 local
workers are affected, which in
turn affects the many busiriesses
of Mission. In this hazardous
work, employees are in constant

tion.

The Mission C.C.F. Club are
giving their full support to the
strikers, as we feel they are en-
titled to at least the wage of the
average industrial worker.

Sincerely,

B. Nibbe,
Secretary, CCF Club.

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necessary to attain this objective shall
be independent of this Congress.

of this Congress be recommended as

the platform to be adopted by those

engaged in this independent ‘effort.
“4. That immediately upon the ad-

the preliminary steps to summon a
their respective provinces, and those in

purpose of forming the necessary asso-
Ciation to carry on thereafter the work
of electing Jabor men.

“5. That upon such conventions be-
ing summoned and convened the func-

this regard shall cease.”

TLC President Verville was elected
to the House of Commons in 1908
and again in 1911. In Ontario the
Congress was represented by Allan
Studholme. But otherwise there was
little result. This remained the poli-
tical action program until 1917.

The 1917 convention of the TLC at
Ottawa went on record as follows:
“We, therefore, strongly recommend
the organization of an Independent La-
bor Party of Canada upon the same lines
as the British Labor Party has been
organized, and giving recognition to
organizations having similar objects as
those affiliated with the British Labor
Party.

-With a view to giving effect to this
recommendation we would strongly
urge that all working class political
organizations in each province call a
conference of the respective organiza
tions entitled to partnership in such a
Labor Party and proceed to co-operate
for political action, and also that the
incoming Executive Council take im-
mediately the necessary initiatory steps
to have these conferences called.”

To Be Continued

1530 W. 4th Ave. <>

9.UW. Sow « ae

PRINTING & LITHOGRAPHING
An Employee Owned Company

Printers of The B.C. Lumber Worker

Vanecouver,'B.C-

tions of the Provincial Executives in|

that the Platform of Principles j

journment of this convention the Pro- |
vincial Executives of the Congress take |

convention of the trade unionists of ) —

symapthy with organized labor, for the | |

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