ee.

B.C. LUMBER WORKER

October 19, 1950 _

‘George Mi tehell On “Green Gold’

INFLATION UNWELCOME GUEST

EV EVERY WORKER’S HOME

Ho” MUCH food can we afford to buy next week?

‘AN WE meet the payment on the mortgage and have
enough left to buy the kids new rubbers?

WILE PRICES never stop going up?

The IWA, in conjunction with the CCL in Canada and
ne CIO in the US. is doing its utmost to fight the vicious
iralling of costs, as wages get further and further behind
fealty, Read, learn and digest the sound sense reprinted
here from a recent "Green ola” broadcast in which secre-

fary-ireasurer George ‘Mitchell was spokesman:

Up Again!

The cost of living index for
Vancouver, as reported for Sept.
1, has again moved upward, to an
all-time high of 170.8. Cost of liv-
ing in Vancouver is one point
above the national index for that
date of 169.8. We know that Van-
couver prices approximate those
for thawhole province. Where
differences occur, prices are usu-
ally higher than’ in Vancouver.

‘This should be stated in an-
other way, that we may realize
what is happening to us. It now
requires $1.70 to purchase goods
which could be purchased for
$1.00 in 1939. The increased costs
of food cause the greatest hard-
‘ship among workers’ families.

Goods and clothing constitute
45 to 55 percent of the family
budget, and the food index has
risen in Vancouver to 225.7.
That means it requires $2.25 to
buy the food that could be
bought for $1.00 in 1939. The
increase in clothing and hous-
ing costs is almost as bad.

An alarming feature of the
situation is that prices are con-
tinuing to rise steadily and
nothing is being done to curb this
inflation. As prices rise, the
value of the wage dollar is re-
duced, Workers who through
their unions have negotiated
wage increases now endure a
steady dwindling in the value of
their earnings. As stated at the
convention, inflation is an unwel-
come guest in every home.

Not Wages:

Research undertaken by the
Canadian Congress of Labor has
proven conclusively that wage
creases are not the main factor in
rising living costs. Wages have
consistently lagged behind prices,
and every wage increase has been
secured under pressure from or-
ganized labor, desperately striv-
ing to overtake prices and main-
tain reasonably decent standards
of living in face of inflation.

Our experience in the lumber
industry has been duplicated in
many other industries. In the two
year period prior to the wage in-
erease won by the lumber work-
ers this year, and during which
no wage increase had_ been
granted, the retail price of lum-
ber had been boosted substanti-
ally und repeatedly. We know
that domestic prices on lumber
rose mainly because of the ex-
panding demand in the American
market and the policy of charg-
ing all that the traffic would bear.

With regard to commodities in
general, one of the main reasons
for recent price increases has
been outright profiteering as in-
dustrialists have taken advantage
of defence preparations arising
from the international crisis.
Both in Canada and the United
States, trade unions have raised
the most emphatic protest against
this revival of wartime profiteer-

_ A recent survey of Canadian
opinion has shown that 75 per-
cent of the people are in favor
of re-imposing price control. The
‘ argument in support of such
control is, of course, found in our
ae experience,

de-control_in 1946, and with
goods available for peacetime
uses, the index has risen over
50 points.

The chief reason for this is
found in the dividend index which
shows that corporation profits
have likewise steadily risen to an
all-time high. In protection of
the interests of the wage-earners,
it wasi the duty of our Congress
to state that the situation was
rapidly getting out of hand,’ and
that price ceilings should be fixed

at the June, 1950, level.

The former minister of finance
admitted that five years of price
control had saved $1,000 for
every man, woman and child in
the Dominion, Price control now
would save a vastly greater sum
for every home and is urgently
required to stave off dangerously
low standards of living.

Unless action is taken by the
federal government, it is clear
that organized labor must take
emergency action to secure in-
creased wages.

Workers may depend upon it
that their needs in this matter
were forcefully stated at the
Congress convention and will
be stated with equal vigor be-
fore the Dominion Cabinet and
Parliament. The desired re-
sults will be obtained only if
the members of affiliated unions
take similar action in their own
communities, arousing public
opinion to the point where the
federal government can no
longer ignoré its duty. So let’s

put on some real pressure for
price control.

National Scandal

Another problem which the C-
CL convention tackled was the
housing shortage, and properly
described it as a national scandal.
Immediate action was demanded
of the federal and provincial’ gov-
ernments, and make no mistake
about it, the delegates meant
business. It now costs twice as
much to build a house as before
the war.

Under housing legislation’ to
date, the average worker with-
out a hoine has been compelled to
pay high reht for bad housing, or
place himself at the mercy of
grasping mortgage companies.
As the convention stated, there
is only one remedy — a public
housing program with special
provision for low-cost, low-rental
home construction.

The housing shortage is get-
ting worse, not better, for reasons

that are known. A leading offi-
[cial of the Central Mortgage.and

Housing Corporation, a creation |
of the Dominion Government, has
publicly stated that Canada has
a million and a quarter more
families than in 1924, and that
the number of families is increas-
ing at the rate of 90,000 a year.

We have built almost a million
houses since 1924, and are now
building at the rate of only 80,-
000 units a year. This means
that there has been a serious
shortage since 1924 and ‘that
home construction has fallen be-
hind the demand each year since.
The Canadian people, he says, are
less adequately housed than in
1924. Fully 45 percent of Cana-
dian families cannot be provided)
with modern accommodation
within the existing housing legis-
lation.

Here again is a matter which
must become the concern of all
trade unionists in every commun-
ity until appropriate action is
taken by the authorities. This
question is of special interest to
woodworkers, because in a genu-
ine public housing program a
stable and expanding market will
be found for the output of the
production on which our employ-
ment depends.

It’s hard to understand why so
many grownups apparently have
such a disregard for safety. They
certainly know that it is good for
them and therefore shouldn’t have

to be told—that it is good fo
them. ®

LETS TALK

YOU THE BUVER..

HAVE MADE IT POSSIBLE FOR US

TO INCREASE OUR PRODUCTION OF

DAYTON HAND-MADE
SUPERIOR LOGGING BOOTS.

over © 7/MES eee

SHOE MANUFACTURING CO. (8. ¢.) LTD.

2248-50 €. HASTINGS ST.

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