B.C. LUMBER WORKER

CCL Convention,

[Wa members in company with the members of all CCL

Unions in British Columbia are now planning a welcome
for the delegates to the Annual Convention of the Cana-
dian Congress of Labor in September that will bind more
closely the ties between East and West in the Canadian
labor movement.

It is a matter of pride that the growing strength and
prestige of CCL unions in this province was given recogni-
tion by the decision to hold the convention for the first
time on the Pacific Coast. Still more important, trade
unionists from other provinces will be made aware -that
the rapid pace of industrial development in British Colum-
bia opens up an unsurpassed opportunity for CCL expan-
sion. #

Not only will it be an occasion when the attractive
opportunities of British Columbia will be on display for
fellow-workers from other provinces. The convention will
provide a stimulus for CCL organization at the Coast, and
inform the people of the province regarding the national
aims of the Canadian Congress of Labor.

Every convention is important, but it requires no gift
of prophecy to forecast that the convention next Septem-
ber will be of more than ordinary importance to Canadian
workers. Developments on the domestic scene as well as
the menacing threat of international conflict have roused
trade unionists to the need for more aggressive action in
defence of democracy at home and abroad.

The failure of the St. Laurent government to curb
price inflation has had results in diminishing purchasing
power which has lowered living standards in Canadian
workers’ homes below the danger point.

Fourteen major proposals placed before Parliament
jointly by all trade union bodies gained scant considera-
tion except on four points. Undoubtedly, the convention
will consider some plan of action with regard to the man-
ner in which the Federal Government has weighted the
balance in favor of profit-making interests.

The issues before the convention are of vital sig-
nificance to all workers. It is therefore gratifying that
B.C. unionists will have a greater voice than before in
shaping the policies of the Congress.

CCL unionists in this province have a dual responsi-
bility with respect to the convention. They are under
obligation to assist in making the welcoming program a
success, and also to prepare for vigorous participation in
the more serious debates on which grave decisions will
rest. 4

British Columbia should be known not only for its
scenic beauty, but also for the zeal and calibre of its trade
unionists.

Conservation Vital

E threat of devastating forest fires, which has seri-

ously interrupted B.C. lumber production in recent
weeks is a grim reminder that-forest conservation is vital
for the continued employment of thousands of workers
dependent for their livelihood on lumbering, and lumber
manufacturing.

Whether the present rate of cut is too high or not is
at present a matter of debate. There is conclusive evidence,
however, that the annual depletion of mature timber from
logging, fire, and insect losses exceeds the annual incre-
ment. The present area of young timber is inadequate
for our future forest production needs.

It is with the realization of this situation that the
International Woodworkers of America press for a sus-
tained yield program. As a basis for such a program, a
more detailed survey should be made of the remaining
accessible mature timber, in all timber regions.

Publication date of the next Issue of the B.C. LUMBER
WORKER is August 2. Deadline for ad copy is July 26 and for
news copy July 27.

‘BCLoweer

Repretenting the Organized Loggers and Mill Workers of B.C.
PUBLISHED TWICE MONTHLY RY
INTERNATIONAL WOODWORKERS OF AMERICA (CIO-CCL)
B,C. DISTRICT COUNCIL No, 1. E>

DISTRICT OFFICER:

@&

President
Ist Vice-:
2nd Vice-Presiden’
ee byicd-Eresident é Sred Bisher
ecretary~Treasurer c
fnternational Board om G. MacKenzie

‘Address all communications to
" GEORGE H, MITCHELL, Secretary-Treasurer

tewart Alsbury

.-.Joe Morris
ituart M. Hodgson
Pred Fieber

45 Kingsway - Phone FAirmont $807-%
‘Vancouver, B,C.
Subscription Rates. $1.50 per annum
» Advertising Representative..G. A. Spencer

Authorized as Second Class Mail, Post Office Dept., Ottawa
26,000 COPIES PRINTED IN THIS Issup

Courtesy The Advance, New York:

He'll Get A Bang Out of This!

Isnominy Of
Means Test

OTTAWA (CPA).—The older
people of Canada will never suc-
ceed in escaping the ignominy
of a “means test”, if the Cana-
dian Medical Association has its
way.

‘While the federal government
move to provide old-age pensions
for all over the age of 70 is be-
ing widely hailed as a victory
for justice and common decency,
the CMA, at its General Council
meeting in Montreal recently ex-
pressed alarm over the possi-
bility of “free” (government-
provided) health care going to
all those older people as a mat-
ter of right.

In Saskatchewan, Ontario, Al-
berta and British Columbia, pro-
vincial governments have pro-

vided medical -care for old-age | |

pensioners. If this policy is con-
tinued it will henceforth embrace
all over-70 -citizens, and the
CMA “does not approve of the
state paying hospital or medical
bills for anyone who can afford
to do it himself”—according to a
press report of the Council dis-
cussions. Accordingly, the Coun-
cil framed a resolution asking
that “the principle be established
that receipt of social security
funds does not, in itself, entitle
the recipient to Government-
sponsored medical care.”

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