B.C. LUMBER WORKER

Page 9

November 15, 1951

q Congress officers are in close
j touch with Parliament, and are
Pe Iways ready’to make known to

e Government and the members
; of the House of Commons the
views of the organized workers.

It’s not always Z

possible to make
our point. Never-
vee.
Shc ot os

theless, it is clear
that things would
be much worse
than they now
axe, if our poli-
ticians were not
made aware con-
stantly of labor’s
views. Congress
exercises a pressure that works
to the advantage of the workers,
indirectly if not directly.
Price-Fixing

While we’ were in session re-
cently, it became apparent that
he Government» had weakened,
nd decided to sidetrack the pro-
posed legislation recommended by
the McQuarrie Commission to
prevent the fixing of resale prices
by the manufacturers. The rea-
son for this was easily seen as
the manufacturers’ lobby was
obviously active,

Congress promptly informed
the Government that it desired
that this legislation should pass.
‘This was not because it was be-
lieved that any such measure
would provide a remedy for high

% prices, but it would check open
monopoly price-fixing.

Old Age Pensions

The Congress took a direct in-
terest in the Government plans to
finance the new old-age pension
scheme. Previously, specific rec-
ommendations had been made to
Parliament on this score. It was
proper that the Congress Council
should express opposition to the
“spare-the-rich” plan of taxation
for pensions. The limitation
placed on tax payments above
certain incomes, places the great-
est burden on those least able to
pay.

Support was given to the vet-
erans’ request that the regula-
tions under the Veterans’ Land
Act be changed to permit smaller
acreage for those who are eligible
for assistance in the purchase of
small holdings. It is now prac-
tically impossible to secure the
Yequired two acres at reasonable
distance from the larger centres,
and it was therefore proposed

PRESIDEN COLUMN

Labor’s Watch Dog

THE opportunity to attend recent meetings of the Executive and
Council of the Canadian Congress of Labor,

portunity to see the value of the Congress as a

legislation that directly affects Canadian organized labor.

By J. Stewart Alsbury

has been an op-
watch-dog oyer

that this be reduced to one-half
acre,

40-hour Week

The establishment of the 40-
hour week is a question which
has required constant vigilance.
The Congress has repeatedly
urged that the 40-hour week be
granted in government-regulated
industry. The invariable reply is
that this is a matter for provin-
cial regulation.

Questions asked in the House
of Commons ‘recently disclosed
that the Federal Government is
not in favor of the 40-hour week,
as in industries under Federal
jurisdiction, the requests of labor
have been totally ignored.

These, and many other in-
stances, all point to the fact that
in the Canadian Congress of La-
bor we have an effective and
necessary agency to police our
interests in Ottawa. Also: it is
clear that the sooner we realize
what Ottawa has been doing to
us, the sooner we'll do something
about Ottawa.

MORE ABOUT
LOCAL 1-357

Negotiations are progressing
favorably to establish an improv-
ed seniority plan for the ply-
woods section of Fraser Mills,
and rescue many employees from
existing “dead ends”, common to
the plant.

The classification of mill-
wrights in Fraser Mills also has
been changed to remove 2nd and
8rd classes and designated all as
either millwrights or helpers.
Most of those affected benefit by
the alteration. The annual revi-
sion of all category rates is pro-
ceeding and is expected to be
complete at the meeting arrang-
ed this week. Fourteen upward
revisions have already been re-
ported, and others are pending.

Special safety inspection of
Capilano Timber will be conduct-
ed by the Local Union Safety
Committee in cooperation with
the management on November
22, The Safety Committee and
all interested in the problems of
safety will be the guests of the
company.

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VANCOUVER

LOCAL 1-357, NEW WESTMINSTER

Annual membership meeting
' of Local 1-357 to be held in the
Canadian Legion Hall, at 7:30
p.m., November 25, will elect
delegates to the IWA B.C.
District Council and the Great-
er Vancouver and Lower Main- |
land Labor Council. The Dis-
trict Board member will also
be elected as well as the Local

Union Safety Director and
Press Manager.

Innovation to be introduced
will be the election of a griev-
ance committee whose duties will
be to adjudicate upon disputes
which arise within the Local
Union.

Tidewater Conciliation

Proceedings of the Conciliation
Board appointed to deal with the
dispute at Tidewater Forest Pro-
ducts Ltd. will commence on this
date. IWA nominee on the Board
is George Home, Secretary of the
B.C. Federation of Labor. Chair-
man is J. B. Thompson, The
Managing Director of the com-
pany has appointed himself to
the Board in the confident belief
that his past attitude toward the
IWA has qualified him as an ace
conciliator. Z

President Andy Smith, who
had been released by the Local
Union to assist in the Interior
organization campaign, returned
to his regular duties this week.

Balloting Tabulation

The ballots for election of In-
ternational Officers will be com-
pleted and the returns tabulated
on Friday evening, November 16.

Adverse marketing conditions
have resulted in the indefinite
shut-down of all local shingle
mills with the exception of those
attached to the large sawmills.

Rest Periods

The grievances of employees
at Pacific Veneer over the stern
treatment meted out to employ-
ees in regard to rest periods have
reached a more satisfactory stage
of compromise due to the inter-
vention of the Local Union offi-
cials. Root of the trouble was the
flagrant abuse of the contract
clause by some, for which many
innocent persons suffered. Better
and less humiliating. conditions
have now been secured for wom-
en employees, and steps taken to
screen out the habitual offenders,
without causing too much incon-
venience to the well-behaved.

Alaska Pine Votes

Whether staggered vacations
or a regular vacation period with
a full shut-down is preferred by
the employees will be determined
by their vote at an early date.
Negotiations secured the com-
pany’s assent to this method of
deciding the issue.

Safety at Thurston Cedar
Recollection of the deaths of
two men in the fuel bin led the
safety committee at Thurston Ce-
dar Ltd. to check the removal of
locks on the fuel bin door, form-
erly installed as a safety precau-
tion. The purpose of the locks
was to compel employees to check
in at the engine room before
entering the bin.

The matter was drawn to the
attention of the Workmen’s Com-
pensation Board Safety Branch,
with the result that the locks
were promptly ordered replaced.

Capilano Elections
Crew/members at Capilano
Timber are congratulating them-
selves upon persuading John
MacIntosh to again take an ac-
tive part and assume the office
of Chairman of the Sub-Local,
as the result of recent elections.
Anuual Christmas Party
Arrangements are progressing
smoothly in preparation for the

i3e)

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VANCOUVER, B.C.

IWA Annual Christmas Party to |
be held in two sessions at the
ueen’s Park Axenex, Sunday,
ecember 16; one at 11 a.m. and
the second at 2 p.m. Application
forms on which to register the
young guests are available at the
Local Union office and have been

ANNUAL MEETING, NOVEMBER 25

circulated by means of the “Buzz-
saw”. 5

The sale of raffle tickets to
help finance this festive occasion
and provide a real treat for the
kiddies is now being carried out
through the cooperation of the
IWA shop stewards.

is $57 a year. Canada, with .65
percent of the world’s popula-
tion, has a per capita income of
$1,030. The United States, with
I percent of the world’s popula-
tion, averaged $1,560 per person
in 1950.

‘The per capita income in India ]

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