January 17, 1952 B.C. LUMBER WORKER. PROTEST R ALTHOUGH the Chairman of has been deservedly censured by the entire trade union moye- _ ment, we must not lose sight of ing its hand out again for ano! service. Any further increase on the 20% increase on residential power bills secured last February, presents a situation that must be challenged by the organized workers. It was previ- . ously claimed by | rr the company that crease would pro- | the February in- vide for all in- creased costs of wages and taxes | in 1951. Now it is considered neces- sary to tax con- sumers’ monthly bills another dollar or two to avoid bankruptcy. Heaven forbid that we should suggest that this has anything to do with the com- pany’s recent demand to increase allowable returns on investment by 40 percent. Watered Stock Many of us remember clearly the revelations made some years ago with regard to the financial structure of the B.C, Power Cor- poration and the manner in which the watering of stock fastened inflated costs on the consumers. Subsequent reports, secured by the City of Vancouver and the Provincial Government revealed facts which make it difficult to believe that the BCER has sacri- ficed profit in order to provide a public service. What the PUC Chairman has completely overlooked is the fact that a succession of such hidden wage cuts has driven the workers to desperation, and the only al- ternative of demanding wage in- creases. Economic Fallacy The policies pursued by the BCER_ outrage one established fact. Increased costs of electric service lead inevitably to decreas- ed use of electricity. Low cost electric service has always stimu- lated the wider uses of electric power, This has been proven in the ex- perience of Ontario, Manitoba and Saskatchewan under publicly owned electric utilities. This fact was demonstrated in the reports received by a committee of ex perts by the government of Premier Hart some years ago. It is the secret of the success achieved by the Tennessee Valley Authority in the United States. Lowers Standards Blectrie service at high cost makes impossible the free use of electric appliances in the average worker's home. It acts as a brake on the improvement of living standards in the home. It pre- vents the introduction of labor- saving devices for the housewife, so urgently required in suburban and rural homes. Restricted use of light makes homes duller, and eauses eye strain among children. The social and economic results which followed the provision of low-cost electric service, together _| fited enormously by the increased ATE#BOOST the Public Utilities Commission the fact that the BCER is hold- ther rate boost on electric light | with low-cost appliances, in the | Tennessee Valley, present an im- portant object lesson, The pri- vately-owned utilities cried blue ruin at first, but eventually pro- use of electricity which followed reduced costs to the consumer. In one year the manufacturers did almost a billion dollars worth of new business in the sale of appliances such as electric stoves, hot water heaters, and washing qjmachines. Essential Service Low - cost power transformed the homes of the Valley dwellers, and proved at the same time a boon to business activity. Low-cost electric service is as essential for the average home today as low-cost water service. It is the key to our industrial prosperity. It is of such vital im- portance to our social progress that we cannot accept the dic- tates of a profit-making mon- opoly. Lost Trails GEO. FERGUSON Will anyone knowing the present whereabouts of George Ferguson, age 63, last reported working at the Green Forest Logging Co., Camp No. 6, please get in touch with his father, Eli Ferguson, Royston Beach Auto Camp, Royston, B.C. ‘STU’ RICHARDSON Will anyone knowing the present whereabouts of Nor- man Stewart Richardson, be- lieved to haye worked for the Minstrel Island Logging Co., please get in touch with Brown & Harvey, Solicitors, Prince Rupert, P.O. Box 658. W. Higtebeson: - To Retire (LPA)—William L. Hutcheson, 17, president of the AFL Carpen- ters since 1915, announced Dec. 18 he will retire January 1. His son, M. A. Hutcheson, now first vice-president, will fill the presi- dency until the union’s next con- vention in 1954, The elder Hut- cheson will become executive di- rector of the Home for Aged Car- penters at Lakeland, Fla. He will continue as first vice-president of the AFL, a position he has held since 1940. and for news copy January 29. Publication date of the next issue of the B.C. LUMBER WORKER is February 7. Deadline for ad copy is January 28 DISTRICT ident .. IDOE... Seeeeceeneeenee sident ...... urer rd Member ~ Address all communications to H. MITCHELL, Secretary-Treasurer ‘Kingsway - Phone FAirmont 8807-8 _ Vancouver, B.C. » ‘ 188 PRINTED IN THIS ISSUE ~— BC LonsesiWorver Representing the Orpenized Loggert and Mill Workers of B.C. PUBLISHED TWICE MONTHLY BY INTERNATIONAL WOODWORKERS OF AMERICA (CIO-CCL) B.C. DISTRICT COUNCIL No. 1. cate OFFICERS: J, Stewart Alsbury wcvwnteneee TOO Morris Stuart M. Hodgson cnn Fred Fieber George H. Mitchell wwe William N, Gray Post Office Dept. Ottawa STANDARD COAT Note the “tailored’” de- siga, giving maximum comfort and freedom; the cape and sleeves all’ one piece, and seams only un- der-atm. ‘Note also the more generous use of ma- terials with interlining away down at back. (Also made without interlining.) STANDARD PANTS See the extra depth of double | thickness, front and back, and iaterlining down entire front. Lots of pockets, too. "(Also made without interlining.) YOU WILL FIND IN HAT You will find that ic is substantial and water re- pellent . . . a real bat +, « but soft, pliable, and light in weight. BUY ONLY GENUINE “PIONEER BRAND” “DRY - BAK” THE THINGS YOU SHOULD LOOK FOR IN CANVAS RAINWEAR CRUISER’S COAT Notice how it is moulded to fit with comfort and freedom. Double thick- ness over shoulders, chest, back and sleeves.” Look at the four roomy out- side pockets and pencil pe and see the inside reast "map pocket, then look at che back and see the large pack pocket ‘with openings both sides. (This desigan of coat comes in. featherweight “Yukon Cloth”, too.) FALLER’S SHIRT The fallers’ and buckers? shirt is an original ‘“Pio- neer Brand” design, buile to give full freedom with extra protection where needed, and with extra long skirt at back, (This also comes in feather- weigt “Yukon Cloth”, too.) From Your Local Dealer or Commissary Z IT IS MADE IN VANCOUVER, B.C., BY JONES TENT & AWNING LTD. Protested OTTAWA (CPA)—Refusal of the Nova Scotia Labor Relations Board to certify a local union on the ground that an official of the Maritime Marine Workers’ Fed- eration, who took a leading part in organizing the local, is a Com- munist, has been roundly criti- cized by Donald MacDonald, Sec- retary-treasurer of the Canadian Congress of Labor. MacDonald stressed the Con- gress’ opposition to Communism and Communist influence in trade unions. But he saw a dangerous precedent in the Board’s refusal to certify Local 18 of the Indus- trial Union of Marine and Ship- building Workers of Canada (CCL-CIO) as bargaining agent for employees of the Smith & Rhuland shipyard in Lunenburg. Ignored Majority The Board had not questioned the union’s contention that it represented the majority of em- ployees in the yard, MacDonald noted. They had merely stated that Marine Workers secretary- treasurer, R. K. Bell, was a Com- munist, and refused to certify the union, He pointed out that the Na- tional Labor Relations Board de- certification of the Canadian Sea- men’s Union as bargaining agent for lake seamen was no precedent for the Nova Scotia decision. The C.S.U. was held to be no longer a trade union organization in the recognized sense when decerti- fied. No such claim had been made of the Marine Workers, who were still in good standing eee ge Fight Against Jim Crow NEW YORK (CPA) — Here are some items of progress made in breaking down Jim Crow seg- regation in the southern U.S., recorded by Labor Reports of New York: In the last national elections, about 750,000 Negroes voted; it is estimated that 1,500,000 will vote in 1952, A thousand Negro students at- tended white colleges in the south during the past year. - All Baptist schools of theology in the south are now open to Negroes, Catholic schools on college and graduate level in the south are now open to Negroes, There are now Negro mem- bers on a number of civic boards in various southern cities, Throughout the south, dining cars on trains are open to Ne- groes. No incidents have resulted. The public libraries of Louis- ville, Kentucky, and of several other southern cities, are now open to citizens regardless of color, with the Canadian Congress of Labor. Dangerous Principle “This decision simply means that from now on Nova Scotia workers can’t bargain through any union which the Board con- siders Communist - dominated,” said MacDonald. “That is a new and yery dangerous principle, a principle which the Congress can- not accept,” he added. He noted that the Communist party was still legal in Canada Nova Scotia Ban On ‘Red’ Union and in Nova Scotia. “If this de- cision were to pass unchallenged, it would easily set a precedent for other Boards in other prov- inces, and for refusal of certifi- cation of the ground of alleged domination of unions by other political parties,” stated the CCL secretary -treasurer. “The way would then be open for the com- plete destruction of the free trade union movement, which is an in- dispensible bulwark of our demo- cratic society. This must not be allowed to happen, he concluded. Money Orders! When you want to send money by mail, use Canadian Bank of Commerce money orders. 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