pd Sch oe at June 5, 1952 B.C. LUMBER WORKER il TROUBLE IN FOOD LOOMS PRICES Canadian workers and their wives have been noticing with relief that the price tags on some of the food items they have to buy every day are smaller now than they were a few months ago. What most of them don’t know—yet—is that slowly dropping retail food prices are just the part of the economic iceberg that shows above the surface. Underneath the small but welcome food wiee relief is a story of catastrophic tumbles in the prices paid to ‘mers for a long list of agricultural products and of the accumu- ion of big farm surpluses for the first time since the Thirties. Here’s the story reduced to its bare statistical bones: Between July, 1951, and February, 1952, the index of city food costs de- clined 0.6%. In the same. six months, the index of farm prices of agricultural products fell 7% —nearly 12 times as. far. True, some meat and other prices are falling now—months after the decline in farm prices set in, and following added mar- ket upsets due to the U.S. ban on imports of Canadian meat. (By March 1, the food index had dropped 3% from the July peak, the farm price index, 9%.) Delayed Action But packers and other middle- ice cuts on to consumers. - @: have waited months to pass Their handling of price de- creases has been very different trom their management of price boosts earlier. When- price con- trols were lifted in October, 1947, they made over $3 million just by selling out of storage and at ris- ing prices meat bought from pro- ducers at controlled prices. Price increases were passed on right away—to the profit of_packers. Price decreases are passed on, in part, as the meat or other pro- duce is sold from packer to wholesaler to retailer. The mid- diemen have their cake and eat it, too. An investigation by the Com- bines Commissioner into some of the packinghouses’ money-1 ing techniques was asked last November by Percy Wright, CCF M.P. for Melfort, Saskatchewan. -Making a formal request under the Combines Investigation Act he pointed out that-hog prices had dropped from $40 per cwt. on July 22 to $29 per cwt. on Sept. 22—and that the price drop was passed on to pork-buying housewives only slowly and par- tially. In February, he got the government’s answer. There would be no investigation; there had been no departure from nor- mal business practices. Surplus Greater Meanwhile, farm surpluses con- tinued to pile up. On May 1 there was three times as much butter in storage in Canada as there had been a year before and about 60% more cheeses, 40% more eggs. Eggs (grade A large) were reportedly being sold for 10¢ a dozen in Saskatche- wan’s foot and mouth area, while wholesale prices ran to 40¢ in eastern centres like Toronto. Falling farm incomes meant smaller markets for factory pro- ducts, fewer jobs for city work- ers. And it’s a matter of record that falling farm prices now mean less production later . . .at higher prices. Food “surpluses” don’t mean Canadian production isn’t needed. The annual United Nations eco- nomic survey shows that world consumption of food per person is less now than it was 15 years . They just mean bumper Petadian erops can’t be bought— here or elsewhere — at prices which cover both producers costs on the farm and what middlemen consider adequate profits. Market Problems A major problem for Canadian producers is lack of export mar- kets — markets built up during the war in Britain have been lost due to dollar shortages and a government policy built around food exports to the unstable U.S. market from which Canadian meat, cheese and other dairy pro- ducts are now banned. Hardest hit are cheese produc- ers who, until recently, had not even the half-hearted floor price pea esction given hog, egg and utter producers. The U.S. ban on cheese imports from Canada is a breach of the General Agree- ment on Tarrifs and Trade, but the Canadian government has re- fused to retaliate. Government floor prices are not only low, but guarantee minimum prices to the middleman only. Technique is that the government stands prepared to buy a com- modity out of storage at a set price, so that the middleman will not sell to the wholesaler at any lower figure. But these transac- tions often take place months after the farmer has sold his pro- duce at whatever price he has been able to get, _ There are answers to the farm dilemma, Farm spokesmen have asked for long-term marketing agreements with non-dollar coun- tries (which would mean accept- ing imports from them) and co- operative marketing arrange- ments to stabilize prices, Public ownership of packing plants to cut out middlemen’s profits and speculation plus nationalization of the farm implements industry to cut farmers’ costs has been urged by CCF agriculturists. Many of these measures would also provide answers to problems faced by city workers. Meanwhile food prices paid to producers are falling by dollars uae consumers’ prices drop by cents, : SMOKES UP, - WAGES DOWN OTTAWA (CPA)—It’s not the wages of tobacco workers that make cigarettes expensive, A recent Labor Department study showed that top pay in the tobacco industry was averaged by a handful of machinists at $1.42 an hour. More typical were rates of pay like this: Cigarette packer, machine, female Stemmer, machine, cigar, female .... Unskilled worker, female.... 78 Cigar roller, male .. - 16° Cigar roller, female These are average rates, Some women workers in tobacco plants get as little as 58 cents an hour, the survey shows, : Standard work week for most of the 8,000 workers covered by the official study is 42 hours. SANOWICH WHITE BREAD eo -r .| the Negotiations Bulletin, St. Paul’s Hospital Sisters Hilda Butte and Muriel Bradley of the W.A. Local 1-271, VA, Visited the following seven patients in St. Paul's Hospital on May 9th, distributing copies of The B.C. Lumber Worker, candy and cigarettes. J. Wilson, MacMillan & Bloedel (Somass’ Diy.), Port Alberni. Had surgery (o ankle. Being dis- charged May 0th, Steve Luchyshyn, Strohm Lumber Co, Prince George—Old injury to leg. Coming along. Out on sun pore! Bide Poirier, formerly at Glaspie Lumber, North Vancouver—Had back surgery. Coming along slowly. Charlie Fenton—Clinton Sawmills, Clinton, B. C.—Crushed leg. Had surgery. Expecting another op- eration. John Hall, George Stauble Camp, Prince George — Foot Coming along fine. Jack Crighton, Crucil Logging, Sechelt— Broken leg. Had cast changed. David Vickery, Alice Lake Log- ging, Port Wardy—Broken leg. Being discharged. Sister Muriel Bradley and Bro. Lloyd Whalen of Local 1-217, IWA, visited the following seven pa- tients in St, Paul's Hospital on May 16th, distributing copies of the Negotiations Bulletin, also candy and cigarettes. Steve Luchyshyn, Strohm Lumber Co., Prince George—Old injury to leg. Leg sill packed. Eddie Poirier, formerly of Glaspie Lumber, North Vancouver—Back Surgery. Coming along slowly. Quite a bit of pain. Charlle Fenton, Clinton Sawmills, Clinton, B, C.—Crushed leg. Had one operation last month. Fur- ther skin grafts May” 12th. John Hall, George Stauble Camp, Prince George—Foot injury. Up for awhile on crutches now Gederts Sturitis, Empire Sawmills, Vancouver— Right hand ampu- tated. Collarbone operated on. Not feeling too well. Chris Ingard, Holberg. Camp — Finger torn oft with chainsaw. Leon Therrien, Drake Logging Co. Lasqueti Island—Broken thumb and finger. In for surgery. Sisters Muriel Bradley and Hilda Butte of the W.A. Local 1-217, IWA, visited the following seven patients in the St, Paul's Hospital on May 28rd, distributing copies of also candy and cigarettes: Charlie Fenton, Clinton Sawmill: Clinton, B. C.Crushed leg. Sev eral operations. Had stitches taken out. Coming along. Eddie Poirier, formerly at Glaspie Sawmill, North Vancouver— Back surgery. Having lamp treatment. Expects to be dis- charged soon. Gederts Sturitis, Empire Sawmills, Vancouver—In for surgery (15th operation. Expecting discharge. John Hall, George Stauble Camp, Prince George — Foot injury. Walking around now. Coming along well. Steve Luchyshyn, Strohm Lumber Co, Prince George—Old leg in- jury. Leg still packed. Condi- tion unchanged. : Percy Miller— Originally hurt at Tony Ridland Camp, 30 miles northwest of Kamloops, auite a few years ago, Old injury to leg. Further amputation. Theodore Dahl, Elk River Timber ypback in again. Infection to oe. Lourdes Brother B. Wilson of Local 1- 63, LWA, visited the Lourdes Hos- pital in Campbell River distribut- ing cigarettes and chocolate bars to the following: Carl Lindstrom, roadman, Salmon River Logging—Cut and badly bruised leg. Being sent to Van-~ couver for treatment. Lawrence Saunders, rigging sling- er, Salmon River Log.—Hernia. Doing okay. Nueasn Canon, second loader, Elk River Timbér Co—Squeezed by log. Doing okay. Stanley Deren, snag faller, B.C. Torestry Service, Camp 29, Mar- tin Lake — Slipped on moss, fell 49 feet. Improving. = Joneph Ruckenlater, snag faller, B.C. Forestry Service Camp. at —Fell, breaking foot. Doing OK. Ea Gusto, taller, Rock Bay Log- ‘sing—-Pleurisy, Getting better. Chay rigging slinger, Tim- we cere Development Coy, Toba Inlet—Slipped_ down log. “Lost some skin and bad bruises. Do- ing fine. injury., King’s Daughters Bro. Ed. Linder of Local 1-80, IWA, visited the following pa tients in the King's Daughters Hospital distributing cigarettes, candy and copies of The B.C. Lumber Worker. John Daykin, Port Renfrew—Re- covering from an operation. Fred Petterson, Hesachie Lake — Much improved. Charlie Williams, Duncan—Broken ankle. Mel Howe, Bear Creek Camp, Port Renfrew—Injured leg. George Berlad, Copper Canyon — Injured arm. Wally Lahti, Camp 3, Youbou—Ap- pendix operation. Wally Thorne, Salt Spring Island Leg injury. ck Dixon — Recovering from urns, Tabani Koskl, Copper Canyon — Illness. C._C. Morgan, Beach Renfrew—Iliness. Charlie Wallace, Duncan—tIIness. Edwin Wilcox, Hesachie Lake — Illness. Dan Dal; Joe Hap Ines. Mike Dimld, Bear Creek Camp, Port Renfrew—Iliness. Camp, Port Leechtown—Illness. yk, Camp 6, Youbou — Vancouver General Sisters Kay Wood and Olive Whitehouse of the W.A. Local 1- 127, IWA, visited the following 12 patients ‘in the Vancouver Gen- eral Hospial, Outside Wards, dis- tributing candy, cigarettes’ and papers, on May 28: WARD “3” R. Bernier, Bernier Bros. Logging Wess amputated. Doing very well. ‘T.B. PAVILION M, Suojanen, Pioneer Log. Port ‘MeNell —Had~ operation. ‘Doing good. C. Larsen, Olsens Log. — Legs improving. 1-80 W. A. ELECTIONS The Women’s Auxiliary of Lo- cal 1-80, IWA, held their regular Annual Meeting in the Parish Hall, Parksville, on May 80th, at which ‘the following Officers were electe President: Sister Isabel Peter- son. , Vice-president: Sister Matilda Dillen. Recording Secretary: Sister Gladys Telford. . Financial Secretary: Sister Jean Sadzak. Sister Myrtle Hill. : Sister M. Granger. L.D.H. — ist & 3rd FLOORS A. Olson, Smith & Osborne — Still has cast on hip, A. Werguson, Harrison Sawmills— Hip injury. Doing good. H. Jolander, Comox Log.—Broken back. Had operation, 0. Mercer, Hendricks Bros—Bro- ken back. Progressing slowly. 0. Krone, Prince George—Broken back. Got infection in his leg. Had transfusion, A. Walsuck, Booth Log.—Broken back, Doing fine, H, Veness, Enderby—Broken back. Progressing. W. Robson, Cobble Hill—Broken” back, Doing very well. HEATHER ANNEX L. Delair, J. R. Morgan, Arthritis. Progressing slowly, INDUSTRIAL FIRST Approved by The Workmen's Compensation Board of Classes and Correspondence Courses for Beginners and for Renewal of Certificates. Industrial First Aid Attendants Are Invit For Further Information Write to: Tho Instructor, The Industrial First Ald Attendants Assoclation of B.C, 130 West Hastings Street, Vancouver, AID CERTIFICATES C. to Membership. Buy Quality merchandise at Van- couver’s lowest prices. We pay shipping charges to all points in B.C. and Alberta on the majority of items, providing your order comes to $10.00 or more. 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