Ist Issue, July B.C. LUMBER WORKER il INSTALLATION of officers elected by the W Left to right: M. Whalen, Local Union President. Hodgson, Recording Secretary; Whalen, Local Union President. NOW IN OFFICE ‘omen’s Auxiliary, Local 1-217, IWA, conducted by Lloyd Kamm, Conductor; G. Pither, 3-year Trustee; Pearl Lucille Busch, Financial Secretary; Allison Brown, President; Lloyd “There's An Awful Lot Of Coffee In Brazil” By LORNE INGLE Back in February and March the price of coffee began to skyrocket. Brands which, in Toronto for example, had sold at around $1.00 a pound within a couple of months for the last few years, rose to $1.25. Housewives and restauranteurs protested vigorously and charges of mon- opoly and high profiteering were heard. The Latin-Ameri- can coffee exporters were quick to answer. There had been a crop faiure in Brazil they said; frost had hit large num- bers of coffee trees; it was the resulting coffee shortage, argued the Coffee Institutes, that was responsible for soaring coffee prices. Trips for Doubting Thomases The skeptics were doubtful. The government-backed coffee exporters sponsored trips for representative women from the U.S. to go to Brazil and look at the frost-damaged trees and see for themselves. The skeptics, if not wholly convinced, were at least silenced. And those who wanted coffee paid the higher price. Stretching the Truth Actually there was some truth on both sides. There had been a very heavy frost early in July last year that hit coffee planta- tions in southern Brazil. But its signifieanee was grossly exag- gerated, The heaviest damage was in the State of Parana. In Sao Paulo, where twice as much coffee is grown, the damage was much less. The total effect on all Brazil’s coffee exports was not nearly so severe as the cof- fee interests would have had us believe. There was nothing re- motely approaching what wheat- growing Canadians would call a “crop failure”. Coffee Surplus Revealed Now comes information which indicates how misleading the tales of 2 coffee shortage really were. The coffee year ended on June 30 and Brazil, on that date, found herself with a carryover of 700,000 bags more than had been expected. Said an AP dis- pateh from Rio de Janeiro “The surprisingly large carryover — estimated unofficial at 2,700,000 bags—already is causing con- cern.” Strange sort of “crop failure” isn’t it? Maintaining the Price The retail price is still $1.25. And the Brazilian Coffee Insti- tute is determined to keep it there. Marcos De Souza Dantas, president of the Bank of Brazil, has denied that the Government intends to cut the price to try to get rid of the surplus. It’s prob- able, however, that there will be some cutback in view of the man- ner in which the “frost damage— crop shortage” balloon has been burst. Wages for Coffee Pickers Perhaps costs have gone up— some of the increased price going for higher wages? Would that it were true! Coffee in Brazil, Colombia, El Salvador, Vene- zuela and other countries is pro- duced with the help of the cheap- est paid labor—men, women and children—in the world. The prin- cipal work is in picking and in many areas the picking is almost a year-round process. A picker is paid a few cents a day for an average of 100 to 125 Ibs. of coffee cherries, which in turn makes about 25 to 30 Ibs. of usable coffee. Thus the coffee a good picker picks in a day, re- tails in Canada for about $37.50, but the picker sees very very lit- tle of that money. Before the coffee reaches the consumr, of course, it requires processing, roasting, grinding and packaging but the labor content of these operations is small. Domination by the'Few More important in determin- ing the price of coffee than the cost of labor or any shortages due to “frost damage”, are the activities of the Coffee Institute, dominated by the big planters and the Brazilian government, which is in ‘turn very closely linked with the coffee planters. While in some countries coffee is grown on relatively small planta- tions, in Brazil almost half. the coffee trees are on plantations that have between 50,000 and 300,000 trees each. Two dozen plantations have over a million trees each and one has over 4% million trees. It’s the owners of these big plantations who domi- nate the coffee trade, Brazilian Planters Key Position It’s true that Brazil doesn’t produce all the coffee in the world and has no absolute mon- opoly. But it does produce as much as all other coffee-produc- ing countries combined. And more important, the Brazilian coffee does not really “compete” with other coffees in the ordi- nary sense. Most coffee is “blend- ed” and it is the Brazilian cof- fee which forms the basis of most blends, Colombian “mild” and other specialty coffees being added to impart special flavor. Because of these and other com- plexities of the business, coupled with Brazil’s large share of the world’s market, it is the Brazil- ian coffee planters who dominate the world’s coffee trade. It is they who were responsible for the Brazilian government’s action in systematically destroying nearly 80,000,000 bags of coffee between 1931 and 1944 to keep these enormous quantities of cof- fee off the market and thus maintain a high price. It is they and they only who can now ex- plain why, in spite of the huge coffee surpluses, coffee should still be $1.25 a pound. CRANBROOK LADIES ENTERTAIN The Cranbrook Women’s Vie Mauro led the crowd in some community singing and amused them with several well chosen stories. There will be no further meet- ings of the Cranbrook Auxiliary until September. Barn Dance Coming Women’s Auxiliary of Local 1- 424 is planning a Barn Dance for the month of July, at which some unusual features will be staged for the entertainment of the guests. Costumes appropriate to the occasion will be worn, it is planned, that the guests may be encouraged to imitate the merry- making of pioneer days. CC Scck King’s Daughters Financial Secretary Id Linder. of Local 1-80, IWA, visited the following patients in the King's Daughters Hospital, July 6, dis- tributing candy, cigarettes and copies of B.C. Lumber Worker: Gordon ‘Thorne, Meade Creek — Broken. leg. Muah Look, Mesachie Lake, Any Jimme, Koksilah. George Daniels, Duncan. Herb Williams, Cowichan Lake. Robert Ledingham, Youbou. Ross Davis (child) Mesachie Lake. Yom, Campbell, Duncan — Injured back. Jacob Ring, Duncan. M. Wilginsky, Honeymoon Bay. Henry Nowicki, Camp 6, Youbou— Injuries. George Cornish, Hillcrest. Paran Singh, Honeymoon Bay, Mrs. Winnifred Smith, Duncan, Mrs. W. Tiesu, Lake Cowichan, Mrs, Gust Bjork, Youbou. Mrs, Armas Mattson, Meade Creek. Mrs. Pauline Brenton, Duncan. Mrs. Adolf Sanrud, Lake Cow- ichan. My, Jack MeArthur, Honeymoon Royal Columbian Sisters Nola B. Jones and Fran- E. Love of the W.A., Local IWA, visited the following patients in’ the Royal Columbian Hospital, June 30, distributing candy, cigarettes and copies of The B.C, Lumber Worker: H, Frome, Tahsis—Stomach opera- tion. R, Rainville, Fraser Mills—Opera- tion, e ©, Selwan, Fraser Mills — Knee operation, R. Eastman, Mt, Baker Plywood— ‘Broken fdot. N, Sellers, Canadian White Pine— ‘Broken ‘leg. J. Holt, Flavelle Cedar — Opera- tion. R._ Hansen, Markland Sawmills— ‘Burns. ©. Jonas, Murray Plywood—Ob- servation, P. Dollard, Pacific Veneer—Liver ‘ailment. A. Boucher, Fraser Mills — Dia- betes. A. Barron, Fraser Mills—Ulcers. 3. Lemiaux, Fraser Mills—Ulcers. ‘A. Zovarous, B,C. Forest Products ‘Kidney ‘trouble. isters Nola B, Jones and ces HE, Love of the W.A., Local 1-357, TWA, visited the ‘following patients in’ the Royal Columbian Hospital, June 25th, distributing candy, cigarettes and copies of The B.C. Lumber Worker: A. Boucher, Fraser Mills — Dia- betes. Alex Barron, Fraser Mills—Ulcers. Joseph Lamieux, Fraser Mills — Uleers. Vie Lohens, B.C, Forest Products —Dise, % Erie Roberge, Fraser Mills—Disc. Hugh Mackintosh, B.C, Products—Observalion. Lawrence Butters, Fraser Mills— Worest Kidney trouble Incob » Vancouver Plywood— Operation. ‘ Robert Hansen, Markland Saw- mills—Burns. Charlex Schwan, Fraser Mills — Knee operatioi Jack Baauw, Brownsville—Broken finger, Royal Columbian Sisters Nola B. Jones and Fran- ces E. Love of the W.A., Local 1- 357, IWA, visited the following patients in the Royal Columbian rh aan Sua 16th, eee im cigarettes and copies of The B.C. Lumber Worker: Hi Victor Lohnes, B.C. Forest Pro- ducts—Back observation. Eric Roberge, Fraser Mills—Back. Fred Nesbit, Brownsville—Shoul- der and back observations. George Coulonde, B.C, Forest Pro- ducts—Knee operation, H. Laboucane, B.C. Mfg. operation. : H, Frome, Tahsts—Stomach trou- e c Qyerman, Fraser Mills. R. W. Hansen, “Markland Saw- mills—Burns, Stanley Lis, Timberland — Going home, Ladysmith General Financial Secretary Wd Linder of Local 1-80, IWA, visited the following patients in the Lady: smith General Hospital, July 2nu, distributing candy, cigarettes copies of B.C. Lumber Worker: Robert Heys, Ladysmith. Vietor Nurmi, Ladysmth. Harry McAdam, Ladysmith. George Murdoch, Ladysmith. Mrs, Hulda Nelson, Ladysmith. Mrs. W. Williams, Ladysmith. Mrs. George Neale, Ladysmith, Miss Pegsy Orr, Ladysmith. Mrs. Mary Clements, Chemain Mrs, Alex. Wright, Ladysm: Mrs, Kate Watts, Ladysmith, St. Eugene Sisters Pinchak and Shane of the W.A., Local 1-405, IWA, visited the following patients in St. Bugene Hospital, June 18 and June 25, distributing candy, cigarettes and coples of B.C.-Lumber Worket: Mr. McLellan. Mr, Stefanuk. Mr. Frank Stanley, Canal Flat. Mr. Nordstroi Jnck MeDonal ‘Tom Lund. Mr, Skidmore: Miller, Wasa, eLelian, Stefanuk, Mrs, Kurt Becker. Mins Margaret Janzen. TABLE OFFICERS, Women’s Auxiliary, Local 1-217, IWA, plan for membership meeting. Left to right: Lucille Busch, Financial Secretary; Allison Brown, President; and Pearl Hodgson, Recording Secretary. Firms on the “We Do Not Patronize List” of the Victoria Labor Council, CCL Stewart & Hudson Ltd., Victoria, Firms on the “We Do Not Patronize List” of the Victoria Trades & Labor Council (TLC-AFL) Dominion Cafe, Victorin Remington Rand, Victoria Bond Clothing, Victoria Badie’x Litd., Victoria Arnoldi Bakery, Victoria Roy Barker (Barber), Victorin. Firms on the “We Do Not Patronize List” ‘of the Vancouver Trades & Labor Council RESTAUR. Black Cat Coffee Shop Mayfnir Caterers. Stork Coffee House. TAXIS: Balmoral Taxi. Broadway Ta: Forum Cabs Ltd. PAINTERS: HV. Tourner, Chilliwack, B.C. Vancouver Painters & Decorators. ‘T, Mackie. BARBERS 50 East Broadway 2007 Granville Street $65 Kingxway 1588 Kingsway 858 Richards Street 1767 Kingsway Hotel Vancouver Barber Shop 530 Front St., New Westminster Broadway GRAVERS: | Graphic Industries Ltd. BAKERIES: | Home Bakery Lt Dandy Donuts 1 North Van. |. (Douglas Bakery) Montrenl Bakery Ltd. | SIGN PAINTERS: Vietor David Neon Signs David Decorators Ltd. les David vid Hall Sign Co. Lid. TYPEWRITER COMP. Remington Rand Ltd. ‘Underwood Elliott Fisher Ltd. | Canada Dry Ginger Ale | Mitchell Printing & Publishing Co. | The Geo. H. Hewitt Co. Ltd. | Gordon Young (B.C.) Ltd. Victoria Tile & Brick Supply Ltd. —————————— WHO ME? YOU can make big money in yout spare time. 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