B.C. LUM R WORKE GET READY! ‘SPOKESMAN for the IWA Negotiating Commit- tee have made it plain that IWA members should not pin their hopes too expectantly upon the report of the Conciliation Board now about to commence its hearings. The Union was forced into this stage of con- ciliation by reason of the employers’ stubborn re- jection of concessions that might offer the basis of a settlement. It is therefore an intimation that the Union must wage an all-out fight for the de- sired improvements in the master contract. It would be a miracle, if a Board gained an understanding of and recommended satisfactory solutions for vexatious problems in all the various sub-sections of the industry. 1 3 Conciliation Boards in the past have become notorious for sidestepping all such problems, and attempting weak compromises on the more fami- liar monetary issues. This experience will not restrain the Negotiat- ing Committee from a yery determined effort to win a favorable decision from the Board. The IWA case before the Board will be argued on the de- -mands as originally stated by the Union in its Wages and Contract Conference. Nevertheless, it would be folly to ignore the very definite probability that a report will emerge which the Union will be compelled to reject, and that will necessitate a strike vote. di A strike vote under the existing provisions of the Labor Relations Act, deliberately designed to hamper the IWA in industiy-wide strike action, will this year require most careful organization in preparation. Every operation concerned in winning better contract terms, must make certain, as quickly as possible, that the majority of the workers in that operation are prepared to demonstrate their de- termination in the only language that these em- ployers will heed. TV ISSUE IN recent weeks Canada has witnessed another stage in the battle now being waged at Ottawa between private and public interests to decide the control of television. It is therefore timely that we should remind our readers of the policy advo- cated by the Canadian Congress of Labor on this matter. Private interests see in television another op- portunity from which they hope to glean greater profits, and the devil take the hindmost. When they speak of free enterprise, they really intend to establish a control which will function as so-called free competition but in reality as only a thinly disguised monopoly. The fact of the matter is that question of pub- lic versus private television in Canada is not a question of “socialism” versus “free enterprise”. As Professor Lower of Queen’s University said srecently, “When in Canada we began our experi- ment of confederation, most thoughtful people recognized that we were deliberately undertaking to create a new community. The course of “free | enterprise”, then as now, would have made us part of the American community. We decided against that course.” Under modern conditions, we are faced with the need to either own or control those agencies which come right into our homes and literally make our minds. Is television to be in the hands of unscrupulous and selfish men, interested solely in considerations of profit and dominated from outside the country, or is it to be in the hands of the Canadian people themselves? That is the simple issue. The Canadian Congress of Labor, after noting the policies which through the years have been followed by those who seek privately owned mon- opoly control of television, advocates public con- trol in the name of the Canadian people. Wrong Cupboard, Mother Memories The Editor: I had an interesting conversa- tion recently with an old-time employee of a New Westminster mill, who gave me some interest- ing sidelights on conditions in the industry prior to the advent of the Union. He said that in 1915 the rates of pay were as follows: Chinese workers, 74% cents per hour; Japanese workers, 8Y, cents per hour; Occidental workers, 17% cents per hour. Their hours of work were nine for six days in the week. I think it would be interesting if those who have knowledge of conditions as they existed in the lumber industry before union or- ganization, described them for the readers of the B.C. Lumber Worker. We are too apt to forget all that we owe to the pioneers of trade union organization. Fred Fieber. Thanks IWA The Editor: This is a letter of THANKS to YOU! THANKS for helping the Solarium kiddies! THANKS for the wonderful encouragement you gave the Solarium Junior League! THANKS from the children who may in future years need the Solarium’s loving care! Your splendid help—editorially and personally — was a great force in making the “1955 Show- er of Dimes” the most successful to date. So far, over $23,675 has been donated, and money is still arriving to help every day, We only wish that there were a more tangible way in which we could express how sincerely your assistance this year is appreci- ated. But... From the crippled children at | Alex B: Macdonald Barrister & Solicitor Notary Public 751 Granville Street VANCOUVER, B.C. Telephone TAtlow 6641 SOLICITOR TO THE 1. W. A. % Your Space Boys! Readers Veekl Yours truly, MYRTLE SOUTHERN, Convenor, Shower of Dimes, * Queen Alexandra Solarium, Junior League, Victoria, the Queen Alexandra Solarium, and from the “Shower” Commit- tee, we can only say: “THANK YOU and GOD BLESS YOU!” SPECIAL RATES TO... 1.W.A. MEMBERS On the purchase of any Major Appliance — Washers, Dryers, Refrigerators, Ranges, Television Sets, Radio Combinations, etc. FREE HOME DEMONSTRATIONS FRASER RADIO & ELECTRIC Ltd. 6389 FRASER ST. AT 48th AVE. 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