: B.C. LUMBER WORKER 1st Issue, October Insurance OTTAWA (CPA) — The unemployment benefits paid in recent months have put a big drain on the Unemployment Insurance Fund, and its reserves are now below the level consid- ered financially safe, the UIC Advisory Committee said in a report after its recent meeting here. A record $134,200,124 was paid out in the fiscal year ending last March 31, the Advisory Commit. tee notes, and there are prospects of further heavy drains. Increase Contributions ‘The government should increase Benefits Drain Fund its contribution to 50 per cent of the total employer and employee contributions instead of staying at the present 20 per cent formula, the Committee said. The fund at June 30 was even lower than at March 31. The June figure was $644,520,634 as against March’s $744,200,124. Record low was March 1955 when the fund stood at about $744 millions, A federal grant should pay for seasonal benefits, the Committee felt. The wage ceiling of $4,800 yearly should be raised, and two new classes of contributions and benefits should be added to the top of the present range. Act Effective Oct. 1st OTTAWA (CPA) — The federal Annual Vacations Act, passed some time ago by Parliament, came into force October 1. ‘The law provides annual vacations with pay for all workers com- ing under federal labor jurisdiction. Vacations are two weeks after two years and one week for employment lasting between one and two years, Meany Welcomes Decision WASHINGTON (CPA) — AFL-CIO president George Meany has issued a directive to all Federation state and city cen- tral bodies barring officials from expelled unions from holding office in those bodies, The directive followed meeting, at which the policy an AFL-CIO executive council was unanimously approved. CLC OFFICERS, Union Staff members and Cooperative Officials pose for their picture following the Labour- Cooperatives Luncheon, September 23, in the Legion Hall, held to discuss support to the Greater Vancouver Cooperative Association who are at present building a service station and home fuel distributing plant at Ontario and Broadway. Group from left, Bill Dodge, CLC Vice-president; Tom Wiltshire, Manager G.V.C.A.; Ben Baskin, Steel Representative; Donald MacDonald, CLC Secretary-Treasurer; Claude Jodoin, CLC Presi- dent; Jack Moore, IWA Executive Assistant; Ray Noble, Executive Secretary, B.C, Co-op. Union. FREEDOM FROM HAZARDS AND SWEATSHOP CONDI- TIONS ARE ALWAYS FOUND WHERE THERE IS A UNION SHOP. &P i CCE B oy NATIONAL LEADER, M. J. Coldwell, turns the first sod for the ing to be erected shortly-at 517 East Broadway. fifty party stalwarts, September 23. cost in the neighborhood of $100,000. | new CCF Provincial Headquarters The simple ceremony was watched by a gathering of The new headquarters will be a two-storey office building and Newsmen Strike MONTREAL (CPA) — La Presse, a mass-circulation French daily published here, has refused a leave of absence to assistant news editor Roger Mathieu, and 78 members of the news staff are striking in pro- test. DENTAL PLATES 40 ‘The Dental Association has for~ bidden Dr. R, Llewellyn Douglas (Olé Doc) from announcing WHY PAY MORE ? Dr. R. Llewellyn Douglas 712 Robson St. Vancouver 1, B.C, (Corner of Granville) Phone: MUtuol 1-4022 —_———— La Presse Mathieu was elected president of the Canadian and Catholic Con- federation of Labor recently. Management refused leave on the grounds that the union contract made no provision for it. Illegal Acts The newspaper has obtained an injunction preventing picketing “and other illegal acts”, but pub- lication has been stopped by the strike. A union statement said that leave of absence without pay “for elected officers is a principle to which all unions hold because it concerns workers’ right of associ- ation and free choice of their elected officers.” A young up-and-coming starlet was revealing her views on mar- Tiage to an interviewer. “Love is more important to me than money,” she said solemnly. “I intend to wait until the right millionaire comes along.” INSTRUCTION IN IN Board of B.C, Basic Accident Prevention. THE INDUSTRIAL FIRST AID 180 West Hastings Street Conquergood Recovers OTTAWA (CPA) — How- ard Conquergood, director of the Canadian Labor Congress’ Political Education department, has returned to work after a ser- ious three-month illness, He became ill in Winnipeg and spent some time in hospital there. In a CPA interview, Mr. Con- quergood said the work load and responsibility of his department had “increased even more” since the CLC passed the political reso- lution at its April convention. A little girl was putting on a Play wedding with her dolls, Her mother passing, overheard this part of the ceremony: “Do you take this woman as your awful wedded wife?” IDUSTRIAL FIRST AID available through Correspondence Courses leading to Industrial First Aid Certificates approved by the Workmen's Compensation Also Correspondence Course in Timekeeping and ATTENDANTS ASSN. OF B.C. Vancouver 3, B.C. Reporters Boycott Premier Duplessis QUEBEC (CPA)—The Syn- dicate of Quebec Journalists, a local of the Syndicate of Cana- dian Journalists (CCCL) has suggested that reporters stay away from Quebec premier Maurice Duplessis’ press con- ferences until an ejected press gallery reporter is permitted to return, Duplessis ordered reported Guy Lamarche of Montreal’s Le De- voir to leave his press conference, in an action deseribed by the union as “oligarchic”. Stock Coup Le Devoir, often critical of the Duplessis National Union regime in Quebec, in a recent series of articles accused members of the government of participating in a $20 million stock transfer coup involving the sale of formerly publicly-owned natural gas facili- ties to the Quebec Natural Gas Corporation, a private concern, last_year. The journalists’ union stressed that, by expelling Mr. Lamarche, Duplessis “has established a pre- cedent which dangerously under- mines one of the pillars of the democratic system which is ours”. Protect Integrity The union stated that it neither accepted nor rejected the stocka- teering allegations made by Le Devoix, but was protesting solely to protect “the integrity of free- dom of information”. Freedom of expression, includ- ing thought, speech and informa- tion, “is fundamental for a free people who have a democratic government”, the union said. UAW Signs Contract With Ford Motor Co. DETROIT (CPA) — The United Auto Workers and the Ford Motor Company signed a three-year contract here with important gains for the auto workers, after a marathon bar- gaining session and a brief strike ended the months of ne- gotiations. Almost 100,000 Ford employees were idle part of a day. UAW president Walter P. Reu- ther termed the new pact “con- siderably better” than a previous company offer of 16 cents in a two-year agreement. Highlighting the new contract are increases, in SUB payments, better pensions, compensation for those working less than a five-day week, severance pay and boosts in improvement and cost-of-living factors. General Motors and Chrysler, the other two companies in the “big three”, are expected to agree to similar contract provisions. A night differential of 10 per cent, time and one half for Satur- day work, additional holiday pay and pay for time spent in jury duties were also won by the UAW. UPWA Charges Dack: Running Away Now TORONTO (CPA) — The Dack Shoe Corporation, which has purchased the Hartt Shoe Company in Fredericton, N.B. and has shut down its Toronto plant, is “running away from union organization,” according to a statement released here by the United Packinghouse Workers of America (CLC). The UPWA bargained for 65 Dack employees who were given just two weeks’ notice of the proposed shutdown. The men were not asked to transfer to the new Fredericton location, al- some foremen and supetvisory personnel. “In fact, the company was to start paying five per cent of wages in August, 1958, into a pension plan negotiated prev- iously by the UPWA. By their move to Fredericton, they avoid this committment to their em- ployees. “The unorganized Hartt plant” the UPWA statement continues, “pays wages at least 40 cents per hour lower than those paid in the Dack plant in Toronto.” The Packinghouse Workers had an though the company transferred agreement with Dack since 1951, 5