2nd Issue Sept., 1959 Bac. LUMBER WORKER From Page 1 “Regain would rue the day that they had approved of Bills 43 and 123. He claimed that no previous adminis- tration had treated labour’s re- Presentatives so contemptuously. “Gains made by the labour moye- ment over the past fifty years*can be tossed away by our Legis- lature in the passage of one single ll. The rights won by trade ! ionists over the years are now eing snatched away, and indeed we are now losing our basic civil liberties,” he emphasized. President Claude Jodoin, Cana- dian Labour Congress, blasted Bill 43 in B.C., and Bills 1 and 2 in Newfoundland as being legisla- tion of the “Fascist, Nazi, Com- munist” type, He warned that in addition to Bill 43, the employers were now lobbying to gain “right to work” Jaws similar to those now in force in some States. “These will not provide one ad- ditional hour’s employment,” he said, “but such laws will destroy all semblance of democracy in industry,” During the course of the con- Rights" vention, Political Education Di- rector, George Home, assured the delegates that trade unions else-' where in the Dominion were fully prepared to support the B.C. Federation in the campaign to secure the repeal of Bill 43, He indicated that although employers were exercising pressure on all the other provinces for anti- union legislation, it was generally recognized that the fight centred in B.C. Gigantic Conspiracy At the same time the conven- tion was made aware of the criti- cal situation in the United States, both with regard to the use of Taft-Hartley provisions to force the striking steelworkers back to work, and the probable effects of the recent “reform” legislation of the American Con- gress. Developments in Canada and the United States were shown to belong to the same pattern of a gigantic employer conspiracy against labour, requiring the full mobilization of labour’s resources to combat the trend. B.C. FEDERATION OF LABOUR Secretary, George Home (left) and CCF Leader in the tion of the Federation held October 5 - 9, in Vancouver . Pat O'Neal (centre), welcomes CLC Political Education Director House of Commons Hazen Argue to the Fourth Annual Conyen- Emphatic warnings from re- sponsible labour officials, and the ke tt! fin disclosures made in — standing Committee reports led the dele- gates to consider more effective ways and means of regaining trade union rights in B.C. Program of Action As a part of a program of de- fensive. and offensive action the following steps were approved: © The per capita tax for affiliates was increased from four to six cents. The estimated increase in revenue was ear- marked, the officers stated, to enable the Federation to place labour’s aims more clearly be- fore the public, and the rank and file, © Political action designed to bring about the defeat of the Socred Government was en- dorsed as offering the “only practical means of securing the repeal of Bill 43, © The Canadian Labour Con- gress was urged to seek Federal legislation that would outlaw the use of injunctions during strikes. © Steps .to accomplish the greater unification of the labour movement by speeding up the process of bringing all trade unions into the central labour centre was advocated. © A program of political edu- cation and improved public re-~ Jations was approved, as necessary to achieve greater rank and file solidarity on the pressing issues of the day. © Closer co-operation with sympathetic farm groups was greeted enthusiastically. © All phases of Federation work, education, organization, public relations, and research will be expanded to service the growing needs of the trade union membership. From Page 1 “Elections” for ten years. He was elected a Federation Vice-President at the first merger convention and re- tained that post until his present elevation to the rank of President. Black Declined Smeal succeeds Bill Black, whe held the office of President con- tinuousy since the merger. Black declined nomination this year on the ground that expansion of work in his own Union required his full time. Upon retirement, Bill Black was accorded a standing vote of ap- Preciation by the convention ac- compianied by authorization awarding hin a token of appreci- ation for his faithful service as an officer of the Federation. St. Eloi Acclaimed Russell St. Eloi, business man- ager for the Plumbers, Local 170 was elected 2nd Vice-President by acclamation, Mel Kemmis PEC chairman was also elected by acclamation to the post of 3rd Vice-President. Ray Haynes, RWDSU, held the post of 4th Vice-President over William Stewart of the Marine Workers and Boilermakers Union by a vote of 236 to 127. Pat O‘Neal Returned Pat O’Neal was returned by acclamation to the post of Secretary-Treasurer, and was accorded an ovation in token of the popularity won by him since his appointment to the vacancy caused by George Home’s ap- pointment to the post of CLC Political Education Director. Two IWA_ members were elected to the Federation’s Coun- cil, J. Holst, Local 1-424 IWA, Prince George, and Jack Mac- Kenzie, Local 1-118 IWA, Vic- toria. Election results in the contest for ten seats on the Council were as follows, J. Holst, IWA (310); J. MacKenzie, TWA (292); Len Burkenshaw. Machinists (282; C. Stewart, ‘Street Railwaymen (352); Bob Beddom, Beverage Dispensers (313); E. T. Stanley, Carpenters, (244); Dick Greaves, Marine Engineers, (287); Ed O’Connor, Government Em- ployees, (314); Wm. Symington, Packinghouse Workers, (267); H. Orr. Steelworkers, (286). Defeated in the race for Coun- cil were, Thos MacGrath, George Pembleton, Sam Jenkins, Blair Whitelock, Craig Pritchett, and Jack Cody. . Canada Faces Trade Deficit Canada is in the red as far as trade is concerned and the situation is getting worse. Imports from the U.S. climbed to $291,500,000 in August, while exports rose only $6,000.000 from $240,000,000. This increased Canada’s ad- verse trade balance with the U.S, to $44,700,000 from $14,000,000.