_ Party, which does not operate in - Prices campaign The B.C. Electric, City Council, has obtained its car fares from seven to ten cents, but Vancouver Civic Re- form Association has not relaxed its efforts to force a public hearing for labor, taxpayers’ to the boost. This week the Association was able to announce that it had collected 7,000 signatures on a petition demanding The announcement followed appearance of Mrs. Effie Jones and Elgin Ruddell before Vancouver . City Council's Harbors, Utilities and Airport Committee in which they secured the committee’s support for their request that the Public Utilities Commission set a date a public hearing,. for the hearing. This week the Public Utilities Commission indicated that it would hold the hearing and Vancouver Civic Reform Association was urging all trade unions and other organizations opposed to the fare increase to have their presentations ready. _ _ “There’s no doubt the B.C. Electric hopes that the public is now resigned to. paying the higher fare,” Ruddell “But the B.C. Electric has yet told the Pacific Tribune. to prove that the higher fare must first refute the argumen election slogan, ‘Seven cents paign to force a . for low fares,.” ; with connivance of Vancouver public hearing is designed to reopen the issue and give citizens an opportunity to renew their fight temporary increase in street- and other groups opposed within the coming two. weeks is justified. And to do that it ts with which we backed our is fare enough.’ Our cam- Contact ex-war workers for Toronto arms plant Former employees of Small Arms Limited at Long Branch and those who were once employed at Research Enterprises . . Limited at Leaside—both war _. possible resumption of ‘employment, according to reports, Rumor over the past weeks that the Small Arms plant would re- open its doors after being closed since the war’s end gained more credence this week as it was learn- | ed that several small industries renting space in the sprawling building are on a day-to-day notice basis. During the war rifles and Sten guns were manufactured and at one time more than 6,000 work- ers were employed. At Research Enterprises, taken over since the war's end by Cana- dian Arsenals, equipment is re- ported being tested at 50-below- zero temperatures. Former employees of John Ing- lis, another ex-war plant, have also revealed that they are being con- _ tacted in regard to a possible re- - Sumption of work. plants—are being contacted for Effie Jones to seek fare hoist inquiry _At a meeting of Civic Reform Association members on March 22 it was agreed that Mrs. Effie Jones, President of the Tenants’ and Homeowners’ League, would make representation before the Public Utilities Commission in Victoria to press for the holding of a public inquiry into increased streetcar fares. F Reports submitted at the CRA session showed that already over seven thousand signatures to a pe- tition against fare increases had been received. The meeting urged that all those holding these peti- tions ‘should forward them to the CRA immediately. ; ‘Austerity’ bad for Canada _ The Abbott austerity program has come in for criticism on both sides of the Legislature. - - Minister Anscomb in his budget speech implied devaluation meet the shortage of American of the Canadian dollar would Morgan raps US. ban on IWA union ' officials The reversal by USS. Attorney Tom Clark of his deci- sion of a few weeks ago which _ ordered admission of three in- _ ternational trade union officials is a body blow at the international trade union movement and is aim- ed to divide and weaken the long- __ established bonds of unity between US and unions, — states Nigel Morgan, LPP provincial leader. : 2 “The ae a Smee at under- mining e rtheoming wage negotiations of the IWA in B.C, _ and thereby protecting the large American investors in the lum- ber industry of this province. ‘The charge that members of the Labor - Progressive Party are United States government by force _ and violence is as ridiculous ag it is false. Our party is a Canadian the United States. These false al- legations are just a part of the _ Vicious anti-labor war-mongering Policies of reaction. They are an _ attempt to apply the shackles of _ the Taft-Hartley Act to Canadian labor,” Morgan said. While Tory Finance dollars—a measure that wuuld in- tensify the hardships of the Cana- dian people—-other members have lashed the Abbott plan in terms of the damage it is doing to our econ- omy. CCF member Corsbie (Peace River) complainéd that the aus- terity program cut off from the United States “goods you and 1 would like to have, while we con- tinue to import things we could produce ourselves. This has clearly brought home our dependence on the United States, which is not good or necessary. We could build up our internal economy to produce our needs and use the surplus to improve our standard of living.” Mr. Corsbie stated that if we quit importing twice as much coal as we produce we could save $150,- 000,000 American dollars for “such kitchen necessities as washing ma- chines.” Further savings could come from replacing imported oil with oil from the Peace River, and motor fuel made from coal. _ Coalitionist W. A. C. Bennett (South Okanagan) declared Can- ada needs a new national policy, since the traditional three-way trading system between Canada, the United States and Britain has collapsed. “This is not for a short i ae the end of an era,” he The Daily Press * But in the gives You This... —Fred Wright, in the Fur and Leather Worker - Pacific Tribune You'll always find the truth — Help build a powerful Labor press to aid in the struggle for economic security, democratic progress and peace. With receipts totalling more than $2,000 as at Tuesday, March 23, the drive is. begin- ning to get rolling. Here are the standings of quota and amounts raised in every area taking part at that date. _ There will probably be some red faces among our friends when they see their names are conspicuously absent, but per- haps they will‘make up for lost time next week! How about it, those committees whom we have not heard from yet? East End No. 1 .... 375 70.00 East End No. 2 .... 325 42.00 Geonpias | ec. ea. 550 106.50 CSTANUVIOW. fou bce Le 350 121.00 Commercial Drive 200 75.68 HBnhglish Bay <...... 150 66.25 West@tind sist 125 35.10 Bit Bennett’ =... : 100 35.50 POROCBUBNO es aks re 200 37.50 Mount Pleasant 150 6.00 Fairview ..... peace 150 23.50 Hastings E.-Renfrew 200 56.25 Niilo Makela ...... 200 | 77.50 ANOPOUBY Soules reat ts 200 21.50 Moberley i... oa < 200 30.50 South Hill Club .... 200 35.00 North Vancouver .. 300 19.50 Vancouver Heights . 150 238.00 Central Burnaby ... 150 76.50 East Burnaby ...... 75 * s Ph ca Send in ' Kamloops |. 5.50 25.50 13.65 30.00 South Burnaby 50 Capital Hill’ ........ 175 Allied Services ..... 200 Bulding Trades 200 Civic Industrial 250 Civie workers .¢)::....260, Maritimes #2... . 800 Sea & Shore ...... 500 Proressionals js 4 500 Forest Products .... 500 Maint rlichs es). 73 600 Victory Square 1000 Students «fe. pee: 200 COP eRe te 200 Miscellaneous ...... Outside Points : BUDErnia es Por eae 175 Paul Bunyan-Alb/ni 100 PORTS IDE TNie ss 5 ce 17s AIBION ge ccg hk Sh ok 25 Aldergrove. 5.45 60 Britannia 150 Brookswood ....... 50 Vambigi sss ko, 25 Campbell River 150: Copper Mountain . 35 Soupteney: 62 st 200 Cranvrook 7)! do. 50 reston® Ppt 8 25 Cumberland ......... 100 THINGaN 7.2 38 150 Wxtension °° 72) 5.% 50 Werle: Pita see. 100° Fort Langley 75 your drive Grassy Plains FSBlOWD ES | Hein aor Kimberley TRON GY yt Mate Ee OS Lake Cowichan Ladysmith Lang Bay Miche}iNatal ...... New Westminster Nelson Nanaimo WMAISEION. oe ee oe ee Notch Hill OSOYOOSM EE te eae Prince Rupert Princeton POTS VA ore vars. Prince George Powell River Quathiaski Cove Rossland Steveston BOINTU as ee Salmon Arm SS EcM Fe ole ua eRe vs SSR Ee Surrey South Surrey North Stuart Island Trail Victoria Vernon wee ee Webster’s Corners .. funds today! Misano Province with our Press Builders ——$15,000 by May Day! — ; PACLFIC TRIBUNE—MARCH 27, 1948—PAGE 4 »