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Incorporating Whe SZ. Lunberworker Official Publication of the Jeteruattonal Woodworkers og rbmertea Regional Council: No. 1

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VOL. XXVIII, No. 20

VANCOUVER, B.C.

2nd Issue

5c PER COPY Oct., 1960

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Union's Record
Proves Sound
Administration —

Two reports before the recent IWA Regional Con-
vention in Vancouver—the Officers’ Report, and the report
of the Officers’ Report Committee—assured the delegates
as to the Union’s steady progress in Region 1, and the
excellent prospects for the year ahead. The final discussion
struck a note of pride in the Union’s growing strength and

stability.

The delegates held the opinion
that the Officers’ Report Com-
mittee (Chairman, Tom Barnett,
Local 1-85, IWA) had done a
thorough and competent job. They
had cxamined the Officers’ Re-
port and supporting documents,
and questioned the officers on
various aspects of their report. In

accepting the report, the delegates
made clear that they were satis-

fied with the Union’s administra-
tion.
Organization

Problems of organization were
given first attention. Here it was
revealed that the average mem-
bership for the previous eighteen
months had risen by 3,877. The

monthly average of dues-paying
membership for the Region is
33,927.

The new’ Saskatchewan Local
Union, 1-184, brought an addi-
tional 450 members under the
wing of Regional Council No. 1.
A warm welcome was extended to
the delegates from the prairie
province.

The Officers’ Report Committee
agreed with the Officers that con-
tinued diligence in organization is
required. Technological change

had lowered the membership in
some operations. Expansion of the

industry in other areas had more
than offset this, and thus added to

See “RECORD” Page 3

Barry

MATHER

At this time many authorities, especially businessmen,
are saying that the time has come when the Canadian con-
sumer will have to be protected against the Canadian worker.

This is all very well but in this country thousands of

workers are going around disgusted like consumers.

So it must be very difficult for
the all kindly merchants who
would like to do something for
the consumer—if they just could
tell the consumer from a worker.

* * *

The other day I was in a butch-
er store. There was a man who
came in bold as brass, dressed like
a consumer. He walked right up
to the counter,

Now, I happened to know that
fellow and he was a worker. Had
I not known him I would have
been taken in too and put him
down for a consumer.

Anyway he fooled the butcher.
That butcher greeted him as
though he was a long-lost con-
sumer,

I tried to catch his eye... but
before I could do anything the
butcher had let that worker, who

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was made up to look like a con-

sumer, buy $4.50 worth of meat.
x * x

After the fellow had made his
get-away I told the butcher. .
“Listen,” I said, “that man was
an imposter. He wasn’t a consum-
er at all...I know him. He is
an admitted worker!”

“He might look like a consumer
but he is really a worker—a wolf
in sheep’s clothing...”

“Lamb,” the butcher said. “Did
you say lamb?”

Well, there was no use arguing
with. him. The worker had got
away with it.

But really what’s the use of
warning the workers to go easy
and to think of the consumer
when half the time you can’t tell
them apart?

* * *

I'd like the Board of Trade to

Niel tom, Ya) The difference be-
| tween a worker and a consumer
jand (b) How to curb the worker

without curbing the consumer.

A GOOD EVENING to every-
body and especially to workers

Reprinted by permission of the
Vancouver Sun.

Local 1-71, J. E. Ray; Local 1-80,
1-207, J. Bunz; Local 1-217, A. M

Local 367, C. MacCormack; Local 1-405,

Secretary; Local 1-424, M,. Ross.

CONSTITUTION COMMITTEE

R. Davis; Local 1-85, R. Van Appelen;
cLoachlan;

Local 1-118, T. Ainsley; Local
Local 1-357, A. D. Smith, Chairman; Local 1-363, J. Mack;

F. Drieir, Local 1-417, R. Schlosser; Local 1-423, S. A. Muir,

Warning On
Contract
Proposals

IWA Local Unions have
been warned not to publicize,
their proposed contract de-
mands prior to the Wages and
Contract Conference, This was
the position taken by the dele-
gates attending the IWA Re-
gional Convention.

Reasons given for the decision
were that premature publicity had
sometimes created false impres-
sions in the public mind, and had
tended to promote factionalism
instead of unity in the ranks.

IWA Favours
‘Test’ Ban

The IWA is again on
record in favour of a ban on

-|nuclear arms tests.

A resolution at the IWA
Regional convention insisted that
further steps must be taken to
mobilize public opinion in this way
to make possible further steps to-
ward a genuine disarmament pro-
gramme.

View of the convention was that
steps toward disarmament should
be taken through the United
Nations. The Canadian Govern-
ment was asked to exert every

effort toward world disarmament
within the UN.

~ Act Now”
By IWA REGIONAL PRESIDENT JOE MORRIS
| be is my duty as an officer of the Canadian Labour

Congress, and the IWA, to speak bluntly and openly
with regard to the growing danger of the unemployment
situation.

I ask my fellow-trade unionists to join in a campaign
to rouse public support for immediate action at all levels
of government. The gravity of the situation is such that
we may disregard the charge that we are alarmists. The
actual number of jobless persons in our own province
is now so large that the truth about the situation must be
grasped by everyone.

Action by trade unions has become doubly important.
Attempts are being made to gloss over the true extent
of unemployment, and its threat. Every addition to the
number of the unemployed, weakens the security of those
now holding jobs. ;

Every group lay-off brings another drop in retail
business. The economy has passed the point where an
automatic adjustment might be expected. There must
bea full-scale effort to stamp out an evil which has become
epidemic.

The unions have had accurate knowledge of the
unemployment situation. Their warnings have gone
unheeded. The crisis is not their’s alone. Unemployment,
with its effects, now overshadows every household in the
entire community. It’s a simple equation. Less wage
spending equals less business.

Whether the reported number of the jobless should
be a few thousand more or a few thousand less, can no
longer be profitably debated. The lowest number officially
reported is still far too high for the safety of the economy.

“Where is the money coming from to remedy unem-
ployment?” This is another question that now only fans

the breeze. Workers without jobs and no other source of
income, soon reach the point where they must get food

See “ACT NOW” Page 2

Bureau To Use New Yardstick
To Measure Unemployment .

The federal government has

The new yardstick is a compromise between the Dominion Bureau of

and the number of registrations

plained that the DBS figure was too low

announced that unemployment will be measured differently in future.

Statistics survey figure
filed with the National Employment Service. Critics com-
and the NES figure too high.

for jobs

From now on the official figure will be based on a survey of 35,000 families and will include,
not only those who are out of work and seeking jobs—the old DBS figure—but also those on temporary

layoff for at least 30 days.

7:00 a
Thursday

Ist and Last Thursday
6:00 p.m.

: CKP