(O— nananty tell” FRIDAY, OCTOBER 4, 1957 p> Vol. 16, No. 40 Authorised as second class mail by the Post Office Department. Ottawa VANCOUVER, a | OTe % Las’, year the men of Vancouver Fire Department's in- halator service answered 2,092 alarms and were able to assist 1,599 of the 1,957 patients they tended. By con- trast, when the service was started in 1942, they answered only’ 96 alarms. Here firemen MacKay and Miller are shown with inhalator equipment. This week, October 6 to 12 is Fire Prevention Week, It looks like a tough winter ahead’ for ma spreading across the province and no amoun in the economy” can disguise t industrial projects are in the o Hardest hit are major indus- tries like lumbering, mining and construction. : This week MacMillan and Bloedel laid off 310 men in the two plants of its plywood divi- sion. At Quesnel, Western Ply- wood Company Jaid off 90 men, cutting production to leas than 70 percent of capacity. It does not plan to rehire the men until next spring. Mining has been in a slump for some time. Construction workers are feeling the pinch. Hooker Chemical laid off 35 painters Wednesday this week, and Painters Union now has about * 125 jobless members—all let cut within the past fortnight. About 300 members of Ma- rine Workers Union are cur- rently unemployed (the figure hag jumped by 250 in the past month) and layoffs are con- tinuing at the rate of 20-30 men a week. Last week 75 were laid off at Burrard Dry- dock. Some union leaders say that layoffs in their industries are “normal for this time of year.” Others take a more pessimistic view. But all are agreed that it - will be a tough witner Mine-Mill asking for Centennial Miners Day TRAIL, B.C. Western district executive of Mine-Mill is asking the pro- vincial government to pro- claim one day in the centennial year as Miners Day in honor of ‘the miners of this province. The government will be ask- ed to give preference to July 18, the date of the achieve- ment of Canadian autonomy by the union. Federal civil servants ask salary increase NIAGARA FALLS The Amalgamated Civil Ser- vants of Canada (CLC) con- vention here decided to ask the federal government for a sal- ary increase, on the grounds that recent increases were in most cases less than the 10 percent recommended by the joint salaries committee. he fact that jobless lines ar ffing to take up the slack. ny workers. Labor can city’ Black t of talk about “seasona e lengthening, and no new major elect in declares by BERT WHYTE ‘Tt only takes about 40,000 votes to elect an alderman in this city, and there are’ more than 60,000 workers in the uniohs affiliated to this council,” delegate Bill Black (Hospital Em- ployees) told Vancouver District Labor Council on Tuesday night. “If we want to elect three labor aldermen in December we'll have to step up our political action work.” Black hit out at the slow- ness of many VLC affiliates in taking part in the work of council’s political education committee. Only three nomi- nees to contest aldermanic seats had been put forward, and the deadline for nomina- tions had been pushed back to October 15. “This council decided some time ago to run three labor men and perhaps endorse three other pregressive candidates, to fill the six council seats at stake this year,” said Black. “But in order to elect, we need the solid support of all union members.” Sam Jenkins (Marine Work- ers) called for “an end to the apathy” shown by the trade union movement to political action in the civic field. “We all know Vancouver City Council acts as a stooge for the B.C. Electric,” he said. “We are now heading into a Continued on back page See POLITICAL Gov't workers doubt cabinet s bonafides NANAIMO, B.C. Provincial government employees are planning to ask Chief Justice Gordon Sloan for a public hearing. on the dis- puted issue of their collective bargaining rights. This was disclosed by Ed O'- Connor, general secretary of the B.C. Government Employ- ees Association, when he met with local association members ‘here Wednesday this week. Collective bargaining, long) 4 demand of provincial govern- ment workers, was placed be- fore a board of reference: earl- ier this year when the 10,000- member association. threatened to strike in, support of this and wage demands O’Connor reported that the government’s proposals _since the board of reference, was set up gave the association reason to doubt its intentions. O’Connor said the govern- ment’s proposal that employ- ees in supervisory capacities be excluded from the associa- tion could force as many as 4,000 to leave the BCGEA if the government’s rather than the association’s interpretation were accepted, : @ let's knock on doors The sub score in our circu- lation campaign is now 255— with 945 subs still to be pick- ed up in the next few weeks if we are to reach our goal of 1,200 subs and renewals Provincial points -have .a slight edge over Great Van- couver, 131 subs to 124. Leading press clubs in pro- vincial points. are Nanaimo, with 23 subs; -Alberni, -12; North Surrey, 10; Cumberland, 2; In Greater Vancouver lead- ing press clubs -are -North Burnaby, 16 subs; Broadway, 11; Advance, 9; Grandview, 9. How about setting aside one evening this week to go door knocking for your paper?