Trades Congress president raps
anti-labor legislation, red bogey

In a stinging address to delegates of the Vancouver, New Westminster and District
Trades and Labor Council, Trades Congress president Percy Bengough scored the anti-labor
legislation and ‘red-begey’ accémpaniment, by which reaction across Canada is attempting
to weaken and destroy the trade union and labor movements.

“Labor legislation recently in-
troduced in Prince Edward Is-
land,” said President Bengough,
“takes us back 200 years. It is the
same as the Ley ‘labor code’ in
Germany before the war.” PET
jabor legislation now prohibits the
Island unions from having any
outside affiliations, and the unions
have to be licensed. “This in 1948
after a war for freedom. There is
no squawk about international
combines operating in PEI,” con-
tinued Bengough, “only against
the trade unions. Other provinces
may try it also.” Legislation along
similar lines, a combination of
Bill 39 and the Taft-Hartley law
has been introduced into Alberta
' by the social credit government.

Bengough scored the present
red-baiting campaign of big busi-

“The Trades Congress does not
subscribe to communist philo-
sophies,” said Bengough, “but we
cannot agree to its use by hired
propagandists and newspapers to
weaken and destroy the trade
union movement, Every trade
unionist has a right to belong to
the party of his choice. Let’s keep
our feet on the ground, and not
be stampeded into a witch-hunt,”
he concluded.

On the ‘roll-back-prices’ TLC
delegation to Ottawa, the Coun-
cil executive brought in a recom-
mendation that Showler and Ger-
vin should not attend. Due to the
importance of the’ prices cam-
Paign, delegates submitted a sub-
stitute proposal that. “one TLC
officer ‘should go”. in addition to
One other delegate.

Division 101,

Street Railway-!

RISE

PERCY BENGOUGH
“Don’t be stampeded”

men proposed that TLC should
join in BCFL labor lobby in Vic-
toria that week. Council decided
that the executive would go to
Victoria to make representation
when, Bill 39 amendments were
being discussed, and that all affi-

‘liated locals be notified -to send

representative delegates when the
issue came up in the House.

tilities body, BCE
in new price gouge

_ Evidence is rapidly piling up to indicate that the BCElec-
tric and the Public Utilities Commission are preparing a new
and bigger price gouge of the public. A. E. (Dal) Grauer,
President of the BCElectric made it very plain at a recent

meeting of the shareholders, that
the company was out to break
the present profit limitation of
rites cent in the Public Utilities.

In ~ past the Public
Utilities has been
very generous in its interpretation
of what constitutes “profits,” It
has also helped nave the way for
utility price hikes by its numer-
ous press statements on how
much the B@Electric is “losing”
on its mumerous services. Last

months

November PUC subservience hit].

“a new low in its arguments auth-
orizing a “temporary” increase in
transit fares.

In January the public got a
new hint of what was coming.
‘The BCElectric filed requests
with the PUC that each service—
transportation, gas, light,  etc.,
must be financially capable of re-
turning the maximum profit. A
PUC press release stated that if
new rates were allowed it would
mean a sharp increase for every
service, including electric current
which has supposedly been “car-
rying”’ the other services),

The Civic Reform Association
has carried on a consistent fight
to prevent the B.C. Electric and the
PUC from raising utility rates.
The wide public support of the

CRA position was registered in the
19,000 votes marked for Mrs. Effie
(‘low fare’) Jones, CRA candidate
in last year's, civic elections, and
since by the 7,000 signatures to a
petition demanding a public hear-
ing on the transit fare issue.

Acting for the Johnson-Anscomb
Coalition, the PUC has played the
monopolists’ game by attempting ta

prevent the public from knowing

the facts—by keeping “top secret”
company data upon which it
claims utility price increases, and
by allowing the B.C. Electric to at-
tack the rate structure piecemeal.

The PUC letter of April 2 to the
Civic Reform Association bears
out the desire of this government-
al servitor of B.C. Electric inter-
ests, to keep its “public hearings”
down to a select public.

Public Utilities Commission
April 2nd, 1948.

“Dear Sirs:
Your letter of March 3i1st, has
had the attention of the Commis-
sion I am directed to advise that
the arrangements for public
hearings on the rates of British
Columbia Electric Railway Com-
pany Limited and its affiliated
companies are proceeding as
rapidly as possible and that an
interview with your Association
at this time would serve no use-
ful purpose.
Yours truly,

A. B. Jackson,

Secretary,
Public Utilities Commission.

The letter not only confirms
suspicions that a general hike in
all rates is sought, but that the
“hearings” are to be limited to or-
ganizations and opinions amenable
to monopoly interests.

On the Advice of its thousands
of supporters, the CRA will press
for adequate representation at
such hearings,and again stresses
the fact that the public be fully
acquainted with B.C. Electric's
factual submissions in support of
utility price hikes, before such are
authorized by the PUC.

Legion sends delegate
to protest sales tax

Expressing unanimous opposi-
tion to the government’s projected
sales tax, secretary Peté Turner,
Branch 168 of the Canadian Le-
gion is in Victoria, representing
23 Vancouver and area units of
the Legion, to place their views
before Finance Minister Anscomb
and the government.

A resolution adopted Jast Sunday
by the Vancouver District Council
of the Legion characterized the
sales tax as “a nuisance tax, a tax
upon a tax, tending to increase
black market activities, and fall-
ing most heavily upon the worker
in th low income brackets.” Num-
erous Legion units throughout the
province have expressed similar
disapproval of the sales tax.

The Legion District Council has
called a public meeting to be held
Sunday, April 11, at 8 p.m., in the
Veterans’ Memorial Centre, 636
Burrard St., to which all veterans
and other citizens interested in de-
feating the sales tax have been
invited. Mounting | indignation
against the sales tax in labor and
other circles indicate widespread
support of the Legion’s efforts to
defeat this unpopular legislation.

IWA wage conference
formulates wage scale

In preparation for new wage ne-
gotiations, 77 delegates to the
District wage and contract con-
ference of the International Wood-

workers of America met last
Sunday to formulate demands.
Present wage contracts between

the IWA and the operators ex-
pire June 30, and wage negotia-
tions are expected to begin this
month or early in May.

Among the many contract pro-
posals coming before the IWA
wage conference, the most im-
portant are:

@ An hourly increase of 35
cents across the board. ;

@A $ “straight-through” 40-
hour week to begin Mondays
and end ¥ridays.

@ A welfare plan paid by the
operators from a 5 percent levy
on the industrial payroll, - and
administered by the IWA.

@ Board rates in camps will
be handled as_ regional prob-
lems and negotiated as supple-
mentary to the master contract.

Questions of overtime _ rates,
wage differentials, etc., will be
handled by the District Policy
Committee set up to negotiate
wage increase claims. A fighting
fund of $100,000 was also decided
upon by the wages conference.
Trade Union Research reports
made to the wage conference,
show the B.C. lumberworkers now
producing more per man day in

ja 40-hour week than was produced

in 1945 with a 48-hour week. It

also revealed the tremendous
profits of the operators in 1947 and
showed that the wage increases
demanded were fully justified by
profit levels and by all-time high
living costs,

Prices main problem

The “greatest single problem

facing the country” today is
prices. According to Gullap
Poll figures released last week,
42 percent of Canadians are
convinced of it.

Despite the hysterical anti-
Communist campaign, only four
percent of the population be-
lieves it is the serious question;
only nine percent believe there
is immediate danger of war;
and only two percent are im-
pressed by talk of US. dollar
shortage. .

Prices campaign gets
big total for Ottawa

Members of the B.C. Housewives’ Consumer Association
were enthusiastic about the results of last Saturday’s “Signa-
ture Day” in the campaign to roll back prices.

Estimating that when all
15,000 signatures were collected in
the city that day, Mrs. Marion Par-
kin, Association secretary, told the
Pacific Tribune that people liter-
ally queued up to sign the petition.

“Particularly in the community
areas, in front of Safeway and
similar stores, the response was ex-
ceptionally good,” she said.

Many communities throughout
the province have given 100 per-
cent support in the campaign for
signatures. In Nanoose Bay, for
example, every single person in the
community signed, while Wells is
sending a delegate to Ottawa offi-
cially representing the whole town.

Organizations all over the prov-

returns are in, approximately

ince are sending delegates for the
prices conference to be held Sat-
urday, April 10, in the Pender Au-
ditorium, prior to send-off of dele-
gates Saturday night to Ottawa to
interview the federal cabinet.

The conference will open at
10 am. to hear prominent local
speakers and discuss five main
resolutions. ;

It is expected that delegates will
be finally elected from the con-
ference and will leave from the
CPR at 7:15 p.m. that night. They —
hope to interview members of the
federal cabinet in the afternoon
of Friday, April 16.

Canadian Slavs protest
Zorkin-Morrison actions

CUMBERLAND, B.C.—Cumberland branch of the Croa-
tian. Educational Organization have issued a protest to the
provincial and federal governments for allowing known fas-

cists into Canada.
Tribune declares:

“The Canadian Slavs of the
Progressive Educational Croa-
tian Organization protest to the
Dominion government and also
to the government of British
Columbia against Jugoslav-born
Dano Zorkin who was allowed
to enter Canada from a ‘dis-
placed person’ camp in Europe,
and who is now living in Na-
naimo, B.C. . :

“This person is a traitor to
his country and people, and
there is sufficient proof that he
murdered many men and wo-
men in Jugoslavia during the
last world war. He is wanted by
the Yugoslav government to
stand trial for his inhuman
crimes, and should not be rum
ning free in a democratic coun-
try, like Canada.”

The protest is signed by the
secretary of the organization, Va-
lent Vucinic.

Meanwhile officers of the Can-
adian South-Slavic Youth Federa-
tion in Vancouver have protested
the slanderous allegation of Sun
columnist Bob Morrison in a
strong letter to the Vancouver
Sun. |
“We, the Vancouver brane}
the Canadian South-Slavic |
Federation, a non-political affili-
ated organization, comprised of
approximately 100 members,
strongly protest the slanderous
lying attacks of Bob Morrison’s

of
outh

'

The protest forwarded to the Pacific

column “Right Angles” against
the Council of Canadian South-
Slavs.

The people with whom Bob
Morrison complies know that
Yugoslavia has been through a
horrible war against fascism.
They know also that 90 per cent
of the people under the leader-
ship of Tito carried through the
liberation of their homeland
against fascist invasion, -

Yet, now at the war’s end these
same reactionary people, in Can-
ada, are carrying on with their
slanderous attacks of red baiting
and falsehood against Canadian
Yugoslavs, and other progressive
groups.

The Canadian, South - Slavic
Youth Federation challenges Bob |
Morrison and the Croatian Peas-
ant Society of Canada to produce
evidence of purposely ‘hurting any
children for dny political belief
their parents may have; of intim-
idation by provoking fear and
violence; of physical terrorism;
or of demanding donations.

We, as future Canadian citizens
of Yugoslav parentage join with
the Council of Canadian South-
Slavs in this protest. Yugoslavia
has experienced the torments of
war against fascism in order that
her people may look forward to
post-war years of abundance, de-
mocracy and freedom.”

Miners score union attack

_ SUDBURY—The national Wage Policy Conference of
the International Union, Mine, Mill and Smelter Workers
has delegated a committee of the Union to meet with Im-
migration officials of the Department of Mines and Resources,

to protest the flagrant interference
in union affairs, by the arrest and
threatened deportation of Vice
president Reid Robinson. Fig

The Wage Conference resolution
on this unwarranted attack on the
IUMMS declares: ip

“The charges of “subversive
activities” laid by Immigration
authorities of the Department
of Mines and Resources against
Mine-Mill Vice President Reid
Robinson constitute an outrage-
ous and unwarranted ai k on?
the rights of Canadian workers
to democratically select their
own union -leaders, and is un-
precedented interference by gov- .
erment in the affairs of a dul
recognized trade union.

“Vice President Robinson is

being held on bail but restrained
totally from carrying on_ his
duties as a trade union official,
forbidden to carry on union ac-
tivities although the charge
against him was ‘subversive ac-
tivities’ and not ‘union activities.’

“This Conference, on _ behalf
of the entire Canadian member-
ship of this International Union,
protest to the Federal Govern-
ment against its interference in
the affairs of this union, against
the denial of the right of demo-
cratic selection of trade union
officials, and against the anti-
union activities in which our
Ege naens is engaging on be-
i were employers of our in-

_ PACIFIC TRIBUNE—APRIL 9, 198--PAGE 2