.

CCF ‘analysis’ of Saanich vote
indicates reason Coalition won

This reproduction of Colin Cameron’s “analysis” of the Saanich byelection results
is taken from a front parge article of the CCF News of February 26. The facts themselves
refute the stupid and mischievous assertations of their author.

There is irrefutable evidence in the election returns of the votes that were won for

Cameron by the LPP en-
deavour, scores of which help-
ed to make up the 633-vote in-
crease won by the CCF in the teeth
of a virulent Coalition campaign.

One poli thoroughly canvassed
with leaflets and personal visits by
LPP canvassers was Gordon Bay,
where Nigel Morgan, LPP provin_
cial leader, spoke four days before
the voting, Here the CCF gained 37
votes and the Coalition lost 39, giv-
ing the CCF a poll they could not
take in 1945. No evidence of Cam-
eron’s “kiss of death” here.

In Sidney, the LPP also can-
yvassed and held a public meeting.
Here the CCF vote jumped from
156 to 307. In the two big polls of
Hampton Road and_ Boleskine
Road, where the LPP campaign
Schedule ran into bitter weather
conditions and where the Coalition
machine was the most concentrat-
ed, the CCF gained altogether 61
votes—not much, but this is where
the government tried to flatten
the CCF.

On election day the LPP sup-
plied cars and scrutineers to the
CCF election commitee, assistance
that was warmly appreciated by
honest CCF election workers, if
not by their candidate. i

Again, the unprincipled redbait-
ing and reckless promises of the
Coalition machine, from cabinet
members to ward-heelers, /in itself
would not have confused sections
of the electorate had not Cameron
joined in the reactionary chorus,
thereby giving their baseless as_
-Sertions a semblance of credulity
and driving scores of confused
electors to support of the Social
Credit and other splinter-group
candidates. By joining in the Coa-
ition’s redbaiting tirades, Cameron
aided the very thing that helped
defeat him. ~

Colin Cameron’s “explanations”

in 1948, in the former case because
of “LPP opposition”, in the latter
because of “LPP support” are self-
contradicting. Cameron lost both
seats for the CCF because he and
his top lieutenants refused to un-
derstand what a lot of CCF, LPP

alone, but only when all are unani-
mous in their deermination to
Sweep the Johnson_Anscomb. Coali-
tion out-of office and replace it
with the only alternative possible
'n the present period—a CCF govy-

age 5

a

Tl

Coalition Waged
Dirty Campaign
To Win Saanich

By COLIN CAMERON.
The concensus is that sel-
dom has there been a dirtier

|campaign than that waged by

the Coalition in. Saanich. Sev-
eral irresponsible and quite
unscrupulous party hangers-on
were mustered into service to
shout vulgar personal insults at
the CCF candidate over the radio.
Cabinet ministers did not hesitate
to distort facts and to play on
every fear and prejudice of their
audiences.

The most brilliant stroke’ of busi-
ness performed by the Coalition
was the arrangement whereby the
LPP candidate was withdrawn and
the communists launched a _ high-
powered campaign supposedly in
support of the CCF. The final
leaflet distributed on the Satur-
day before the election was no
doubt responsible for turning away
the few hundreds which were re-

Ce

Hi

a

in C
Legis
creast
had t
glitter

Atiei
to kee;
big job
health °
means
bulild
Saanict
Highwa
on the
of the
the ra
million
protect
mill «

of how he lost his seat in Comox

in 1945 and failed to win Saanich mot be done by any one group

It is difficult
[Apr 28

nd non-party workers learned
ong ago, that it takes a united
abor movement, unruffled by the

‘edbaiting yelps of reaction, to beat
t at the polls. That the job can-

C

— Local

FRIDAY, MARCH 5, 1948

Greetings to
Pacilic Tribune

from
Ss a Jou rneymen
: Tailors’

Union

Vancouver, B.C,

178

quired for a CCF victory.
to. pi--
a rh :

“dom;

suffici:
same

s-

| That is why the LPP is sharply
critical of Cameron’s “analysis”
end “explanations”, because they

are detrimental to labor’s interests,
0 the CCF, and to the unity need-
4 to defeat reaction.

Miners win ee hike

‘CALGARY—Ten thousand Can-
adian coal miners have ended a
month-long work-stoppage after
winning a $2 daily wage increase,
The miners also won an increase
from 3 cents to 5 cents a ton in
the welfare fund levy.

The new increase brings the
daily average rate of bituminous
miners to $10.93 and that of con-
tract miners ,t0 $14.55,

nr
Prominent speakers at
Int'l Woman's Day fete

“Womeh In the Struggle of
Peace” will be the theme of a sym-
posium in recognition of Interna-
tional Women’s Day, in the John
Goss Studio, 641 Granville St., ou
Tuesday, March 9 at 8 p.m.
Participants in the symposium
will include Mrs. W. B. Young,
president of the Women’s Interna-
tional League for Peace and Free-
Kayla Culhane, well-known
in trade union, circles, Anna Lew,
active worker in’ the youth field,
and Mrs, Effie Jones, veteran labor
fighter and prominent in Vancou-
ver municipal affairs.

The public are cordially invited
to attend this affair, and particu-
larly the women folks, to hear first
hand the dramate struggle that
women all over the world are car-
rying on today in the cause of
Peace.

A social get-together will be
held at the close of the symposium.
AN proceeds will go towards tne
Canadian Appeal for Children. For
further information on Interna-
tional Women’s Day program
vhone Mrs. Marye Croy, North
338M3 or Anna Leschynsky, HA.

aq

proper safety

“There will be a gross-section of
the people of B.C. gathering to de-
cide what course of action they
should take in case of a federal or
Trovincial election this year," Rush
told the Pacific Tribune this week.
“It will be a people’s convention,
with coal miners, metal miners,
smeltermen from Trail, loggers,
fishermen, farmers, housewives —
all people who are in the front lines
of today’s struggle for a better
standard of living for all.”
Keynote address will be given
by provincial leader Nigei Morgan
at opening sessions of. the conven-
tion Saturday morning, March 13.
on the main theme of need for
unity of labor and farmers at the
polls.

National LLP leader Tim Buck
will also speak at these sessions
which, contrary to practice of most
Political parties, will be open to the
public “so that any worker who
wishes can attend and have an
opportunity to determine for him-
self how the Labor-Progressive
party arrives at its policies,” Rush
said.

LPP convention open
to public, says Rush .

Among the anticipated 140 delegates to the fifth B.C.-
Yukon convention of the Labor-Progressive party will be
representatives from every industry in the province, accord-
ing to Maurice Rush, LPP provincial organizer.

A reception has also been arrang-
ed for Friday March 12, in the
Pender Auditorium when Tim
Buck's friends and the public may
meet and talk with him socially.

(Sunday sessions of the conven.
tion will be given over to discus-
sion of the organizational report
by Maurice Rush, which will “ex-
amine the work the LPP is go :
to undertake to further the unity
of the people of B.C.”

“An important contribution to
that unity will be the building and
strengthening of the party itself,”
Rush said, “as the driving force for
unity. The LPP has shown growth
over the past year despite the
fierce red-baiting attacks lévellled
at it by big business and anti--
labor spokesmen.”

A provincial committee of be-
tween 35 and 40 members will be
elected probably late Sunday after-
noon and the delegates will then
‘adjourn until Monday to allow all
hose present to attend he public
ally in Exhibition Garden to hear
Tim Buck.

ballots,” in
union’s wage demands,

Voting .on the so-called final
offer of the City Council produced

a stormy session. The offer was so
unacceptable that member after
member in a packed union meet-
ing demanded it thrown out with-

out vote. Union
president Edwin
Larson insisted
on a secret bal-
lot in accord-
ance with the
union constitu-
tion. When the
ballot was tak-
en the Council
offer was rejec-
ted by a 98 per-
cent ‘no’ vote.
.. While the city
fathers hoisted

: their own salar-
ies by $1,200 during 1947, they
could only offer the outside work-
ers a 10-cent wage increase in
two instalments: 8 cents from
January to June, with 2 cents
thereafter until the termination or
the, contract.

The city also “offered” a Blue
Cross and a Medical Services As-
sociation (MSA) premium of $1.25
for single men and $2.50 for mar-
ried mien, which in itself is good,
but falls far short of the union
demands. .

These are: a 25-cemts per
hour increase across the board;
the adjustment of tradesmen’s
rates to bring them into line
with those in private employ-
ment; the 40-hour week, closed
shop and union checkoff; four
hours’ pay for all emergency
ca'l-outs; free work clothes
where wear and tear is greater
than normal, and free water-
proof clothing for men exposed
to all-weather conditions; exten-
sion of vacation plan to provide
vhree weeks’ holiday with pay
ofter 5 years’ service, instead of
15 years as at present. adequate
shelters for outside work gangs;
clauses in the

Jack Phillips

‘union contract.

The offer made to the outside
workers was also made to the fire-
men and the city hall staff, on a

Civic unions reject
City Hall wage offer

By JACK PHILLIPS

( The Civic Employees’ Union, Local 28 demagpstrated to
those elements who are continually harping about

“secret

voting on the City Council’s counter offer in the

$13.50 for the first six months,
plus an additional $4.00 a month
for the balance of the contracts,
plus the health benefits. The only
exception made was for junior
clerks and stenographers in the
city hall. For them, the offer was
$10.00 and $11.50, plus health bene-
fits. The firemen, like the outside
workers, turned ‘it down flat.. Their
demands stand as they were in
the first place, $40.00 a month plus
a signed contract. The city hall
staff, who demanded $30.00 a.
month plus health benefits, accept-
ed the offer,

In a statement prepared for the
Vancouver Trades and Labor
Council, union president Edwin
Larson remarked that while wages
of outside workers increased only
8 cents from 1945 to 1948, the
wages of council increased by 66
and two-thirds percent. He sug-
gested that if some of the alder-
men would spend a month digging
sewers in the rain, or a month
Swamping for a garbage truck in
all weather, they would be smore
kindly disposed towards the de-
mand of the union.

Pointing out that the union bar-
gains for the men of the sewers
department, waterworks, roada,
pavements, scavenging, cemetery,
barks board, exhibition board and
school board, approximating about
1600 workers, Larson stressed the
arduousness of their work, and
the bad conditions under which
they work.

He scored the fact that there is
a terrific turnover of labor in sew-
ers, waterworks, roads, pavements,
and other departments, because of
low wages ,and poor conditions.

| This, be charged, is wasteful, and

is costing the city hundreds or
thousands annually, He also made
the point that if the council made
the job attractive, the extra cost
would be greatly offset by the

building of a stable, efficient labor
force,

Close to 1000 of these men, he
charged, are working for 86 cents
an hour, and the average take
home pay is only about $140 a

monthly basis. They were offered

month,

PACIFIC TRIBUNE—PAGE 2