FRIDAY, APRIL 18. 1952 May Day committee asks for right to sell souvenir tags — The West Coast Seamen’s Union, Marine Workers, Fishermen’s Union, National Federation of Labor Youth. Finnish Organization and other unions and progressive groups will enter floats in the May Day parade this year to compete for the shield awarded an- nually for the most attractive entry, May Day Committee secretary John Hines told the Pacific 3 ‘Tribune this week. on the understanding that no An official permit from the jiterature or handbills will be city police department to hold qjstributed as these contravene the parade has been received by park by-laws. the committee. The parade route, changed from former “We have applied to city “years, is from Hastings and Bur- council for formal permission to rard south on . Burrard to distribute souvenir tags on May Georgia and west on‘Georgia in- . 4 along the route of march,” to Stanley Park. said Hines. “We are also hav- The board of parks commis- ing: tags printed and ditsributed sioners has given permission for to unions and other organiza- the, rally at Lumberman’s Arch, tions for sale prior to May 4.” ee Te ee tre Yk ok acne eae Editorial Formula for inaction E were happy to see that the recent CCF provincial convention tacked the pennant of ‘‘Socialism”’ back on the masthead of its electoral objectives. That is always an encouraging sign, It is however disturbing to note that there are still trade union leaders, (who are also CCF policy makers) who decry independent trade union political action at the polls, and who insist that the sole ageney for working class emancipation and socialism in Canada is the COF. The following points up the fallacy of such a concept. The B.C. Federation of Labor (CCL) held a delegate conference on March 31 to “discuss a political program and candidates” for the coming prov- incial election. Sixty-nine delegates from 14 trade unions were present. As the conference moved forward to nominations, the CCF’s self-styled monopoly of trade union political action found expression, One BQFL nominee was ruled unsuitable because he “was not a CCF member, and that this kind of nomination was not the intent. . aa Then two CCF’ers were nominated, Jim Bury, secretary of Vancou- ver Labor Council (CCL), and Tony Gargrave. : Bury proceeded to enlighten the assembled trade union dele- gates on his idea of political action. ‘“‘He was glad to see... an awakening interest in political action . . . and felt that if trade unionists wanted to'take political action and have some say in for- multing policy ... and nominating candidates . . . the place to do it was inside the CCF.’’! No, he did not want any nomination ‘from this group to the CCF ... only the CCF had that right.”! Bury then roundly denounced what he calls the “Uphill-Com- munist” Trade Union Representation Committee, composed of a number of AFL and CCL unionists seeking a medium for greater trade union unity at the polls. Just how Bury and his colleagues hope to achieve their ‘‘socialism’’ while destroying the most element- ary essential to socialism—-working class unity and action—is be- yond us. F Perret near at ttt tit tet tnt eee ee Pt tee eee ie See Aes O00 Bee DOE Dee tee Be fun —1OrI0r =—= (o} — (a) The LONG and the SHORT of itis... | 0 | ° 9 Se re) 1 ° The HUB has sold i Union-Made Men’s Wear MH and extended friendly ser- | | = Whats trad a oll pn Sat at vice for over 50 years. i did't mA? Chonge your store, ay bap ; and wp THE neuer é ° ° ° ne: 45 E. Hastings Vancouver, B.C. JJ ° 010 m0 ho 0 no eee ee Te TY TT | TT Vancouver City Council. utili- ties committee will be pressed this coming Monday, April 21, by delegations from trade un- ions, community organizations, the Vancouver Fair Rates Com- mittee and Civic Reform Asso- ciation to apply to Public Utili- ties Commission for restoration of the 16-cent fare. On Tuesday this week Van- couver and District Trades and Labor Council (AFL-TLC) un- animously passed a resolution requesting city council to ask for an immediate reduction in transit fares. “T appeal to all those who have supported our campaign against increased bus fares to come to city hall at 10. a.m; Monday,’ said CRA leader Effie Jones. ‘‘We have an excellent opportunity to restore the 10- cent fare. A clause in the fran- chise agreement between the BCElectric and the city gives either party the right to apply to the PUC for a change in tran- sit fares. New facts which have come to light since the fare in- creases went into effect make it incumbent on council to apply’ along these lines, and it is our duty to ourselves and our fellow citizens to determine. that it does so.” The new developments refer- red to by Effie Jones are the reduction in federal income tax for electric utilities from 52.6 to 48 percent, and the B.C. Power Corporation’s annual re- port to its shareholders, which contains revealing figures on in- come and expenses. The estimated saving to the BCElectric in income tax ($800,000) is by itself almost equal to the estimated BCH increase in revenue from its re- cent fare boost ($1,100,000). The B.C. Power Corporation annual financial report discloses that employment costs (wages. salaries and pensions) were re- duced from $18.02 millions in 1950 to $17.71 millions in 1951, and that employment costs as a percentage of gross revenue dropped from 42 percent to 38 percent in the same period. Yet the BCE was able to secure electric rate increases in March, 1951, from the PUC, to yield an additional $2,000,000 in rev- enue, supposedly to meet in- -ecreased wage costs of transpor- tation workers. The corporation’s gross rev- enue increased by more than $3,800,000 and its operating income jumped from $7.31 mil- lions to $8.18 millions. This increase in operating in- come does not take into account the electric increases in January this year, and only partially re- flects the increases in electric rates of March and August, 1951, and the gas rate increase in October, 1951, Unions name 0. Braaten Orville Braaten, business agent for Local 433, International Bro- therhood of Pulp, Sulphite and Paper Workers, was the un- animous choice of the Trade Union Representation Commit- tee as labor candidate in Van- couver Centre when 40 delegates representing 15 locals of 10 unions met here Wednesday this week, Unions represented at the nominating meeting included Electricians, Boilermakers, Car- penters, Fishermen, Pulp and Sulphite Workers and Mine-Mill. Crisis in cheese industry Canada is faced with the paradox of having a large chees@ surplus, although the British people, who need the cheese, cannot, get it. This is only one consequence of the cold war policies noW strangling the economies of the countries pursuing them, Loss of the $8 million British market is a serious matter for this country’s 85 million pound cheese industry. Teachers maintain executive stand on separate schools . B..C Teachers’ Federation an- nual convention, held in Vancou- ver this week, went on record in favor of wage boosts ranging from $300 to $800 annually, but turned down proposals that the federation set up a strike fund. Tn the last three months the BCTF has collected more than $4,500 to aid Nova Scotia teach- ers who were forced to strike when their wage demands were rejected. Strike aid from B.C. will continue. By a vote of 566 to 6 delegates upheld the -executive’s stand against inclusion of Roman Honored at banquet Catholic parochial| schools if B.C.’s public school system. Teacher training in the P! ince will become an integra! part of University of pritist Columbia starting in’ September” 1953, Education Minister W- i Straith told’ delegates. This wy mean closure of Vancouver Nee mal School, Victoria Norm School will continue but will united with Victoria| collee® which is afifliated with UBC The convention chose R? R, Smith of Vancouver as PP dent by acclamation. ov si ‘ Pearl Wedro leaves city, goes to Toronto Bidding her many friends goodbye at a supper held in her honor at the Sai Woo last week- end, Pearl Wedro, a member of the Canadian trade union dele- gation which visited the Soviet Union last summer and a veteran organizer of the International Fur and Leather Workers Union, left last wetkend for east- ern Canada. Miss Wedro plans to visit Toronto and Montreal. Replying to the good wishes expressed by Nigel Morgan, LPP provincial leader, Miss Wedro said, “I |shall always regard Vancouver as one of my homes. I have found many good friends here in my multiple work in trade union activities, the Lea- gue for Democratic Rights, ana in the promotion of greater Canadian-Soviet friendship.” PACIFIC TRIBUNE — APRIL 18, 1952 — FP. union in many CCL conve’ ™ ine oa Miss Wedro is one of an pioneer builders of milly trade unions in the needle tra in eastern Canada. and pris the early campaigns (ior union organization| and ker conditions to the Fur wor Union, She represent at ons prior to its expulsion Mosher-Millard splitteTs: | ade Since. return of the © go § union delegation from eee aft 4 viet Union, Miss Wedro he cal . | dressed many trade uni0? im in western Canada OP “_, jot pressions of the Soviet visit Miss Wedro had previow® |) 458 ed the Soviet. Union in dia? member of the first S@enie women’s delegation country. , ace ?