pera 542,000 JOBLESS Scrap austerity program | The demand that the Federal government scrap the austerity program gathered momentum this week as latest unemployment figures showed that Canadian jobless rose to 542,000 in March — the highest figure since March, 1964. Unemployment in Canada is now 6.7 percent of the labor force, which is well over the 6 percent Prime Minister Trudeau said he was prepared to “‘accept”” in his so-called ‘“‘fight against inflation.’”’ There are now 100,000 more jobless than a year ago in March. B.C. has been particularly hard hit. The jobless total, according to Ottawa figures, was 7 percent, with over 59,000 unemployed. Delegates from _ building trades unions at Tuesday nights meeting of the Vancouver Labor Council reported about 30 percent jobless before the lockout among = electrical workers, plumbers and carpenters. Delegates were highly critical of the austerity program and supported a letter from Donald ‘MacDonald, president of the Canadian Labor Congress, which charged the government was on a “‘collision course’ with mass unemploy- ment and recession ahead. — The special statement from the CLC urged the government to change its policies before it is too late. MacDonald’s letters said: ‘‘It would be bad enough if this (unemployment) was the result of inadvertence on the part of the Government; unfortunately this is not the case. The Govern- ment has made it clear that it intends to use unemployment as a tool in its fight against inflation. It is thus consciously following a collision course with mass unemployment and recession.”’ “Stop using the working population as pawns in _ its economic experiments,”’ demanded the CLC president. NDP national leader T.C. Douglas lashed out at the govern- ment’s austerity program: *‘We have the worst of both wolds,” he said, “high unemployment and an increased cost of living.”’ The Canadian Communist ‘afetetes atten! Rent Review By-Law i * Party has been conducting a national campaign calling for the scrapping of the government’s austerity program. It has warned that the aim of the Government is not really to wage war on inflation but to create a reserve army of unemployed with which to freeze wages and step up exploitation of labor. The latest jobless figures show that of the 542,000 unemployed, 234,000 were married men with families and 209,000 unmarried. Out of 99,000 jobless women, 46,000 were married, indicating further the difficulties being imposed on families. Another highly significant figure is that of the 542,000 jobless one hundred thousand of them are teenagers looking for work— close to 20 percent. LABOR COUNCIL DELEGATES BOMB SWING PROTESTED. Mrs. Freda Knott protested to Victoria City Council the installation of bomb- swings such as the one shown above in city parks. In her letter Mrs. Knott asked: “Are bombs such — wonderful objects that we must make playthings in their image?” The lethal looking swing is complete with USAF marking on it. The photo and report of Mrs. Knott's protest appeared in Victoria newspapers and city officials have not yet come up with a satisfactory explanation of who was responsible for defacing beautiful Beacon Hill Park with these war-like swings. HIT EMPLOYER LOCKOUTS Delegates from _ building trades unions put labors’ situation on the line at the VLC’s regular meeting on Tuesday night in the Con-Lab hall. John Tkachuk, business agent for the Carpenters, warned that there could be a ‘‘donnybrook”’ before the construction industry, (CLRA) would come to terms with the unions. He said the bosses in the building industry were levying dues: to provide their members with lockout insurance, and that they were backed by the Employers’ Council — the top echelon of big business in B.C. Although less than 5,000 were affected by the lockout, the unemployment situation amongst building trade workers had in some cases reached 30 percent, so that now they are Surrey municipal council has taken the initial step to establish the province's first municipal rental review board. On Monday, April 20, Council by a six to two vote gave first reading to the Rental Review Board Bylaw (3129). Final readings will -take place on May 4. Tenants are organizing a strong campaign to ensure the bylaw goes through. The PT will carry a fuller story next week on this important breakthrough for the tenants’ movement. faced not only with the fight against CLRA, but also for unemployment insurance benefits. “CLRA’s job is one of condi- tioning the public to the idea that union demands are out of line’, he said. He warned that the unions would not accept the idea of appearing before’ the provincial mediation board. Charlie Shane of _ the Construction Laborer’s Union said that the trade union move- ment is going to have to force the bosses to the bargaining table. The construction lockout is designed not only to destroy the unions, but also small con- struction companies. BACK CIVIC UNITY Union delegates approved an executive resolution welcoming the decision of the NDP Area Council to enter civic politics in co-operation with the Com- mittee of Progressive Electors (COPE). Frank Kennedy, presi dent of COPE, and a delegate from the Longshoremen’s Union, said it was possible to have a common program and a slate of candidates with common interests. George Kowbel, of the IWA, said that the move could mean ALL OUT TO MAY DAY RALLY SPEAKERS: SID THOMPSON, PRES. VANCOUVER & DISTRICT LABOR COUNCIL DONALD TORMEY, U.S. LABOR LEADER JOHN OLIVER AUDITORIUM SUNDAY, MAY 3, 8 P.M. PACIFIC TRIBUNE—FRIDAY, APRIL 24, 1970—PAGE 12 CHAIRMAN: JACK NICHOL, U.F.A.W.U. — MUSICAL PROGRAM (530 EAST 41st AVENUE) AUSPICES: VANCOUVER LABOR MAY DAY COMMITTEE that the labor movement will gain ‘additional representation on council. HIT ULTRA-LEFT Another executive resolution approved by the meeting was one which dissassociated the VLC from the Maoist and Yippie elements which disrupted the April resolution reiterated labor’s objection to the war in Vietnam and its desires for peace. A delegate said that such dis- ruptions could lead to a ban on all marches, such as happened in Montreal last year. He said the people behind the disrupters had two goals, — one, to end the peoples’ movement to end the war in Vietnam, and the other to keep the labor movement out of the peace struggle. “Open End’? marches are fraught with the danger that all sorts of ‘disrupters will take advantage of the situation, another delegate warned. He said he had understood the march was to be planned around one theme, with simple slogans, but the ‘‘open end”’ idea had been promoted in some of the material distributed before the march took place. 18 peace march. The. MARCH Cont'd from pg. 1 of Vietnam, Cambodia Laos. He claimed that whal™) being fought now is a battle © the whole territory of If china. In Cambodia. Pr Sihanouk had. provided sl government and a_peacé government, without ba and guerillas. He has ” pushed out by the rightists, ¥ obvious U.S. support Vietnam, Willmott said, 5a! is in bad shpapr, with a m0 crisis in the U.S. army as We Professor Jan De Vries, % the aid of slides demonstt@ the ecolological effects of oa war in Vietnam. ts q Father James Robely reiterated his belief that church representatives 1 form of chaplains are to amongst the military, es should be paid by the chure i and. not the milla establishment. So far, he *"07 there had been little sympa for his views. mo The audience at the Tea. | unanimously passed a resolu 0) which was forwarde@ i; External Affairs Mims” Sharpe and President Nix0®- jit Placing the onus for infl@ | and widespread unemploy nit | in Canada on the econ. | tieup with the United 5! and charging that neithel a. Paris Peace Talks nor Nii Vietnamization program ~ je | any prospect for peace iat | resolution urged the cand government to impress PU on the U.S. governme? desire of Canadians ' qf American troops withar ie from Vietnam, and gs abandonment of military ance in that country in accOh™ — with the 1954 agreement. tha! The resolution deman the Canadian i : terminate all forms of fol economic and moral supP eat the American prese? Vietnam, but instead humanitarian aid and “eb. aid impartially to all a need in that long § country.