ing Service Employees Union
(AFL), Local 234 as bargaining
Tepresantatives for the hitherto un-
Otganized workers at four Famous
Players, four Odeon and two inde-
Pendent theatres.

Workers in the theaters include
| doormen, janitors, usherettes and
Cashiers. Theaters certified are
yrrisdale, Orpheum, Capitol and
, ctoria (Faméus~ Players thea-
&rs); Odean-Hastings, Circle, Par-
adise and Lux (Odeon Theaters);

Emerald. miners
Vote for union

ne LSON, B.C.—Workers at the
h €rald Tungsten Mine, near
ape voted 64 to 11 recently for

U Cal 480 of the International
Rion of Mine, Mill and Smelter

Workers (CIO) as their official
bargaining representative. The
Vote was conducted by ‘the pro-
Yincial labor department, which
has now certified the IUMMSW
at the mine.

.| complete organization of this’ sec-

~ Ginema workers ask —
wage boost, less hours

_ Workers in ten Vancouver movie houses will now re-
cetve the benefits of an aggressive trade union in their fight
for Shorter hours and higher wages. Last week the provin-
pal labor department, after considerable delay, certified the

Lyric and Colonial (independent
theaters). ae

“All Famous Players and Odeon
houses certified, have received no-
tice from the union to be prepared
to commence negotiations,” Pete
Canavan, the Union’s business
agent told the Pacific Tribune this
week. Among the union’s demands
will be establishment of a mini-
mum wage of 75 cents-an-hour. At
present some theaters in question
pay wages as low as 40 cents, while
others rarely go above 60 cents.

Canavan stated that his union
expected to apply for certification
of 34 other movie theaters in Van-
couver and the Lower Mainland, in
the near future, in an effort to

tion of the service workers,

Elections for executive officers
of the Building Service Employees
Union here recently, saw Victor
Galbraith chosen local president
for another term, by acclamation.
Also re-elected were Pat Ryan,
vice-president; Bert Wybrew, re-
cording secretary; and Pete Cana-
ban, business agent, all unopposed. |
New executive members elected
are: Irene Coughlin, secretary;
and Ken Creelman, guardian.

Publications. Geoff. Webster, as
€ was known to a wide circle
of friends, was seized with a
eart attack while working at
desk in his West Vancou-
ver home and died in hospital
A few hours later. He was 74
years of age.

Described by those who
New him best as a man of
uncompromising intellectual
honesty, it was typical of

Webster’s modest, unassuming
Character that only after his
fath was it revealed that he
Was an hereditary baronet but
had consistently refused to use
his title as Sir Geoffrey.

Born in Broadway, Worcest-
€rshire, England, Webster was
& leading member of the Fa-
lan Society before he came
to Canada in the late ’twen-
ties. In Burnaby, where he es-
tablished his home, ne took
& Prominent part in the foun-
dation of the CCF, and when

© Commonwealth was estab-

lisheg he became its associate
editor. r

His scholarly: contributions

to the Commonweaith’s pages
Were an outstanding feature
that journal until late in
as when the division between
1 © faction of the CCF legis-
Rive froup headed by Rev.
Obert Connell and other CCF

’S and the provincial ex-
ave of the party led to a
Tuggle over direction of the
Per’s policies,

ebster and other _ staff
stembers, all of whom held
ey in the paper and con-

no uted their full time for a
beet wage, insisted that the
hal directors fulfil. a com-
“Sneha made when the Com-
lish ent Printing and Pub-

ng Company was formed
ving? over to the CCF pro-

ial executive, as trustee
the party, a controlling
of stock, William Prit-
* Managing director and
RG teat and his fellow direc
brok, Most of whom afterwards
joi ®/ away from the CCF to
short Connell in forming the
Bro: lived Social Constructive
Romie’ refused to release the
Misge, and Webster was dis-
dismjc,2% 2ssociate editor. His
dism Ssal, and the subsequent

4ssal of Don Maxwell, of

Tribute to Geoff Webster

A familiar face will be missing in progressive. cir-
cles around Vancouver through ;
Of last week of G. N. W. Webster, one-time associate
editor of the Commonwealth and more recently a con-
ttibutor to Canadian, American: and British left-wing —

the death on Thursday

the advertising staff, and Hal
Griffin, news editor, for their
part in exposing the directors’
actions on a CCF broadcast,
precipitated. the staff walkout
which ended the Common-
wealth as a venture in labor
journalism.

CCF members cancelled their
subscriptions by the hundreds
and shorn of the support which
had brought it into veimng the
Commonwealth was soon forc-
ed to cease publication.

The same determination to
fight for a principle which led
to his dismissal from the
Commonwealth characterized
all Webster’s subsequent parti-
cipation in the progressive
movement. Though he dis-
agreed with the former Com-
munist Party and the Labor-
Progressive Party in many
things, he was convinced that
only united action between the
CCF, LPP, trade unions and
other progressive groups could
achieve progressive govern-
ment and he did not hesitate
to express this conviction. in
his prolific writings and in his

occasional appearance on a
public platform.
His disappointment in the

failure of CCF executive mem-
bers to carry through the unity
policies approved by CCF pro-

vincial conventions in the
‘thirties led to his eventual
withdrawal from the CCF.

Thereafter he devoted himself
to his contributions to left-
wing publications, including
the Pacific Tribune and its
predecessors.

Webster is survived by his
wife and one son, G. Steven,
in West Vancouver, and a sis-
ter, Kathleen, in England.

Funeral services in St.
James’ church here last Fri-
day were attended by a num-
ber of his former associates
on the Commonwealth who
were represented by Fraser
Wilson, vice-president of Van-
couver Labor Council, as a
pallbearer. Among others who
attended the services Tom
McEwen, editor of the Pacific
Tribune, Elmore Philpott, Van-
columnist and _ radio

couver
commentator, and Garfield
King, Vancouver barrister.

‘Reconstruction’ abroad, while at home...!

’

The bodies of four of seven Negroes killed at this “Brunswick, Ga., prison camp are -sprawled on

the ground. The warden, it is reported, shouted:

“Let them have it,” amd the guards shot to kilL

An investigation is under way to determine whether the shooting was justified. It has been
revealed that at the time he gave the order the warden was drunk.

Bracken may be tossed out in
atest tory ‘housecleaning’ plans

OTTAWA.—Long-smouldering discontent with the leadership of the
servative party, both within Parliament and at

broke into a flame of revolt.

By MARK FRANK

Bracken

House,

Progressive-Con-

national headquarters,

In-the-know sources say that a recent story predicting “a garret to cellar house-clean-

ing” of Bracken House, was ap-
proved by “about 85 percent” of
the Tory group in Commons.

Since the story is a two-edged
sword aimed at cutting off the
heads of its natonal organizer and
John Bracken, P.C. spokesman in
Commons—it might well be con-
cluded that the number of “men
around Bracken” are dwindling—
either that, or they are becoming
far and few between.

Touching off the present deep-
going rumblings in the Tory par-
ty ranks, was the record of its
standard-bearer in the recent
Halifax by-election. He lost 6,000
votes compared to the 1945 elec-
tions.

Add to this the constant charges
hurled at Bracken of a “lack of
leadership”; the “lacadaisacal at-
titude of the present loyal opposi-
tion”; and the absence of a uni-
form line within the group during
the recent session in Commons.

The discreet silence being main-
tained by Mr. Bracken following
sudden appearance of the story,
appears to some observers, as a
reluctance on the part of the Tory,

ABCW certified
on highway jobs

More than 300 workers engaged
in highway construction jops on
Vancouver Island and mauiniand
points won union recognition last
week with certification of the
Amalgamated Building and Con-
struction Workers (CCL) as their
bargaining unit, by the Provincial
Labor Department in- Victoria.

The certification covers work-
ers employed by five construc-
tion firms engaged in building
and repairing provincial hignways
from Parksville to Port Alberni
on the Island, and in the Hedley-
Princeton district of the main-
land, Jack C. Barrett, secretary
of the ABCW Industrial Local 1,
informed the Pacific Tribune this
week. :

“This certification marks the
first time these firms have peen
organized, and is the result of
consistent union work,” Barrett
said. The ABCW will now com-
mence negotiations for a union
agreement for these highway
construction workers, the main
demand being a 20-cent hourly
wage increase.

chief to air family quarrels in the
open.

J. M. Macdonnell, Dominion
president of the party, however,
made a public declaration in
which he admitted the need for
strengthening of the organization.

The few top men close to Brack-
en refer to leadership in the
Bracken House set-up as a ‘dicta-
torship” ruling by divine author-
ity, disregarding opposition views
within the party.

National Organizer Bell and
public relations chief Charters
are two members of Bracken
House, mentioned in corridor gos-
sip as key figures in the current
P.C. crisis.

Inside the House itself, there is
evidence of a splinter group, face-
tiously called “the Scorpion Club,”
rumored to be working against
the top leadership in the party.

Another feature of the suggest-
ed shake-up now pending is the
figure of George Drew, aspirant
for new and greater glories in the
federal tory field.

Informed sources here say the
premier of Ontario would show
no hesitation to taking on the
mantle of Tory party leadership.
It is recalled that his rise to pow-
er in Ontario politics came in a
similar manner—walking rough-
shod over former leader of the
Conservative Party of Ontario,
Earl Rowe.

This time it is John Bracken
who must succumb — and George
Drew “the most likely man.” One
suggestion is that Drew may wait
until another federal election when
he can lead a fresh new group of
tories, wiping out the tradition of
little-snirit being left by its pres-
ent leader. :

All of this, of course, does not
add up to a healthy thriving poli-
tical organization. Members of
the tory groun themselves and
others are obviously aware of this
condition,

An indication of the desnerate
position of the P.C. grounv is the
thought. often-mentioned by noliti“
cal nundits here, that should an
election be called now, it is very
likely the CCF would become the
official ovposition in place of the
present tory proun.

During the volitic#l warfare in
the redistribution: debate Fernand
Vian (TAberal, St. Boniface, Man.)
onened the door on this prospect,

Calling for a return, to “the two
old parties,” the member lectured

&

‘Mr. Bracken on the errors of his

party. He asked: “If we are to
judge from the results of the Hali-
fax by-election . . .- which party
is likely to be the loyal opposition
after the next general election?”

He warned the P.C. group that
if they did not mend their ways
and become more aggressive
“their attitude will tend to an in-
crease of socialism in this coun-
try.”

Fear of the risé of popular so-
cialist thinking among more and
more Canadians, coupled with an
accurate picture of growing crisis
within one of the old-line parties,
is contained in this warning. It
is a sign of the times.

Seamen to seek
wage increases

Pressing demands for the
betterment of wage rates and
shortening of working hours
of Canada’s seamen will be

Pressing demands for the bet-
terment of wage rates and short-
ening of working hours of Can-
ada’s seamen will be presented
to shipowners in Montreal short-
ly by the Canadian Seamen’s
Union (TLC). The union is asking
deep sea shipowners for a wage
increase of 15 cents an hour, 48
hour week at sea, and 40 hour
week in port.

Approximately 4,000 seamen
ship. out from Vancouver, the
vast majority of them being CSU
members. The deep sea contract
comes up for renewal October 15.

Explaining the reasons for the
CSU demands, Jim .-Thompson,
union vice-president, told the
Tribune that a government war
bonus to seamen, formerly grant-
ed in full, was now merged with
the general wage, and taxed, re-
sulting in a substantial pay cut.
Rising living costs for seamen’s
families ashore was offered as a
second reason. The purpose of the
48-hour week request was to al-
low seamen overtime pay bene-
fits, when working Sunday, as
required at sea.

Thompson disclosed that the
CSU will resume negotiations
with Stuart Research this week
for 500 coast tugboat men. The
CSU is asking a $25 monthly in-
Crease, union hiring, and 10 days
off each month, in lieu of the
eight-hour day for tug boat crews.

PACIFIC TRIBUNE—PAGE 3