Federation repor

=

Pg. I

by labour to fight inflation.

erlin, delegate of the Canadian Union of ‘Public abe ties
Speaking in the opening session ‘of the B.C. Raderatoet ct
Convention last week urging adoption of a strong eco

Sean Griffin photo

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 1974

A call for resolute government
action to combat inflation was
voiced by delegates to the B.C.
Federation of Labor which wound
up its week-long session in the
Hotel Vancouver last Friday.

Combining their statements with
unequivocal opposition “to any
form of wage freeze or control’,
delegates addressed themselves to
both federal and provincial
governments in calling for im-
plementation of ‘‘an effective anti-

‘shy Dolman, executive
of the B.C. Rental Housing
peas described as a gouger
bie Speculator by British
dent Tenants Organization
Bruce Yorke at a
q eB oress conference.
sms S man is the chief
gs for the landlords in
Said Yorke, referring to the

8anization in the province
Tols over 100,000 suites.
with him at the press
fe Peter Milne, a former
h of olman’s, who had
01 documented evidence

‘an raised rents far in
* Allowable increases, did
ite = Jess than a year, and
« » Written notice of a rent

oeations come at a time
“Man is scheduled to
ay re the NDP caucus on
a Afternoon ‘to plead
ae the landlords” as
“a We want the public
Oke at kind of a man this
. oa He added that the
i ine would lay in-
_ arges with the justice

eate at the earliest possible

» BSS

, Problem began in 1973
Uehased a house at 2710
€et in Vancouver’s
district, The purchase
house is reported to
bout $48,000 and
it a mortgage for

c SUsing Council, the lan- ©

According to Milne, Dolman

rented the premises, which were _

furnished, commencing See
1, 1973, to four people, one of W ”
was Peter Milne, for $360 pe

month. Then six sont Bieri
April 1, 1974, Dolman visited the
four and told them he was ae
the rent to $400. He told the tenants

Jane Fonda, film star and peace

dees ; k at the Peace
activist, “il Se eaiigs: Saturday,

Nov. 16 at 1 p.m. Sponsored by

to sign a contract which made
them “‘exempt” from the Landlord
and Tenant Act, and said that if
they refused they would have to
vacate.

An increase from $360 per month
to $400 per month would be $11.20
more: than the allowable 8%, and
would vioiate the requirements of
the act that rent increases be
permitted only once per year, and
then only with 3 months notice.

The four tenants were settled in
the house and for $11.20 divided
amongst them they decided to
accept Dolman’s terms. Milne,
who has an MA in economics, said
that he is convinced the contract
was illegal and worthless if an
issue were to arise.

A short time later the four
tenants decided to move and go
their separate ways. They had
barely vacated in October of 1974
when Dolman decided to sell the
house. He listed it for a price of
$65,000 but got no takers.

ing that the house was still
eine to be rented Milne ad-
vised some acquaintances to see
Dolman. They did and he rented
the house to them for $450 per
month — this time unfurnished —
and told them the rent would be
raised to $480 per month in six
months time.

“The legal rent on that premise
is to this day $360 per month,
Yorke said, ‘‘and if he issues a

~ notice before the end of this month

See LANDLORD, po.12

Tribune

= 15°

VOL. 36, No. 45

inflation program’? including a
rollback on prices and interest
rates, the construction of low-cost
housing and removal of federal and
provincial taxes from building
materials.

The Federation leadership had
earlier been criticized for the
absence of an economic policy
statement in the main report of the
executive council and two major
resolutions on inflation, unem-
ployment and housing — con-
densed from several other
resolutions submitted by various
affiliates — indicated delegates’
overriding concern with the
economic situation.

The first resolution noted that
“prices and corporate profits
continue to rise unbated’ and
“every government initiative
which is supposedly aimed at
combatting inflation is misdirected
at the working people who are
victims of inflation rather than the
corporate rip-off artists who are
taking advantage of inflation to
increase their exorbitant profits.’’.

It called on the federal govern-
ment to establish a Prices Control
Board with power to roll back
unjustified price -increases and
interest rates; to launch a national
housing program of publicly-
owned low cost housing as well as
provide low-cost mortgage loans;
enact ‘“‘tough, new anti-Combines
legislation’? a meaningful ex-
cessive profits tax and provide stiff
taxes on exorbitant land profits to
discourage land speculation.

“The labor movement has too
often been silent on this issue
because it feared that demands for
government action might bring
wage controls,” Letter Carriers
delegate Bob Hamilton told the

convention. “But let’s make no
mistake — our wages are already
controlled. It’s time we started
controlling prices.”

IWA delegate Jim Kretz em-
phasized the importance of
organizing an active campaign
initiated by the B.C. Federation of
Labor ‘‘if this resolution is to be
effective.’’ He noted that ‘‘we’re in
an economic depression’’ and

added those comments aren’t __
coming from the left — they’re

coming from George Meany.”

“We’ve got to bring the whole
labor movement behind the fight
against that depression,” he
declared.

Responding to Kretz’ reference
to the AFL president, Fishermen’s
delegate George Hewison com-
mented, “if George Meany says
we’re in a depression, then we’re
really in trouble.”

He emphasized that the

economic question was ‘the gut .

issue of the convention” and

reiterated the call for public action

by the Federation to make the
resolution effective. ‘“‘Let’s let the
public know that wage restraint
will do nothing to tackle inflation,”

he stated. “Only by taking action —
against the monopoly corporations —

will that be done.’”’

The convention statement on
inflation was coupled with a
lengthy resolution on the housing
crisis in the country. Comprised of
some 19 resolutions submitted by
union locals, it emphasized that
housing should be treated as a
“basic human right’’ and outlined
an eight-point program for
government action on housing
construction.

The resolution also pointed out

See ROLLBACK, pg. 12

fr

Full employment —
budget demanded ©