C1] Cosesteresia tian oa i uy E == HRTSUINE FRIDAY, DECEMBER 16, 1949 ~ TRADE NEED STRESSED Recognition of China demanded by British labor By PHYLLIS ROSNER Eight British national labor unions, 14 district union councils and 93 locals were among those sending representatives to a 328- delegate conference here for trade and friendship with the People’s Republic of China. The parley, representing more than two million members of unions and other British organizations, decided unanimously to demand immediate recognition of the new Chinese government, British sup- port for the seating of new China in the United Nations Security Council and a declaration by the government that “friendship and trade with China” are essential to Britain’s welfare. ; Other unanimous decisions cal- led for greetings to Chairman Mac Tse-tung of the Chinese People’s Republic and immediate formation of a Britain-China Friendship Association. Lord Strabolgi, Labor peer, de- clared amid applause: “ F only hope Britain won’t make the Same mistakes with the new China as it made with the new Russia.” Laughter greeted the remark of another speaker, who said: “You can’t go on recognizing Chiang Kai-shek because you don’t know ‘from one day. to another where to find him.” The demand for recognition of the new China and British trade with it does not come from unions alone. Many British businessmen are interested, in view of Bri- tain’s shrinking markets and the fact that trade with China can be carried on by exchange of goods, without drawing on Bri- tain’s dwindling hoard of dollars. Johnson scored for rent ‘indifference’ This week, as the Wartime Prices and Trade Board in Vancouver reported a steady demand for rental increase forms from city landlords, both federal -and provincial governments were under strong pressure from newly-formed tenants’ organizations, trade“unions, veterans’ and pensioners’ groups to main- tain control of rents and rescind or over-rule the 18-22 percent increase allowed by the St. Laurent gov- ermment’s recent order. PY Christmas Fund total now at $605 “OY Bill’ Bennett, the Pacific Tribune’s veteran columnist, was so much better this week, after his recent serious setback, that only icy streets deterred him from coming down to the office for the first time in weeks to tender his thanks to the friends who drop in daily to inquire about him... and usually to make a contribu- tion to his Christmas Fund. In the contest between Ol’ Bill ‘and Betty Tarnowski the total now stands at $605.25 — Ol’ Bill, $389.10, Betty Tarnowski, $216.15. Sub-getters who have three or more subs to their credit for De- cember are: | ' L. Lipsey, 7; J. Russell, 6; A. Gordon, 5; R. Samuelson, 3; F. Jackson, 3; ; S. Harmatny (Natal), 12; R. Murray (Courtenay), 9; D. Stanley (Lang Bay), 7; D. Mc- Allister (Port Alberni), 5. ~ Unions jolt boare for full compensation ; A joint brief submitted by the Marine Workers and Boilermakers’ Industrial Union and Interna- tonal Union of Mine, Mill-and Smelter Workers to the Royal Commission inquiry into the B.C. Work- nien’s Compensation Act, demands a’ streamlining of the’ Compensation Board’s ‘medical staff, greater facilities and efficiency in rehabilitation of injured workers, and 100 percent compensation for injured workers including blanket coverage for any disease or disabling condition directly or indirectly caused by a job. In addition, the brief calls for a monthly compensation rate of $100 for dependent widows. Appearing before the commis- sion, president William White of the Marine Workers’ Union termed the Compensation Board’s medi- cal staff “grossly incompetent,” and in a large measure “respon- sible for the large number of neu- rotic cases arising from jmjuries.” , ask The brief calls for a “full-time: medical staff of the most highly qualified men possible” and em- phasizes that in order to get such a staff, the Workmen’s Compen- sation Board must revise its sala- ries upwards. to secure the best EDITORIAL ~ Government by monopoly ane In an “off-year” with no mayoralty contest, and having success- fully side-stepped and soft-pedalled on all contentious municipal issues, Vancouver's civic coalition of ““Non-Partisan” Liberals and Conservatives held all seats in this week’s election and by running its first woman candidate for council even took back the seat it lost to CCF alderwoman Laura Jamieson two years ago. So light was the voting by mid-afternoon that Mayor Thompson ~ expressed himself as being “‘aghast”’. The mayor’s announcement, head- at 20-25 percent of the total. Early estimates set the vote lined in the noon editions, was designed to prod lethargic Non- _ Partisan supporters to the polls, indicating how skillfully the daily press contrives to influence elections even on polling day. The low vote is in itself a reflection of civic apathy which stems from years of Non-Partisan rule at the city hall. During the past few years Vancouver citizens have seen the powerful BCElectric monopoly virtually take over the running of their city, and found themselves blocked at every turn on the issues of public ownership of transit and fare hoists by a BCElectrified Non-Partisan admini- stration. Similarly with other pressing issues, low-cost houding, rental- controls, tax revision, growing unemployment and innumerable other problems . . all have been evaded or soft-pedalled by a civic administration which gets its political cue from big ‘business. Only the candidates of the Civic Reform Association raised these issues for public discussion and action. It is however, signi- ficant that on the afternoon of election day, with the apathy of | -yoters obvious, that Mayor Thompson should announce construc- tion of up to 1,500 new low-cost homes for Vancouver will likely start by March. . . another Non-Partisan council. * The implication being of course, only with This, headlined in the afternoon ° editions, marked a new low in electioneering. ‘ men in their field. | “The average net earnings of medical doctors and surgeons in B.C, in 1947 was $9,310, very much higher than salaries paid to Com- pensation Board staff physicians,” White stated. ‘Workers are en- ‘titled to the very best medical “service and the medical men now on the Board staff are not those best qualified, either by post-gra- duate training, experience, or by skill.” The brief also calls for con-. struction of a fully modern and enlarged rehabilitation centre, pointing out that the existing set-— up is “overcrowded, understaffed, and under-equipped, with facili- ties woefully inadequate.” = It also underlines: the fact that the present maximum subsis- tence allowance of $3.50 per day to an injured worker is out of line with present living costs. Senator J. deB. Farris, ap- pearing for the CMA monopolists, ‘stated that 100 percent compensa- tion for injuries would be “fatal” to industry, while C.K. Guild KC, Compensation Board counsel, at- tempted to defend the board’s low salary policy coyering its medical — staffs. : Union spokesmen also demand- ed “modernization” of the Com-’ pensation Board’s annual re- port, so that workers could find out “what goes on behind the Compensation Curtain”, Board’s Iron — As authorized by the order, landlords began handing rental increase notices to their tenants on Thursday this week, the in- crease to go into effect after 30 days. The Wartime Prices and Trade Board, reporting that “ap- plications are running very high”, indicated that the majority of the landlords in the city were avail- ~ ing themselves of the opportunity to profit from the government’s action, for which the real estate lobby has steadily campaigned at Ottawa. At a meeting of Vancouver Housing Association this week at- tended by representatives of * church groups, trade unions, Ca- nadian Legion and@ other organi- zations, only one dissenting vote was raised against a resolution ' “deploring the recent action of the federal government in permitting rent increases,” demanding that the government retain rent con- trols, “subject to the Supreme Court’s decision, as long as they are required,” and pressing the provincial government “to make immediate preparations to set up its own rent control administra- . tion” to take over in the event the federal government relinquishes its authority. . ‘ Coalition Premier “Boss” John- Son’s attitude was expressed this week in his curt refusal to meet a delegation from the Vancouver East End Tenants’ Defense League. Stung by. the Premier’s obvious indifference to the ten- ants’ problems, the league sent a sharp telegram expressing its demand that the provincial government “make representa. tion to Ottawa immediately to halt lifting of rent controls.” At a meeting of tenants held in Victoria this week, two landlords even expressed their agreement with a resolution protesting, the rent increase. ‘The resolution, adopted unani- _ mously, pointed out that “tenants must give up many of the essen- tials of life to meet present high rents” and that further increases would entail even greater hard- ship for those on small fixed in- comes, for the increasing number of unemployed and those affected by seasonal shutdowns. ' Mrs. May Campbell, chairman of the meeting, stated: ; “Twenty-five percent of income is the limit for rent payment, according to the Canadian Wel- fare Council, yet some 40 per- cent of families now pay more _ than that.” Other speakers were Mrs. Caro-— line Bayfield, James Maher and, _ Ben Sced, representing the Wood- workers Industrial Union. JOBLESS While the 12-man delegation was in session with Mayor Thompson, Stan Forkin and Wilf Robinson of the Unemployed Action Com- mittee addressed the main dele- gate body from the city hall steps, emphasizing the growing gravity - of the unemployment situation, and calling for maximum labor — unity to defeat those who would throw the.workers back to the conditions of the thirties. _ Studiously noncommital, Mayor Thompson promised the delega- tion that he would “take steps to have city council meet with all local MP’s” and also that he per- sonally was prepared to go to Ot- tawa to lay the matter before the federal government, but that “was up to council to decide.” a council meeting as soon as he could to deal with the problem. With the appearance of a big unemployed delegation around the city hall, Mayor Thompson added something of the old ‘buckpassing’ of the thirties by observing to the delegation on unemployment that “the problem was a federal re- sponsibility” which the city had no right to carry in view of the heavy influx of people from the prairies. © This technique wag a common - ' practice in the thirties when the unemployed were demanding “work and wages” and decent re- lief standards. Prime Minister R. B. (Iron Heel) Bennett then shouted from Ottawa that the unemployed were “the responsibi- lity of the provinces” and succes- sive _ provincial governments claimed that unemployment was the “responsibility of the munici- Palities”’, and so back and forth, endlessly. : Vancouver Labor Council (CC- L), has endorsed the program of the Unemployment Action Com- mittee, but “representatives” who appeared at city hall with the — main delegation took no part in the proceedings. At the council’s * regular meeting this week, offi- cials indulged in red-baiting spon- sors of the unemployed delegation fi to the delight of a red baiting daily press. : , cs ie The Unemployed Action Com- mittee will hold a meeting on Sunday, December 18, at 8 p.m. in Fishermen’s Hall to report on- results of the delegation to Mayor -Thompson and to work out plans for, furthering the committee's “work, Bias Sand in the Indian parliament. — ‘on a new type of fighter plane. he would build aircraft because sary facilities.”” -MESSERSCHMIDT TO BUILD PLANES eh a : ve teas Nazi designer goes tolndia Willi Messerschmidt, whose name is known throughout the world as the designer of the Nazi fighter planes that bore his name during the Second World War, is coming to India. His coming was announced by Supply Minister Mookerjee Mookerjee explained that the Nehru government-owned Hindustan Aircraft Corporation was working -_Messerschmidt’s secretary, interviewed in Germany, denied “India does not have the neces- Messerschmidt is really going to India in Jan- © _uary, the secretary said, but only “‘to build prefabricated houses.” — ‘NEW DELHI However the mayor promised he would call | “ee PACIFIC TRIBUNE — DECEMBER 16, 1949 — PAGE 12 __ i eo Pa a!