~ xt . ~ N THE WESTERN CANADIAN i Ogg Incorporating The z.2. Lumberworkert Official Publication of the Iuternattanal Woadworkers of rémertea Regional Council No. 1 Nh y VOL. XXVIII, No. 14 S VANCOUVER, B.C. 5c PER COPY ‘Meany Makes Plea Congress Approval Sought — For Anderson-King Bill AFL-CIO President, George Meany appealed for government approval of a health care programme for older citizens of the U.S., that could be financed through the social security system, when he appeared before Congress. Meany stated that this was the only feasible way of preventing the cost of illness from “‘pauperizing” millions of retired people. The AFL-CIO leader appearing be- fore the House Ways & Means Com- mittee, pleaded for approval of the Anderson-King bill that would broad- CCF Members Polled Most Votes Complete results of the last provincial general election just published show CCFers Alex Macdonald and Arthur Turner polled the greatest number of votes of any candidates in the election. The Vancouver-East members Mac- donald and Turner received 25,610 and 25,580 respectively. Second were the Social Credit candidates of Van- couver Point Grey with R. W. Bon- ner receiving 24,273, T. A. Bate, 23,950 and Buda Brown 23,583. The CCF-Delta candidates were third on the list with Camille Mather receiving 21,839 votes and James Rhodes receiving 21,559 votes. An unusual aspect of the election was the high vote scored by success- ful women candidates. It is generally considered difficult to elect women to political office but in this election two of the highest vote recorded were achieved by women. en the social security system by add- ing benefits towards the cost of medi- cal care to the existing protections of the law. Meany appeared before the com- mittee after Health, Education & Welfare Secretary, Abraham Ribicoff had thrown the full weight of the Kennedy Administration behind the Anderson-King bill. 65 or Older Stating that the proposal would ex- tend hospital and nursing benefits to 14.5 million persons 65 years of age or older, Ribicoff called the need for the program “urgent and pressing.” It would be financed, he said, by a three-quarters of 1 percent tax in- crease upon employ and employ Specific benefits would include: @ Up to 90 days of hospital care a year with the beneficiary paying $10 per day for the first nine days. @ Up to 180 days of necessary nursing home services following hos- pital confinement for an illness. @ Up to 240 home-health service visits and additional diagnostic bene- fits with the patient paying $20 to- ward each diagnostic study. AMA Attacked Charging that the American Medi- cal Association, which has bitterly op- posed the Anderson-King bill, was employing a “bogey-man” in its at- tacks, Ribicoff said the AMA had “misled” its own members and “play- ed loose with the facts” by branding the program as “socialized medicine.” Meany told the committee that he himself discussed the AMA’s “adver- tised objections” to the bill only with See “MEANY” Page 2 US. Project Planned To Keep Germs Here Various groups in the U.S., including the American Medical Association, have opposed oyer the years all proposals for comprehensive health care programmes for Americans, on the grounds that the cost would be prohibitive. We wonder if these same yoices will be raised oyer the cost to the tax-payers of the project mentioned in the following little gem. year-long project to develop means of sterilizing space vehicles has been authorized by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. NASA is concerned lest U.S. space vehicles land living germs on Mars, Venus, or the Moon. The contention is that no probe should be launched until there’s less than a one-in-a-million chance of contaminating other planets and complicating future studies of life beyond the Earth. Wilmot Castle Co., Rochester, N.Y., is conducting the program. NOW IN THEIR THIRD WEEK OF STRIKE for better wages and working conditions, these members and Department Store Union, Local 535, picket one of the outlets of their employer Taylor, Pearson 2nd Issue, July, 196! . | : } 5 ii ¥} { of the Retail, Wholesale & Carson (B.C.) Limited. Union C| laims Bill 43 Hampering Strikes One hundred and twenty striking unionists are blaming Bill 43 for hampering their three week-old strikes at the wholesale firms of Taylor, Pearson & Carson (B.C.) Limited, and B.F. Goodrich Company. The strikers, members of the Re- tail, Wholesale and Department Store Union, are seeking an across the board monthly wage increase of $20-$25, which would bring them in line with competitive operations in the area. The Taylor Pearson members voted 83% for strike after rejecting a Conciliation Board Award which offered a $5.00 per month wage in- crease this year and $5.00 next year for a three year agreement. The four employees at B.F. Good- rich voted 100% for strike action to back up their acceptance of a Con- ciliation Officer’s recommendation for a two year agreement and a general wage increase of $25.00 plus im- proved vacations. Present basic rates range from $251.00 to $284.00 after one year’s service. The supervisory personnel and office staff are attempting to carry on in place of the striking workers re- port Union officials, but the key to the success of the strike lies in block- ing the distribution points. It is not possible, Union officials state, to block all the distribution points legally due to the restrictive WHAT'S | INSIDE -eige equal space. AMA PROPAGANDA ANSWERED. The American Medical Association nothing of placing its own political propaganda—calling for defeat of the Adminis- tration’s health care programme for the aged—on hospital walls, When an AMA poster was placed in lobby of Baroness Erlanger Hospital, in Tennessee, the Citi- zen‘s Committee for Medical Care Under Social Security demanded, and received, thinks clause in Bill 43, which prevents secondary picketing. They allege that the Companies are taking advantage of this by moving some of their pro- ducts away from the struck plants into new outlets. The strikers report a problem too with non-union truckers crossing the picket lines. The labour movement is solidly backing the strike. The B.C. Federa- tion of Labour has informed its affili- ates to advise their members not to patronize either of the struck com- panies. Postal Change Aimed At © Publishers Postmaster - General William Hamilton Thursday announced new regulations designed to pre- vent foreign publishers and advertisers from giving their material a “Made in Canada” Hamilton said that effective Oct. 1, foreign sources using bulk mailings in this country will be unable to use business reply electros dies that per- mit firms to prepay postage, without written assurance that the material involved was printed in this country. The change follows an announce- ment raising postage rates on foreign publications effective Aug. 1. Construction Group Scores Gaglardi President of the Construction Equipment owners Association of British Columbia, William G. McKinnon has charged High- ways Minister Gaglardi of inter- fering with law enforcement and acting “above the Law”. In a letter to Premier Bennett, Mc- Kinnon charges that irregularities in highways department contracts have cost the Provincial Treasury millions of dollars in lost revenue. Complained 3 Years Mr. McKinnon said for three years the association has persistently com- plained to Mr. Gaglardi about tax, licence, gas and weight violations on construction jobs. The letter, documented with special reports on a number of projects, said that on 53 jobs checked by the asso- ciation in May, there were 549 such violations involving 469 trucks. Law Non-existent “We have found that law enforceé- ment in this province, as far as regu- lating trucks and the construction in- dustry is concerned is practically non- existent,” said the letter. It said the laws are continually abused not only by contractors but by highways department engineers, superintendents and foremen. “This situation has got so bad, that some of them actually think as long as they are working for the minister of highways, that they are above the law,” the letter continued. Gaglardi’s Reply Replying to the charges Mr. Gag- lardi said: “I know of no such irregu- larities. They are trying to use me or something. At no time have I ever had anything to do with tampering with law enforcement or anything else that I know of.” Douglas) are contending for the TOMORROW.” Province Pulls Boner Of Year In New Party Editorial One of the biggest boners of the year was pulled by the Vancouver Province in a recent editorial which appeared prior to the July 31 - Aug- ust 4, New Party founding convention. The editorial, obviously written in advance for release during the con- vention, and inadvertently published July 19, had this to say. “According to dispatches from Ottawa, there is dissatisfaction at the New Party convention NOW IN PROGRESS.” Again further on it stated, “Both men (CCF National leader Hazen Argue and To: mmy leadership which will be decided LISTEN TO Creen Gold—CJ0 7:00 p.m. Thursday 6 A L S CKPG Ist and Last Thursday 6:00 p.m.