iwa) SAFETY By ANDY SMITH Regional Safety Director As the year 1966 begins, may I express my sincere thanks to all of the people who worked so hard during the past year in the field of . accident control. Statistics will probably show that we did not accom- plish all of the things we had hoped to do in the past year. However, there are no statis- tics to show how many acci- dents, and even deaths, were avoided through our efforts in the safety program of the IWA, FIGURES The figures for the year 1965 when they are released will probably show that we did not increase our accident ratio greatly over preceding years. I am quite confident too that these figures will show that on the basis of hours of exposure and num- ber of man-hours worked by the vast number of people in our industry, certain progress has been made not only in preventing injuries but also in the severity rate. Recently I spent a week on Vancouver Island where I had the opportunity of tour- ing several of the operations in the Victoria local, and in the main I find that they are in good repair safety-wise, with the exception of Victoria Plywoods which has a very dangerous condition on the dock; also, their storage of stock within the plant left much to be desired. PROBLEM I also had the opportunity of attending Safety Commit- tee meetings at Victoria Ply- woods, where a problem ex- isted in the wearing of safety equipment, particularly for eye injuries. I am quite con- fident however, that this mat- ter will be satisfactorily con- cluded in the not too distant ; future. | One of the greatest chal- lenges facing management and safety committees is the job ~ of selling personal protective equipment to our members, who must be convinced that the recommendations made by the safety committees are in the interest of their own safety and are ge to change, even as our industry changes so rapidly. _ Personal protective equip- mt that was suitable and quate last year, through -a technological change may be totally inadequate as the sy THE WESTERN CANADIAN LUMBER WORKER REPORT and even though it may incon- venience the wearer for a cer- tain period of time he can be- come accustomed to it. There can be nothing more disas- trous for a person than to lose the sight of his eye or eyes through the lack of proper protective equipment. I also spent two days in the Duncan Local visiting Hill- crest and addressing the crew in that operation. I visited Doman’s Sawmill in Nanaimo, as well as the Mayo Lumber Company mill where I ad- dressed the crew. ; Of interest to all local un- ions will be the Regional Safety Conference to be held in the CCF Hall, 17 Bastion Street, Nanaimo, B.C., com- mencing at 9:30 am. Satur- day, February 19, 1966. All - local unions and local Safety Councils should take note that this is the: one confer--. ence of the year when safety reports must be submitted in writing, and should be sent to the Regional Office not later than February 7, 1966. Only written reports will be dealt with by this Safety Confer- ence. I should like to express my warm wishes to everyone for a happy and safe year in 1966, and my thanks to the officers of Local 1-118 and Local 1-80 for their cooperation during my visits in their local unions with a special thanks to Brother Barney Doherty, safety director of Victoria local and Brother Jack Mumm, safety director of Lo- cal 1-80. THE GARBAGEMAN KNOWS “During the recent federal election campaign, pollsters once again went through the elaborate process of testing, collecting and predicting the political climate of the coun- try. % “As usual, none thought to query the nation’s garbage- men. It’s surprising, because few men are closer to how people are thinking. Had anyone cared to inquire, the garbagemen in the York South riding in Toronto could have revealed that NDP can- didate David Lewis would carry the riding with little trouble. “No one reads campaign lit- erature,” explains Bill Tom- sett, a veteran of 30 years in York South garbage. “They just pitch the stuff right into the waste basket.” But Tom- sett and his colleagues noticed a difference when they LOCAL 1-80 Financial Secretary Ed Linder of Local 1-80 IWA, visited the following patients in hospital and distributed candy, cigarettes and copies of the Western Canadian Lumber Worker. NANAIMO GENERAL Mr. Donald Wilson, Nanoose Bay; Mr. Allan Graham, Cassidy; Mr. Charles Scarff, Wellington; Mr. Ev- erett Nixon, Courtenay; Mr. Glen McGillivray, Qualicum. CHEMAINUS Mr. John Viniar, Chemainus; Mr. James Burdes, Copper Canyon; Mr. B. Feaney, Chemainus; Mrs. Doug Dunsmore, Chemainus; Mrs. Mabel White, Chemainus; Mrs. Rose Brooks, Crofton, LADYSMITH Mr. Howard Hartley, Ladysmith; Mr. Les Robertson, Ladysmith; Mrs. Mike Wavrecan, Ladysmith; Mrs. Jean Ouellette, Ladysmith. KING’S DAUGHTERS Mrs, Aleck Erickson, Hillcrest Rd., Duncan; Mrs, Harold White, Caycuse Beach; Mrs. William MacGregor, Somenos Rd., Duncan; Mrs. Otto Hal- verson, Youbou; Mr. Daljit Sandhu, Lake Cowichan; Mr. Ray Manweiler, Youbou; Mr. James Long, Caycuse Beach; Mr. David Aitken, Balsam Drive, Cobble Hill; Mr. Stan Cook, rea ae en Wt neg Brown, Cowichan; Mr. asti Howard Ave., Duncan. — dumped this year’s literature aboard their collection trucks. Lewis’ earnest visage peeped out from behind each egg- shell, orange rind and can of spaghetti sauce, indicating that voters were at least open- ing his campaign envelopes before tossing his literature out. “We figured if people were that interested,” says Tomsett with the wisdom of hindsight, “Lewis would win easily.” —From Maclean’s Magazine, January 1966. _N.D.P. MEET One of the largest political conventions ever held in B.C. will take place April 15, 16 and 17, when the New Demo- cratic Party gathers for its fifth annual convention. The big event opens Friday evening, April 15 in the Royal Towers Hotel and it is expect- ed that over 400 delegates will attend. Ernest Hall, provincial sec- retary stated that among im- portant topics to be discussed at this convention will be: @ Pre-election planning in readiness for the next B.C. provincial election when it is called. e Organization finances. The party places emphasis on provincial organizing. Guest speakers at tne con- vention will be announced in March. QUOTE People wouldn’t worry so much about what other peo- ple think of them if they realized how seldom they do. Grab yourself a LUCKY! A bold breed of Canadian beer... aman’s beer... aged for premium flavour... slow-brewed for man-sized taste! This advertisement is not published or displayed b: Control Board or by the Government of British y the Liquor Columbia,