IWA convention backs
call for Big-Power meet

Although the 17th annual convention of the International Woodworkers of America, held here
last week, dealt only superficially with the vital issuse of jobs and trade, it did pass unanimously an
important resolution advocating that “a conference on the highest level should take place between the
leading powers without long delay.” ; ;

Such a conference, if it succeeded in solving some of the major contradictions existing between

East and West today, could pave
the way for an extension of world
trade and thus create jobs for
many thousands of Canadian work-
ers.

The IWA officers’ report stated:
*"We must arouse our membership
to the dangers and instill some of
the old spirit that made this union
great. . . . Too many of us have
probably begun to feel that we

are holding. down ‘positions’ when
in fact we have a job to do.”
This was to the point, but the
convention was never given the
opportunity to act on it. Instead
of tackling the problems of the
industry, the convention leader-
ship deliberately sidestepped
them. Conceding that the in-
dustry faced’a crisis, the leader-
ship could offer no solution.

Bronfman

sued for

$22 million in U.S.

TORONTO

In a story from New York dated
October 5, the Toronto Globe and
Mail reported the opening of. the
trial of Joseph H. Reinfeld of
Newark, former bootlegger, and
two Canadian liquor executives on
charges of conspiracy to defraud
their bootlegging partner James
(Niggy) Rutkin of $22,500,000.

The Canadians were indentified
as Samuel Bronfman and his bro-
ther Allan, president and _ vice-
president respectively of Djstillers
Corporation-Seagrams. Bronfman
is president of the Canadian Jew-
ish Congress.

The Globe and Mail reported
that Rutkih, an intimate of notori-
ous gangsters of the machine-gun
era, is claiming that the $22% mil-
lion was withheld from him follow-
ing sale of a U.S. bootlegging ring’s
Canadian distillery to Seagrams.-

Rutkin claims that in 1932, his
associates, including Joseph Rein;
feld and himself, bought control
of LL & B Distillers Ltd., which,
he said, owned the biggest distil-
lery in Canada. Previously Rut-
kin’s group allegedly had been
buying whiskey from Seagrams.
The aim of this purchase, Rutkin
says, was to cut down the cost of
the whiskey from $3-$5 a gallon
to 40 cents a gallon.

However, when Rutkin returned
from a trip to California, accord-
ing to the Globe and Mail report,
his partner Reinfeld told him:
“.. . Sam Bronfman got me so
drunk one night, that I sold him
the plant dollar for dollar that
we invested.”

Rutkin testified that he did not
find out till 1948 how much Rein-
feld had received for the sale, and
that Reinfeld and the Bronfmans
has conspired to send him to jail
for tax evasion.

Federation hits
Trieste decision

Vancouver branch of Federation
of Yugoslav Canadians this. week
wrote to UN general secretary Dag
Hammarskjold asking the UN “to
intervene in the latest illegal ac-
tivities of the U.S. and British
governments on the Trieste ques-
tion.”

The message says:

“We believe that the decision
of the U.S. and British govern-
ments creates not only the danger
of war between Yugoslavia and
Italy, but also endangers world
peace.

“Those two powers aione have
no right to make any arbitrary de-
cisions concerning Trieste. We
protest against these violations of
the Italian Peace Treaty, signed
by 21 nations, and call on the

‘United Nations to see that this

treaty is upheld.”

It had no program for securing
the vast new market opening up
in Asia, or even regaining recent-
ly lost ones in the British Com-
monwealth. All it offered was a
continuation of the bankrupt cold-
war policies which have helped to
produce the economic crisis facing
the industry.

An “Americanized” atmosphere
dominated.

Delegates were presented with
foolish mortarboards, significantly
donated by MacMillan and Bloedel.

A scantily clad “Union Maid”
was present in the. corridor most
of the time. When she appeared
on the platform she was greeted
with cries of “Take ’em off!”

An official room was set aside
|in the Vancouver Hotel where
delegates could secure liquor.

When CIO president Walter
Reuther spoke there were almost
as many employers in the audience
as there were workers.

This atmosphere set the tone
for the- whole convention. There
were no less than 15 outside speak-
ers, who consumed one-third of
the convention’s time. The rest
of the time was largely taken up
by speeches from international of-
ficers, district officers, internation-
al executive board members and
local union officials. Rank-and-
file discussion was at a minimum.

The officers’ report, in which
the entire policy of the leadership
was under review, did not come be-
fore the convention until the final
hour. Neither did the report of
the contract committee, despite
the serious situation presented by
a virtual breakdown of industty-
wide negotiations in the U.S. Pa-
cific Northwest. ;

No discussion was allowed on
IWA research director Ed Ken-

ney’s speech in which he attacked
the proposed 10 percent tax on
logging companies in B.C.

The. New Wesiminsier local’s
charge of a “steal’’ in the union’s
last B.C. district elections was
brushed aside.

Karly Larsen, first vice-president
of District 23 and member of the
IWA executive board until his re-
cent suspension, was formally re-
moved from office without even
so much as a trial. :

Although the convention adopt-
ed, but without discussion, a reso-
lution attacking McCarthyism, the
arguments advanced to defeat re-
solutions calling for a _ public
works program, and for a non-
rigid attitude on the part of the

Blumes scores overcrowding --
‘More schools, not less children’

“We want more schools, not less
children,” said Dr. Joseph Blumes
this week in a letter sent to City
Planning Committee charging that
“the adequacy of the proposed
$19,560,000 budget for school
buildings in Vancouver for the
next five years is open to serious
questioning.”

Dr Blumes, who polled more
than 28,000 votes as a candidate

HOME OF
UMON MADE
MENS WEAR

and

FRIENDLY
~ SERVICE

"WHAT — HE TRIED To SELL
YOU A SUIT THAT DIDN'T FIT?
MY BOY, ANO CET

(1TH EASY CREDIT /"

45 EAST HASTINGS
VANCOUVER 4, B.C

for school board last year, asked
the planning committee: “If the
$18,000,000 provided for the 1948-
52 period was inadequate to meet
the enrolment growth of 7,000,
how can. the current estimate of
$18,560,000 be expected to meet an
enrolment growth of 15,000 in the
next five years?”

He criticized Vancouver School
Board’s recommendation that two
new elementary schools, original-
ly planned for Blenheim and Mar-
ine Drive and 66th and Cromwell,
could be eliminated from the coun-
cil estimate provided the city stop-
ped residential development in
those areas. It was on the basis
of this proposal that the school
construction estimate was cut by
$450,000 to the present total of
$19,560,000. ©

Conditions of overcrowding in
Vancouver schools and the rising
birth rate were given by Dr.
Blumes as the main reasons for
questioning the inadequacy of
monies proposed for school build-
ing.

“At least 10 out of the 50 ele-
mentary schools in our city, and
four of the secondary schools are
very much overcrowded this term,”
he stated. “Over 1,200 children
in three east end schools (Douglas,
Renfrew and Norquay No. 2) are
attending classes on a swing shift
schedule. And another 250 child-
ren in six elementary schools, five
of them in the east end, are study-

basement, in the gym, lunchroom
or auditorium stage.”

Dr. Blumes pointed out that ac-
cording to school estimates enrol-
ment in eity schools will increase
by 15,000 in the next five years,
judging by the birth rate trend.
He accused the school board of
“taking a very narrow ‘approach
to the problem” in being willing
to eliminate two schools.

“If people can’t build homes at
Blenheim and Marine they will
build them somewhere else.
Wherever new homes develop
school enrolment will grow. It
would be much wiser! to keep the
intended cut of $450,000 for these
schools in reserve for future needs
rather than eliminate this sum
completely.”

Dr. Blumes also asked whether
the school building estimates
would take into consideration
the need for more kindergartens.
He pointed out that only seven
Vancouver elementary schools
have kindergartens in operation.
In three new schools kindergar-
ten rooms are being used for
grade classes due to overcrowd-
ing.

“Vancouver remains the only
large city in Canada without a
city-wide kindergarten system,”
Dr. Blumes said.

Calling for school construction
to be given primary consideration,
he said, “we should be happy with
our growing birth rate. It is not
less children that we want but

ing in makeshift classrooms in the

more and better schools.”

eatl?

insti
“We must arouse our membership to the dangers and
some of the old spirit that made this union great.” :

bier
towards 4 of

U smack

U.S. government
power negotiations, 4
McCarthyism. i
The IWA constitution
that officers must Oe rf
at the convention
membership vote by referen
ballot. But at this con a
the first time in the a retisine
tory, the entire slate 0: to stat!
officers was renominated allot goes
unopposed. When the b will 00”
out to the membership it at post
tain only one name for C#” ——
tion. tio"
But staged as the conven ed
was, it nevertheless Pr ts of
further inroads on the Oe a
the membership and
an organized attempt
the convention to eras®
the democratic features :
IWA constitution. ~ conver
A move to provide for oid

vention:

tions every two years Me pele
one was lost by 169 t0 ~" aj, 10
gates also defeated PYOP™ auc
raise the per capita ta. to Uy
the basis of representatl refer

convention, to eliminate
um voting on all matter i
district officials autom® |)
gates to the convention ios,
international officers ie jsed

Among delegates wh? trad!
related issues of jobs a
peace were two from instel
Amy from New Westm ntio®
George McKnight from, atten

Amy drew delegates 5.4, 00!

di
to the action of the Can? af :
ng ti
er nee

a

gress of Labor in seine

tion in favor of bis- Hs)

tions. 5
McKnight pointed fonts

offs in the plyw . i
Northwest as ia
for positive rev ofr
Had pa to supe give?
trade. Added point
to -his speech when
learned that at the
giving it Vancour™ a0
was informing its 1 ing

that they would be 9
four-day week. =
McKnight reac.
item stieing Britain a
cluded a barter den
viet Union in whic :

$7 million of plyw0?
for British machinery’
0

de
These speeches ©"

the
real problems faclMS. | jot pe ue
Their significance we hiP- be
on the IWA me 3 and “iy
around these anette pitt
problems that the oat” Wi
made this union &" off orts

PACIFIC TRIBUNE — OCTOBER 23, 1953

itself, despite 4 it.
leadership to supPT® i“

’ ~
iy