AGRA WHER dy, a, HIRAM wT _ * Standing before company gates at Seagram’s New Westminster plant, picketers have thwarted attempts by management to break through the line. Seagram’s applied Tuesday for an injunction to prevent picketting, alleging a breach of the now-infamous Trade Unions Act. —Sean Griffin photo LABOR SCENE Company provocations continue at Seagram’s Provocations have been mount- ing at Seagram’s New West- minster plant as the company continues in its apparent attempt to manufacture evidence for aninjunction that willprevent further picketting by the strikers who have remained solid for over five months. Last Friday, the company attempted to bring a train across the picket line, supposedly to pick up barrels from the plant but was stopped when pickets stood on the tracks barring the gates. On several occasions, trucks, driven by management personnel, have tried to break through the line but each time have been turned back. When employees of a local firm refused to installa camera monitoring system at the plant, company Officials installed the equipment themselves and now two television cameras monitor the gates, an indication of the fact that the company intends further provocations. Despite obvious attempts of the huge corporation to smash the local union, the inter- national office of the Distillery Whelan cites profiteering but hedges on gov’t action cont'd. from pg. 1 panies have got control of the bread manufacturing and they can just about damn well do what they want.” Whelan’s statementswere a far cry from his previous weak remarks some months ago when he told Canadians that ‘‘food prices in Canada are quite reasonable”’ even the Trudeau government canno longer mask the legal rob- bery which takes place in the stores every day. Even CTV‘S Bruce Phillips, speaking on time paid for by the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce called Monday night for an investigation of the charges of profiteering and action by the federal govern- ment tocurb any profiteering by giving power to the federal Price Review Board. The questions being asked by consumers everywhere now have to do with action that the federal government must take following the revelations of Whelan about ‘‘rip-offs’’ by packers, manufacturers and millers. Mrs. Podovinnikoff said that ‘“‘Mr. Whelan’s statements in addition to the claims that our organization and others have made, make it abundantly clear that the government must move and move quickly to give the Prices Review Board the power and indicate that. to deal effectively with price levels.” Several consumer groups are reported planning actions in the ongoing campaign to bring prices down. Meanwhile Whelan stated that the government was consid- ering exportcontrolsonbeef in anattempttoalleviatesomeof the effects of the price freeze in the United States but gave no indication when such controls be implemented despite the fact that the situation demands immediate action. Nixon’s Phase Four controls which froze the domestic price of beef in the U.S. have resulted in artificial shortages being created as meat suppliers hold stocks off the market waiting for the controls to be lifted Septem- ber 12. Since imported beef can be sold at any price, packers are buying up Canadian steers at an unprecedented rate. At the same time cattle are being im- ported into Canada to be slaugh- tered and then returned to the U.S. asdressed—andimported beef. Export controls, stictly en- forced would mitigate the worst effects of the Nixon freeze but would have to be accompanied by stringent price policies to bring prices down substantially. The Americancontrolsas well as the massive movement of beef back and forth across the border has created a climate where packers can engage in PACIFIC TRIBUNE — FRIDAY, AUGUST 10, 1973 PAGE 8 profiteering in a bigger way than ever before. In the U.S., anumber of con- sumer organizations are map- ping a fightback program calling for vigorous prosecution of corporate agribusiness con- cerns who have been with- holding domestic beef from the market and profiteering onthe sale of imported Canadian beef. Workers still refuses support for the strikers. In Ontario, members of Local 61 of the Distillery Workers, em- ployed at the Hiram Walker plant, gained asmallvictoryin their conflict with the inter- national office. Early in June, Local 61 voted over 85% to return their charter to the international office and seek alternate affiliation. The action was takenasameasure of solidarity with the Local 69 strike in New Westminster and a protest against the refusal of the international tosupportits members. The international responded last month by putting the Local under trusteeship. But Dick Tye, president of the Hiram Walker local took the international into court and suc- ceeded in obtaining an injunc- tion restraining the inter- national from maintaining the trusteeship. While the injunc- tion is only temporary, it will suffice until a permanent restraining order can be ob tained. Earlier, the B.C. Federation of Labor vigorously protested the action of the international office, stating that ‘‘this kind of blatant and unwarranted inter- ference in the affairs of the Cana- dian trade unionmovementis no longer tolerable.” The Federation called on Cana- dian Labor Congress officers to ‘‘speak out emphatically on the matter’’ and urged the Congress to grant a charter directly to the local. * * * The Vancouver and District Labor Council called last week for the Four Seasons property between Gilford and Denman Street at the entrance to Stanley Park to be brought under public ownership for development by the city of Vancouver. In the statement, council secretary Jack Lawrence said that the land should be devel- | Keep the faith’ | The Vancouver Province, whose apologies for monopoly policies have always had a self- serving ring to them, has finally come to admit its inability to ex- plain away a deepening econo- mic crisis with the usual time- worn arguments. In aneditorial Saturday onthe rising price spiral, the paper con- ceded that ‘‘cyclical inflation appears beyond the scope of traditional economics to deal with.” Now that is something that Tribune readers have known for some time. Traditional econo- mics has givenus little by which to understand the recurring crises of unemployment and inflation; only such contri- vances as ‘‘Phillips curves” which tellus that as unemploy- ment goes up, inflation should go down. But traditional econo- mics has no answers when un- employment goes up and infla- tion goes up with it. Because it speaks with a corporate voice, traditional economics will never admit to the existence of monopolies who engage in price fixing. But having admitted its confu- sion, the Province continues un- daunted with its always ready at- tack on the trade union move- ment for its ‘‘inflationary wage demands.”’ That’s traditional economics too, isn’t it?— blame the work- ing people for their own lack of purchasing power, attack the unions for trying tocatch up to soaring prices. That is so tradi- tional, in fact, that Karl Marx re- futed it ina meeting of the Inter- national Workingmen’s Asso- ciation more than a hundred years ago. No doubt, the Province will continue to see through the fog of traditional economics. After all, it has interests to protect. oped ‘in a manner which comple | ments Stanley Park and serves | the obvious recreational am social needs of the people,” ad@ ing that the proposed hotel- office residential complex cou! be located in other areas of te city. : In calling for the public acquis!) tionof the Four Seasonssite, We | council also commended Me members of the Special Com mittee of City Council on BU rard Inlet Waterfront for recom | mending that the property o tween Chilco Street and Gilfom® | Street be brought into the publi¢ domain for use asa public oper space and park. * * * At Tribune press time, the : B.C. Court of Appeal had just!@ 7 versed the decision of a lowes 1: court and granted an injuncll” to Shopper’s Drug Mart oF a ing the B.C. Federation of Labor to halt its boycott against stores. The Federation had earlier clared all stores ‘‘hot ; support of Retail Clerks ¥ j have been on strike in 10 sto” since February, seeking aim contract. 3 lab 7 ion was aval No information yen at press time as to su action planned by the — Federation of Labor followin the ruling by the court. Natural g cont'd. from pg- ! in export volume. Already ® feel 70% or 809 million cuble | ¢ daily are exported to the and Westcoast wants io" crease the exports by 450™ cubic feet daily. in Robert Strachan alsa timated that the gover’ ing might consider national the resource but not the © ine coast pipeline in which C°" je gas would be bought by in government, leaving cont the hands of Westcoast. At the hearings MO the | ‘Irving Stowe, speaking yncll B.C. Environmental ©? fal / called for the phasing OY 4 fot B.C. exports of enersy Ajevel the exploitation an ple opment of non-rens rth resources to be reserved provincial government 0” e 0 While demands fort enere mulation of a nationa © vir policy have been vOIce® 955 tually every provinc€ & | na Canada, whether or not’ ive tional Energy Board wicatian to deny Westcoast’s aPP’ ifthe is yet to be seen. Bul ie post does, it will only be ponement. é abo! The B.C. Federation of Fo in its submission t0 ‘ gue i mission put the matte dst cinctly: “We believe the. be British Columbians placed first and wé ,; dent that these needs © pjicll better protected by 4 P owned corporation dominated by foreig? interests.”