The U.S. Senate Sub-Com-
mittee on Migratory Labour
held a two day hearing on
Farm Workers Organizing
Committee and the Depart-
ment of Defense on the
skyrocketing purchase of
California table grapes by the
Defense Department.

The hearings were called
to study the DoD’s recent ad-
mission to a massive increase
in its procurement of table

rapes.
aoe Basic Policy

In an official policy state-
ment issued on June 10, the
DoD said that, “The basic
policy of the Defense—is to
refrain from taking a position
on the merits of any labour
dispute — From the diverse
opinions that have appeared
in various news media, it is
quite apparent that the dis-
pute over California table
grapes falls in this category.”

Since the boycott of grapes
began, the DoD has maintain-
ed its “neutral” position by
purchasing enough to suply
EVERY GI in Vietnam with

THE WESTERN CANADIAN LUMBER WORKER

eight pounds of grapes, and
has increased its purchase of
grapes by 700%.

Taxpayers’ Money

At the hearings, UFWOC
vice-President Dolores Huerta
made a brief statement chal-
lenging the DoD to account
for its involvement in the
grape dispute. Why have they
ignored their own guide lines
and actively taken sides in
this dispute, she asked. Why
have they used taxpayers’
money to help the growers
resist an effort by poor
people to get decent wages
and living conditions? Why
won't they now refrain from
such purchases, she asked.

Extra Price Boost

Mrs. Huerta pointed out
that the DoD’s present level
of table grape purchasing
(which represent 2.5% of all
US fresh table grape produc-
tion) has been enough, in an
extremely sensitive market,
to give an extra boost to the
price of all grapes, thus en-
abling many growers to con-

tinue their resistance to the
farm workers’ request for
Union protection. By taking
advantage of lower prices
brought about by the suffering
and sacrifices of many strik-
ing families, the DoD is only
helping to prolong and intens-
ify the struggle that has al-
ready gone on for four long
years now. At a time when
the boycott seemed to be
bringing the growers to the
bargaining table, the DoD
stepped in and threw the

growers a life saver in the

form of massive grape pur-
chases.
Army Strikebreaker

William Kircher, speaking
for the national AFL-CIO
office, directly labeled the
Defense Department as a
“strikebreaker” and called for
an immediate halt in its pur-
chases of grapes.

DoD officials only reiterated
their claim that it is a policy
in such maters to remain
“neutral” and that the reason
for the increase is due to “in-

“ereased troop accenvtability”.

THESE MEMBERS of Local 1-424 IWA Prince George employed as garage mechanics
in three garages certified to the Local Union recently signed a new two-year agree-
ment with their employers following a three-week strike. The new agreement gave

journeymen a 75 cents an hour

increase boosting their rate to $4.40 an hour. The

Composite picture shows the members listening to the contract proposals in the Local

Union Hall. Garages covere

Walls & Son Ltd., and Prince George Motors Ltd.

d by the agreement are Ken Mills Chev-Olds Ltd., Fred

} “AND STABLE POOR" _

Editor’s Note:

The follow-
ing letter is in reply to the
article published in the Van-

couver Sun August 19, by Dr.
A. E. Carlsen, Professor of

Economics at the Canadian
Service College, Victoria,
blaming labour costs for

pushing prices up.

Dr. S. Carlsen’s article,
Page 6, Aug. 19, was very
enlightening. I for one feel
truly ashamed.

I hope all common workers
who are struggling to make
ends meet abolish the thought
of any raise in pay, even
though it may help to keep up
with the cost of living. Let’s
take it upon ourselves to bear
the responsibility for inflation
and cut down even more on
our essentials.

Perhaps we could sacrifice
all that has been achieved

j the days of child labor.
Tete eee off the backs of the

d rejoice fcr the
they know and con-
ae oadize their good
life by assuming 4 preter
tax load. Let’s pay hig! ee
prices for goods and servic
so they can gain not cents per

hour annually but dollars per
minute indefinitely.

Let’s not forget that in a
free enterprise system every
man can improve himself if
he has the drive. I guess this’
must exclude the strikers who
sacrifice many pay cheques to
attain wage settlements. And
all those small businessmen
must be lazy slobs as they
never seem to attain the mag-
nitude of MacMillan-Bloedel
and such.

So, let’s learn to live with
the present brand of progress.
We should look forward to the
day when we become old age
pensioners and promise not to
be disgruntled like many of
the elderly of today.

Let’s make the necessary
preparations so when techno-
logy makes our labor’obsolete
well be able to enjoy our
leisure as deprived but crea-
tive individuals. Of course, if
we are to have any future at
all, we must accept the total
burden of pollution control
and provide the funds for in-
dustrial cleanup.

Let’s all understand why
the “haves” vote Social Cred-
it or Liberal. They are only

protecting their good life.
They’re afraid that by accept-
ing a greater share of the tax
burden, erasing monopolies,

etc., they'll be forced to live ©

like ordinary men. I don’t
blame them.

So, let’s encourage everyone
to vote Social Credit or Lib-
eral, both federally and pro-
vincially, so we can ensure a
stable economy—a stable rich

and a stable poor.
(Mrs.)
CHARLOTTE BRADLEY

Port Coquitlam.
ee)

GOOD LESSON

The retired Interior lum-
berman was in a mellow mood
and exchanging confidences
with a machinery salesman in
a Vancouver cocktail bar.

“I was married twice,” he

recalled. “My first wife died
of eating poisoned mushrooms
and my second wife died of
a skull facture.”

“Fractured skull — what a
shame,” said the machinery
man. “How did it happen?”

“She wouldn’t eat the mush-
rooms,” said the lumberman.

Tie GROWER Te Porrtician Me General “€funustriausT 4)

A newcomer has taken over
the honor of having the high-
est per capita income among
municipalities in Canada.

Oakville, originally just a
quiet millionaire’s town with
fine homes along the water-
front, has burgeoned with the
development of a major auto-

‘mobile assembly plant—Ford’s

organized by the UAW — as
well as exclusive residential
areas for senior executives.

Now this city nicely located .

on Lake Ontario boasts the
highest average annual in-
come in Canada for the year
1967 — $6,927.

The Department of National
Revenue, in its 1969 edition of
income tax statistics, reports
that Oakville’s 19,084 taxpay-
ers paid an average tax of
$1,067 each B.C. (Before Car-
ter).

Next in line was Sarnia, on
Lake St. Clair, with average
income of $6,472 per taxpayer
and tax payment of $910. Pre-
viously Sarnia was in first
place. It is the home of the
government’s Polymer Cor-
poration, and harbors huge
refineries and chemical plants
of major corporations.

BROADWAY
PRINTERS
LIMITED

printers and lithographers
since 1911

<=>

115 EAST 8th AVENUE
VANCOUVER 10, B.C.

Telephone 876-2101

u

The Top 20
1. Oakville, Ont. $6,927
2. Sarnia, Ont. 6,472
3. Trail-Rossland, B.C. 6,259

4, Sudbury-Copper
Cliff, Ont. 6,239
5. Alberni, B.C. 6,106
6. Windsor, Ont. 6,084
7. Ottawa, Ont. 6,037
8. Prince Rupert, B.C. 5,999
9. Prince George, B.C. 5,984
10. Nanaimo, B.C. 5,918
11. St. Catherines, Ont. 5,908
12. Vancouver, B.C. 5,894
13. Toronto, Ont. 5,858
14, Oshawa, Ont. 5,833
15.. Hamilton, Ont. 5,822
16. Calgary, Alta 5,795

17. Sault Ste. Marie
Ont. 5,785
18. Whitby, Ont. 5,772
19. Barrie, Ont. 5,714
20. Montreal, Que. 5,713

he 1967 average income of
4,643,587 taxpayers who filed
returns in 89 urban centres
was $5,637 and the average
tax was $685.

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>) JOHN
OT) WATSON LID.

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