reer Bill 33 takes us back to pre-Lincoln days’ — Douglas T. C. Douglas, New Democratic Party leader, told the recent Canadian Labor Congress Convention in Toronto that B.C.’s Bill 33 was a return to pre-Abraham Lincoln days. In a speech to the conventicn he condemned the compulsory arbitration section of the bill in these words: ‘Since Lincoln emancipated the slaves, no man has been forced to work against his will.” eee If anyone is under the illusion that the Liberals in B.C. are against Bill 33 here’s what their candidate in the Vancouver South byelection, Sandy Robertson, had to Say at an all- candidate meeting May 21 in the South Vancouver YMCA: “It is necessary but it’s a shame we need to go that far. It is no credit to either management or labor that WA strikes back T.C. DOUGLAS Bill 33 is necessary, but we must have the machinery to stop long strikes.” at Clyne threat Cont'd from pg. 1 complete, and is expected to roll up an overwhelming majority of 28,000 Coast woodworkers for strike action. Meantime, Regional president Jack Moore has severely scored Coast operators represented by FIR for their obstructive tactics and their ‘ consistent refusal to engage in ‘‘any genuine bargaining”’. Topping a 15-point program of wage, health, holiday, improved working conditions for the IWA 1968 contract is a straight 50-cents per hour across the board wage increase, the prime cause of Clyne’s threatening bluster and FIR’s refusal so far to serious collective bargaining. In the event of a strike Struggle becoming necessary in order to win improved wages and working conditions for all Coast lumberworkers and their families, organized labor in B.C. is already declaring its readiness to stand solidly behind the IWA, ‘with the Same or a greater measure of fraternal support which helped win a signal victory for IWA Interior lumberworkers. In a letter to IWA president Jack Moore, commenting on the J.V. Clyne threats. Roy C. Smith, president of the Canadian Area, International Longshoremens and Warehousemens Union (ILWU) wrote; *’ .. . The position of our Union is that'if the IWA membership is forced to strike to achieve their fair piece of the financial pie which is baked out of the Forest Industry of B.C., then the IWA membership has the complete support of the B.C. longshoremen. “On behalf of the longshoremen in B.C., I am now saying that the longshoremen recognize that J. V. Clyne has declared war against the whole labor movement in B.C. We also recognize that the IWA membership this year can be in the front lines of this war. We declare to the IWA membership that until their fight and ours is over, Bill 33 or not. we will be in complete support. “If J. V. Clyne and company force you out on strike, the longshoremen won't touch one stick of lumber which is strikebound”’. Strong moral and financial support has also been pledged by the B.C. Federation of Labor and many of its affiliated unions, should the IWA be compelled to take strike action in support of its wage contract demands. Vancouver South by-election Teachers make education crisis key election issue Expressing serious concern over the crisis in education as a result of the policies of the Socred government, Vancouver school teachers have decided to enter the Vancouver South by-election to bring their stand before the public. - In a special four-page tabloid-size paper, the stand of the teachers on the new school financing legislation and against the freeze on school construction is outlined in a front page statement entitled, ‘‘This is our concern’’, by C. D. Ovans, secretary of the B.C. Teachers’ Federation. Pointing out, *‘the future of children depends on their education,’’ Ovans charges that “steady progress will not be made because the freedom of ‘the Vancouver school board to plan and work for better schools for the children of Vancouver parents is restricted by the new education finance formula.” Quoting the Economic Council of Canada that education is not a cost but an investment that pays rich dividends in social and economic progress, Ovans expresses the concern of teachegs that the school construction freeze should end so that children may have room to learn. “The children are here now. The educational opportunity denied them today cannot be made up to them tomorrow ... Because it is in particular an investment in human resources development upon which the good society depends, education deserves the very highest priority in government spending.” “This is our concern,”’ says Ovans, “that short term savings not result in long term losses for children.” One whole page of the tabloid is given over to disclosing the serious effect of the school freeze on school conditions in Vancouver South. It shows a picture of a cleared lot for the building of an annex which would serve Fleming and Henderson schools and for which plans have already been drawn up. The oniy thing holding it back is that Victoria Teachers fight for their needs in Vancouver South by-election. has not given approval because of the freeze on school construction. “I just don’t know where we are going to put all of the youngsters who will be moving into the district.” says Fleming School principal Gordon Phillips. He is reported to say that the lunch room will be used for classroom space in the fall and the library is likely to be next. “It will be a tragedy for our students if the library has to be used as a full-time classroom. Loss of the library will really cut into our program because it is the resource center’ of our school and is used extensively.”’ The four-page tabloid will be delivered door-to-door in Vancouver South as part of the effort to bring the school issue before the electorate. While outlining the teacher’s stand on the school crisis. the circular also advertises a special all-candidate forum set for Wednesday, May 15 at Sir Winston Churchill School. All candidates have been invited to speak on four issues: the provincial finance formula: the school construction freeze; special grants for special services and special educational needs of Vancouver. Sponsors of the meeting say that “providing for the educational needs of our young people is one of the most important single issues in the Vancouver South provincial by- election.”’ The tabloid circular and all- candidate meeting is being sponsored by the Vancouver Elementary School Teachers’ Association, Vancouver Secondary School Teachers’ Association, Vancouver School Administrator’s Association, the B.C. Teachers’ Federation and the Vancouver Parent-Teacher Council. STRIKE A BLOW AT BILL 33 Unite to defeat An appeal to the voters in the Vancouver-South byelection to use their ballot to repudiate the Bennett administrations reactionary, anti- labor and anti-education policies, to WOODWORKERS COMING OFF SHIFT. These are the men who produce the profits and need a bigger slice of the _ monopolies. Prosperity enjoyed by the forest Page 12—PACIFIC TRIBUNE—MAY 17, 1968 roll back taxes, and call a halt the giveaway of B.C.’s resources. was made by the Provincial Executive of the Communist Party this week. “The eyes of British Columbia will be on Vancouver-South May 2ist,”” the Communist Party statement declared. “‘Never has the need for new policies — the replacement of raw material exports by all-round economic development to provide " jobs at home; new tax policies to lift the burden from consumer and local ratepayers: increase social expenditures for education. low-cost and low-rental housing. hospitals and welfare — been more evident. nor has dissatisfaction with the government's lack of action, and its arrogant. authoritarian attitude to labor, the educational system and municipal administrations been so widespread and sharp”. “We appeal to the electors of Vancouver-South to register their vote for alternative policies. The Bennett government's giveaways of our natural resources — lumber. pulp. Columbia. waterpower, oil and Socred candidate natural gas are well known. Japanese monopoly interests (expanding at a rapid rate) are moving into B.C. mineral, coal and last remaining timber reserves, and the Bennett government which says it has no money to end the school freeze, says it is prepared to go it alone in putting up $25 million for Robert's Bank superport to funnel off more raw materials and job opportunities to Japan. “And now we have a new ‘made- for-Japan’ product — Bill 33 — recently cited by the Board of Trade delegation visiting the Japanese trusts to reassure them that they need have no fears of B.C. labor. its demands for improved working and social conditions, and the Carter tax proposals for capital gains and resource depletion allowances. *“The new School Act amendments, which threatens B.C. educational standards just as Bill 33 threatens labor, can only serve to lower educational standards, destroy local school board autonomy and shift the burden of rising school costs to local ratepayers. “Defeat of the Socred candidate in Vancouver-South would represent a public repudiation of the reactionary, corrupt. anti-labor and anti-democratic policies of the Bennett government which they could not ignore. It could help to create an atmosphere in which the Socreds would be afraid to proceed with implementation of discre- tionary powers they rammed through at the last Session in the field of education and labor rela- tions. A united expression of labor and democratic opposition to the Socred candidate is the best contribution that could be made at this time to restore labor and democratic rights, end the developing school crisis, roll back rising school and municipal taxes, and stop the giveaway of our natural resources to foreign interests,”’ the statement concluded.