Effie will fight consolidated
gouge at August BCER hearings

Effie Jones’ repeated warnings have been confirmed.
cent fare granted to the BCElectric last fall was designed from the first by the company,
the Coalition government, the puppet Public Utilities Commission, and the Non-Partisan

Vancouver city council to be

permanent, very permanent.

The so-called “interim” ten-

Truth of charges to that effect

by Mrs. Effie Jones, Civic Reform mayoralty candidate, became evident this week from study
of an announcement made by Premier “Boss” Johnson (who resigned as a director of the
BCElectric on taking office) of a trick book-keeping arrangement designed to confuse the

Public.

Henceforth the 5.3 percent statu-
tory profit allowed the company,
which is only a small part of the
actual profit, will be calculated on
the overall operations of the com-
Pany instead of separately for
transit, light and gas.

Johnson, company vice-president
W. C. Mainwaring, and Public Util-
ities Commission chairman Dr, W.
A. Carrothers purred in chorus that
the action will enable the company
to refrain from boosting fares and
rates still further in transit and
as because the big return on light
will make up any losses in the
first two brackets.

“I'm fighting this through to a
finish,” said Effie when asked by
the Pacific Tribune what she was
8oing to do about the PUC hear-
ings now announced for August.
“It makes no difference whether
we're gouged in separate columns
On the books or gouged in one col-
umn—it’s still one big gouge. We
Proved last year that there was. no
need for the ten cent fare or the
8as boost. Seven cents was fare
enough then and it’s certainly fare
enough now.

“The people will back our fight
to be heard by the Public Utilities
Commission. I was Only defeated
by the vote of the business proper-
ties in 1947 or I’d be speaking to
the government from the mayor's
Chair right now. After all business
Properties don’t have to travel any-
Where even if the Non-Partisans
See they get votes. So it’s certain
the Civic Reform Association will
be speaking for the majority who
ride street cars and busses.”

Flood victims meet to
seek gov’t compensation

By W. V. SHAW

Flooded-out residents along the north bank of the Fraser
at Albion are holding meetings and pressing for full solution
of their problems. Resolution passed by a recent meeting
pointed out that “many residents of Maple Ridge Municipal-

ity have suffered losses, ‘some very serious, axa result of the

And more popular girls

Worker; Margaret Gardner,
Miss Fisher Lassie.

Above you see the second trie of candidates for the title of
“Miss B.C. Industry” at the United Labor Picnic, and as you'll
agree, they make voting a difficult but otherwise delightful busi-
ness. From left to right, they are: Myrtle Bergren, Miss Lumber
Miss Wood Worker;

Olga Rush,

Lockout threat looms in gold
as union demands commission

Management of Silbak-Premier gold mine in nortlHern

effect a lockout, shutting down the m
remier local of the International Union of
Several other gold mines in

active pay boosts.
than pay a living wage:

The Mine-Mill union is pressing
for an industrial disputes — in-
vestigation commission to exam-
ine the entire economic problem of
B.C.’s gold mines and their miners,
but Coalition Labor Minister Gor-
don Wismer states the union's re-
Sional director, Harvey Murphy, is
More interested in “politics” than
the welfare of the industry and
President Howard T. Mitchell of the
Vancouver Board of Trade offers
In the Vancouver Sun the explana-
tion that “the Kremlin’s program
includes North America, just as it
does Italy, France or Western Ger-
Many.”

Three conciliation boards, all
Composed of eminent non-Com-
Munists, have recommended 4

Commission be set up.

Need of the inquiry is seen in
figures cited by Mines Minister R.
+ MacDonald in _ boosting of
his department's accomplishments.
Each man employed in the mining
industry helps provide a living for
at least eight other people employ-
€d in Providing food and supplies
++. Every dollar received from the
Sale of products of our mines . - -
Creates at least $5 worth of new
Usiness for the country.”

Mine-Mill district secretary Ken
Smith states, “As long as I can re-
Member, even before theré was &

mine this week rather
Mine, Mill and
BG are

B.C. has declared what is in
than grant demands of the
Smelter Workers for retro-
threatening to close rather

Toronto group

‘A second report on the

you abdicated,

asks: ‘Have
Mr. King?’

—TORONTO
Lakes strike by government

recent floods and unless the gov-
ernment votes adequate compensa-
tion for flood losses many will not
be able to re-establish themselves
and hardships will follow.”

The resoluticn requests that the
government take steps “to provide
full compensation for all flood
losses including homes, crops and
furniture,” and also “take action to
prevent a recurrence: of flood dis-
asters through . establishment of
river controls to be under the
supervision of an overall Fraser
River authority.”

These demands have been only in
small part met by the government.

Over forty residents were present
and a committee was set up to car-
ry on the work.

(@t Abbotsford this week a meet-
ing of 150 evacuated Matsqui berry
growers discussed proposals for the
government to grant $335 an acré
to growers whose crops were wiped
cut, Further suggestions were that
families be paid $20 a- week. until
a new crop is harvested—this will
take three years—and that crops
in flooded areas should be subsi-
dized until normal yields are ach-
ieved.

(These proposals will be studied
in preparation for a subsequent
meeting. The gathering unanimous-
ly demanded appointment of addi-
tional damage appraisers to help
speed return of evacuees to, their

commissioners J.. W. Brockington and J. D. McNish, after
being suppressed by J,abor Minister Mitchell for six weeks,
has been released and once again takes the position that the
company—in this case Canada Steamship Lines—is wholly

wrong and the union wholly right.)
Referring to the action taken by
the company in signing a raiaideal|
shop agreement with Pat Sullivan’s |
“Canadian Lake Seamen’s Union” ,
the report states, “It is our opinion
that the failure to negotiate, the
substitution of a new union for the
existing gargaining unit, and the
assertion to alleged political opin-
ions, are contrary to accepted prac- |
tices and the law as it has hereto-
fore been followed.” .
Addition powerful support sued
to the seamen when the Civil

Rights Union published a full page
advertisement

in Toronto dailies
under the heading,

“Have You
‘Abdicated, Mr. King?”

The advertisement reads in part |
as’ follows: “You have publicly;
stated, Mr. King, that after your,

Union, if even a social club made a
demand, the gold operators, would
tel us they were just scratching
along to keep us in jobs.”

again serve as Canada’s Prime |
Minister, Since then, by your fail-.
jure to speak or act to settle the

PACIFIC TRIBUNE—JULY 23, 1948—PAGE 7

a ae

present term of office you will not wipped off by seamen pickets, are

present strike on the Great Lakes,
you have creatéd the impression
that you have already abdicated
your responsibility to the people of
Canada to maintain ‘peace, order
and good government’. The Canada
Steamship Lines and Sarnia and
Colonial Steamship Companies pro-
voked this strike by a defiance of;
our federal laws that sets a prece-
dent dangerous to civil liberties in
Canada ... The bloodshed has oc-
curred, Mr. King .., How much
more blood will have to flow before
you act, Mr. King, to enforce the
labor laws and the criminal code
of Canada?”

These and similar developments,
coupled with the government’s fear
of having the false front of the
first Liberal convention in 29 years

understood to be exerting intense
pressure on the government to
compel a settlement.

Deliver them:to any of
the following addresses: 2=

115 East 2nd Avenue

6 East 2nd Avenue
501 Industrial Avenue
1445 Powell Street
1040 Hamilton Street
755 Homer Street
Cor.11 Ave. & Vine St. —