Federal aid
Sought for
fishermen

“The only thing required to
Make unemployment insurance
Practical for the fishing industry
is for the government to decide
to make it so,” Fishermen’s Union
Tesearch director Bill Rigby said
4ast week at a mass meeting called
‘by the union in New Westminster.

_ The meeting voted to back a
Program of action to fight for
Unemployment insurance and
_ Win emergency aid for fishermen
_ Whose 1955 earnings have been
the lowest in years.’

.. “Every man in this room will
find it very difficult to live this
Winter,” said Chief Francis Joseph
of Langley.

“An editorial in The Fisherman

us week called for emergency
ald now followed by amendment
of the Unemployment Insurance
Act later to grant full coverage to
Seasonal workers.

_ (Only a powerful campaign
Mvolving other unions can crack
through the callousness of the
- federal government and _ force
action to assist shoreworkers,
fishermen and their families
Tough the long winter months
ahead,” said the editorial.”)

LPP to meet on
legislative plans

_ The B.C.-Yukon Committee of

the Labor-Progressive party will
Meet in Vancouver over the
Weekend to discuss plans for the
forthcoming session of the Legis-
ature, it was announced this
Week. The fact that the session,
Which the government has an-
Nounced will be a short one, is
Senerally considered to be the
Second last before another genera!
Election is spurring LPP consti-
tuency committees throughout

€ province into action to get
40 candidates into the field.

Proposals will be submitted tc

€ 35-member committee for ex-
tension of the LPP’s resources
Campaign, and for launching a
drive aimed at bringing about
Public ownership of the province’s
“ydro and natural gas services
M order to speed the industrial-
lation of B.C. and provide these
coon facilities at the cheapest

ates,

U
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'e e

Candidate in Surrey

Leo Brady (above) has an-
nounced his candidacy for
council in ‘Surrey’s Ward 7.
He is campaigning on a pro-
gram which seeks tax relief
for home owners through
federal assumption of elemen-
tary education costs and re-
vision of the municipal taxation
schedule.

Alberta LPP
launches 5-point
farm campaign

EDMONTON
The Alberta LPP has opened a
province-wide campaign | to rally
farmers around a five-point
farm platform. This was an-
nounced by Ben Swankey at
Innisfree at a public banquet
honoring his ten years of pro-
vincial leadership of the Labor-
Progressive party. The banquet
was attended by 150 farmers
and their families.

The five points as
were: :
Trade with the whole world:
barter deals; accept the local
currencies of other countries;
credits to countries wishing
to buy our farm produce.

Cash advances on farm stored
grain from the federal treas-
ury and through the Wheat
Board.

Alberta trade delegations to
other lands to negotiate trade
agreements directly.

Raise the floor price on hogs
to 27 cents. As a basis for. a
floor under cattle, raise the
price for good quality steers
to 22 cents.

5 Industrialize Alberta and pro-
~ vide a stable home market for

farmers. 0 Ne

The LPP will also advocate
sending a Canadian farm dele-
gation to the Soviet Union.

ankey said that the cam-
ae will include public meet-
ings throughout the province as
well as distribution of several
thousand postcards directed to
Alberta MPs demanding cash ad-
vances and new policies to win
markets.

Speaking at the banquet, Tim
Buck, LPP national leader,
charged that “the present scheme
to mortgage farmers to the banks
via loans at 5 percent interest
is a denial of the principle upon
which the Wheat Board was sup-

outlined

| posedly established by the federal

government and a rank discrim-
ination against grain growers.
Labelling Trade Minister C.
D. Howe as an American agent
in the Canadian cabinet and cast-
igating him for his betrayal of
Canadian farmers by refusing to
accept the currencies of other
countries in exchange for our
wheat and other farm produce,
Buck pointed out that the U. S.
is accepting other currencies with
great advantage to itself and has

taken markets away from Canada.
: i

FARM LEADER SPEAKS

at the conclusion
Union.

number will be elected by the
farm union and BCFL execu-
tives to meet jointly at regular
sessions; a yearly educational
institute for farmers and CCL
members is planned; consultation
is planned before any labor group
takes action affecting the farm-
ers; when necessary the commit-
tee will prepare joint legislative
briefs for submission to the pro-
vincial government.

Davies, a working dairy far-
mer, told the labor convention
that “we desire to cooperate
with you to the utmost, so that
the fullest understanding be-
tween labor and farmers can
be achieved.”

He outlined the difficulties en-
countered in building a union
of farmers:

led to believe they were their
own bosses and that cut-throat
competition was the best way to
operat under a free enterprise
system.. They were told that
high prices of things they had to
buy were caused by that ‘evil’
force, labor, demanding higher
wages.

“Farmers work hard, and they
and their families work long
hours and have little time for
other activities. But seeing what
the trade unions have achieved
by uniting workers in an in-
dustry, farmers are beginning to
realize that they must form a
union, as the only way to achieve
parity and equality.

“Our Farmers’ Udion is small,
and at present we look upon
the trade union movement as an
elder brother. But we're go-
ing to grow, and some day we
will be big enough to clasp
your hand firmly and march
along with you.”

Before Davies spoke several
CCL leaders made powerful pleas
for farmer-labor unity.

* “Labor hasn’t assumed its re-
sponsibilities to the farmers of

IWA. “Both rank-and-file and
piecards must go out and do
something to work with the far-
mers. In the past four years
there has been a 50 percent de-
cline in farm income. Labor
must realize that we’re both on
the same bobsled, going down-
hill.” : %
“Prairie farmers have produc-
ed wheat and not been paid for
it?’ said George Home, BCFL
secretary-treasurer. “Just imag-
ine how we trade unionists would
feel if we worked all week and
then didn’t get paid.”
Home pointed out that in the
last few years the farmers’ share
of the national income has been
dropping so rapidly that in 1954

.

smaller than in the depression
years. In the same period pro-
fits of most big corporations have
skyrocketed. :

“A joint labor-farmer commit-
tee is essential,” said Jack Guest,
Grain Workers. “But generally,
the trade unions have confined
their activities to resolutions. This
isn’t good enough. The farmers
are’'in bad shape, and we must
give them concrete assistance—

SN

trade union.”

An important step towards
convention of the B.C. Federation
delegates enthusiastically endorsd a statement of polic
Farmers’ Union of British Columbia and the BCFL
of a speech by I

}

A standing committee of equal

“In the past farmers have been!

Canada,” said Warren Lowery, |.

it was a mere 5.6 percent, even|

By BERT WHYTE

of Labor held in Moose

CCL meet approves
labor-farmer ties

achieving labortarmer unity was taken at the 12th

Hall here last weekend when

y On joint cooperation between the
, and gave a hearty round of applause
-eo Davies of Hatzic Prairie, president of the Farmers’

Four resolutions submitted by.
Grain Workers local 333 were
endorsed by the convention. They
called for:

@ Joint labor-farmer represen-
tations to Ottawa to adopt
a more flexible grain mar-
keting policy.

Support for the farmers’ de- |
mand for a guaranteed mini- |
mum price for grain.
Opposition to upward revi-
sion of the Crows Nest Pass
freight rates.

Endorsation of proposed in-
terest-free cash advances to
farmers by the federal gov-
ernment to the value of 50 |
percent of the grain in store
on their farms.

i a

As expected, delegates endorsed

steps to hasten the labor merger

on a provincial scale, as contain- |
ed in a joint letter from the

TLC and CCL outlining methods |

for merging councils and federa-!

tions, and suggesting that the
first merged provincial conven-|
tions could be held in the fall
of 1956. :

While -supporting the broad’
terms of the merger, spokesmen |
from the floor made it clear that:
in the process of merging their |
unions had no intention of giv-|
ing up cherished democratic |
rights which had been won over }

‘the years by militant struggle. |
“We want an extension, not a

contraction of democracy,” said |

William Douglas, Marine Work-|

ers. i

dustrial unions (one delegate for |
each thousand members). On this’
basis, five small craft locals of:
25 members each would have the
same voting strength as an in-.
dustrial union with 5,000 mem-
bers. This is obviously unfair
and must be changed. We also
believe that conventions of the
new Canadian Labor Congress
should be held annually.”

At the recent CCL convention
no B.C. delegate could get the
floor to discuss the merger, said
Sam Jenkins, president of Mar-
ine Workers.

“We were in accord with the
merger, but I for one don’t want
a merger at. any price. I believe
that here in B.C. we must have
some autonomous rights to meet, |
discuss provincial problems and
tackle them in our own manner
— particularly problems relating
to political action.” i

On Sunday delegates endors- '
ed two resolutions submitted |
by Marine Workers demanding |
holding of annual\conventions
and asking the joint convention
to institute the same form of
representation now in existence
for the CCL.

Barely defeated on a 48-47 vote
was a resolution demanding that
the designated representatives of
each organization to the general
board be from the Canadian sec-
tion of his or her union and a
resident of Canada.

% os a

Labor has a vital role to play
iin the fight for peace, delegates
decided, in unanimously endors-

just as we would assist a striking |

ing a resolution “recommending
to the Canadian Labor Congress
| that the exchange of trade union

PACIFIC TRIBUNE — NOVEMBER 25, 1955 — PAGE

“The proposed method of rep-
resentation to the Canadian Labor |
Congress is unfair to large in-7

delegations between Canada and
all other countries of the world
be encouraged.”

The preamble to the resolution
noted that the cold war in the
past 10 years has brought about
fear, distrust ‘and misunderstand-
ihg among different countries,
but since the Geneva meeting of
the four great powers, doors have

been opened for the exchange of
delegations.

Other ‘important resolutions

called for:

'@ BC. government Jo take the

lead in federal-provincial
conferences for establish-
ment of a national social
security plan.

@ Labor to press for the 30-—

hour week.

@ Property qualification to be

abolished in civic elections.

BCFL to ask the B:C. gov-
ernment not to certify any
further craft groups in an
industrial unit unless the
craft unit is able to make
application for at least 51
percent of all: employees.

@ The provincial government
to pierce the “Aluminm Cur-
tain” at Kitimat and launch
a probe into the. housing
situation, because “houses
‘are being sold from $14,000
when their actual value is
no more than $10,000.” (
bog 5 23 :

Guest speakers at. the two-day
convention included Claude Bal-
lard, IWA international. second
vice-president; Labor - Minister
Lyle Wicks; and Leo Davies,
president of the Farmers’ Union
of. B.C. -

In elections Sunday afternoon
delegates returned Dan Radford,
president; Joe Morris, first vice-
president; William Symington,
second vice-president; Bob Smeal,
third . vice-president; and. George
Home, secretary-treasurer. —

Strike settled
by Engineers —

Strike of 150 members of AFL

Operating Engineers, who walked
out of 15 Lower Mainland and

Vancouver Island sawmills on
November 6 demanding a wage
boost, was settled Monday this
week when chief conciliation
officer William Fraser called to-
gether the union and Forest In-
dustrial Relations, representing
the companies.

The union accepted an offer of
10 cents spread over two years,
with five cents retroactive to
June 15. ; : :

During the strike eight oper-
ations were shut down tight and
at other plants production was
slowed down.

7

RE fe rat ee = Sees Ares So Ca