ES WAPVILAlSlS GAMU UIT DLaLe, .
the workers and their natural allies, the laboring formers,
unite solid enough to wrench it from the employing class.
To say that this cannot be won under Capitalism is so much
fatalism, and as much as saying that Capitalism will last
forever. It is true that it cannot be won with the workers
badly divided against themselves, Sooner or later the workers
will have to unite in struggle against capitalism, Why put
it off any longer? The small concessions gained from the

Provincial Government may seem small in themselves, but,

they are substantial to the mothers who are affected. These
workers must be made to realize that unity in struggle
gained these demands, and greater concessions can be won
through a firmer, broader united front of the working class.

U.S.5.R. DELEGATES RETURNED
CALL FOR A SOVIET CANADA

Thousands Turn Out to Hear Report of Local
Men Returned From Russia

By “B.C. WORKERS NEWS” REPORTER

- Sunday, Jan, 13th, 1935.—“Jammed full” was the expres-
sion that sent hundreds of workers scirrying from the
Auditorium (holding 2,500 people) to the Elks Hall, which
was hired to accommodate the overflow, and even then hun-
dreds were turned away disappointed. The capitalist press
admitted to the fact that 5,000 people turned out on a bitterly
cold night to hear the report of the TRADE UNION DELE-
GATION just returned from the Soviet Union, The magnetic
power of the land of Socialism, where workers rule supreme,
must have gripped the imagination of thousands more work-
ers in Vancouver who did not have the wherewithal to find
the necessary carfare.

The quiet expectancy and the extraordinary sympathy
which existed between the audience and the reporting dele-
gates, none of whom had previous training in public speak-
ing, showed the desire for “cut the trimmings”’—give us
facts. The frequent bursts of applause to some particularly
stated achievement and the ready response of the audience
to humorous anecdotes demonstrated that the audience was
pre-eminently working class, intensely interested in their
class achievements.

The whole tone of the delegates
was one of enthusiasm over the facts
they gave regarding the actual
working and living conditions of the
Russian workers. Asked point blank
in which country they would prefer
to live, they stated, that whilst the
conditions of the workers were much

a day; men’s wages better, but
totally inadequate. All worked 12
hours and more a day. Workers
were at the mercy of ‘employment
sharks, who robbed them right and
left.

Today, women drive winch, a job
they were never before permitted to

better in the U.S.S.R., they were de-| do, sweep screens and do all the
XNermined to live here and WORK] light work. The men get, when
FOR A SOVIET CANADA. needed, free dust goggles, aprons,

clogs, etc. Universal 7-hour day on
waterfront for general cargo work,
6-hour day for dusty and extra
heavy cargo. No overtime is al-
lowed. Two weeks’ holiday yearly
with full pay. Loading wheat gangs
(dusty) get 4 weeks’ holidays a year
with full pay. All covered with in-

Tom Russell Speaks on
Longshoring

Tom Russell, elected delegate of
the Vancouver and District Water-
front Workers’ Association, was the
first to take the platform. He opened
with a report of conditions on the

S2LLID VAL VO WA UUM») PAV VEO

Russian waterfront in pre-revolution-
ary days, of which his guide in-
formed him. Women used to pack’
cargo for the equivalent of 12 cents:

Surance. All get pension of full pay
at the age of 55. Free sanitoria for

===
(Continued on Page 2)

SAYS NATIONAL
LUNCH SLAVE PEN

Food Workers’ I. Union
Call for Some Drastic
Organization

We are in receipt of a letter from
a worker who was formerly employed
at the National Cafe in Vancouver.
This worker sent his complaint to
the Minimum Wage.Board, but up
to going to press has received no
redress, and being a foreign born
worker, the Board has passed the
buck and evaded the issue. ;

Part of the letter reads as follows:
“The meals of the employees at the
National Lunch consist of: Break-
fast, mush, two eggs, any style;
bread; tea, coffee or milk. They are
served as customers, because if they
were allowed to help themselves they
would no doubt pick up something
better.

Dinner and :supper consists of
soup, beef or stew, salad, liver, hash
or anything that is cheap, tea, cof-
fee or milk; free pudding, but they
are not allowed to have any pie. They
cannot get such things as pork

chops, roast pork or beefsteak.

The girls, who are fed on these
cheap meals, have to carry huge
piles of dishes, and are so speeded
up that they are played out long
before quitting time, and can hardly
kick open the kitchen doors, The
boss has a slimy way of firing them,
by giving them two weeks holiday,
but when they return to work they
are told that their places are filled.
He does this with those who cannot
work fast enough.

The workers in the basement and
in the kitchen toil from ten to
twelve hours per shift. It is alleged
that these workers are entered in
the bosses’ books as part-time work-
ers in order to fool the government
investigator, Many of the workers
in the kitchen are childrén of 14 and

15 years of age, and the boss pays

them little or nothing, because he
claims that they are inexperienced;
but as soon as they become experi-
enced, he fires them. The foreman
buys the cheapest of foodstuffs for
the restaurant, and bullies the work-
ers and keeps telling them that they
should work four times as hard as
they do at present. He gets his
orders from the boss and his wife,
who .are in attendance each day to

\

B.C. COAL MINERS
WIN VICTORIES

Consolidate Gains Thru
Better Organization
of Forces

rinceton coal miners, who belong
to the Mine Workers Union of
Canada, havé recently signed a new
agreeiment with the Tulameen Min-
ing Company. The committee to ne-
gotiate the new agreement was com-
posed of young miners, and thus the
company officials felt that they
could bamboozle them into accepting
a worse agreement than they form-
erly had. They found out, however,
that the miners were solid behinc
the committee and eventually the
company had to sign an agreement
which was practically as presented
by the committee. The agreement
gave some of the miners increased
wages amounting to 15 and 20 cents
per day. It restricted the activities
of the company officials, and bettered
the conditions for the miners.

(Continued on Page 3)

The “B.C. Workers News” takes
this opportunity in the first issue of
the paper to thank its many sup-
porters throughout British Columbia
for their efforts in making possible
this publication. It has only been
possible to publish such a paper
through the efforts of the workers
and poor farmers of this’ province
and likewise will only be possible to
continue by the same means. Every
person who has contributed to the
fund or worked in the campaign has
helped in their own way to further
this cause, and we feel sure this
support so far given is only a slight
indication of what is ready and wait-
ing for this first issue of the paper.

The appearance of the “B.C.
Workers News’ marks an historic-
ally important day in the class
battles which are constantly taking
on a more decisive character, direct-
ing us fovedids our ultimate goal.

While reblizing that many of those
who have purchased certificates and
in other ways contributed to the
fund to lay the foundation for this

paper, have done so at a consider.
eble sacrifice, we believe that a
large percentage of those supporters
will again rally to the call for sub-
seribers and flood the office with
orders.

Since the campaign first
launched in April, 1934, our move-
ment has passed through many
struggles, any of which could have
been materially benefitted by having
such a paper as the “B.C. Workers
News” supporting them. Neverthe-
less the more necessity for such a
paper is not sufficient to start pub-
lication; there must be a thoroughly
organized apparatus to build and
maintain circulation, contribute ma-
terial for the paper, solicit advertis-
ing, and above all, raise finances to
maintain the paper. Since we are
not eligible for subsidies as ‘are the
capitalist this latter task
must be undertaken by
every reader if we are to continue
an uninterrupted publication.

was

sheets,
seriously

The committees which have been
carrying ou. .he Work of the cam-

paign in the varlous. districts
throughout B.C., in the majority of
cases are to be congratulated on the
results obtained up to the present
and all the supporters are to be
complimented on their patience in
waiting for this first issue. Of
course the real satisfaction will be
felt with the continued appearance
of the paper, which up to now could
not have been reasonawvly expected
and will only be possible on the basis
of future support as _ previously
mentioned.

Let us now go forward ‘with a
perspective of a subscription from
every certificate holder and a bundle
order from every organization; then,
if every subscriber gets one more
friend to subscribe we will have both
feet planted tirmly on.the oad to
a permanent “B.C. Workers News”
With possibilities as ye, unthought
of,

Let our slogcai-be: A “B-C. Work-
ers News” fur every worker,

Insurance Proposed by Bennett Is at Expense of

the Working Class

Unemployed workers of this Province are preparing a continuation
of the struggle for the demands embodied in the petition, which was
signed by 36,000 persons and presented to the Pattullo cabinet by a joint
delegation from the Provincial Workers’ Council on Unemployment andthe
C.C.F. Unemployment Conference. Besides the petition which was for
50 per cent increase in relief and adequate medical and hospital attention,
the workers are also adding to the demands of the petition, the central
and most immediate demands of the Canadian working. class—Non-Con-
tributory Unemployment Insurance. The Provincial Worlzers Counci’
which was the driving force for unity of action, made the proposals 2
joint action to the C.C.F. are again in the lead in developing local struggles
on February 4th in support of the local demands of the unemployed, and
in linking up every demand and local struggle with the main demand for
Full and Free Insurance.

The delegation which went to Victoria last December 7th gained, in
answer to their petition, only a promise from Minister of Labor Pearson
that serious consideration would be given to their problems and especial
consideration to the question of mothers on relief during the period of
child birth. In a recent statement to the press from Pearson, it is stated
that “all expectant women on relief will receive $5.00 a month nourishment
allowance for four months, providing they produce a doctor's certificate
of examination.” AJthough this small concession is only a fraction ot
what the December 7th delegation asked for, it is proof that the organiza-
tion and the pressure of the workers can bring results. It is also am-
nounced by Pearson that ‘‘the government will only pay its share to thos
municipalities which pay 40 cents per hour on relief jobs.” In the m
jority of municipalities the unemployed are working out their relief
less than 40 cents per hour. The Provncial Workers’ Council is callin,
upon all its affiliated organizations to take up the struggle for enforcing
these two promises of the government. There is no doubt that the local
struggles which will take place to enforce these promises will lay a ‘wide
basis for the provincial-wide demonstrations on February 4th,

Burnaby Unemployed Workers are still on strike against working for
their relief. In Vancouver a scheme to put into effect the “‘work for your
relief” policy of Bennett, Pattullo and McGeer has now started. The gov-
ernment, profiting from the experiences gaineu of the strike struggles .
the unemployed workers in all parts of the Province, and especially Bu
naby, they are now adopting a different rgethod, which, they hope, will 1
the end lead to the same result: ‘‘Work without wages for relief.”

The South Hill sewer project is made up of men who have volunteered
from the relief lines, The wages paid are $3.50 per 7-hour day, and the
men are allowed to work for 25 per cent above their relief allowance. A
Strike took place on this job on Saturday, January 5th because a worker’
was fired for not doing enough work. The men wanted to know whether
a man who was fired for not doing enough work would be reinstated o)
relief or not. At 2 p.m. on the day of the Strike, Gilbert, the engin2cr
notified the men that “if they could not stand the work they would be put
back on direct relief.”’’ On this basis the strike was called off. The main
thing for the workers to realize is that here is a public works job, whera
the wages are based on the present inadequate relief allowance and if
this is allowed to continue, all the jobs, including yours, will be reduce«i
to the scale of a relief worker,

Vancouver workers should therefore rally to the demand that “all
publie works projects pay trade union wages in cash, with a guaranteed
‘minimum wage o/ $60.00. a month.” A delegation will go to the Cit;
Council and present this demand, along with others, including Non-Cosi
tributory Unemployinent Insurance. It is intended to make February 4t.
la big day in this Province, when, along with the local demands of th
, unemployed, the demands of the petition and the central demand and ia
mediate need of the Canadian workers for Full and Free Social Insur.:n
will rally tens vf thousands of workers across all Canada, Forward tot
struggle for Unerhloyment Insurance at the expense of the Employ

—Business Manager.

and the State! —B: L.