| >. 4 t b PUC tries to oS ee ae. {holiat fh ‘ i Rae Gs Vol. 8, No. 31 . “4h, LUT GUT era tf RMIT MME Vancouver, British Columbia, Friday, August 12, 194 stall fare hearing YY ie fy y 44, : Price Five Cents PAY-SLA Effie says citizens know fare a steal : “The new interim fares have only been in effect a few Weeks and both the public and the company has only this Imited experience to go on in discussing the fare increase,’ said Dr. W. A. Carrothers, chairman of the Public Utilities Com-- Mission, this week, as he intimated that no public hearing on fares would be held ‘until 1950. “A callous slap in the face to all citizens,” was Effie Jones’ fomment on Carrothers’ smug pronouncement. “We don’t have to pay dime fares for six months before We realize we are being robbed,” said Mrs. Jones. ““When a Sangster sticks a gun in your ribs and takes your purse, you On’t need a long period of contemplation to decide you'd like © get your money back. “Citizens are being held up by the BCER every time they board a bus or street car and are forced to drop a dime in the Ox. They kifow it’s straight robbery and they want their Money back. They want it back now. “If the PUC refuses to listen to the voice of the public and remove the interim increase, and if it further expresses its Contempt by refusing to even hold a public hearing on the in- Crease, then I am sure that the people of this city will demand @ plebiscite next December on the question of public ownership of BCER, and will vote in favor of the city taking over the ‘ansportation system and operating it as a public service.” Resa LUMBER BARONS OPEN SHING DRIVE British Columbia woodworkers; warned months ago by the Woodworkers Industrial Union that the policy of the International Woodworkers of America in supporting the Marshall plan, rejecting union unity and relying on “sweet reason” to win wage and work gains from operators would result in disaster, this week began to taste the bitter fruit of IWA bungling. Encouraged by the split in union ranks, and confident that the leadership of the IWA will con- tinue to assist them by refusing to heal the breach with the WIU despite the critical situation facing all workers in. the industry, Coast and Interior lumber bosses are embarking on a high, wide and handsome wage-slashing rampage. Well aware that IWA negotiators had neglected to make adequate strike preparations before sitting down to hammer out a new contract with them the lumber barons contemptuously rejected [WA pro- posals and arrogantly announced their intention to reduce wages to the 1947 level in Coastal operations and to the 1946 level in the Interior. Citing the tremendous cut in lumber purchases by Britain (one result of the boss-[WA-supported Marshall plan), operators bluntly told [WA negotiators that 4,000 less men are working in the woods this year than last, and that “wages will have to come down.” Adamant attitude of the operators, plus rumblings of discontent from woodworkers when the wage- cutting policy received front-page publicity this week, caused faint-hearted TWA leaders to issue a statement condemning ‘“‘wildcat” strike action and assuring operators that the [WA will /comply with St. Laurent gov't muffs trade deal the Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration Act and definitely ““will not take a strike vote in the coast industry until conciliation recommendations are handed down.”? The lack of backbone display- ed by the IWA leadership, plus their scandalous neglect in failing to set up efficient strike machine- ry before the conciliation board met, is teaching thousands of woodworkers the truth about pretenders to leadership. For many months the Wood- workers Industrial Union ~ has hammered away on one theme— that only unity of all woodwork- ers against the bosses would make wage gains possible this year. WIU leaders called for “unity on the job” and “unity to win better conditions’—but the [WA top brass refused to, listen. “We don’t need your help,”’ they said, in effect, to the WIU men. “We'll put our confidence in the bosses, who will surely listen to reason. We help them fight the Reds, so they should do us a favor and give us a contract.” To make themselves look like real union fighters, [WA leaders’ Turn to back page See LUMBER PUTT UMIULILU MUL e You would never know it in Vancouver—the United Labor Picnic was rained out last Sunday—but there’s a heat wave in Cleveland, and this pretty member of the United Electrical Workers turned out for picket duty well : pre- pared. TORONTO The St. Laurent government ‘tossed away a chance for a barter deal which would have saved Canada ten million Yankee dollars and given work to hundreds of Canadians. This was revealed in the last edition of UE News, publication of United Electrical Workers (CIO-CCL) Canadian district. The union paper cites the following facts uncovered by UE research director Idele Wilson: “North China is very anxious to get copper wire; they have soybeans to offer in a swap, and recenty after much delay they were able to work out a deal with the American occupation authorities in Japan.” Canada has copper wire to export and needs markets for it. Also Canada imports soybeans and soybean products — and has to pay for them in scarce U.S. dollars. In 1947 Canada exported five and one half millions worth of copper wire, and imported over ten and one half millions worth of soybeans and soybean products — all from the United States. Here is the opportunity. for a barter deal which would save up to ten millions a year in U.S. dollars — and at the same time provide more jobs for Canadian workers. 130 MILLION ALLIES Peace meet joins two Americas NEW YORK Mbre than 200 leading Amer- icans are sponsoring the Peace Congress to be held in Mexico City, September 5-10, it has been announced by the American Continental Congress for World Peace. Other sponsors of the Congress include distinguished in- tellectuals and leaders of church, labor, youth and women’s or- ganizations from Canada, Brazil, Argentina, Costa Rica, Cuba, Mexico and Uruguay. Members of the U.S. group include: John Clark, president of the International Union of Mine, Mill and Smelter Work- Continued on back page See PEACE