The UFAWU was formally presented with a charter from the CLC earlier this month. Shown above at CLC
headquarters in Ottawaarel tor: Jean Beaudry, Bill Dodge, UFAWU president Homer Stevens, Donald

MacDonald, Joe Morris.

Andrews-Hunt photo

By NIGEL MORGAN

Anew and impressive demand
for “development of a dual
strategy of guaranteed jobs and
guaranteed incomes’’ was
placed before the Federal-Pro-
vincial Conference of First
Ministers in Ottawa May 24-25 by
the B.C. NDP government.

Citing the Special Senate
Committee Report on Poverty
which shows that ‘37 per cent of
those Canadians living in
poverty are fully employed year-
round, but because of family size
and marginal wages, their
income is less than that re-
quired to meet their basic living
needs’, the B.C. government’s
brief declared ‘‘Poverty in this
country will not be ended without
a large-scale redistribution of
the national wealth’.

Beagle, Levine
hospitalized

The Tribune learned this week
that two well-known figures in
the progressive movement
were in hospital.

Israel Levine, who was a found-
ing member of the Communist
Party and continues, | though he
is well into his 90’s, one of its
staunchest supporters, is in
Heather Pavilion, Room C-6. He
was admitted two weeks ago.

Long-time organizer for the
UFAWU, Mickey Beagle, was
critically injured earlier this
week when the camper in which
she and her husband Merv were
holidaying overturned’ on
highway north of SanFrancisco.
Both were thrown from the
vehicle and, while Merv escaped
with minor injuries, Mickey
remained on the criticallistina
California hospital for 72 hours
before she passed the crisis.

The Tribune extends its warm-
est regards to Israel and Mickey
and hopes for a speedy and full
recovery

The presentation by Premier
Barrett proposed that: (a) Full
employment be regarded as the
responsibility and a prime
objective of both the Federal and

Provincial levels of Govern-
ment: .and (b) that the
guarantee of a minimum

income be recognized as the
general objective of income
security programs.

It urged that governments
bring in ‘‘community employ-
ment programs’ to provide new
job opportunities of a ‘‘socially
profitable nature in the public
sector,’’ do a better job of
finding employment for those
who cannot be soreadily placed,
and provide special programs of
job training, counselling and
rehabilitation ‘‘to integrate the
less employable into the work
force.”’

Among its proposals for
“‘income support’’, the B.C.
government delegation to the
Ottawa conference called for:

(1) Retirement, widows,
widows with dependent chil-
dren, and disability . benefits
under the Canada Pension Plan

NIGEL MORGAN,
munist leader, who will head a
delegation from the Pacific Coast
to a western conference of Com-

munist leaders in Edmonton,
June 16-17.

B.C. Com-

PACIFIC TRIBUNE — FRIDAY, JUNE 1, 1973 — PAGE 12

to be substantially increased
with extension of the plan to
cover spouses of contributors.

(2) Substantial increases in
family allowances, with
payments to be universal,
taxable and adjusted to changes
in the cost-of-living — with
provision for Provincial govern-
ments to vary the allowances in
relation to family income,
family size, age of children, etc.

(3) Amendments to. the
Canada Assistance Plan to give
provinces the option to apply
income or means tests in place
of the present needs test.

(4) Additional allocations
from the Federal government to
cover its share of the Canada
Assistance Plan where the
number of persons receiving
social assistance in any
province rises about a certain
percentage— to provide above 50
percent in low-income regions.

While the B.C. government
brief did not get at some of the
more fundamental questions for
provision of the million and a
half job opportunities required
— resource development and
trade policies, development of
secondary industries and pro-
cessing and manufacturing,
provision of Canada’s need fora
quarter of a million new low-

cost, low-rental housing units .

etc. — it did underscore the
following points:

e Every Canadian must have
the right to a share of the
national wealth sufficient to
enable him to participate in

. Canadian society;

e Poverty can and must be
ended;

e All social security pro-
grams must affirm a commit-
tment to the dignity and worthof
the individual and the family;

e A level of benefits must be
provided sufficient to assure
every Canadian family with the
necessary resources to escape
poverty.

e Low incomes must be sup-
plemented by special measures
to assist families in the cost of
child-rearing.

Cont'd from pg. 1
He said the basing cause of
inflation is that we live ina
monopoly-controlled society.

and that these monopolies
manipulate and control the
economy.

Neale charged that the big cor-
porations are gouging the con-
suming public through high
interest rates. He said con-
sumer credit in Canada now
stands at $16 billion and that the
average interest is 16per cent.
“Tt's the workers who have to
buy on credit — the rich can
afford to pay cash — and that
means $2 billiona year is taken
out of the pockets of the peoplein
high interest.”

He said wages are a minor
factor in the inflationary spiral,
and that the Prices Review
Board proposed by the federal
government has ‘‘absolutely no
teeth’ and left the way it is
would be “‘futile.”’

Neale called for increased
public pressure because
“government is lockedin with
the big corporations’ and
doesn’t want an effective prices
board.

The Vancouver East MP
lashed out atthe Tory proposal
for wage and price controls. He
said controlsin Britainand the
U.S. have been a complete
failure and thatasit turned out
“the only thing frozen are
wages’ while profits continue
high.

He added that workers in
Canada are already under an
effective form of control
because they have to bargain
with their employer for any
increase and that two-thirds of
the labor force have no unions

and are therefore at the

employers mercy in wages.
Maurice Anderson of the

UFAWU, charged that the

people are being denied a
healthy nutritional diet because
of the amounts they have topay
for food and housing which
leaves the average wage earner
very little for other necessities.

He lashed out at the ‘‘myth’’
thatrising foodcostsaredueto
labor costs and prices paid to

producers. Weare faced witha
rip-off by the food giants. Mt
said. Pointing to figures release?
by the Meat Packing Institult
that the cost of bringing beel®
the consumer is 47¢ of HE
dollar: **Whoisgetting the othe!
53¢, he demanded. ;
Anderson pointed to fish
products as an example of the!?
off taking place. He said sprit
salmon selling in stores for $2
a pound brought the fisherme!
only 65¢ to $1.00 a pound. Chu
salmon which sold for $1.00#
pound brought the fishermé?
between 17-25¢ a pound. c
He pointed the finger at Bu
Packers— ‘‘part of the Westol
empire’’ — as one of the 10?
monopolies gouging the publ
“Tt made a profit of $3, 800,00
last year yet pays its non-perm
nent workers a base rate of $
an hour. t
Elaine Podovinnikoff said t@
only nine and a half cents 0% :
food dollar goes to wages vie
major part goes to profit. PeoP
need strong legislation t0 i
profiteering and she called fo
public support for the petit?
and postcard campal
launched by her committee. uf
Chairman of the rally was C
Rundgren of the Vancouver,
District Labor Council ¥
presented a resolution a
was unanimously appre’
calling on Prime Minis -
Trudeau to set up a cae
Review Board which wouldh@
power tocurb profiteerinsé
roll back prices.

_ are
BRIDGEWOOD NEW
UAW COUNCIL REP |

A well known trade unl ie
and Communist, Jim BU bd
wood of the United Auto We 3s
ers Local 707 in Oakville Wo
elected last week to repre’),
the workers in his plant 4
Canadian UAW Council. tows

Bridgewood’s election fol
the battle he conducted seve
years ago after he had been f
moved from the position |
Education Director of his!
because heranasa Comm eral
candidate in the Fed
election,