ad SIMS NEW HEAD OF VLC: TEAMSTERS HIRE WHALEN RUE ES) Lats VOL. 19, NO. 3 FRIDAY, JANUARY 22, 1960 - Phone MUtual 5-5288 gg. , Authorized as second class mail by the Post Ottice Department, Ottawa. VANCOUVER, B.C. Slash arms budget in -Mine-Mill Canada’s arms budget of $1,750,000,000 must be cut in half. and the savings returned to the Canadian people. This suggestion was put forward in the officers’ report: to the 16th annual convention of the Mine, Mill and Smel- ter Workers Western District Union convention which half’ says held its four-day sessions this week. The Officers’ Report, critical about “the waste of hundreds of millions of dollars of the taxpayers’ money on obsolete military equipment, bases, Dew Lines, etce.,”’ said that a saving of $870,000,000 could be slashed from the arms bud- get and the money returned to the Canadian people by. cutt- ing all taxes on wages up to $5,000 a year, raising old age - pensions by 30 percent and in- creasing family allowances by 50 percent. “Between the increased family allowances and reduc- ed income tax, a typical family should gain $20 a year by these proposals,” said the Of- ficers’ Report. The Report said the govern- ment’s “tight money” policy FOR A REPORT ON PRICE SPREADS SEE PAGE 3 in the Pender Auditorium “has never been reflected in the wasteful expenditures to those corporations which are growing wealthy and powerful from military contracts.” The government used the ex- cuse of the need for money for arms as a “standard excuse” to declare inability to build schools, hospitals and to subsi- dize clearance for the re-hous- ing of thousands of Canadians. In the face of neglected na- tional health needs and the dis- gracefully low levels of allow- ances to Old age pensions “the open-handedness of the gov- ernment in expenditure of -the citizens’ money is obsolete equipment and the mainien- ance of armed forces is an un- civilized policy.” the’ report declared. Ed Sims (Brewery Workers) was elected president of Van- couver Labor Council by acclamation Tuesday this week when incumbent Lloyd Whalen declined to run. The 425 delegates who jammed the Labor Temple gave the new president, q man with 27 years experience in the trade union m took the oath ot office. Whalen said later that he had accepted a job as organ- izer for the Western Con- ference of the Teamsters’ Union, effective February 1. Following his defeat over a year ago as head of IWA Local 1-217, Whalen joined the Office Workers, tried unsuccessfully to have the VLC presidency made a paid position, and later was hired as a “special assist- ant” by the council at $600 a month. Whalen has been under fire by delegates for spending too much time on Red Feather and other campaigns: not directly connected with council: busin- ess. : Ed Sims told reporters fol- lowing his | acclamation that “we have not been. spending enough time pursuing the pol- icy of this council, and I will endeavor to correlate activit- ies of the various groups with- in the VLC in order that we can carry out the objectives for which the council was pri- marily set up.” Paddy Neale, IWA. was el- ected secretary-tréasurer, de- feating Pat Landsley, Office Workers, 234 to 163. Dave Chapman, Machinists, was elected first vice-president over Sam Jenkins, Marine Workers, by a vote of 256 to 164, Mel Kemmis, Bakery Work- ers, was elected second vice- president by acclamation. In a three-cornered battle for third vice-president, Bud Hodgins of Retail, Wholesale won a run-off by defeating Or- ville Braaten. Puln and Sul- phite, 223 to 158. The elimin- ation vote had been: Hodgins, 173; Braaten, 131; Josephine Hallock, 112. Other election results, for @\.chairmanship of the various council committees: Organizational: Wyman Trin- eer, IWA, acclamation. Legislative: Jack Henderson, Building Service, acclamation. ' Public Relations: Al Cole- man, Barbers, defeated Colin Fleming, Laundry Workers. 154 to 141 in a run-off. First three-way vote had been: Cole- man, 112; Fleming, 105; Wil- ovement,a big hand as he liam Stewart, 93. Grievance: Syd Thompson, 63. Education: John Hayward, IWA, defeated Bob Buchanan, |SRU, defeated Doug Gibson. Carpenters, 161 to 104 in a run-off. First three-way vote had been: Thompson, 116; Retail Clerks, 137 to 114. Credentials: Al Barnes, Teamsters, defeated A. Aber- Buchanan, 93; William Arland jcrombie, IBEW, 173 to 47. Some 3,000 scheol children in Peking, China, attended a joyous New Year’s Eve party in the city’s Youth Palace. This Hsinhua News Agency photo shows them dancing - gaily in the central hall. 1 DO’ says Mel Kemmis: Not a wedding —Jamieson Mel Kemmis (Bakery Workers) who resigned as VLC third vice-president in the middle of his term last year in protest over attempts by Lloyd Whalen to make the presidency of council a paid position, was given a rousing hand by delegates Tuesday night as he was elect- ed second vice-president by acclamation. “Council enjoyed a laugh during the election preliminar- ies. when Whalen, in the chair, asked Kemmis: “Do you stand or decline?” ; “I do,” said Kemmis firmly. “Do what?” asked several delegates from the floor. “This is an election meeting, not a wedding,” secretary A. E. Jamieson reminded Kemmis, as a wave of laughter swept the hall. “IT accept the nomination,” said Kemmis. Bob Buchanan and George Johnston declined nomination, and Kemmis was declared el- ected by acclamation. Blast nazi revival TORONTO — Without a sin- gle dissenting _vote, Toronto and District Labor Council at its last meeting passed a reso- lution presented to it by its executive in which it declared it was° “greatly. disturbed at the recent signs of a re-emer< — gence of nazism in West Ger- many” and that “we urge the Canadian government to ad- vise Chanchellor Adenauer of our concern with the -recent turn of events.”