FISHERMEN’S BRIEF

Federal - provincial action on
public works program urged

VICTORIA, B.C. — An em-
ergency meeting of provin-
cial premiers and public
works ministers with the fed-
eral cabinet in order to get
a public works program
launched as speedily as pos-

Civic union
issues button
for Centennial

Vancouver’s Civic Employ-
ees Union (Outside Workers)
is the first union in the prov-
ince to mark the Centennial
with an attractive union but-
ton. Designed in green and
gold on a white background,,
the button carries a totem
against the city’s skyline, the
slogan, “Century of Labor
and Progress” and the words,
“Unity - Brotherhood.”

This week the Civic Em-
ployees Union forwarded a
sample of its Centennial but-
ton to trade unions through-
out the country. A letter ac-
companying the button states
in part:

“In our estimation, the labor
movement in British Colum-
bia should clearly bring out
its past achievements and its
constructive role during the
Centennial celebrations. We
do not think it is good enough
for labor to bersubmerged in
the general plans to make
merry and attract the tourist

,dollar.,

‘When we look back upon
the 50 years that our union
has been in existence, we
realize that the labor, courage
and sacrifice of our members
should not be forgotten. We
have been builders of a
mighty city in the _ truest
sense of the term, and con-
sistent fighters to advance the
common good and the demo-
cratic rights of the people.

“What is true of our union
is true on a larger scale of
the labor movement as a
whole. It was labor that
built the railways, dug the
mines, cleared the farms,
hacked the timber and fished
the oceans, transforming a
wilderness into a highly in-
dustrialized province — Can-
ada’s window on the Pacific.”

It is expected that other
trade unions, following the
example set by the Vancou-
ver civic union, will adopt
similar ideas of establishing
their independent identity in
the 1958 Centennial celebra-
tions,

sible was called for in a brief
presented to the government
last week by United Fisher-
men and Allied Workers
Union.

The brief proposed slum
clearance coupled with a ma-
jor housing program, hospital
construction, additional parks,
gymnasiums, civic centres,
swimming pools, harbor facili-
ties, water works, sidewalks,
rehabilitation centres and pub-
lic buildings.

“When our population is
suffering from lack of work,
it is a national emergency and
requires emergency action,”
said the UFAWU.

Where would
come from?

the money

The union called for “a
drastic reduction in the de-
fense budget with a realloca-
tion of the money to finance
projects of direct benefit to
{he Canadian people.

“We believe that $500 mil-
lion would goa long way to-
ward financing a large scale
national public works pro-
gram. It would be of direct
benefit in providing jobs for
people in B.C. throughout 12
months of the year.

“We belive money spent in
this way will provide far more
jobs and will contribute more
to the stability of our econ-
emy that expenditures for
armaments.”

Last year $1,750,000,000 of
Canadian taxpayers’ moncy
was sunk into “a bottomless
pit of defense expenditures,”
said the brief. The legislature
was urged to adopt a resolu-
tion calling on Ottawa to cut
the defense budget in. order
to finance, a major ‘public
works program.

The UFAWU also proposed:

® Establishment of a steel
mill in B.C. (When one mem-
ber of the government's
sanding committee on labor
said that the  province’s
known reserves of iron ore
totalled only 12 million tons,
not a sufficient supply on
which to base a steel industry,
union secretary Homer Stev-
ens replied: “That’s all the
more reason why we should
safeguard our resources for
future use in the province. In
addition, there should be add-
ed exploration carried on.)

@ Banning of al salmon net
fishing on the high seas.

®@ Development of two ma-
jor potential power sites
under public ownership (the
Peace-Laird rivers and Mica
Creek on the Columbia). To-

ce de

gether they would supply a
minimum of 7,000,000 horse-
power,

Peace Council plans
to question candidates

B.C. Peace Council plans to
submit a questionaire to all
federal election candidates to
ascertain their stand’ on a
summit conference, banning
of nuclear weapons tests and
other issues. :

A meeting to organize sub-
mission of questions to can-
didates will be held in Pen-
der Auditorium this Friday,
February 28, at 8 p.m.

Church opening sel

for political ends’

VICTORIA, B.C. — Opening of Highway Minis iy
Gaglardi’s $150,000 new section of his Calvary Temple n/
loops recently was “made use of by the Socred party ig
cal expediency,” Lea Nimsick (CCF-Cranbrook) chaté®

House this week.

Despite Speaker Hugh
Shantz’ ruling that Nimsick
could not discuss Gaglardi’s
church Opening ceremonies,
Nimsick continued to make
his points, and after a>shout-
ing exchange, Shantz allowed
him to finish his remarks.

(A Pentecostal minister in
private life, Gaglardi flew in
32 guests from Vancouver and
brought Lieutenant-Governor
Frank Ross to the opening in
a special CPR car. The high-
ways minister also threw a
lavish dinner for 600 guests.)

“Regarding reports of the
Opening of the highways min-
ister’s church at Kamloops,

one would assume i
government institutio® “y
the dignitaries
present,” taunted

Government mem C sd
to shout down the C
ber, with Premier ‘oe
Bennett leading
This caused Tony f
(CCF - Mackenzie) “ig
back: ‘You're t of?
premier in the nistory °
rovince.” 0
3 reat week Gast g
under fire before ber oo
ture public accounts at
tee for charging $15 et
penses to t Sater
while on a free ait i
to South American in

federal election fund.

Enclosed please find the sum of $

You can help to dispel this cloud
over the future by donating to thé

[PP FEDERAL ELECTION FUND

LABOR-PROGRESSIVE PARTY
ROOM 503 - FORD BUILDING - VANCOUVER 4, B.C.

CLIP and MAIL TODAY

Pier ORL ee 8 .-... as my contribution to yo!

February 21, 1958 — PACIFIC TRIBUNE?

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