‘Minimum wages rise in nation Increases in minimum wage rates were introduced in al- most all provinces, including the establishment of minimum + yates for men in Ontario and Prince Edward Island — the first time in these two prov- inces. Rates under general orders were raised in Mani- * toba and Newfoundland. Wage scales were set for ' the Toronto-Hamilton-Oshawa area as the first step in ap- + plying new minimum wage levels to both men and wom- _ en in Ontario. Under the orders, a mini- _ mum $1.25 hourly rate was set for construction workers, $1 an hour for male workers in other industries, and a rate of 85 cents rising to $1 on . March 31, 1964, for women. In Prince Edward. Island, , a minimum wage of 90 cents an hour was set for male workers, increasing in two “ stages to $1 an hour on May 1, 1964. * New general rates for Man- | itoba are 75 cents an hour | in urban centres and 70 cents in rural areas. In Newfound- land, new rates of 70 cents 4 an hour for men and 50 cents an hour for women went into effect. In British Columbia, re- vised orders for offices and laundries set a minimum $1- an-hour rate — the minimum level already in effect for most B.C. workers. Rail Policy Reviewed The federal government ap- pears to have removed the priority status from its pro- posed rail legislation to streamline the two main com- pany operations and to ease the impact of line abandon- ment. At the same time it has im- posed its own freeze on any further western Canada aban- donments until Parliament gets round to the rail legisla- tion. The continued freeze — ad- ditional to that the railways have kept themselves by spe- cial request—was announced by Transport Minister Pick- ersgill. THE WESTERN CANADIAN LUMBER WORKER. LABOUR IN POLITICS MAKE IT WORK! Joint committee has major task By JACK MacKENZIE IWA Regional Vice-President A recommendation made by Conciliation Officer Raguin for settlement of the dispute in the Southern Interior of- <4 fers possibilities that should not be ignored. If placed into effect on a proper basis it may open the way to a solution of vexatious problems which have plagued Southern Interior lumber workers. The recommendation reads in part: rl “Tt is further recommended that a joint committee be established. This committee to be composed of not more than four directors of the Association and a like number of Union officials, one of whom shall be Regional Officer. : “While I am not recommending general terms of reference under which the commit- tee will operate, I do recommend that specific items such as travel time, contracting out, equalization of the base rate, classification adjustments and possible improvements to the Health and Welfare Plan be considered by the committee.” The employers accepted the report in its entirety. This places them under an obliga- tion to join in the establishment of such a committee. Such committees in the past have not been famous for concrete achievements, but this should not mean that this one is fore- doomed to failure. A genuine effort to make such a committee work can help to take the fog out of employer-employee relations in the Southern Interior. The recommendation touches on a num- ber of problems for which the report offered no final solution — such as travel time, con- tracting out and classification adjustments. Continued discussion of these issues is neces- sary and can clarify the nature of long- standing grievances. FACT-FINDING NECESSARY The work of this committee should be much more than a formal compliance with the Raguin recommendation. The contract phrasing should enable it to function in a manner that will yield practical results in dealing with vexing problems. Provision should be made for some objective fact-find- ing as a basis for joint action. If the major issues must eventually be referred to broad negotiations, the continuing discussions dur- ing the contract period should facilitate rather than hamper decisions about contract revisions. The committee can serve a useful purpose in ironing out details of a number of recom- mendations included in the settlement. The introduction of job evaluation in the plywood plants and the details of apprenticeship train- ing program will’ need careful attention. Travel time and category rate revision prob- lems should be aired. The committee can be a clearing house of fact and opinion that should smooth out any troublesome wrinkles that may appear. The work of this committee will be a test ‘of good faith in Southern Interior employer- employee relations. As far as the IWA is concerned we are determined to make the most of the opportunity to build better con- tract relations. Global data shows startling picture Perr rrrnrss ee — Attractive Possibility “We could produce today all we need to support pre- ... HOW big should an airline be? Simple: big enough to buy and fly the best equipment, hire the top personnel, and provide dependable on-time service on a variety of routes ... but small enough to enjoy that personal touch with the people it serves. Such a line is B.C. Air Lines ... fly the thunderbird route. pca B.C. AIR LINES LIMITED The Right Sized Airline complete Flight Information contact your nearest BCAL Agent Editor William Rotch tells us that a Missouri school superintendent recently tried to present a picture of the world in terms that his stu- dents could understand. If, he said, in imagination the 2,750,- 000,000 persons in the world were compressed into a single town of 1,000 people, the fol- lowing contrasts could be seen: 60 persons would repre- sent the USA 940 would represent all others 60 Americans would re- ceive one-half the in- come 940 other people would share the other one- half 300 of the town’s popula- tion would be Chris- tians 700 would have other re- ligious beliefs 303 would be white 697 would be non-white. The 60 Americans would have a life expectancy of 70. The expectancy of all ale would average under The 60 Americans would consume 15 percent of the town’s food supply. The lowest income group of the Americans would be better off than the average of the other 940. The 60 Americans would have 12 times as much elec- tricity; 22 times as much coal; 21 times as much oil; 50 times as much steel; 50 times as much general equipment as the 940 remaining members of the town. * * * A reader who sent us the above asks ... “How was it possible for him to neglect telling his stu- dents that about 4 or 5 of ‘The Lucky Sixty’ Americans own and control over 90 percent of all the natural wealth, and that the other 55 or 56 ‘Lucky Americans’ own and control less than 10 percent of all the natural wealth ... and that at least 5 to 10 of the ‘Lucky Sixty’ would be unemployed part of the time or most of the time, and would have no security, and would be no better off, or even worse off, than the average of the other 940 persons!” —from the Commonwealth, Regina, Saskatchewan A recent issue of the Finan- cial Post has a report showing the net profits of 59 companies in Canada reached $880 mil- lions in 1963 against $811 mil- lions in 1962. International Nickel came first with $106,- 311,000, followed by Imperial Oil with $71, 088,146, and Bell Telephone with $68,294,000. The same report also shows that the average weekly earn- ings in manufacturing have increased from $83.17 in 1962 to $86.17 in 1963. I I | l I I 1 sent living standards with | a 30-hour week if everyone |. worked hard for the 30 |! hours—soon we shall be | able to do this with a 20- | hour week.” — Frank Cap- I on, ‘Vice-President, Dupont | of Canada addressing Trust | Companies Association in | Montreal, April 30, 1964. I a pe pig icp eae syeaeel Confusion A young lady, with a touch of hay fever, took with her to a dinner party two hand- kerchiefs, one of which she stuck in her bosom. At din- ner she began rummaging to right and left in her bosom for the fresh handkerchief. Engrossed in her search, she suddenly realized that con- versation had ceased and peo-. ple were watching her, fas- cinated. - In confusion she murmured, “I know I had two when I came.” KG Kk A kindergarten teacher smiled pleasantly at the gen- tleman opposite on the trolley car. He did not respond. Real- izing her error, she said aloud, “Oh, please excuse me. I mis- took you for the father of two of my children.” She got out at the next corner. A LIE No man has a good enough memory to make a _ successful liar. —Abraham Lincoln.