this wallboard outlining the aims of the newly-formed
“Canadian Aid for Vietnam Civilians” was on display at
the recent meeting where the group was organized. This

Canadian Aid

a

Tp hep civilian war victims in Vielnann

g Belusen

to end the ar in

ih the barrers

for Vietnam Civilian

&

S
\

a

\

ent

tims,

Yo raise funds for medal aid to these wict

tne
Vietnam

of the

ave Agreements

Te wark for ”

and for free vied

aid for Vietaam.

week a special appeal is expected to come off the press

LABOR ROUNDUP:

for wide distribution throughout B.C. The major effort of
the group is directed towards raising $20,000 for medical

—Photo by Jack Phillips:

VLC ‘unalterably opposed’
to setting up new council

Friday of this week Civic Em-
ployees Union (Outside Workers)
will meet to vote on the recom-
mendations of a Conciliation
Board covering a new wage con-
tract for union membership em-
ployed by the City and Parks
Board,

Since the Board’s majority
recommendations are consider-
ably below union demands,
Teamster’s Union President Ed
Lawson, representing the civic
union on the Board, has record-
ed his minority dissent re wage
increases, stating that, “Inorder
for members of this union to
maintain their relative positions
with wage raises granted to other
groups of employees, an increase
of approximately 20 cents per
hour in each year would be re-
quired: 7.

In his dissent with the majority
Board recommendation of 25
cents per hour over a two-year
contract, Lawson recommended a
40 cent increase over two years.
The union’s original demand was
for a 70 cent per hour hike across
the board in a three-year con-
tract,

In his opposition to the majority
wage recommendation, Lawson
added: *I must dissent from a
wage recommendation upon
which, in my judgement, the
Parties cannot and will not reach
agreement”,

In 1964 the Civic Employees
Union ‘(Outside Workers) was
forced into a 15-day strike to’

OPEN LETTER

Cont'd from pg. 1

On Monday the UBC Student’s
Council adopted a stand which
“condemns the failure of Canada
to act in the ICC with the impar-
tiality and vigor necessary to
prevent the conflict and subse-
quent escalation of the war in
Vietnam,”

“he Council also urged the
Canadian government to “adopt
a stand totally independent of all
external pressures” and to work
toward “resolving the conflict in
accordance with the 1954 Geneva
Convention.” It also called for
an “immediate and full debate”
in Parliament.

win a wage increase of 19 cents
-in a two year contract, From the
conciliation board’s majority re-
port and with the union’s repre-
sentative ‘strongly ‘in dissent,
there are many indications of
similar action being forced upon
the union to win its 1966-67
wage demands,
* KK
Major issue before Vancouver
and District Labor Council (VLC)
delegates at this week’s session
was the decision of the Canadian
Labor Congress (CLC) to grant
a-charter establishing a New
Westminster and Fraser Valley
Labor Council,
This decision had been made
“py the CLC executive council
at the request of“certain people”
in New Westminster, without any
consultation or advice from VLC
officers. Three CLC executive
members, two from important
B.C. unions, had voted against
granting a charter,
Delegate Black (Hospital Em-

_ployees Union) and a CLC execu- .

tive member opposed the move
with his vote recorded “against
splitting the VLC .. . 1 think it
is wrong, geographically and
otherwise. We are affiliated here
and have no intention of going
elsewhere”.

VLC President Ed Sims
(Cereal and Beverage Dis-
pensers), also a CLC executive
officer, voted against the deci-
sion, as did President Little, of
the Canadian Union of Public
Employees (CUPE), VLC Presi-
dent Sims said he “was appalled
how some people from New West-
minster have managed this, while
members from sister local unions
as VLC delegates have opposed
ates

VLC Secretary Paddy Neale
commented that the VLC execu-
tive “have yet to be notified by
the CLC that a charter has been
granted”, but that such a charter
is now a “fait accompli”, The
VLC secretary pointed out that
affiliation to a new council is
purely voluntary by unions, re-
gardless of where they are situat-
ed. Unions are not compelled to
leave the VLC, but if they do
leave they cannot come back,
“We hope,” said Neale, “that all
VLC affiliates will remain here”,

Many VLC delegates took part
in the discussion, charging that
the action of the CLC could only

be construed as “splitting labor’s
ranks”, creating “disunity”,
seeking to “weaken” the authority
and prestige of the VLC, etc,
Delegate Morrison of the Bever-
age Dispensers stated the CLC
decision “exemplifies the in-
trigue that is going on” andurged
a “solid united front” by the merg-
ing of all unions in the VLC, On
the point of “geography” the dele-
gates asked: “What would the
CLC say if we said it is‘too far

‘away from the VLC? We see no
good purpose in another council
in New Westminster, but the
unions here are entitled to know
how it was put over”,

A VLC executive recommen-
dation, declaring it “unalterably
opposed” to the CLC decision
and urging all unions to remain
within the VLC was approved
by the delegates, To this was
added a request that the CLC
hold in abeyance the installation
of a charter for New Westmin-
ster and district until after Hie
CLC convention in Winnipeg, and
that VLC executive officers seek
a meeting with CLC executive
‘members during the CLC con-
vention, Both recommendations
were given full approval by VLC
delegates,

‘End obstruction—
nationalize CPR’

By NIGEL MORGAN,
B.C. Communist Leader

“There is only one answer to
the Canadian Pacific Railway’s
continuing obstruction of Van-
couver civic development and
port facilities, and that’s na-
tionalization. It is scandalous
what they are getting away with
and costing the ratepayers and
working people of this city,

This giant monopoly has held
up development of Vancouver for
too long. They already have a 20
to 30 percent lower assessment
on their railway land than simi-
lar industrial properties, andnow
they’re putting the squeeze on
City Council to force construction
at the ratepayers expense of a
$100 million expressway to ser-
vice their multi-million dollar
development, before they will
proceed,

But this is a much bigger ques=
tion than civic taxes and proper=
planned growth of this city —
important as that is. This giant
monopoly has_ profiteered too
long at the expense of the people
of this country,

To start with, the great bulk
of the CPR’s corporate wealth
came from the massive land
grants, government subsidies,
government-guaranteed loans and
ill-conceived tax examptions of

ALDEKMAN R. A. WILLIAMS,
charged this week that the CPR
was standing in the way of civic
and port development. He said the
CPR was the “biggest slum lord in
the nation” and charged the mono-
poly was holding up Vancouver's
development until it gets a $100
million freeway access system.
“They want a king’s.ransom from
Vancouver ratepayers,"’ he said.

successive Liberal and Tory
governments. Upto January 1964,
the CPR had been granted $106
million and 44 million acres of
valuable lands by federal, pro-
vincial and municipal govern-
ments, And while there is no way
of estimating what was given in
oil, and forest ' and mineral
rights etc., the land alone has
been a source of tremendous
capital gains,

However, in spite of such fay-
ored treatment, and the monopo-
listic position it has enjoyed for
nearly a century as a result of
the rights and resources it re-
ceived for free, the CPR has,
and continues to use every con-
ceivable way of evading property ~
taxes, or a reasonable return
on the extremely profitable forest
lands of the E, & N, on Vancouver
Island,

Added to the CPR’s long, sin-
ister record of government
manipulation, is now termination
of essential train services for
which these huge grants were
originally made, Box cars for
grain shipments to fulfill Ca-
nadian export contracts are with-
held because it is more profit-
able to ship potash, forcing some
ships to wait loading up to 28

- days.

Urgently needed port develop-
ments to accommodate large pas-
senger liners, the new huge 100,-
000 to 200,000 ton tankers and
freighters are being delayed to
suit the profit-gouging ambitions
of this giant monopoly, Unless
the problem is dealt with quick-
ly, Vancouver is in danger of
losing its natural position as
“Gateway to the Orient” toSeattle
or some other U.S, port,

It is high time that the terms
under which the CPR got it’s
monopolistic position, and alien-
ated so much of our land and
profitable resources came under
careful review and change to
protect the interests of the people
of this country,

Nationalization is the way to
recover the CPR’s_ ill-gotten
gains; as it is the way to end
the present impasse and achieve
a better, all-round economic de-
velopment, The present distortion
and stagnation forced on us by
the CPR has got to be ended, We
cannot escape the need for na-
tionalization, and the sooner we
start the process, the better,

Restore Canadian control of
national sport, says Kashtan

Hockey petition
day March 12

The Vancouver and District
Labor Council (VLC) this week
gave unanimous endorsation
to the petition sponsored by
last week’s Exhibition Gar-
dens rally for an NHL fran-
chise to Vancouver, Affiliate
unions were urged to partici-
pate in the “March 12th Na-
tional Hockey League Petition
Day in Vancouver’’, authorized
by Vancouver City Council on
Tuesday.

Over 35,000 people have
already signed, and it is ex-
pected that by March 12 the
total will break all previous
Petition records in Greater
Vancouver, ‘

William Kashtan, national
leader of the Communist Party,
said Monday that “the decision
of NHL to discriminate against
Vancouver and refuse it a fran-
chise, brings to light the extent
to which Big U.S. money interests
have taken over Canadian sports
and Canadian players,

“Canadians cannot understand
why St. Louis: was granted a
franchise even without asking for
it while Vancouver’s application
was peremptorily rejected,

“It is high time the Govern-
ment investigated the NHL and
the extent to which it is under
Canadian control and serves the
national interest, Such an inves=
tigation should examine the ex-
tent to which players are bought,
sold and traded like so many

chattels and the resistance dis-
placed when these players try to
organize to protect their in-
terests,

“Not least, the investigation
should lead to the establishment
of guidelines which would make
it possible for any Canadian city
which wishes to do so, to be-
come part of NHL. The arbi-
trary decision of NHL to exclude
Vancouver should be rescinded,

“If NHL refuses to abide by
such guidelines it should be re-
placed by a body which will
respond to Canadian needs,
Hockey is one of our truly na-
tional institutions and should not
be allowed to be taken over by
the big monied interests at Can-
ada’s expense,” said Kashtan,

March 4, 1966—PACIFIC TRIBUNE—Page 3