Plan May Day rally
for Exhibition Park

Vancouver’s May Day celebration this yéar will take the
form of a huge rally at the Outdoor Theatre in Exhibi‘ion
Park on Sunday, April 28. For the first time in many years,
there will be no parade through city streets, but at the afternoon
rally a band will play and there will be musical and other
entertainment as well as speeches.

May Day began in _ the
‘eighties of the last century as
a fight for the eight-hour day.
It has become a great interna-
tional labor institution.

Some great May Day rallies
have been held in Vancouver
in past years.

Back in 1932, in the depth
of the Great Depression, a tre-
mendous gathering of unem-

ployed workers was held at:

Powell Street grounds. Sud-
denly, into the harbor steamed
a navy destroyer from Esqui-
malt. It lay in Burrard Inlet
with its crew at battle stations
and its guns trained onthe
May Day gathering until the
meeting was over.

The 1935 May Day saw
thousands of school students
call a one-day strike in sup-
port of Relief Camp workers

on strike in the _ province.
More than 15,000 _ people
marched from Cambie Street
grounds to Stanley Park
where some 25,000 attended

the rally. “Work or Wages”
was the key slogan that year.

Support for Republican
Spain, fighting the rebellion
of Franco, was the theme of
May Day in 1937 and 1938.
Home slogans condemned Du-
plessis’ now disallowed Pad-
lock Law; demanded a works
program and slum clearance.

“Stop Hitler and Save
Peace” was the cry on May
Day, 1939. Labor’s marching
thousands took the streets un-
der the shadow of a looming
world war, with the memosy
of Spain and Czechoslovakia’s
betrayal, with the knowledge
that reaction was consolidating
at home.

No May Day marches or ral-
lies were held in 1940 and 1941.
Many Canadian Communists,
trade unionists and progres-

Centennial committee
plan ‘Sweden Day’

The Swedish Centennial Com-
mittee will stage a “Sweden
Day” here as part of the 1958
Centennial celebrations.

Swedish people from all
provinces in Canada and from
the United States-will be in-
vited to attend. The date is

‘ sives were in Canadian con-

centration camps and jails;
even the tramp of fascist boots
across the continent of Europe
failed to open the eyes of the
King government.

In 1942 and 1943 May Day
meetings called for the open-
ing of a Second Front to speed
victory over fascism.

May Day, 1944 came as the
Red Army thundered at the
prison gates of Europe and
the western Allies prepared
to open the long-awaited Sec-
ond Front. “Victory in War
—Security in Peace’ was the
central slogan.

By May Day, 1946 the prob-
lems of jobs, wages, homes,
veterans’ re-establishment and
the social security promised
the people during the war
were the key themes.

“Unity for World Peace”
was the slogan in 1948, as the
“cold war” sponsored by the
U.S. threatened to become a
shooting war.

“Fight for Peace as for Life”
said banners in the 1951 May
Day parade. War was raging
in Korea and the threat of
atomic warfare had helped
to create a powerful people’s
movement for peace.

The May Day rally last year
was held in Exhibition Park,
and this year will again take
place there, at the beautiful
outdoor theatre.

Close vote
rejects visit

A delegation of B.C. fisher-
men will not visit the Soviet
Union this year, although dele-
gates to the United Fishermen
and Allied” Workers convention
here last week voted 65 per
cent in favor of the trip.

Prior to the secret vote being
taken it was decided that a
two-thirds majority would be
needed to carry through the
plan. The 65 per cent “yes”
vote was 1.2 per cent less than
the required margin.

The invitation was extended
by Soviet trade unions follow-
ing the tour of British Colum-
bia fisheries made last year
by Soviet Deputy Fisheries
Minister A. A. Ishkov and other

By BERT WHYTE

Carpenters’ hours have been
reduced from nine to eight and
wages increased to a minimum
rate of 35 cents an hour; CPR

mechanics’ helpers have upped -

their pay from $1.65 to $1.75
a day; railway telegraph oper-
ators have increased their top
Wages by $5 and will now draw
a cool $60 a month.

No, I’m not crazy. These
things really happened this
month — this month 50 years
ago, that is. The figures ap-
peared in the Labor Gazette,
February, 1907, and are re-
called in the “50 Years Ago
This Month” page of the same
journal in its current issue.

Some other 1907 news:

“Day rates for compositors in
Vancouver rose from $22.50 to
$24 a week, while night rates
rose from $24 to $26 a week:
In Victoria the rates for this
occupation were increased
from $21 to $24 fot day work,
and from $22.50 to $27 for night
work.

“The wages of employees of
Imperial Oil Company at Sar-
nia, Ontario, were increased
by amounts varying from 55
cents to $1.20 for a week of
60 hours for most, with stills-
men and firemen on an 84-hour
week.”

So the good “old days”
weren't always so good.

On the other hand, they

Carpenters up pay to 35 cents —
hack in good old days’ of 1 907

as a quick examination of old
newspaper files revealed.
Os a es

In 1907 a worker looking
for a home was offered (in
the classified section of the
old Vancouver World) a new
four-roomed bungalow in Kit-
silano for $1,425 full price; $375
cash, the balance at $20 a
month.

David Spencer was advertis-
ing boys’ Norfolk suits at
$3.90 and boys’ overcoats at
$4.50. .Raincoats sold at $6.
An outfit called Fit-Reform
offered its entire stock of
men’s suits and overcoats at
one standard price, $12.

More and Clark, 303 Hastings
West, featured ladies’ rain-
coats at $5; 50 ladies’ hats at
$1.50 each; ladies’ cashmere
hose at 25 cents a pair.

For the swells of 1907
Starks Glasgow House proud-
ly presented men’s French
opera cloaks at $17.50; and a
ladies’ elegant set of mink and
ermine (throwover of mink
and ermine and mink tails and
handsome ermine muff to
match) for only $90.

Hudson’s Bay lured the
homeowners with beautiful
elm bedroom suites (three
pieces — dresser, washstand
and bedhead)‘ for $16.50. Oak
folding bookcases sold at. $3.65
during the January sale.

Amusements were cheap,

25 cents (main floor) and ay
cents (boxes). The Orpheu™
charged 15 cents in the gallery)
25 cents lower floor) and
cents (boxes).

But before you sigh, “Tum :
back the clock,” take anoth®
look at those wages.

= “

FREE |
CONTINUING

CREDIT

No Interest or

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Carrying Charges

MEN! Buy your WORK of i.
DRESS CLOTHES thé)”
easy, easy way. Absolute?)
no money charged for
terest or carrying chars’
Just pay the purchase pr?
and NO MORE... Cho0s
from a large selection 6 .
UNION MADE) MEN
WEAR. Drop in now! {

Soviet officials. The Soviet in-
vitation included an offer to
pay half the expenses.

tentatively set for June 6, 1958,
the Swedish national holiday,
Flag Day.

weren't so bad, either. Prices
were somewhere in line with
the low wages of the period,

too. The Grand Theatre pres-
ented a complete vaudeville
bill for 15 cents (balcony),

TH

ad
45 EAST HASTINGS
APRIL 5, 1957 — PACIFIC TRIBUNE—PAGE | ©

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