legalistic decisions’ ~ WCB under fire for om VICTORIA, B.C. I, Attacks on the Workmen’s Compensation Board, sparked ‘Y the CCF members in the early days of the present session eid scores ower ‘lies’ yo OTTAWA ke No answer has yet been Mfotind for dams and salmon to - ©0-exist, but the B.C. Electric ®Nd other private power inter- Sts are spreading a gospel of »» €s and false propaganda” in » effort to take over the Fra- “et River for power dams, Se- Dh Tom: Reid charged this aye eek, ¢ Reid said that the B.C. Elec- fe “with the aid of funds “Tom the federal government, ri making test holes at the pYTOposed 750-foot Moran Dam : Bite on the Fraser. which if (built will completely wipe out gue great salmon fisheries.” fie Reid said the B.C, Electric fh Ras the ear of all the news- bers around Vancouver” and /7*S a group of 16 propagandists Working full time for the com- ‘ Merger into a single union pt all firemen and engine- ‘tlvers in North America has en proposed by the Brother- Sod of Locomotive Firemen d Enginemen. In Canada the Malgamation would mean a “FREE _ CONTINUING CREDIT _ No Interest or | Carrying Charges Dent your WORK OR hy ESS CLOTHES this “SY, easy way. Absolutely . Money charged for in- ; rest or carrying charges. heey pay the purchase price NO ‘MORE .. . . Choose U wr a large selection of WeeON MADE) MEN’S AR. Drop in now! ‘ aa ae “Lu ° ~45 EAST HASTINGS of the legislature, were again a feature of debate this week, "ith ‘two Social Credit members (Cyril Shelford, Omenica and 3 “E. Sommers, Trail) joining the opposition on the issue. Shelford said he knew of many cases where workers fail- ed to collect compensation for back injuries suffered on. the job. Sommers attacked WCB chairman J. E. Eades for being “too legalistic’ in making de- cisions ~ George Gregory (Liberal, Victoria) called for a new board and criticized its hand- ling of the case of Jack Zucco, 45-year-old miner disabled by silicosis whose pension claims ~ have been consistently reject- ed time and again. 50d bes m Typical of the cases which have aroused the labor move- ment against the WCB is one involving a Mine-Mill member, Phil Welch who experienced a severe pain in his back while dumping a heavy wheel bar- row load of dust last Novem- ber. In December Welch was no- tified by: the WCB that “it has not been established that you met with an accident while en- gaged in this work; your claim has not been allowed.” Al King, president of Mine- Mill Local 480. wrote a letter of protest to theWCB chairman, in which he said: “The growing number of le- gitimate cases denied rightful compensation by the extreme legalistic approach which seems to have been engendered by your appointment as chair- man. leaves this local ‘no other alternative than to fight with every means at our disposal for the cleaning up of a bad situa- tion with respect to injured workmen and low back injur- ies, “It is particularly exaspera- ting to those most, concerned when, as in this case. there is complete accord between com- pany, union. doctor and clai- ment that the claim is a proper one. It is not that often that all partieés on the spot are in agreement and it seems such a shame for narrow technicali- ties to come along and scuttle such a happy unanimity.” Following this letter WCB reviewed its file on the case and Welch’s claim was allowed. But in most cases back injury claims have been lost and this has created resentment throughout the entire labor movement in the province. m LAYOFFS CLIMB Miners charge gov’ evades coal crisis MICHEL, B.C. Future of coal miners in the Crows Nest Pass looks as black as the coal itself. With many miners laid off and many more working as little as one day a week, families in the district are living on incomes as low as $26 weekly. Some mines in Drumheller and Lethbridge have closed down completely. Min- ers in Coleman, Blairmore and Bellevue work one or two days a week. Miners in Michel and Fernie work three days a week. In 1952-53 some 1,100 men were working in Coleman, Alberta. Layoffs have cut this number down to 280 men. District 18, United Mine Workers of America, had more than 16,000 working members a few years ago. Now there are less than 4,000 miners in the area. Miners are also concerned about the welfare and retire- ment fund, which is based on 22 cents per ton of all coal mined. Drop in coal produc- tion means that around $300,- 000 a year more is being spent on welfare and _ retirement than is coming in through ton- nage payments. Miners are incensed’ by the fact that their living stand- ards are being reduced so drastically, while at the same time 20 million tons of coal are imported annually into Canada from the U.S. For years United Mine Workers Union has bombard- ed Ottawa with protests. The government has made vague promises but evaded action. Development of steel mills and smelters in Canada, and a growth of secondary indus- tries, could solve many of the problems facing coal miners _ today. At present most of Canada’s iron ore is shipped south of the border. ° During March special union meetings were held in Drum- heller, East Coulee and the Crow’s Nest Pass area to dis- cuss the present critical situa- tion, and protests were for- © warded to Ottawa. Edward Boyd, District 18 UMW secre- tary-ireasurer, met with fed- eral officials to present the miners’ case in person. Many miners own their own homes, paid for after years of hard labor. Now, with mines closing, value of the homes has skidded downward. March issue of Canadian Mineworker expresses the min- ers’ reseritment in these words: “While mine workers in Al- berta, British Columbia and Nova Scotia are idle: for so much of the year, this coun- try is importing upwards of 20 million tons of American coal. This is happening with government consent: Nothing at all is being done to prevent it. : “Mine workers are chiefly concerned with the effect of government policies, or Jack of them, on employment. Un- employment, short time, the insecurity of spasmodic work —these are conditions which mine workers want to elim- inate by a healthy, year-round production schedule in Can- ada’s coal mines. —~ “But there is a broader na- tional principle involved. A very large share of the world’s coal reserves are in this coun- ‘try. The energy wrapped up in Canada’s coal is incalcu- lable. It defies imagination. “But the amount of thought Coal niiners face a gloomy future and effort devoted to the po- tential utilization of Canada’s coal wealth is so negligible as to be almost non-existent. Sure, there is plenty of money to devote to such things as oil sands, and plenty of pub- licity in connection with many other projects, but the approach to the use in Canada of our immense, proven coal reserves is one of disinterest or at best half-heartedness.” in the Crows Nest. MARCH 22, 1957 — PACIFIC TRIBUNE—PAGE 5