DEATH STALKS MINERS Men die young in the | ‘fluorspar at St. Lawrence, and a union leader says true story was never told “There are no young men left in St. Lawrence — they are all either in wheel-chairs or in the grave- yard." That is how Aloysius Turpin, president of the St. Lawrence Workers' Protective Union, sum- med up the situation at the fluorspar mining town in' Newfoundland. He explained: "We are bring- Ing another one home from the General Hospital to die this afternoon." Here is Turpin's story, as published in the December Le Travail, organ of the Confederation of National Trade Unions. URPIN added: ‘When the men who left here during the strike of 1941 come back from England and the Pacific coast for old home week in 1966 and inquire about their former co-workers they are go- ing to. get the shock of their lives to be told they are all dead.” The true facts about the death toll from lung cancer and other On the labor front diseases contracted as a result of working in the fluorspar mines at St. Lawrence have never been told, Turpin said. He had read some statements on the matter which gave any- thing but a true picture. of the situation. One was by Dr. David Parsons, which was far from accurate, if he ~ as correctly reported in the Evening Tele- gram of June 2, 1964. Dr. Parson’s statement was contained in a paper on cancer of the lung in St. Lawrence, which he presented at the an- nual scientific meeting of the St. John’s Clinical Society and Gen- eral Practice College, Oct. 12, 1963, Turpin said. And in it he had stated that (1) cancer cases diagnosed among St. Lawrence miners since 1961 developed long before the ventilation sys- tem was installed in 1960; (2) 33 persons died with lung cancer between 1933 and 1962; and (3) he said, in effect, that people became sick 12 years after they went to work in the mines and an 19 years after starting the job. “I don’t know where the doc- tor got those figures and aver- ages,’ ’said Turpin. Those people don’t live a year after stopping work — some live only three months. The man we are bring- ing home to die, today, only got sick in June,” Regarding the actual death toll and those now suffering from diseases resulting from mining fluorspar, Turpin describ- ed the true picture as follows: “Between 1941—when radia- tion began to take effect—and the present time, 73 men died -and I should know, because they were all on my check-off list.” All those men—the names and addresses of whom he gave the Herald—he said, were young, married and had families. But only 38 families got compensa- tion because the act passed in 1960 was retroactive only to 1951. os ‘In addition,” said the union leader, “there are 13 men sick with chest trouble and receiving compensation at the present time,” “Another man to give the wrong impression,” said Turpin, “was the member for Burin Dis- trict, Eric Jones.” When the subject was raised in the House of Assembly last spring he was quoted as saying he knew of only two miners suffering from radiation at the General Hospital at the time. “ my opinion, it is no more it But, said Turpin, there were tw more suffering from lung cancél | and 13 from silicosis at home. — “It wasn’t until 1960 that any ventilation system was installed by the Newfoundland Fluorspd Company,” said Turpin, “and, 70 percent effective now.” With a view to reducing the hazards of working in the Stic Lawrence mines, tie union lead’ er recommended: 4 3 @ That blasting during work ing hours be discontinued # once. 3 ‘ir @ Two more ventilation sys, tem shafts be extended down Ma the 950-foot level. it; e The crusher be taken frof the 750-foot level and_ placeic on the surface where it alway Le should have been. ’ @ That independent inspectof iC paid by the federal governme! 1S be appointed at once. Cc “Tf these things are not donel said Turpin, “men will continvt to waste away and die in ago mn as they have been doing in tht past.” : By WILLIAM KASHTAN i HIS New Year message, Canadian Labor Congress President Claude Jodoin called for support to Inter- national Cooperation Year and urged the free trade unions to get behind it. This is a common-sense approach. The danger of the South Vietnam centred war spread- ing in South East Asia has not abated. Nor have plans to place atomic weapons into the hands of West . German militarists been given up. There are intimations that this is part of an overall de- sign which includes placing nuclear arms in South East Asia as well. Interference in, the affairs of other countries —as in Cuba and the Congo —has become:a way of life “or U.S. imnerialism. These dangerous develop- ments arise despite the over- whelming desire for peace because those who batten on war. and cold war, and who profit from war orders, want to sharpen international ten- sions. The situation calls for co- operation by the trade union movement on a world-wide scale, directed toward strengthening peace, prevent- ing the spread of nuclear weapons and_ compelling genuine disarmament under strict international control. * * * This is what is missing in the present situation. Failure to achieve genuine coopera- tion of the world’s trade union movement helps the forces of aggression and war to pursue their criminally- insane policies. The CLC could perform a useful undertaking if it works for such cooperation on an international scale. If that is what Jodoin’s appeal to free trade unions means, it is a move in the right direction. But if “free trade unions” is meant to limit cooperation to some unions only then it is a sterile, self-defeating policy. It is self-defeating be- cause peaceful coexistence and disarmament cannot be pursued on such a basis. Would it not now be time- ly for the CLC to call a trade union summit conference to advance the cause of peace and cooperation? The Canadian trade union movement has said very little about the efforts of the colo- nial peoples to achieve their national liberation nor has it spoken up against neo- -colo- nialism. This is an unfortunate omission which cannot be fully made up by the Cana- dian trade union movement’s boycott campaign against South Africa’s apartheid poli- cies. . * * * Trade union solidarity does not mean solidarity only with striking workers in our coun- try; it also means solidarity with all peoples striving for their national independence and in opposition to neo-co- Ionialism. This task cannot be ignored without weaken- ing the struggle for peace. International Cooperation January 15, 1965—PACIFIC TRIBUNE—Page~ t Year should also mark a sté@ ef forward by the CLC in estall lishing cooperation and @ change with unions in social ist countries. Does the C have to be one of the Ja! trade union centres in world to do this? In this connection, an intel ting resolution was recent) adopted by the British Tra@ Union Congress. It said: ih it (1 ‘Ss ht ¢ i at “The Congress welcome the increasing exchange % visits between British tra@ unions and those. oversea’ Congress considers that ti exchange of trade union delé gations can be a valuable sub } port to the maintenance © peace and understanding; © contribution to economic st® bility; and a useful step ward re-establishing unity ® the international trade uni movement which has be@ ’ divided too long. Congr therefore requests the gene? council to use their good ® fices to stimulate such @ changes in every way.” ICY might be a good ti for the CLC to adopt si imil roticies. 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