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LABOR DEMONSTRATION DEMANDS:

‘Free union leaders’

Injunction action

‘Quash my conviction’
Jeff Power asks court

«

Report of dramatic court speech, pg. 11

ATION OF LABOUR 11 ‘Annual Convention

: B.C.FEDERA DESIRE FOR CUTER S we Baste! FOR
“ose

Ky

of the 436 delegates
AT THE B.C. FEDERATICN OF LABOR CONVENTION. Photo shows some o
at the Bayshore Inn convention hall. Tue parley is meeting all week and many important resolu-

tions are coming before B.C.’s ‘parliament of labor.

‘action to take to fight the use of anti-labor injunctions.

B.C. COMMUNISTS SAY:

"" Sharpest issue facing delegates is what

Fisherman photo

‘Tax U.S. monopolies to

By MAURICE RUSH.

A special tax on U.S,-owned
Corporations operating in B,C.’s
hatural resources industries to
bay for the expected huge deficit
on the Columbia and Peace River
dams was urged by the B,C. Com-
Munist Party at its convention in
Vancouver last weekend.

Condemning the Columbia
Treaty as having been a “monu-
mental gift” to the U.S., the con-
vention adopted a special resolu-
tion declaring that under no
Circumstances should the deficit
incurred under the Columbia
River treaty be met by increased
utility rates on the public,

Another resolution acted upon
by the delegates called on Par-

liament to reject the building of
a natural gas. pipeline from Al-
berta through the United States
instead of northern Ontario, It
charged that the Liberal govern-
ment’s adoption of the plan was
part of its policy of “continen-
talism” and was aimed at bene-
fiting U.S. monopoly interests,

The resolution called on the
Federal government to establish
a crown corporation to build the
line through Canada and to operate
it in the interests of the Cana-
dian people, Also urged by the
delegates was rejection of the
recent permit granted to West-
coast Transmission Co,, to ex-
pand exports of B,C. natural
gas to the El Paso Gas Company
in the U.S.

A special resolution introduced
to the convention pledged full
backing for the boycott move-
ment against chain stores to
bring down food prices,

FIGHT HIGH PRICES

Introducing ~ the resolution,
Mrs, Peggy Chunn urged that the
Senate-Commons Committee on
High Prices hold public hearings
across Canada; that a Prices Re-
view. and Control Board be es-
tablished; that the anti- Combines
legislation be strengthened; and
that taxes be increased on cor-
porate profits.

Much concern was expressed
in the keynote report delivered
by Charles Caron, and by many

debated at parley

Hundreds of delegates to the B.C. Federation of Labor con-
vention staged a demonstration in front of the court house in
downtown Vancouver Wednesday morning {o protest the use of
injunctions in labor disputes and to express solidarity with the
jailed union leaders whose appeal comes before the court Thurs-

day.

Last Sunday more than 60 cars took part in a-cavalcade
through the city to the Bayshore Inn, where the BCFL was meet-
ing. The carcade was led by the wives of imprisoned union lead-

ers.

Delegates to the 11th annual
convention of the B.C, Federation
of Labor decided Tuesday to
convene the convention Wednes-
day “at the Georgia Street side
of the court house, and march
around the court house for ap-
proximately one hour, then re-
convene at the convention hall,”

This compromise decision, ar-
rived at by the 436 BCFL dele-
gates following a long and sharp
debate on the convention floor on
the advisability of demonstrat-
ing on Thursday when the appeals

- of the four imprisoned union lead-

ers comes up, underscores
labor’s determination to remain
united in its struggle to eliminate
the use of court injunctions. In
the convention debate on this issue
the convention divided in a 194-
to-192 vote,

Nevertheless, the BCFL con-
vention demonstration Wednes-
day can only be seen as a major
step in a continuing struggle
against the use of court injunce
tions, At the BCFL Wednesday’s

demonstration a vast quantity of
a fine leaflet issued by the BCFL
was handed out to the public,

While the BCFL pre-conven-
tion sessions were on lastSunday
to consider all legal and other
aspects of the ex-parte injunc-
tion issue, the Citizen Commit-
tees for Labor’s Rights staged
a big car cavalcade which toured
the city, then converged on the
BCFL parley at the Bayshore

Inn, Spearheading the commit-

tee is Carol Ann Power, 19-
year-old daughter of imprisoned
Marine Workers Union presi-
dent, Jeffrey Power, This com-
mittee also plans a big delega-
tion to Victoria to protest to the
government the jailing ofthe four
trade union leaders,

In the BCFL executive report
to the convention, President E, T,
Staley stated: “We have experi-
enced a year of labor unrest

unequalled in recent history, The —

year 1966 saw’ the courts find
See BCFL, pg. 12

pay dam deficit’

delegates, over the danger of
escalation of the Vietnam war,
A resolution was adopted call-
ing on the Canadian government,
as a member of the International
Control Commission to disso-
ciate itself at once from the U.S,

policy of aggression in Vietnam —

and to refrain from giving sup-
port in any form to this policy,

The convention urged that Can-
ada call for the immediate cessa-
tion of the bombings of North
Vietnam and the withdrawal of
all foreign troops from South
Vietnam. It also asked Prime
Minister Pearson to call for a
return to the 1954 Geneva ac-

cords to aid in bringing the war -

to an early end,

A resolution presented to the
convention’ and unanimously
adopted called for an end to the
use of injunctions in labor dis-
putes,

NEW POLICIES

The convention adopted a re-
port on a new economic program
for B,C, which called for the

_ return of all forest land, in-

cluding both tree farms and
Crown grants, to government
ownership, It also urged the for-
mation of a Crown logging cor-
poration to be the sole pur-
chaser of logs which would sell>
logs on the basis of competitive
bidding,

It also urged that a second

See B.C. NEEDS, pg. 2

Wert