Tom
McEwen

MEU

~. never come singly.” A North Van-
couver worker must have had this in mind
when he wrote us a lengthy and informa-
tive letter last week, raising the issues
that are troubling the people of the North
Shore, all of which can spell out a ‘mess
Of trouble for the Liberal spellbinders
come the next federal election.. .
Looking at the shipbuilding industry
under Liberal mismanagement and its ef-
fects upon workers and business peeple,
Our correspondent says in part:

. Pacific companies) are owned by the Wal-
lace interests, both are federally subsidiz-
ed. Yet for ten weeks these docks have
been practically idle. These docks were
hot idle for lack of work, but because the
companies directed their work to their
_ Vietoria yards, where the government
Graving Dock was made available to them
in order to beat down the workers’ legiti-
Mate wage demands over here.”

The old business of the bosses and gov-
ernments in “a gentlemen’s agreement” to
depress the workers’ living standards!

Our correspondent continue: “While
this was going on, James Sinclair, MP.
who has now been elevated to the rank of
Minister, was in the constituency. Did
he interest himself in getting the ship-
yards back into full production? Oh no!
He and Douglas Abbott spent their time
fishing instead of discussing the B.C.
‘fishermen’s marketing problems, or this
violation of the Drydock Subsidy Agree-
Ment... or in getting the Wallace in-
terests to negotiate with the shipyard
_ Unions in good faith. ;
“Settlements have been arrived at .now,
but these companies are still carrying on

; Machinists, carpenters, plumbers, sheet-
_ Metal workers, . painters, boilermakers,
_ €te., all have been called into the office
‘ind laid off. Yet there are big jobs on
hand at Victoria upon which nothing is
being done, while shipyard workers in
North Vancouver walk the stréets, many
With their unemployment insurance bene-
fits gone. This enforced idleness is hav-
ing a bad effect on business. No pay
‘cheques, no purchases. And what does

all. Goes fishing’ with Abbott and does
ns job for the big financial interests be-
nd the Liberal curtain.”
Our correspondent also goes into the
aot Vancouver reassessment scandal,
merc it seems the big shipbuilding in-
es through their Liberal stooges on
wl city council, are vehemently oppos-
“neh any revaluation of waterfront proper-
aA €s. Such reassessment would probably
he ans tens of thousands of dollars in rev-
nues to the taxpayers — and that much
ar to the shipbuilding “beneficiaries.”
a t the moment of writing we are inform-
ot Mayor Goldsworthy and his Lib-
city fathers have hired lawyer Don-
Shy to “defend” his administration from
2 wrath of the citizens! Donaghy, a
“ola wne forty-ninth degree Liberal of the
School, did yeoman service to his par-
Narn the give-away deal of the Second
tae Ows Bridge and can be relied upon
_ “ Sufficiently gullible audience.)

- Published Weekly at

‘Tom McEwen, Editor —

One Year $3.00.

. ‘

Pe

HERE’S an old saying that “‘troubles-

“Both of these dry docks (Burrard and

With their policies of minimum operation. ~

Jimmy Sinclair do about it? Nothing at :

Put on a good show at any time, given —

: Subscription Rates:
Canada and British Commonwealth countries (except Australia)

Some little time ago the shipyard unions
issued a memoranda on Burrard Drydock
government contracts. This memo says in

~ part:

few, “By way of comparison, it should be

noted that Burrard Dry Dock have a
government contract to build four naval
vessels. It was reported in the House
that such vessels would cost $8,000,000
each, which would mean a $32,000,000
contract. However, less than 900 men
are working in the building of these
vessels and at the peak of employ-
ment there will not even be 1,000 men
employed.

“While, during the war years, a
freighter cost $1,399,000, it has been
computed that a modern fast freighter,
capable of competing and developing
‘(Canada’s trade, would now cost in the
neighborhood of — $3,000,000. This
means that ten ships of such calibre
could be built for less than the cost of
four war vessels, Also that in the

building of a modern freighter, many —

more meh would need to be employed
than in the building of war ships now
being built. :

“It would be quite correct to state
the shipyards would need to employ
2,000 to 3.000 more men, not to speak
of the seamen that would be employed
in the manning of these vessels.”
That underscores what our correspon-

dent said in his letter, and draws a sharp
comparison between the policies of war
production under a directed-from-Wash-
ington Liberal regime, and the great pos-
sibilities that would be opened up by the
adoption of genuine peace policies ad-
ministered by a People’s Coalition gov-
ernment. }
e \
Last week, while we were visiting Char-
lie and Annie Stewart at “Greenacres”
on the Sechelt, peninsula, we noted an
abandoned dock at Roberts Creek, a dock
that had been left to the mercies of the
seas and Ottawa negligence. The cost of
repair to this badly needed dock, if done
now would be negligible compared to what

+ will be in a few months hence.

It is reported around among the Sechelt”
people that when urged to do soniething!
about this dock, “Our Jimmy” replied
that the government couldn’t “afford”

2. BUCD expenditures at the moment because
of the heavy demands upon: “our defense

needs.” : Re a:

This abandonment of the Roberts Creek

- Dock means that a great many! people on
the Sechelt peninsula must face additional
costs in freight and transportation, since
they must commute by way of Gibsons,
and pay the tariffs demanded. A few
‘carloads of rock and cement would put
the Roberts .Creek Dock back in opera-
tion, but it might not be to the liking of
some transportation monopolies, so the

Liberal Sinclair, steps into the breach

with the current stock excuse, “Our de-

fense needs,” you know!

| \
When we got that newsy letter from our

‘North Vancouver correspondent, the first
thought that struck us was, how effective
it could be if a few score people all over
the Coast-Capilano constituency would
just sit down and write about the things
they think their communities need, about
the local “beefs,” or the promises of prom-
ising politicians long forgotten or being
refurbished once again to catch the un-
wary voter. If that were done then to-
gether we'd
‘powder under the St Laurent govern —
ment and its apologists to lift them off the
people’s backs, as B.C. did on June 12
last. In fact, we could extend “Our
_ Jimmy’s” fishing trips indefinitely.
The federal elections aren’t called yet
_ ‘put the issues requiring solution are
here now aplenty. Let’s get working on |
them as a united people. — Tey

Pacific TRIBUNE

Room 6 - 426 Main Street, Vancouver 4, B.C.
__.Phone: MArine 5288. haat :

‘Hal Griffin, Associate Editor |

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put enough political blasting —

E

~ such union-wrecking records?”

Does labor want a union - raider
in Vancouver City Hall? —

TOM ALSBURY, prominent CCF leader and president of Vancouver and District

Trades and Labor Council (TLC-AFL), h didat
>» Nas i i
for the Vancouver mayoralty in the uthinning cine je ae ss :

Alsbury has publicly declared he will «“ ee
ele . . e 2 “a st Y i
civic administration.” He has also said he will eat RAN ar

= corruption. These are worthy causes in anybody’s language.

Last week this paper placed some poin i ndidat
in the Similkameen byelection on their Sg fe Sag chee tered pas
tion. It is regrettable, to say the least, that those who spoke for the CCF th fh
the medium of the daily press, including George Home, Jim Bury, and Ne
candidate Tom Alsbury, studiously avoided mention of the issue of SES e
Instead, they indulged in a renewed tirade of red-baiting around the He ge
“the Social Credit goverhment had made a deal with the Communists.” Alsb :
berated the Socreds for the “woeful ignorance” of communism—and ‘Gaetan
his own union-raiding activities with loud shouts about “communism” in the uni ms

Hence, we repeat, these CCF leaders left the question of thei eps
‘ union-raiding totally unanswered. | pote a
| *

Alsbury’s boast of introducing “ ivi i |
; sbury, g “clean, honest civic administration”
sound much better if his activities as a trade union leader ie ee
Because of the supervisory nature of his employment as a high school ae
eee on eligible to represent the Teachers’ union on Vancouver Trades and :
abor Council. Therefore he sits on that bod de é
Paper Cou y as a delegate irl Berg’
_ illfated splinter group, now known as Local 487, consisting ee 5 re see at
by the school board and airport, 75 workers that he and Carl Berg managed
split away from the overwhelming majority of Vancouver’s outside civic iiikets
Today Tom ‘Alsbury is leading the raidin woitse i
Recess Isl : g activities of this int
, local. He has attended most of its meetings together with Asie Ee
Gervin, who, in his aldermanic capacity, took an oath of office to “faithfully
perform the duties of my office and will not allow any private interest to harteeed
_my conduct in personal matters.” Despite this “oath of office” Alderman Gervin :
engages in what is nothing less than corruptycompany union practices. In this
he finds a ready partner in Tom Alsbury. Some workers already see in this raiding
alliance between the NPA-alderman Gervin and the “Socialist” Tom Alsbury an _
attempt to build a Tammany machine in civic administration. 3 ry eee
__ Hundreds of Vancouver's civie workers who have seen their old-established
union under attack for two years or more by the Bergs, Gervins and Alsburys,
_ pose some very pointed questions—questions that ightforward answers
instead of red-bogey itch hile 22 Ae ieee cao
_ “How can a man like Tom Alsbury who seemingl i
movement to advance his own personal ambitions, Pati be ae atl on st
are ali to genuine trade unionism, stand for progressive civic administration?”
they ask. As mayor of this city, in the event of his election, his capacity for
union-raiding and disruption would become a greater menace than ever.”
- “How can union raiders (regardless of the excuses th ) wi :
ane 1 ey use), who wind up
promoting company union practices, i S
honest civic avenisiente or hee a ae . ee 48 eS
¢ ln: the absence of a stated and satisfactory eae to uestion of —
union-raiding, how can organized labor as a whole give Bots oe

_____ In a union city like Vancouver, mayoralty candidate Tom Alsbury i a
with making clear to organized labor the Sot essential to Sain aes ce
government,” his attitude toward union-raiding. Moreover it should be demanded
of all candidates by organized labor that they make their position clear on this
question or other city hall interference in the internal affairs of civic unions—
eae equivocation a hedging and without benefit of red-herring divisions
r has no intention of seeing its unions continu ided and disru —

the pretext of “saving” it from “communism.” sitar lye oS Bi :

PACIFIC TRIBUNE — NOVEMBER 28, 1952 — PAGE 5