RS. Marie Lapointe,

whose husband is a
low-paid garment
_ Worker, has lived in Mon-™
treal all her life. She hag™*
Beer seen Vancouver and
Res nothing of living con-
ered on the Coast. And all
ee bors Coates, who lives
SA aaee supporting her two
: ren on her slender earn-
MES as an office worker, knows
es Montreal is the impression
Ge on a brief stop-over
© on her way West from
Halifax eleven years ago.

beat Mrs. Lapointe and Mrs.
eat knowing nothing of each
; are lives, have one thing
"oe noo They both know
a rising prices make it more
eh more difficult for them to
aes their household finances
; Robs with. their household
Seth : ; The chances are that
Lists fooe will be among the
Pei t. S of housewives who
ies Bive their support to the
se Paign for lower prices by
i. the call for buyers’
€s this’ month,

is er reasoning is simple, and
Chae beer effective. It’s better
shoula ey Boe their families
eee do without butter (or
an a canned fruit) for a
te 4) Ime and so force prices
ae than that they should
a cae do without it before
is as ecause the price has gone
ey eyond the reach of their
mited means,

‘

ee. month’s buyers’ strikes,
Lae by trade unions,
a cS and pensioners’ or-
Ae Ons,- community associa-
stitut and school students, con-
eRe oe people’s answer to
aa ae Minister Douglas Abbott
re he federal government —
mes promised by the dele-
es of western housewives
that «4 and other members of
Be elegation left Ottawa a
“o Ababaeed ago voicing our dis-
eee oy with the govern-
awe attitude towards the prob-
Sh created by high living

we went to the capital to

‘Giscuss,
/ ANCE Minister Abbott told
Us that the government’s

Be: eee one of “cautious de-
a oe This is a nice phrase,
ey cannot conceal the fact
Patio yea nene has thrown
tg ee © the winds in its haste
wer the clamor of big

2 a business
; f i be
trols, or perpyal of all con

os fa? ceilings and controls on
ae es ~ all articles in everyday
Piles ave been lifted. The peo-
Eis income — the purehasing
i: r so essential to national
Sperity—has been slashed and
ie apeiaes is reporting unpre-
neetac. profits, far beyond the.
ee Ntives it claimed it needed
° produce,

alae government insists that
ie Policy is designed in the best
aycrests of the people.

ste what about the worker
ok us nds that his wage increase
een” than eaten up by price
ath tas almost as soon as he
**aS up his pay envelope?
What about the farmer who

m
ae Pay more for seed and
*d and fertilizers?

Cee covet about the veterans and
eae Bee Pers on fixed incomes who
“ust cut down on necessities

Aine) “A

ama

‘|

yuna

rnb

tp}
as e @ Spain. lives in agony

|

hi

ns

pa
|

iw)
Divorces iE i

if

every time a price increase is
announced, a subsidy removed
or a control lifted?

Who are® these, if they are
not the majority of the people?
And what cabinet minister can
convince them that he is pro-
tecting their interests?

e
HE} worker’s wife, the farmer’s
wife, the veteran’s wife and
the little old lady who gets
only her old’ age pension—all
of them are consumers. And all
of them find it harder every
day to buy the things they need,
to feed themselves and their
families, to pay rent or meet
the mortgage.
When the worker
strike and wins a wage

goes on
in-

- crease, and the government con-

tends that the manufacturer
must have a price increase to
compensate him for higher pro-
duction costs, big business tries

“to set the farmer against the

worker and there is a lot of —
talk about compelling labor to
respect the interests of the gen-
eral public. ;
But this talk hides tne truth
apparent to any one who trou-\
bles to read the manufacturer’s
annual statement. The wage in-
crease could have come out of
abnormally high profits and the
price increase was unjustified. —

The manufacturer. could, pay
the farmer a fair price for his
i ee

R

ray

ay

i) By:
I lannmanoroll

i

aff
iH} f

Uy

=

er by Ernest Capp

© An artist looks at'a mine town

. Pe by Arthur Walker

{ttc 2 B> 25 AN

By MONA MORGAN

“to cut down on their butter

product, pay the worker in his
plant a good wage and still x
show a profit—a smaller profit,
perhaps, but still a fair profit.
So, when housewives parade
up. and down outside a store
calling upon housewives not to
buy butter, as they are doing
this week, they are not striking |
at the farmer. They know ‘his
wife has her difficulties too.
They are striking at the middle-
men, the manufacturers and dis-
tributors whose greed for prof-
its denies a fair price to all
consumers.

@
T won't do the farmer much
good if workers’ ‘wives have

\

because they cannot pay 55
cents a pound as figures already
show they have cut down their
milk purchases since milk sub-
sidies were removed. ~

Continued on back page

A
£ & \
How living costs have risen since 1939
THESE FIGURES ARE BASED ON COSTS FOR A FAMILY OF FIVE IN VANCOUVER
. Food Amt, per week 1939 1946 1947
BAITS 8 ee ce niche gk oc, vad oeece eae 22 ats. «oS 220 $ 3.08 $ 3.68
CHeeBG RE eit icone Seo dee en aes 12 ozs. 5S 36 387
ORERS 9.1 ..-4+2-- RE ee eicialn fac eI ETS 1% doz. 25 41 52
‘Vegetables — Dry ..............-.+-5.. Bio keys 1% lbs. 06 Ag 12
GREGOR) Fe ecg sees Rh sesteu ains wate ncaa art 9 Ibs. 34 1.02% 1.02
PPOTRUOES Pog ie so eae er ero ee es oe 20 Ibs. 28 64 £8
OOS ein sua e ne Se EN tlae ats si unica eV yah) eG ee. -10 3 43
Tomales Ue et eS Boi, Wh nk vad SS 2 cans aa 82 32
that Cpe cess apy Poti Uawatepeencs Wie: bra esp meet earn i NER T 2 Ibs. RR 24 40
Piambiis es ue. we, ies WE e S Borei eee 8 Ibs. SOF Ne Los ee he 2
Meat — Fish .....--..--. 6s sees eee e eee cee ee eens 3% Ibs. 34 1.05 99%
ICAU Reais ooh oreo eg ale Oe iby ry ete 3% Ibs. 43 66 119
ivy Lol, Pao: eS gaat Rm eae aR Ne ENE ISS. 5 14 Ibs. 84 84 Bt
Plereale noite hea sine Ve gions views ousdies es A aie Oem ey 28 33% 32%
Cod Liver Oil ......... AEA peel Meee ea fy 1-) pint 63 S555
Fats — Butter ...... RC Rutty ie Odea | 1% Ibs. 31 56 69
Oils and Fats (%4 Ib. peanut butter) ............. 234 Ibs. ao 4 50 ay
Sugar: 2.020355 Py ue caine Bi RES ed eae 216 Ibs. 16 20 20
Molasses ........ US Pe SO ae gt era) Ved ae eae CAML 15. 20 25
“Condiments, (tea. Coffea). 0. ee 8 ie. 5 eect ss — 34 55 52.
rt \
WO TAR A re eet Al sR rs 2 ore ea — ‘$8.04 $13.26 | $14.79
Yearly cost of essential food for family of five: 1939 — $380.15 1947 — $653.64

.
x