BCFL REPORTS Socred give-aways’ condemned by labor — Sharp condemnation of the Social Credit government || policy of giving away this province’s natural resources | was expressed at the B.C. Federation of Labor convention |: here this week in the report of the Natural Resources Committee. ._ “That any government would dare to give away the control of the resources in such a vast area, in such q pro- fligate manner, and still sur- vive the wrath of the people, would have been thought im- possible in this -province in any other decade,” said the re- port, * * - The Organization Commit- tee report stressed the need for strengthening labor’s ranks and expressed the -hope that “somé progress will be main- fained. in adding - to. the strength and solidarity of the BCFL by encouraging into affiliation those unions’ who should rightfully belong with- in the BCFL.” ; “ Several resolutions (not yet debated at Pacific Tribune press time) dealt with the ques- tion of unions expelled ‘by the old CCL and TLC; one from the Marine Workers called on the BCFL to request the CLC “to immediately find “ways and means of bringing into affilia- tion those expelled unions in the unity in Canada.” * * * Writing of a history of ‘the|; labor movement in B.C. was|’ one of the projects recom- mended in the report of the|; Education Committee. “To develop an understand- ing of. the basic principles and traditions of trade unionism amongst our membership and|f the general public, this pro- ject should be undertaken by the BCFL as quickly as’ pos- sible,” said the report. 4 a * “The Socred government of B.C. has deliberately frustrat- ed the efforts of ethnic; com- munhity and labor groups to implement human rights legis- lation,” charged the report of the Human Rights Committee. “It recommends “that the BCFL prepare a brief concern- ing fair practices legislation for submission to the B.C. gov- ernment during the next year. This to include the request that ‘the government enact a Fair Accommodation Practices Act.” : : Le Capacity audiences at China concert, banquet An overfloow audience turn- ed out last Sunday afternoon at the Russian People’s Home auditorium to celebrate the tenth National Day anniver- sary of the founding of the Peoples Republic of China. and in the evening a capacity audi- ence of 450 attended a ban- quet. Chaired by Mrs. Velma Chen, the concert program consisted of folk dances and choral. songs by Chinese art- ists and the choirs of the As- sociation of United Ukrainian, Canadians and the. Russian Canadian Federation. The audi- torium was gaily decorated with a huge gallery of pictures showing the New China at work in all fields of produc-| ’ tion. A number of Chinese speak- ers from local organizations, including the president of the Chee Kong Tong (Chinese Free Masons) paid high tribute to the achievements of the People’s Republic, as did Nigel Morgan, provincial leader of the Labor-Progressive Party, who characterized China’s “great leap forward” as being without a parallel in human history. ; PUBLIC MEETING _ Hear DR. G. M. GRIFFITHS Assistant Professor of Physics, U.B.C., speak on “NEW DATA ON RADIATION” Sunday, October 11th, 8 p.m. Ukrainian Hall — 805 East Pender St. EVERYBODY WELCOME Sponsored by: Workers’ Benevolent Association \ interest of trade union}! As China celebrates 10 years of liberation, throughout rural areas young peasants Col tinue to set up agricultural experimental stations devoted to scientific research work. The young peasants shown above, aged between 18 °and 23, belong to a working team { in the Mingshan people’s commune in the Chuang autonomous region of Kwangsl, a multi-national minority province in South China. They have grown 42 kinds of plants on their experimental plot to seek out the secrets of plant-growing. : t Sam Ee Plebiscite on public vs. pri vate power urged in IWA resolution Citizens ‘should be given the right to vote on the vital matter of public or private power in this province through a plebiscite at the next provincial election, declared & resolution submitted to the B.C. Federation of Labor convention here by IWA District” Council. “The Social’ Credit govern- ment is consistently attempt- ing to make deals with inter- national speculators for the development of power resour- ces in B.C.,” the resolution noted. The labor movement over the past several years. has con- sistently taken a position fav- oring public ownership of power. Another resolution submit- ted by Kamloops Labor Coun- cil asked the BCFL to “go on record that the provincial gov- ernment place the power re- sources, development and dis- tribution -under the control of the B.C. Power Commission.” Hehe Ki ak Several resolutions dealt with the question of banning nuclear tests, and calling of a Summit conference. Painters, Marine Workers and IWA Local 1-80 all called for cessation of tests. The IWA resolution proposed: ® Call on the great powers for Summit talks at once. @® Call for the banning of all nuclear weapons and the dismantling of atomic bases everywhere. ; ee @ Call for the peaceful sol- ution of the German crisis through a peace treaty with Germany. ® Turn war industry into peace industry and open up trade with the USSR and China and cther Asiatic coun- tries. @ Give full recognition to the government of the Peo- ple’s Republic of China. The IWA resolution also condemned the’ establishment of U.S. atomic missile bases in North Bay. Ontario and Mont Laurier, Quebec, and demand- ed that Ottawa “cancel its de- cision to allow such bases to be set up in Canada.” ; He Se eae : BCFL president Bill Black told the opening session of the convention that pressure of work in his union forced his decision to retire from feder- ation leadership. : Elections take place Friday, and Bob Smeal of Victoria (Airline Flight Attendants As- sociation) was being support- ed by some union leaders to succeed Black. 7 C. P. “Paddy” Neale has been appointed assistant sec- retary, filling the post left vacant when Jim Bury moved October 9, 1959—PACIFIC TRIBUNE—Page 8 east to take a union post there. For the first time in many years, a major labor convey tion failed to invite Labor Minister Lyle Wicks to speak Unionists are determined battle Bill 43, which Wés ‘Wicks’ baby,’ and. felt it would serve no purpose t0 have the Socred minister a the parley. Mayor Tom Alsbury, invit ed to address the opening Se» sion for a few minutes, ramb- led on and on, and got @ cool reception from delegates when — he tried to justify his “hold the line” policy on civic wages with the hackneyed argument — that “I’m not saying civic workers wages are too high — but I am saying we are paying the best wages we can afford. — eae Several resolutions dealt with unemployment and wil ter works projects, and the question of finding jobs fot older workers thrown on the industrial scrapheap. : IWA District Council stated that “the number of unem- ployed in Canada in 1958 has continually exceeded those un- employed in 1957 by almost twice as many, and is increas ing week by week.”