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IWA CLEARS DECKS FOR
1959 WAGE STRUGGLE

“This is the year we must ready our union for an all-out wage struggle,’ IWA dis-
trict president Joe Morris told 300 delegates atcending the 22nd annual district convention
of International Woodworkers of America here this week.

Reflecting the rising anger and determination of the [WA membership on the wages
issue, numerous resolutions from locals demanding substantial pay increases in 1959 were
scheduled to be debated at the convention’s wages and contract session (held after the

Pacific Tribune went to press).

Since. no gains were won
by the district leadership in
1958, despite rank and file
opinion that the wage pro-
posals advanced by the union
were fully justified and
could have been achieved by
struggle, the militant policy
advocated .by resolutions from
locals points to big battles

‘ sti)

Vol. 18 No. 7%

Phone MUtual 5-5288

Authorised as second class mail by
the Post Office Department, Ottawa

10c

VANCOUVER, B.C.

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 1959

blocks deal with China

Imposition of an extra duty on paint brushes imported
by a Vancouver firm from China is blocking development
of trade with that country, East West Export Import Co. Ltd.
charges in a letter to the Department of National Revenue.

_ “On July 8, 1958 we sold to the People’s Republic of
China, machinery to the value of $3,000 and in return we

took from China paint brushes
to the value of $2,804,” says
the letter. “Small as_ this
transaction was, it opened the
way for some very substantial
orders for Canadian machinery
which have since been trans-
acted. .

“However, on December 16
your department notified us
that we were to be assessed
an additional duty of $4,854.75
in additton to $701 duty and
$350.50 excise tax which we
had already paid. ie

“As you will see, these
duties total considerably more

_ than twice the original value

of the brushes which we had
paid for with exports of Can-
adian machinery.

“Our plans for 1959 had
contemplated the sale of about
$600,000 worth of Canadian
goods to China, and the pur-
chase of about $100,000 worth
of Chinese paint brushes.
“We are now faced: with
paying . . . additional costs,
which clearly put these at-
tractive trade prospects in
jeopardy.

“In any event, if it still
proved .to be possible to carry
out the transactions, the Can-
adian consumer would be pay-
ing a great deal more for the
brushes than he neéded to.

“The actual extent of manu-
facture of bristle brushes in
Canada is a minimum, and
Canadian companies are re-
ceiving the bristles and hand-
les without the application of
these discriminatory duties.

“This raises the question
whether the duties are having
the effect of protecting the
manufacture of brushes in
Canada, or merely protecting
a monopolistic price. (

“We trust you will earnestly
consider our petition and re-
verse the decision of the cus-
toms appraiser.”

The paint brushes under dis-

pute are real hog bristle
brushes. Such brushes are ‘as-
sembled rather than made in
Canada (the bristles come
from China, the handles from
Japan or the United States).

Extra duty on brushes

ahead.

Although the officers’ report
delivered by Morris laid spe-
cial stress on the wage ques-
tion, it maintained that the
1958 settlement for no wage

increase “has proven to be
the wisest course . . , in the
circumstances.”

Passed unanimously by the
convention was a resolution in-
troduced by George McKnight,
Port Alberni, urging the IWA
to “seek support of the Cana-
dian Labor Congress to send
a trade delegation to China
and other Far Eastern coun-
tries to ascertain first hand
existing trade possibilities.”

Rejected by the delegates
was a resolution from Local
1-217 suggesting “moral and
financial support’ for the CCF.
Local president Syd Thomp-
son urged adoption .of the
resolution, but found little
backing from the floor. A sub-
stitute resolution was brought
in stating the CCF “warrants
trade union backing” and leav-
ing decisions on the forma-
tion of “a broadly-based labor
party” to the 1960. conven-
tion of the CLC.

Early in the convention Joe
Morris spoke on the union’s
life and death struggle with
the Anglo-Newfoundland De-
velopment Company, where
loggers have been on strike
since December 31 and RCMP
have been used against the
strikers. '

“Our brothers in Newfound-
land are fighting to free them-
selves from disgracefully low
wages ($1.05 an hour) and
the slavery of a 60-hour

week,” said Morris.

CLC secretary-treasurer Don-
ald MacDonald cf Otawa told
the delegates that “the tremend-
ous spate” of strikes last year
resulted from an organized
campaign against the unions.

“The hold-the-line theory (on
wages) was utterly stupid,”
he said. “If strikes become *
necessary in order for us to
achieve our ends then --there

Gity should take over,

will be more strikes. They
will not be of our chopsing,
but the CLC will be behind
them if our people have to
hit the bricks.”

operate BCE buses’

“Announcement by the B.C. Electric that bus services
will be cut once again is the last straw,” said Mona Morgan,
aldermanic candidate in the last civic election and secretary
of Civic Reform Association, in a statement issued to the
~press this week. “It is time the city took over the transit

system and operated it.

“Last year it was a fare and

and rate increase. This year
has hardly begun when it’s-a
service cut. City council can-
not escape responsibility for
this continued flaunting of
the wishes of Vancouver citi-
zens.
“With the provincial gov-
ernment taking over control
of the power system, and the
city handling the transit sys-
tem; we could have a cheaper
and better service. than we
have now.

“For years the Civic Re-
form Association has advo-
cated this measure to solve
the transit and power
question and we firmly be-
lieve there should no longer
be any pandering to the B.C.
Electric, one of the largest«
and greédiest monopolies in
our province. It is our hope

that trade unions and other
organizations will take up this
matter quickly and decisively.”
So contemptuous of public
opinion is the BCER that it
has not even notified city
council. of the proposed cut.
Information on the reduction
in service reached the board
of administration in a letter
from Street Railwaymen’s Un-
ion dated February 3. Board
members kept details secret
from aldermen, and the letter
was not read to council when
it met Tuesday. 2
Council, however, will have
to face up to the question.

Last October 21 aldermen
promised the SRU and Van-
couver. Labor Council that

éouncil would allow no fur-
ther service cuts by the BCER
“without the fullest and most
careful consideration.”

B.C. Federation drafting
petition on unemployment

Hundreds of trade union-
ists will soon be circulating a
petition on unemployment to
present to the provincial gov-
ernment.

Decision to launch the peti-
tion campaign was made by
delegates attending the re-
cent mass labor lobby to Vic-
toria. When the government
ignored proposals to combat
unemployment; the angry un-
ionists decided to ask the ex-
ecutive of B.C, Federation of

‘Labor to start.a petition drive,
aimed at securing upward of
100,000 names.

BCFL leaders are now draft-
ing the petition and it will be
circulated to union locals in
the near future.

“If we do this thing right,
we can get 200,000 names,”
said one trade union leader
this week. “Then the govern-
ment will be forced to give
consideration to our proposals,”

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