B.C. Federation of Labor favors
a study of prices, profits,

By JOHN HUNTER

‘The B.C. Federation of Labor favors a probe to determine the
causes of labor unrest — but only if the terms of reference are wide
enough to include the whole field of prices, profits and wages. This
was made clear in their submission to the provincial cabinet on

January 7.

“We Sali be reluctant,” said the brief, “to shtick
pate in a conference designed solely to provide further
avenues for management to advocate restrictive labor

fegislation.”

That section of the brief
dealing with labor legislation
ealled for the following:

@ Employers convicted of
unfair labor practices to be
fined $2,000 for the first of-
fence and $10,000 and one
“year in prison for all subse-
quent violations.

© The Constitution Act (Bill
123) which forbids provincial
government employees to pick-
et government buildings to be
repealed.

@ Provincial government
employees to be given full col-
lective bargaining rights.

@® The Trade. Unions Act
(Bill 43) to. be repealed.

"We are aware too that am-
ployer groups are seeking fur-
fher restrictive measures such
as ‘right-to-work’ laws.”

" ++ we will resisi any ‘right

to work’ legislation to the besi
of our ability and .with every
legitimate means ai our dis-
posal.

On the etek of public
power, the Federation propos-
ed “that in regard to electric-
ity, all existing projects be
taken over and operated by
the B.C.- Power Commission
and that all new projects and
all extensions of existing pro-
jects be handled by it.”

“In regards to gas, we urge
that all existing distribution
projects be taken over and
operated by the B.C. Power
Commission.”

The brief proposed that the
Peace River project be consid-
ered by the Provincial Energy
Board and that the board per-
sonnel should include an ex-
perienced conservationist and

Tim Buck

.Tim Buck, national leader
of the Communist Party of
Canada, will arrive in Vancou-
ver on January 28. to begin a

speaking tour of the province)

‘Buck’s itinerary is as fol-
lows:

January 28, public meeting
in Victoria, 8 p.m.

January 29, public meeting
in Vancouver, Rice? Audi-
torium, 8 p.m.

January 30, Nansitie public
meeting.

January 31, Haney public

itinerary

meeting, 2 p.m.; Langley pub-
lic meeting, 8 p.m.

February 1, trade union din-
ner at noon; Socialist Youth
League meeting, 8 p.m.

February 2, UBC meeting -at
noon; North Vancouver public
meeting, 8 p.m.

February 4, Lake Cowichan
public meeting.

February 7, women’s tea, 2
p.m.

Fehruary 8, Vernon public
meeting.

February 9, Kamloops public
meeting.

ROBBIE

Friday, January
AT7P.M,

Adults $2.

Grand Scottish Banquet & Concert

Celebrating the 201st Anniversary
of Scotland’s National Bard

Pender Auditorium
339 WEST PENDER

Children $1

Tickets Available at
People’s Co-op Bookstore and
Pacific Tribune office.

BURNS

22

a representative of organized
labor.

Among the other proposals
put forward were these:

® The provincial govern-
ment to undertake a re-distri-
bution of provincial seats to
provide for representation on
a more equitable basis.

@ Three weeks paid vaca-
tion after five years employ-
ment and a minimum of nine
statutory holidays per year.

® The’ provincial govern-
ment to assume the full res-

ponsibility for the upkeep and)

maintenance, of all: arterial
highways and approaches used
as main streets in cities and
municipalities.

® Provincial Automobile
Accident Insurance.

® Steps be taken to stop
“the continued concentration
of ownership and control of

our forest industries into few- |

er and fewer hands.”’

@ Grants to those in re-
ceipt of social service allow-
ances to be increased by 30
percent. ~

® Minimum wage of $1.25
an hour for all eae’ work-
ers.

@ The government to pro-
vide free education in all
schools, colleges and . univer-
sities, “to the extent that the
pupil is capable of assimilat-
ing.” Dealing with school
buildings, the brief called upon
the government ‘‘to assist
school trustees to carry on the
necessary school building pro-
gram as expeditously as pos-
sible.”

Dealing with unemploy-
ment, the Federation declared
that “the achievement of full
employment must be a major
aim of our governments.” It
proposed the following meas-
ures:

1. The government to make

$5,000.000 available for un-
employed assistance.
2. A province-wide confer-

ence to plan an all-out pro-
gram to eliminate unemploy-
ment,

3.. Amendment. of the Hours
of Work Act to provide for a
forty-hour work week.

In studying what was in the
brief submitted to the cabinet,
there is very little to disagree
with. But when you study it
closely you become. aware of

certain serious ommissions,

wages

For example, there was no
reflection of the growing de-.
mand for the federal govern-
ment to spend less on waste-
ful armaments and more on
sccial security and peaceful
construction. Neither was

|there any mention of the need

for finding new markets for
B.C. products in China and
other socialist countries. ©
No doubt the thinking be-
hind these omissions was that

tions and should be taken up
with Ottawa: But labor must
realize that local and provin-
cial governments will find sol-
utions to their basic financial
problems only to the extent
that new national policies are
adopted. This makes it neces-
sary for labor and _ other
groups to carry the fight for
new policies. into the local
council chambers and to the
floor of the provincial legis
lature.

This conclusion inevitably
brings us to another conclus-
ion — that organized labor is
still dragging its feet in the
fight for peace and disarma-
ment and for new, national

such matters are federal: ques- !

PAT O’NEAL
Secretary, BCFL

policies. It is to be hoped
that the April convention of
the Canadian Labor Congress
will place the CLC on record |
as having broken with the cold
war policies which have dom-—
inated the labor movement —
these past ten years. A contin-
uation ._of these policies can ~
only bring. more unemploy-
ment, higher taxes and devast-
ating war. a

Park board supeziniendent
P. B. Stroyan “exceeded his
authority in a number of mai-
ters’ according to investigator
Dugald Donaghy, who made
his report On the nine-day
probe of park board affairs to
city council this week.

Stroyam did not have the
authority to order demolition
of a Beach Avenue house, in
the opinion of-the investigator.
He said that four of the six
park commissioners present at
a committee meeting July 27
did not agree to the house be-
ing demolished,

Donaghy found that local

improvements bylaw funds
were allocated illegally for
purposes other than __ those

authorized by the bylaw.

Park board's Stroyan
rapped in probe repor.

———

Superintendent Stroyan di-
verted more than $7,000 of
money needed to build a swim=
ming pool at Hastings Com-—
munity Park for a children’s
wading pool in the next block
and. some landscaping work. ~

“Fortunately, the city comp-
troller ‘discovered what had
been done. The matter was
rectified in a way by the ad:
justment of ‘ accounts.” said
the probe report. Still, “it was
illegal to use such ones. for
any other purpose.’ ;

Stroyan’s comment; “IT think ic
we shall have to change the
system a litile bit. The power
of the superintendeni wil
have to be reviewed. I gues:
I shall have to take the book-
keeping a little more ser
iously.” sect ° a

~ WILLIAM

of C

HEAR

“THE LABOR MOVEMENT AND
~THE FIGHT FOR DISARMAMENT” —

PENDER AUDITORIUM :
SUNDAY, JAN. 17, 8 P.M. an

Auspices, City Committee, Communist Party

KASHTAN |

anada

January 15, 1960—PACIFIC TRIBUNE—Page 8