Fight For

¥n recent months great strike movements have been
weeping South American countries as the workers fight
for higher wages and better conditions. Above is a mass
meeting of Brazilian dock and railway workers held in Ee
Rio de Janeiro at which they voted to strike. :

South American Workers

Better Life -

Compensation inquiry

urged by Mine, Mill

Demand for a royal commis-
Sion. to inquire into workmen’s
compensation was placed be-
fore the provincial cabinet by
the Mine, Mill and Smelter
‘workers union last Friday.

Headed by Harvey ‘Murphy,
President of the Western Dis-
trict, and Al King; secretary-
treasurer, the delegation told
the cabinet the commission
Should probe silicosis pensions
@nd other procedures under

the Act.

The union’s brief also pro-
tested. development of the Co-

lumbia largely for: U.S. bene-

fit; hit out .at unemployment
and called for a moratorium on
evictions, seizure . of goods,
cars and other property of the
unemployed.

Also urged was reduction of
the 44 hour. work week to 40
hours and increases in the
minimum wage:

JOBLESS LOBBY

: (Cont'd from pg. 1)
Yous action is in-line with the
attitude of the B.C. -govern-
ment which last week an-
miounced that it will’ cancel
payment for® medical bills for
employable people who~ are
forced to go on social assist-
ance. :

A storm of protest greeted
this announcement by Welfare
Minister Wesley Black. Resolu-
tions and wires from many or-
@anizations have condemned
the government’s action and
demanded that the order be
withdrawn.

Among the many protests
was a wire from Vancouver
city secretary of the Commun-
at Party, Harold Pritchett,
who said that -the govern-
ment’s refusal to pay the med-

ital bills of the employable un-
employed on social assistance

is “deplorable.” He demanded
that the provincial government
immediately re-institute pay-
ment. of medical bills.

The Vancouver Labor Coun-
cil said in a wire to Premier
Bennett that “Once again
money is béing considered be-
fore human needs.” Douglas
W. Fowler president of the
B.C. Association of Social
Workers said “the move is a
regressive step in our. public
welfare services.”

The jobless lobby to Victoria
is expected to take a strong
stand on this issue and to place
before the government the de-
mands of the unemployed for
jobs, opening of new markets,
legislation to stop evictions

and foreclosures and~ other
measures to -protect -B.C.’s
working people from the

/

B.C. Social Wo

rkers Charge

|
|
|
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British Columbia’s social

people it is supposed to help.

The B.C. Association of So-
cial Workers, which repre-
sents 80 per cent of social
workers in B.C., said after a
Special meeting of its 575
members that a royal commis-
sion should be set up to invest-
igate public welfare services.

A policy statement issued
from the meeting also called,
among other things, for in-
creased social assistance rates,
increases. in staff and more

Mothers and children are the
ones who suffer under the
Social Credit government’s
penny-pinching policy on
social services.

Mona Morgan Hits
City Manager Plan

“The Queen Elizabeth Thea-
tre with its Panrucker scandal,
the works yard fiasco, the
PNE — civic auditorium man-

cited to show how necessary is
the broadening of council lead-
ership,” stated a letter to city
council from Mrs. Mona Mor-
gan, secretary of Civic Reform
Association.

In her letter Mrs. Morgan
called upon city council to set
up a committee to undertake a
complete review of the admin-
istration system and hold pub-
lic hearings so that organiza-
tions and citizens can present
their opinions on the structure
of civic government.

The letter adds that council
is abrogating democracy — at
city hall by in effect already
instituting a city manager

ravages of unemployment,

the B.C. government. is falling behind in its duties to
children and their families and that its “penny pinching”
policy could destroy the physical and mental health of the

| partment will show just how

‘When you look at these figures

ipulations and many other ex-
-amplés,- unfortunately, can be

“Government falling behind i
duties to children, families’

By MAURICE RUSH

workers said last week that:

money and better. training op-
portunities for social workers,.

The action of B.C.’s social
workers follows many and
varied protests from all parts
of B.C. against the govern-
ment’s neglect of social ser-
vices which were touched off
by the recent resignation of
Ruby McKay, who for 16 years
Was superintendent of child
welfare. ‘

In her statement of resigna-
tion she said that it was impos-
sible for her staff to cope with
the rapidly increasing number
of families and children who
needed help.

A hasty glance at the annual
reports of the social welfare de-

“i 1) 5 ML
Go Home U.S."
Day In Britain |
“LONDON — A national
delegation is: to present a
petition on January 30 t0)
the Prime Minister demand-)
ing that Notice to Quit be
served on the U.S. forces in
Britain. irae Sea Ww

Organized by the British
Peace Committee the peti
tion has been circulating all
over the country.

Plans are also now well!
underway to make the .com-
ing Aldermaston march the,
biggest in history. 3

serious the situation has be-}
come. Here is the picture: ~

® In 1954 the average wel-
fare cases handled by each so-
cial worker was 235 at the
start of that year. At Déc. 31,
1959 it had climbed to 337.

bear in mind that welfare ex-
perts say 50 to 60 cases is
what each social worker
should have to handle.

® The number of children
being cared for has jumped
from 1,894 in 1956 to 3,337 in
1959—or double the number of
cases. Yet during this same
period the provincial govern-
ment had actually cut the num-
ber of social service workers
from 556 to 551,

@ Among the most critical) —
situations is that relating t0—--=
mentally disturbed childremy A
Children in the care of they™
child welfare department weré
placed on the waiting list for
entry to Woodlands - School;
and had to wait for very long
periods because of inadequate (
facilities. The state of child Pha
welfare agencies are a crying thi
disgrace. 1

So far the provincial gove &'n
ernment has refused to acced¢
to the growing demands for @

royal commission to air the
state of affairs in B.C. Instead
of halting its drive 1%
make economies at the ex)
pense of the unfortunate, it
followed up its actions last
week by suspending payment:
for medical care for employs
able unemployed on social
assistance. a

Without doubt much will
be heard during the coming:
session of the provincial legis
lature on this vital issue. :

Photo shows a machine-gunner of the Algerian Liberation —
Army. Despite last week’s offer by the Algerian Pro- ©
visional Government headed- by Premier Ferhat Abbas to
open talks the French government has been hedging. The
French Communist Party last week demanded “real”
negotiations and charged that behind the smokescreen of

plan.

rumours the government was still continuing the war,

January 27, 1961—PACIFIC TRIBUNE—Page 8