Bosses would ruin mines to hit union Big business memoranda indicate that British Columbia monopolists are prepared to turn this province’s gold mining communities into a string of ghost towns as part of a ruth- less campaign to destroy the leadership of a union they have hated for two generations. main reason for the lockout threat tacing miners’ families is that oper- ators are more interested in dam- aging the prestige of Harvey Mur- phy, regional director of the Inter- national. Union of Mine, Mill and Smelter Workers, than in maintain- ing production. The Coalition government is directly involved, Labor Minister Gordon Wismer has reneged on his promises to the B.C. Federa- tion of labor to set up a commis- sion to inquire into the industry, and the Mine-Mill union is launching a public campaign to compel Wismer to act. Three con- ciliation boards have recommend- ed a commission. The union is taking legal action, to recover from Silbak-Premier Mines Ltd. pay owing to locked out employees’ at the Premier mine.. Workers were laid off there with- out the legally required official no- tice. Monthly employees (including office workers, cookhouse crew and truckers) were robbed of the month’s pay to which they were entitled. “Tt was a rotten deal,” some of them stated as they arrived in the union office in Vancouver. “They gave us no notice.” “An outlaw. game,” was the way Harvey Murphy, Mine-Mill director, These memoranda show that a dustry, casts revealing light on mo- tives behind the operators’ threat “that virtually all the gold mines in the province will be closed.” “Mines like Cariboo Gold Quartz, Hedley Mascot and others,” says the Labor Letter, are in “like position” to Premier. Then appears in conclusion the hope dominant in the minds of those who are gambling with the future of whole communities: “How the prestige of» Communist Harvey Murphy, head of the union in B.C., will stand up under the wholesale destruction of jobs in prospect remains to be seen.” Premier mine is actually a base metals mine masquerading as @ gold mine. Gold Quartz has spurned the conciliation award because it included union shop, and Mascot is paying $1 increase pending appoint- ment of a commission. . Miners at Polaris Taku, Pioneer and Bralorne await the verdict of conciliation boards which have heard union and operator repre- sentatives. Island. Mountain and Cariboo Gold Quarts mines are threatening shutdown rather than grant the majority conciliation awards. Union witnesses Tom Johnson, Vie Johnson and Jack Teleski ap- peared before the Island Mountain characterized it. conciliation board for the union. “Some men on shift got as little’ R. Pp, Moore, James Dunstan, Jim- as six hours’ notice,” related one! employee. “Heaven help those mar- ‘ried couples up there with families and furniture. Some have no money my Wilson and Albert Love made the long trip from Taku to testify for the miners before the Taku conciliation board. One |» in a company house and the com- pany went good for his furniture. He’s had one $5 check since then, after deductions, and now he’s got to get out. Wife’s in hospital, too. They figured they were going to really settle down, I guess. “Even some twenty-year have been laid off cold. Lockout at Premier was com- pany’s alternative to making $1 pay increase retroactive to December in a mine already paying less than prevailing levels in a low-paying men lockout threat, Union voted unanimously to ac- cept the majority decision of the Island Mountain board ($1 across the board plus two statutory holi- days) and decided by a “75 per- cent majority to take a strike vote at the two mines (Cariboo Gold Quartz and Island Mountain) in Wells, the date of the vote to be decided when and if the other gold mine locals back our stand for united action. This means 2 simultaneous vote on the same day throughout the district by all dissenting locals.” The union will likely hold-a dis- _ ter, regular memorandum of the _ B.C. Federation of Trade and In- trict policy meeting when the last conciliation board has reported. JOHNSON’ HIGH QUALITY LOGGERS AND WORK BOOTS HAND-MADE 63 West Cordova Street - - - - - - Phone MArine 7612 S BOOTS That Reg. SUIT SPECIALS Reg. $36 and $37.50 Bite «..-. 825 , Limited number, | breasted models in Herringbone brown sand novelty worsteds. Sizes 36, 38, 39 and 40. TE ah i=, a tc BOO Quality tailored models, Dark Brown and Sea Blue shades. Sizes 36 to Reg. $7.50 SLACKS — Will Save You Dollars! single and double in double-breasted 40. Just a few to -95 $11 SLACKS — $7.50 b —but not for price controis. eering and inflation. Work harder, says US —LONDON. Delegates from the 16 Marshall plan countries — representing. those sections of the labor move- ment which favor the U.S. pro- gram—approved plans here to set up a permanent organization. The new body is regarded as a possible rival to the World Fed- eration of Trade Unions. — The bulk of organized French and Italian workers was not rep- resented, since the French Gen- eral Confederation of Labor (CGT) and the Italian General Confederation of Labor (CGIL) oppose the Marshall plan. The French delegate came from the minority split-off group, the So- cialist-led Force Ouvriere (Work- ers’ Strength). 4 W. Averell Harriman, ambassa- dor-at-large for the Economic Cooperation Administration, ad- dressed the conference, calling on European jlabor to work harder, WHINING HUUTLE ATT Henne will press Yellowknife case Fred Henne, business agent of Local 802, International Union of Mine, Mill and Smelter Workers and a member of the Territorial Council of the Northwest Territor- ies, has been selected by the coun- cil as its spokesman to press claims ‘for adequate financing of Yellow- knife schools at Ottawa. : This was reported this week by Harvey Murphy, Mine-Mill Region- al director, on his return from a Si visit to Yellowknife including the Con mine. Murphy was featured speaker at the miners’ second an- nua] picnic in the northern mining center. } Although good school buildings have been built in Yellowknife, there have not been sufficient funds allocated to run them properly. Proposed formation of an Anglo-American Council in conjunction. with the Marshall plan is under sharp attack from union leaders and some Labor MP’s, who charge that it is an attempt to force a speedup on British workers. Despite the British Trades Union Council’s, decision to send : Eee. : representatives The new Liberal platform calls for a North Atlantic war alliance Defence Minister Brooke Claxtow and U.S. Defence Secretary James V. bases in the Canadian Arctic to “defend” North America—but prices of meat, eggs, bread continue to rise and the King government does nothing to defend the Canadian people from the real threat of profit- Forrestal are to confer on war British labor denounces Marshall-planned speedup —LONDON Advisory to the proposed body, criticism is mounting in labor circles. The plan, described official- ly as intended “to improve the pro- ductivity of British industry,” is being widely assailed as a speeduP move. : Union officials point out that the way to increase production is to get more capital goods and more bulk steel supply, items not part of the Marshall plan program for Britain. Walter Stevens, general secretary of the Electrical Trades Union warned that joint discussion of new production methods would give rise to the danger of certain Amer- ican methods creeping into British industry—methods which, he said, are alien to the British labor move- ment. Joseph Hall, secretary of the Yorkshire Area, Nation Union of Mineworkers, attacked the produc- tion council idea as “absolute rub- bish” while William Fearson, presi- dent of the Scottish Mineworkers, called it an “awful move.” To British workers, whose ‘real wages are shrinking as living costs rise, the call for higher production is familiar. Long used by the Fed- eration of British Industries, it is an argument for a policy of con- cealed wage cuts and concealed un- employment, From Labor MP Ian Mikardo came the warning that the unions would not allow Americans to tell them what to do. Another Labor MP, Tom Braddock, described the plan as “a seeming imposition of American dictatorship in this country.” | One labor leader charged that the production council was an at- tempt to “turn the heat” on the British union movement, adding that its primary purpose will not be—as has been claimed by govern- ment officials — to introduce new and improved industrial processes. Combine evidence ignored —TORONTO. Sufficient evidence pointing to the existence of a bread combine in Canada'is available in the minutes and proceedings of the House Com- mittee on Prices, Mrs. A, Binley, acting president of the Toronto Housewives Consumer Association has told the government. Mrs, Bin- ley categorically denied the claim that an investigation was not pos- sible at this time, as stated in a letter to the HCA by F. A, Mc- Gregor, Commissioner of the Com- bines Investigation Act. Quoting from the House Commit- tee minutes, Mrs, Binley said in a letter to McGregor: “A meeting of five or six bakers did take place in the first half of September, 1947, to ‘discuss the increase in the price of bread pending the removal of the wheat subsidy.” “Again in the report of proceed- ings on February 25, Mr. McDon- ald, secretary-treasurer of General Bakers, Toronto, answered a ques- tion by Mr. Innes to the effect that 13 cents, and that is why we sold at an increase of three cents.” This decision was based on in- formation exchanged and agree- ments reached by the meeting of bakers in September, 1947, the rec- ords showed. : McDonald, questioned by the House Commitee said that “prices were discussed at the meeting held in the first half of September, 1947.” He then proceeded to name the | following companies as being rep- resented at this meeting: “Chris- tie’s, Canada Bread, Weston’s, Brown’s, Wonder and General Bak- eries.” ‘ ae Concluding the letter to Mc- Gregor, Mrs.. Binley made the fol- lowing proposals: : : —That the commissioners start a full and complete investigation of these bakeries under the Com- bines Investigation Act, immedi- ately. —That prosecutions be recom- mended by the commissioner and commenced. by: the attorney gen- eral against the Toronto bakeries named on the basis of evidence revealed by the House Commit- tees minutes, as a test of the present Act, : ‘ —That the commissioner, in ac- cordance with his duties, provide direction to the HCA as to what avenues of action are available to open up proceedings against the Toronto bakery combine, which is the intention of the HCA. Togliatti names Scelba in shooting —ROME- Communist Jeader Palmiro TO gliatti, wounded by an assassin’S bullet on July 14, charged here T@ — cently that Italian Interior Minis ter Mario Scelba was responsible — for the attempt on his life. : Togliatti asserted that De Gas” peri government's failure to stamP out a revival of fascism was at the root of the incident. é “A government,” he said, “which in the face of such a deed as that — of July 14 did not even drive out — the rinigleader—the minister of the interior—and did not take the l¢ ; measure against the resurgence °° fascist bandits ... is condemned first of all by the moral conscienct of the honestly democratic citize? ‘The deteriorating economic situ ation of which the attempted sination was a reflection is shows ‘ by the fact that : and ‘bread have jumped 50. Pe cent'in price. At the same tim®, °” percent boosts in postal, cooking gas, electricity, transportation 40° telephone rates are slated tO into effect, : PACIFIC TRIBUNE—AUGUST 13, 1948—PAGE 2 ‘other bakers were going to sell at