Municipalities assail
Valiey phone rates

: NEW WESTMINSTER, B.C.
The Association of Fraser Valley Municipalities took
action lask week against the steady increase in telephone

rates.

Meeting in New Westminster, the association set

up a three-man ccmmittee to prepare a brief for presenta-
tion to the Federal Board of Transport when it meets in

the Fraser Valley.

The issue was raised sharp-
ly by Councillor Eric Flower-
dew of Langley. “Telephone
rates are increasing by leaps
and bounds,” he said. “It is
getting to be quite a racket.”

Association president Reeve
Peter Jenewein of Maple
Ridge, however, said he doubt-
ed if there was much the as-
sociation could do. He claim-
ed the phone company had an
automatic system of increas-
ing rates when the number of
subscribers on any exchange
reaches a certain number.

Both Councillor Flowerdew
and Councillor Stewart Als-
bury of Coquitlam were criti-
cal of the telephone service
in the Valley. They said it
had become worse since the
dial system was introduced.

Council bows
to protest

“Vancouver City Council
bowed to public pressure this
week when it decided in
secret session not to put a pieb-
iscite on sale of the interna-
tional airport before the voters
in December.” This is the
opinion of Maurice Rush, LPP
city secretary, whose brief in
opposition to the proposed
sale was before council.

Council will open negotia-
tions with Ottawa shortly for
a new contract which will de-
termine the federal contribu-
tion towards the operation and
expansion of the airport. The
present agreement expires in
in October, 1957.

Reports from city hall indi-
cate that if the terms offered
by Ottawa are not satisfactory,
sale of the airport will be re-
considered.

Rush, in a sharply worded
statement, questioned, council’s
approach to these negotiations.

“The council is, in effect,
telling Ottawa that if you of-
fer us poor terms we will be
able to go to the voters and
convince them that the air-
port should be sold,” he said.

He called upon council to
enter the coming negotiations
prepared to fight for larger
grants from the senior gov-
ernment.

Living costs record

WASHINGTON

Living costs rose to a record

high in the United States last

month, the government re-

ported this week. The iridex

stood at 117.1 percent of av-
erage 1947-49 prices.

City rejects
proposals
on salaries

Vancouver City Council has
refused to accept a salary sur-
vey recently completed by the
Public Administration Service
of Chicago because of its in-
equalities and its proposal to
introduce the merit system.

The report dealth with sal-
aries for professional, techni-
cal and certain administrative
positions. It made recommen-
dations on some 300 jobs and
cost taxpayers $2,600.

Had the report been accept-
ed, some employees would
have received a monthly in-
crease of less than $5, while
others, in many cases doing
similar work, would have re-
ceived up to $78 a month.

The report advocated in-
creases on the basis of senior-
ity up to a certain point, fol-
lowed by increases on the
merit system. Employees con-
cerned fear that the merit sys-
tem would open the door to
wholesale favoritism and dis-
crimination. The report also
proposed that department
heads, deputies and other top
officers be paid entirely on
the basis of merit.

The three-man board of ad-
ministration split two ways in
its report _to council. Ald.
George Miller and Ex-Comp-
troller Frank. Jones opposed
the recommendations on the
grounds that they would
cause wide dissatisfaction in
the service. Ex-City Engineer
Oliver recommended adoption,
stating that the merit system
works well in private indus-
try.

The survey is one of many
in the last few years, arising
out of the difficulty in ob-
taining key personnel for the
City and holding on to them.

“City Hall Employees’ Asso-
ciation - (CLC), which repre-
sents a number of the employ-
ees concerned, has also spoken
out against the proposals. After
rejecting the report, council
referred the matter back to
the board of administration,
with instructions to bring in
a new set of proposals.

Burnaby joined Vancouver
this week when it too rejected
a report by the Public Admin-
istration Service of Chicago.
Most of the proposals in the
report were thrown out, only
a few being put over for fur-
ther consideration. The report
will cost the Burnaby tax-
payers $6,500.

One of the main recommen-
dations .rejected was for a
municipal manager. Other re-
commendations dealt with re-
organization of departments.

outsk.rts of Toronto. When an ancient Indian burial ground was unearthed in
tions, the area was set aside as a memorial. Indian leaders from Canada and the

the
~\, The Six Nations Indians recently re-buried their-dead in a moving ceremony ae a

exe

oneid®

States, members of the Six Nations — Onond2gas. Mohawks, Cayugas, Senecas, ane
and Tuscaroras — came to conduct the traditional ceremony of re-burial which is @
munion with the spirits of the departed, an apology for disturbing them.

Nanaimo Labor Council establishel
to embrace Upper Island unions

NANAIMO: if

wi

Labor unity took another step forward in British Columbia last Sunday

establishment of Nanaimo and District Labor Council. The new council will Oo onl
former TLC and CCL locals in the Chemainus, Ladysmith, Duncan, Nanaim®

Alberni and Courtenay areas.

Benet ing a”
Forty-five delegates from these Island points attended the initial meeting xl

Teachers hit proposal

on young offenders

Vancouver Island teachers in convention at Nanat-
mo last week protested a bill expected to come before the
next legislature to lower the age at which young offend-
ers can be charged in adult courts from 18 to 16. Their
protest will go to the B.C. Teachers’ Federation executive.

The teachers pointed out
that the law now permits a
judge of the juvenile court
to transfer a case to the high-
er court, where he deems it

advisable.

Strong protest was directed
against the plan of school
trustees to introduce merit
rating for salary purposes.

J: A,

Spragge, who spoke on teach-

Executive Assistant
er shortage, said Ontario high
school teachers receive up to
$1,000 a year more than B.C.
teachers with equivalent quali-

fications.

In Vancouver, 2,000 Van-

couver elementary and secon-
dary teachers have asked the

school board for salary in-

creases ranging up to $800 a

year.

The demands would boost

161 top-rated teachers from
$6,200’to $7,000 per year. Other
teachers would gain as much

as 10 percent.

Fluoridation costs

City dentists claimed this
week it ‘costs nearly $100 to
get the same protection from
sodium fluoride as can be ob-
tained by fluoridation of a
city’s water supply for a cost

of 10 to 25 cents a year.”

expecte Cot a

charter is
from Canadian Labo

<é ae
headquarters in ottaw a
: arte
Application for 4 ch al

the Joint Labor Cone py
Port Alberni, was rejee
the CLC. ibs
With the setting UP 4. of
council, all CLO\s# aaa
Vancouver
grouped in tw
toria and Nanaim& a
Many trade unionist i pe
Alberni are disaPP™ ced #
cause they were 7 et!
charter in that citY: ool”
where there is
fluential trade union pas?
ment, they will hav€
35 miles to Nanaimo 4 co
miles return, to atte?
cil meeting. al?
Some ~ Port Alber” al
unionists feel that Or ae e
cil is still needed: ™ sect
come to grips more ie po
ly with local problem wis
185 of the IWA, te pe
single union 10 Me ia
pul_ed out of the BOF a
Joint Labor Council ef p
sult of difference? jot
strike of operating © 568

NOVEMBER 2, 1956 — PACIFIC TRIBUNE —

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