Marsh report reveals chronic slum condition ~ By JIM BULLER Dr, Leonard Marsh, noted housing and town planning authority last week issued a preliminary report of a survey he..made of housing conditions in Vancouver’s east end. The report, one of many issued in recent months by hous- ing and welfare groups,. disclosed, with cold statistics, the atrocious housing conditions of the work- ing people of this third largest Canadian city. Nearly nine out of ten families in the Strathcona district live in slums. Thesé buildings are either classed as “poor” or “bad,” and are the breeding ground for in- fantile. paralysis epidemics, such as the .one sweeping Vancouver for the past month; tuberculosis, AUGER AT OTTAWA—Right: in the home town of Messrs. King and Howe the housing situation is chronic. Six apartments were offered to fet and some 2,000 citizens turn- ed up for them here in one week- end. The offer appeared in a’ real estate company’s display ad in the local papers. Mest of those applying for the space were veterans. RMR RL and all children’s communicable diseases; crime and “immorality.” Dr, Marsh, who issued the re- port at the University of British Columbia last week, stated the survey was made to expose “the cost of blight areas” and the “need for redevelopment.” The area chosen—i63 acres bounded by Hastings, Main, Glen Drive and the False Creek flats “was not chosen as an unquali- Yfied‘ slum are2” but because “it “exhibits the most serious hous- _ ing, blight, and town planning problems.” " Sixty percent of the houses here are classed as “poor” be- Public studies on Marxism planned A recent meeting of the Capi- fol Hill. LPP club decided to faunch 3 community study of Marxism. Two members of the club were appointed to make a systematic. canvass of the area for. praspective students. The club intends to begin this public study group on Marxism early in Sep- tember. It is planned to use Stanley Ryerson’s book, ‘A World cause of dilapidation and other reasons, and nearly 28 percent as “bad” meriting condemnation. The latter group consists of homes con- sidered unfit to live in — but filled to capacity, and some highly. overcrowded—through lack of homes for the city’s ‘working people. The Strathcona district contains an estimated population of from 6,650 to 7,500, including “at least 1,500 families.” Dr. Marsh’s report noted that 3.5. of the total welfare cases came from this district although the population was only 2 percent of Vancouver’s total. Nearly 7 percent of arrests for drunkenness are made in this area, as well as 16 percent of the vagrancy charges. “These figures if nothing else, indicate the environment to which the children and adolescents are subjected,” Dr. Marsh declared. The standard used to class a family living unit by Dr. Marsh— “that of one room per person (ex- cluding kitchen and bathroom)— is only a simple one, which takes no account of size, light, ventila- tion and many other important points. To this must be added the heavy proportion of dilapidated structures and defective utilities which have been indicated on the survey cards,” Dr. Marsh declared. (The survey is expected to be made public towards the end of the month.) In reference to the _ present j housing ‘shortage, it should be noted that the promise of Recon- struction Minister C. D. Howe that plans were completed for the building of 2,000 houses in Vancouver “by 1948,” made in Ottawa on April 18, and head- lined by the Vancouver Sun on April 19 looks very bleak. Howe’s latest promise is for 1,000 homes “to be built some- time in the spring of 1948.” This new “promise” by the federal cabinet minister also lacks any confirmation from civic and fed- eral authorities. The mere fact that Howe cut his original promise in half, and set back the date six months, is considered a typical example of a reconstruction ministry which has failed to initiate any sem- blance of a housing program in Canada. To Win,’ as a study outline. - A charge of 50 cents for each insertion of five lines or less with #90 cents for each additional line is made for notices appearing in this column. No notices will be accepted later than Monday noon of the week of publication. s NOTICES Oldtime Dancing To Alf Carlson’s Orchestra ‘Every Wednesday and Saturday Hastings Auditorium 828 East Hastings ‘Phone HAstings 1248 Moderate Rental Rates for socials, weddings, meetings Hair Restoring— OK Antonuck Hair Scalp Re storing .Method. Greyness_ or baidness is not hereditary or from unnatural causes. Causes lack of knowledge because hair must have proper nourishment _ like other things. If’ not, will/ _be hereditary. Only — syphillis ‘transferable. Greyness or bald- ness or other sickness can be ‘prevented and will be prevented |. if you are honest and sincere to others and to yourself. Doctor’s testimonial on file. “Falling hair, dandruff, itchiness.” Three weeks tater. “There appears to be new fair growing in bald spots.” SK Sse 671 Smythe, Vancouver. FRIDAY, AUGUST 8, 1947 > Meetings— Swedish Finnish Workers’ Club meets last Friday qpery month, 7:30 p-m., Clinton Hall. ASH BROS. CARTAGE Moving — Transfer Dump Trucks 2239 Cambie Phone FAir. 0469 Croatian Hall Available for Dances, Socials, Weddings, Banquets, Meetings, Reasonable rates, 600 Camp- bell Avenue. HAstings 0087. Dance, Clinton Hall— 2605 East Pender. Dance every Saturday night. Modern and Old-Time. Viking’s Orchestra. Hall is available for rent, HAstings 3277. WHAT’S DOING A Treat on Sunday— Film and Forum every Sunday, 8 pm. West End Hall, 1332 Davie St. Everybody welcome. Silver collection. Dance— Open Air Dance. Every Satur- day night, 9 to 12, at Swedish Park (North end of Second Narrows Bridge). Shingle workers seek wage hike In an effort to remedy long- standing grievances of B.C.’s 5,000 shingle mill workers, the International Woodwork- ers of America (CIO) policy com- mittee has decided to instruct shop committees in all mills to commence negotiations with indi- vidual operators, on important wage demands of the union. This course was decided upon, when R. V. Stuart, operators’ repres- entative, chose to completely ig- nore section six of the 1947 IWA- Operator Master Agreement, which specifically states that all matters affecting furniture, shingle mill workers, and trainmen, not settled in the new pact, are to be settled by separate negotiations, with the parties concerned. When the IWA attempted to open wage negotiations for the shingle workers, Stuart brazenly declared he would not:talk wages, as his clients, the bosses, had not instructed him to. Wage demands of shingle workers include: @ A guaranteed daily wage rate of $13 for shingle sawers, and $10 for packers. @ Accompanying wage increases of 40 cents per square foot for Sawyers, and 30 cents for pack- ers, to bring present rates up in low categories. ‘ Explaining the reason for the union’s wage demands, Neil Mc- Auley, IWA Local 1-217 business agent, this week told the Pacific Tribune that “wages of Vancouver shingle workers, who get a con- tract rate, have not been _ in- creased in many categories. for 10 years, placing these workers at a distinct disadvantage te other workers in the industry.” CSU to appeal jail sentences Jail sentences of 30 days, meted out to 15 crew members of the SS Chilliwack last week in Van- couver police court for ‘allegedly “impeding the ship’s progress” by staging a brief walkout, will be appealed by the Canadian Sea- men’s Union (TLC), John Stan- ton, union counsel, announced this week. The men staged the work stop- page, due-to refusal of the ship’s captain to make repairs to the refrigeration system of the ship, resulting in objectionable condi- tions aboard ship, while in the area of Central America. No Dutch treat... NEW YORK—Several hundred New Yorkers marched in a picket- line around the’ Dutch consulate here July 21, protesting the war in Indonesia with such slogans as: “No Dutch Treat for Stan- dard Oil. Free Indonesia.” The picketline was sponsored by the American Committee for Indo- nesian Independence. Similar de- monstrations took place in Los Angeles and San Francisco. WELCOME TO GRAND PICNIC August 17 — 1 p.m. SWEDISH PARK Transportation from Hastings and Cassiar to the Park GOOD PROGRAM Good Music In Pavilion By Viking’s Orchestra Auspices of District Committee of the Finnish Organizations of Canada and Swedish-Finnish Workers Club. = EAST END TAXI UNION DRIVERS HA. 0334 Fully 24-Hour Insured Service 613 East Hastings, Vancouver Pioneer Socialist to be honored by celebration Fifty years ago, in 1897, a young barber named Bill Bennett joined one of the Glasgow branches of the Scottish Labor Party, a pioneer socialist organization which was later to become. part of the Independent Labor Party. Today, in BILL BENNETT Canada, his name is known ani revered in the labor movement from one end of his adopted coun- try to another and in British Col- umbia there is not a town, not 4 logging or mining camp, which does not count at least one de voted reader of his Short Jabs column in the Pacific Tribune. This is the anniversary — the anniversary of half a century of service to the working people, ranging through the old Socialist Party of Canada to the Labor- Progressive Party—that will be celebrated with a banquet and dance in Vancouver on September 30. Preparations for the celebra- tion will be made by a sponsor- ing committee composed of vet eran members of the labor move ment. Highlight of the affair will be a presentation to Bill Bennett to which labor organizations an members and supporters of the 1a bor movement throughout the province will be invited to con tribute. Domestic users to pay cost if gas boosted | “In ancient times it was customary for highway rob- bers to use a pistol, but in these times, B.C.’s biggest high- wayman utilizes symphony conductors—such is the modern technique!” This comparison Civic Reform Committee chair- man, in referring to BCElectric company president A. E. Grauer, who has made application to take three-quarters-of-a-million dollars out of the pockets of Vancouver citizens. each year in increased domestic cooking and heating gas rates, Stanton’s charges of ‘highway robbery’. seem to be borne out by the following fact as to whom the BCElectric intends taking the increased gas prices from. Here are the facts which the BCElectric company has kept from the pub- lic: Industrial and commercial firms will only have to pay a one to nine percent increase. Citizens whose homes have central cooking and heating systems (all gas) will be charged 41 percent more, if the company request is granted. If you have a gas hot water heater, your bill will jump 23.1 percent, while the cooking gas bill will jump 12 percent. “From these figures of the BCElectric, which they have not made public, it is obvious that the burden for this gas price’ increase will fall on the small homeowner,” |} Stanton stated. “There is still time to show the Utilities Commission, which opens public hearings on this mat- ter, that the people won’t toler- ate any increase from __ this wealthy corporation.” Stanton suggested that Vancou- ver citizens jam the court house chambers with a watching brief, to demonstrate to the utilities was made by John Stanton, board their feelings on the matter. Hearings ‘opened Thursday © this week, and will continue f° at least four days, startin’ at 10 o'clock each morniné: Among the organizations 1 make submissions at the hearing® are the Civic Reform Committee Vancouver Labor Council (CCL): Vancouver and Victoria G@ Workers (AFL), and Burnaby New Westminster and North Va couver municipal councils. at Who preserves. law and order? ATHENS — Napoleon Zerva* Greek minister of public orde? who directed the recent arrest® of 15,000 opponents of the royal ist regime, is having a hat time explaining away the test mony of a German at the Wa crimes trials in Nuremberg, G°™ many. According to German General Landz, on trial for crimes co” mitted in Greece, he can’t P° guilty because he merely “assis ed” Zervas all during the ee Zervas, known for his cae sympathies, was praised for “a “law-abiding attitude” in rece? p published secret Italian and G® t man military dispatches. or REGENT Bap aGood... Suit or Overcoat — come to the OLD ESTABLISHED RELIABLE FIRM { 324 West Hastings Street TAILORS EVERY GARMENT STRICTLY UNION MADE a 6 PACIFIC TRIBUNE—PAGE ” —