2 At the City Hall | Buscombe Cannot Face the People By Cynthia Carte ‘a TUESDAY this week I went down to Coal Harbor to talk to several of the people living in houseboats there who have received notice to get out by July 15 to make way for a projected shipyard development. They were swell people. Most of the men were worlk- ing in war industry, and many of the women are wives of soldiers now fighting in France. Why do they live in houseboats? Mostly be- cause there’s nowhere else to live, particularly if you have kids, or have to get along on a soldier’s allowance. The houseboats were neat as pins inside, and there was a feeling of comradeship in.the little community. But there was also a feeling of fear. Where could they go? You can’t just pack up and leave a houseboat. Why, it would be your home you were leaving, your home that you’d paid for. And there’s no other wharf to tie up to, not close enough to the shipyards, to Boeings, to the machine shops where war materials are made. _ So the community spokesmen, many of them trade unionists, got together to talk it over. And when Bill Turner of the West End branch of the Labor-Progressive Party dropped by to see if he could do any- thine to help, they agreed immediately with his suggestion that they place their case before Ald. George Buscombe, chairman of the build= ing committee, and a neighbor of theirs in the West End. The mothers went to get the kids cleaned up, and Turner phoned Buscombe to tell him of the proposed visit. Ace: BUSCOMBE lives on Comox Street, in a big red house set inthe midst of flower gardens and well-kept lawns. And when the dele- gation walked quietly up his front walk, Buscombe beat a hasty re- treat out the back door. “T’m sorry. He’s not at home,” said the maid through the front window. : 4 “Then well wait,” agreed the houseboat people. They sat down on the steps. : “He knew we were coming. This isn’t a very, nice way to act,” said: one woman. Newspaper reporters began to arrive. and a flash bulb snapped. ‘we wharf rats are getting pretty notorious,’ said the wife of a flier in England. “Remember the story they wrote about us house- boat people in the Toronto Star?” “Yeah,” said another sarcastically. “They told all about how nice it was!” There was silence, and a telephone bell rang inside. voice answered. “Ves, they’re still here,” we could hear her say. “I think you better bring at least two.” Then, for the benefit of the people on the veran- dah, she said in a loud voice, “I’m sorry, you have the wrong number.” “Two what?” said a shipyard welder. “Think he’s going to serve us icecream ?” But Buscombe didn’t bring icecream for the houseboat people. He brought the police. When ordered from the verandah by police the women protested. They wern’t doing any harm. They just thought if Ald. Buscombe knew how things were. - - And then Buscombe appeared, a nervous-loking figure in smoking- jacket and slippers. When the delegation approached him he threw up his arms in dismay. “Go away,” he shouted. “I won’t be pestered like this. I have nothing to do with your troubles and neither has the council. I don’t want my peace and happiness disturbed.” For a moment the houseboat people stood in shocked silence. Then, from the back of the crowd came the quiet voice of a women worker from Boeings. ; : ‘Why, you broken down old cog in the social sytem,’ she said with disgust. The maid’s Ae: George Buscombe, elected first as a proponent of the city mana- ger plan and now a stalwart representative of Vancouver Non- Partisan Association objects to decent. working people bothered by such trifles as having to move their homes obtruding on his peace -and happiness. He doesn’t want to be disturbed. Why? .... Qn Monday afternoon at the hall things were pretty dull, and the inertia had spread to the press table, where the only sign of life (except for the relieved plunge for the door after the motion to ad- journ) was provided by a reporter for one of the dailies moodily draw- ing assorted doodles on his copy paper. " ~ Aldermen managed to spend most of the afternoon arguing about whether they would allow opening of a private school at Granville and 49th. The city daily reporter drew a picture of a sandy beach, a stretch of water, and some mountains. : he aldermen didn’t really get anywhere on the question of the private school. Finally after many long-drawn. out speeches, prob- ably very inspiring, they passed a motion that the building inspector should go out and “investigate.” The city daily reporter began to write on his copy paper. “Yap, yap, yap.” he wrote. “Yap, yap, yan, SEDs 5 oo 2 Next on the agenda were two appeals from the Local Council of Women, asking that aldermen take immediate steps to co-operate with federal and provincial governments on a housing plan. The first resolution was placed before the committee. “Moved, received and filed.” “Second.” “Tn favor? So ordered.” The second motion was placed before the committee. “Wore received and filed.” “Second.” “In favor? So ordered.” : The city daily reporter carefully drew a sailboat on the water in his picture. The council adjourned. Expensive Houses Get Materials While no relief has - been found for hundreds of Vancou- yer families facing eviction, large-scale building of high-pric- ed homes beyond the reach of the worker’s pocketbook is g0- ing on in this city. Not only are permits readily available for homes in the $5,000 class, but ¢here seems to be no holdup on _ materials or manpower. These facts were learned by The People this week through conversation with men now at work on these projects. At MacDonald and 22nd Av- enue, for example, Vancouver Construction Company is engag- ed in construction of 50 houses, selling at around $4,200 each on reverted lots sold by the city at an average price of $100. ; “There are no holdups because of material,” one worker told The People. “In fact, there’s material to burn. There’s enough wood lyingf/ around to build an- other dozen houses, it seems at times. We have been able to work straight along: Lack of materials is the standard excuse of Vancouver City Council for its failure to act on housing problems. - Last week the federal govern- ~ ment sent an inspector ta the Goast to survey the housing situation, with a view to build- ing a number of low rent houses in Vancouver. The inspector was impressed by Vancouver’s hous- ing need and is now awaiting eivie reaction to the project. However, obstacles have been placed in the way of the federal plan by Ald. George Buscombe, chairman of the civic housing committee, who says he can “see several difficulties before such a scheme could be put into opera- tion.” Protests would be raised by those wanting. to buy expensive homes, he said, since the low rent houses would use up the avail- able supply of materials. It would not improve matters, ac- cording to Buscombe, to build a home for a man with a low in- egme on land leased from the city if building of that home pre- vented another man with a larger income from building a home for himself. While Buscombe and fellow aldermen sidestep the issue, and continue to discourage over- tures for a housing scheme from the federal government and from Wartime Housing, the situation here daily grows worse. Officials of Vancouver Com- -munity Chest are alarmed at in- ereases in juvenile delinquency in erowded slum areas. Authori- ties have been warned to in- vestigate welfare of children in the neighborhood of Main Street and the Fraser River. Latest warnings of great danger where children are living in congested areas came from Judge Harper in the County Court Wednesday, following trial of a man acquit- ted of indecent assault on an 8-year-old girl in that district. “These are poor neighbor- hoods in which to bring up chil- dren,” said Judge Harper. “It is a matter which the authorities must look into, because these ehildren should certainly not be allowed to hear and see the things they do.” Housing Registry office work- ers, unable to cope with appeals for accommodation, report that even the worst slum accommo- dation is becoming scarce and that there is “literally nowhere to go for families with children.” Will Appeal to Board Shipwrights Seek Union In Shipyards “The Shipwrights, Joiners and Caulkers Indust; Union intends to make an appeal to the National War Lal Board against certification of the Amalgamated Build Workers Union as representing North Burrard shipyar Lawrence Anderson, business agent for the SJCIU, told The People this week. “We were only 42 votes short of obtaining a majority in the North Burrard yard,’ said An- derson. “We credit this to the fact that a comparatively large num- ber of carpenters were not fully clear on the situation and were led to believe that the Amalga- mated had the majority in all yards, which, as the vote has shown, is not true. “We are pressing for another vote to be taken because we are confident it will show that the great majority of the men want one union in the shipyards, not two. In every yard except North Burrard the industrial union has the majority of the workers, which means not only certifica- +ion but the transfer of agree- RE SSS SSS A charge of 50 cents for each insertion of five lines or less with 10 cents for each additional line is made for notices appear- ing in this column. No notices will be accepted later than Wed- nesday midnight of the week of publication. NOTICES EAST END Branch of the L-PP Regular meeting every 2nd Wed- nesday at 8 p.m. and every 4th Sunday at 1:30 p-m., of each month, at 875 East Hastangs. ments now held by the Ama mated. “We contend that the maje of workers in industry desire industrial union to become ¢ bargaining agency. This is” dent by the vote taken in ¢ yards where 57 per cent of workers yoted in favor of the dustrial union. We also kave majority in the wood boat-b ing and ship repair yards. union has over 300 members application has been made for tification.” Anderson gave the follo) as yards where the SQCIU t majority of the workers and applied for certification. Star Shipyards (Mercers), Westminster; Nelson Bret New Westminster; B.C. M and Engineering Company; bor Boatyards; and Ben BURRARD EAST Branch of the Labor-Progr Party will open its new Rooms at 12th Ave. East Clark Dr., Wednesday, Jur at 8 p.m. Speakers will be erva Cooper and Higin Re Members of all city branche their friends are invited t tend. Cup and Saucer Sk Refreshments. Chinese Canadian Progr Club will hold a meeting on day, June 26th, 8 p.m. a Vancouver Women’s Service 836 Granville Street. Re ments served. All welcome. HASTINGS EAST Branch of the L-PP Regular meetings are held at 8- p.m. on the first and third Friday of each month at club headquar- ters, 2443 East Hastings. NORTH VANCOUVER Branch-of the L-PP Regular metings are held at 8 p-m. on the second and fourth Wednesday of each month at 1320 Lonsdale. Avenue, _North —Van- couver. __ SOUTH HILL Branch of the L-PP gular meetings are held every second and fourth Wednesday in Horticultural Hall, 4ist Avenue and Wraser, at 8 p.m. SOUTH VANCOUVER Branch of the L-PP Regular meetings are held on the second and fourth Wednesday of each month at Norquay Hall, Kingsway at Slocan. SWING SHIFT Meeting AJl Vancouver LPP members are urged to atend swing-shift meet- ings held on the second and fourth Wednesday, 1 pm. at 531 Homer Street. VICTORY SQUARE Branch of the L-PP Regular meetings are held at 8 p.m. on the second and fourth Friday of each month at 531 “Homer. Dancing eyery Saturday night, 9 p.m., throughout the season at Seymeur Park Swedish Park), north end of Second Narrows Bridge. Sponsored by the SDC. WANTED TO RENT House, suite or rooms i nished, by August 31. Phe Ruddell at MArine 5623.. Canadian Aid to Russia Auxiliary No. 1, want ;: and workers. Send used cl of all kinds to 835 West FE MArine 2744. SCANDINAVIAN — ANNUAL MIDSUMM FESTIVAL | Sunday, June 25 SEYMOUR PARK (North end of Second N Bridge) Oldtime dancing to Al Gz Orchestra every Wednesd: Saturday HASTINGS AUDITOR: : 828 East Hastings Phone: HA. 3248 Moderate rental rates for weddings, meetings, etc- VACATION RESORI Spend a PLEASANT VACATIC —— Fy SELMA LODG Selma Park, B.C. G. NEAL Formerly of Shelly Coffe Phone BAy. 64380-¥ . For Information Russian Linen Campaig! will be held by the Finn ganization of Canada at on ings Auditorium, Friday, J 9 till 12 pm. Pitkanen ¢ pany Orchestra. Adimissi and everyone welcome. all who bring linen.