PACIFIC ADVOCATE PEOPLE’S VOICE FOR PROGRESS “2 No. 14. & Cents Vancouver, B.C., Friday, February 1, 1946 CIO unions in the steel, -akes more than snow to dampen the confidence of these steelworkers, warming up _t fire outside gates of giant Irvin works of Carnegie-Illinois Steel Corp. in Pittsburgh. layor Cold Shoulders Delegation aking ‘Stay Of Eviction’’ Appeal ‘delegation to the City Hall, -aling to Mayor Cornett to ta stay of eviction proceed- ageinst Mrs. Jessie Pogue, ‘e furniture was hurled into snow-covered streets of Van- er by Sheriff’s deputy Gavin ‘uson and seven assistants 2rday, received a frosty re- on from the Mayor on Tues- night this week in the form mbiguous threats levelled at White president Marine kers and Boilermakers In- tial Union. .e delegation was kept wait- half an hour by the “over or before he came into his abers. Upon hearing the gations appeal Cornett ted out that he was in no sion to do anything. ite stated to the mayor inaction was just what the gation had expected from mayor and his council. ie mayor levelled his finger Vhite and warned, “You had sr be careful. ’m warning to be careful”. He did not rate as to what White was 3 careful of. her members of the delega- John Turner, Secretary ouver Labor Council, Mrs. aN Chen, Owners’ Pro- Pro- Jones and Mrs. Tenants’ and Home League, and Jean Mason, vincial Committee Labor- gressive Party. Bill White told F.A. that the attitude displayed by Mayor Cornett is an indication of cal- lous disregard to the plight of Vancouver’s citizens facing evic- tion, and stated that strong pub- i lic pressure will be needed to Effie force the eity council and the mayor into he position of ac- cepting responsibility to assist wherever possible people facing eviction in the winter months. White also urged broad public demand for immediate launching of a nation-wide home building program as the only means. by which adequate housing can be assured to the people of Van- couver. Bert Showler, incumbent pres- jdent of the council, was re- turned to office uncontested, as was Alderman R. K. Gervin, secretary. Other officers elected were Sam Smylie, Plumbers and Steamfitters, elected vice-pres- ident; Smylie won handily over New Committee Chairmen Elected By Trades Council Three new faces will appear on the 1946 executive of the Vancouver, New Westminster and District Trades and Labor Council as delegates this week elected Bill Rigby, United Fishermen and Allied Workers; George Gee, Local 213 Electrical Workers; and Sam Shearer, Brotherhood of Railway Carmen to chairmanship of the Press, Grievance and Legislative committees, respectively. Bob Cormack, New Westminster Street Railwaymen’s delegate. Jack Stevenson, Building Trades Council, was returned as warden, and J. Eaves elected statistician. Elections to other offices will be held at the next regular ‘Increase Wages-Stiffen Price Controls: Labor's Urgent Task’’--Tim Buck (Statement by Tim Buck) The entire labor movement will welcome the announcements that the automotive, metal mining and electrical industries (with whom are associated rubber and packing) have agreed upon ¢o-ordin- ated action to secure wage increases and to concentrate all .action upon de- veloping a wage movement in Canada. To this must be added the cam- paign of the AFL unions in Ontario against the Drew Tories and for higher. wages and the 40-hour week. A broad wage movement is overdue in Canada. A study by the union of wages and living costs in several key industries shows that the real wages of the workers are at least 10 percent lower than before the war. Steelworkers’ basic rates here are 14 cents an hour lower than in the United States where the Steelworkers Union went on strike for an increase of $2.00 per day. What is true of wages in these industries is true of wage levels throughout Canada. They are too low to maintain an adequate standard of life. They are far too low to maintain a | Now . . | wages is going to be aggra- prosperous home market. the inadequacy of vated by removal of price ceilings on a number of articles of common use. It is reported from Ottawa. that-all price ceil- ings will be abolished by August. This means that Canadian prices will soar rapidly toward the ris- ing price levels of the United States. For |Canadian wages to remain at their present levels through such a development will be little short of catastrophic. It is in the interest of all Can- adians that wages should be raised by at least 25 cents per hour and that the 40-hour week be established in all industries. The National Leader of the Labor-Progressive Party, in a fighting message to the work- ers of Canada, explains the disastrous decline in living standards by the fact that wages have remained station- ary while prices have crept up, and declares that only The question arises as to how Canadian workers can secure wage increases which will keep pace with the rapid increase in prices which will follow removal of price ceilings. The average time that has been required to se- cure a decision from the regional and national war labor boards has been a year. In most cases it has been longer. The Ford workers tried in vain for a year-and a half to get effective action and the experiences of the majority of unions applying to the war labor boards have been similar— or worse. ment wtnited in coordinated action can meet the challenge of the monopolists—protect- ed though they are by Drew, Duplessis and the Dominion government. the entire trade-union move-° council meeting. Since the King government amended the wartime wage regu- lations in the fall of 1948 the function of the war labor boards has been, emphatically, to “hold the line” on wages. As I pointed out in my open letter to Mac- kenzie King last February, they have operated almost entirely as agencies to obstruct the trade unions in their striving for wage adjustments. That, in fact, has become the purpose for which the government utilizes the war labor board machinery. The gov- ernment itself has gone outside the war labor boards and regu- lations under which they operate in every case when industrial disputes have reached a stage (Continued on page 7) Of interest to Canadians, and typical of our own monopoly groups, is the wartime record of International Harvester, the gi- ant American combine. Interna- tional Harvester sales during war years jumped 250 percent, profits inereased 3800 percent. Wages were held down to a 15 percent rise, while the cost of living soared almost 50 percent. The gap between profits and wages was further widened by increased worker efficiency, due to new machine and improved methods. ode ne Wate Ye fe rae BURT > ee Ce Pee we RUSE HGR TEV Un EOE MSA Gey PeUP REID Ona PEAT SCRE NEDO R CME ——-