Sir,

Through your columns I wish
to express appreciation for and
commend the views of Brother
Munro on the proposed CPR
takeover of Mac Blo and to
express some personal views
on the question.

In this matter the premier
has been preaching the ‘“‘keep
it local” doctrine and has pro-
claimed that ‘B.C. is not for
sale’. His consistency should
be questioned, for is it not pre-
cisely that during W.A.C. Ben-
nett’s long Socred tenure and
during his son’s present tenure
we have witnessed the take-
over (mostly foreign) for a
song, of our most vital re-
sources, with government
blessing?

The premier’s statement is
pure deceit. The present and
previous Socred administra-
tions have, in fact, put B.C. up
for sale. Under their manage-
ment the forest industry has in
large part passed under
foreign ownership, as have the
mining and fishing industries.
Crown Zellerbach is 89% U.S.
owned, B.C.F.P. 42% US.
owned, Weldwood 74% U.S.
owned and Rayonier 96% U:S.
owned.

And indeed is it not a fact

that hardly a month goes by .

without a B.C. government
delegation going to the Orient
or Europe to offer sale of con-
trol of B.C.’s vital resources to
the highest bidder?

And unfortunately in all of
this latest discussion and
publicity the impression is
somehow left that Mac Blo,
after having made its pile here,
is “‘a good corporate citizen”
and has the welfare of B.C.’s
economy and its citizens at
heart. Far from it. Let’s look at
the record.

Is it not a fact that M&B was
prepared to callously dump 700
workers on the street at Vanply
and that this action was only
stopped by the threat of

massive IWA action? Is it nota
fact that its modernization pro-
gram at Port Alberni will put
300 workers out of a job without
alternative employment? Is it
not a fact that, swollen with
super profits, reaped during
the AIB period, M&B was able
last year to take over the main
French pulp producer and now
has achieved contro] of Dom-
tar? Is it not a fact that M&B
has a large fleet under foreign
registry and seamen, and at
present is accepting delivery of
two large ‘roll on, roll off?’
freighters built in Norway,
while B.C. shipyards suffer
40% unemployment? The list
goes on and on.

The Premier professes great
concern for the welfare and
security of our citizens, even to
the extent of calling a special
session to deal with the actions
of a few school janitors. But if
he is to be consistent, and if
there ever was a need to
protect essential public inter-
ests, this is it. Let him call a
special session now to deal
with the CPR takeover bid
which really threatens our
province’s economy and _ its
people’s welfare (as he says ‘“‘it
will not produce one new job in
B.C.”’).

A special session to take over
MacBlo and add it to the B.C.
Resources Investment Cor-
poration would open the way
for new policies to turn B.C.’s
forest industry toward manu-
facturing and processing in-
stead of remaining raw
material and semi-processed
based.

B.C. now has an opportunity
to reverse the trend towards
monopoly domination of the
province. The public takeover
of the largest company would
reverse that trend and would

start the process of returning’

control of B.C.’s resources to
the people.
Then maybe he could offer us

!
pe suates = rnest L.. Knott
Local 1-118

HELP FOR MAYO FIRM

Mitsubishi Corp. has established a lumber firm jointly with
Pacific Logging Co. of British Columbia, with the aim of
reconstructing its financially ailing Canadian subsidiary,
Mayo Lumber Co. The joint firm, Mayo Forest Products
Ltd., is 40 percent owned by Mitsubishi Canada Ltd. and 60

percent by Pacific Logging, which is part of the Canadian
Pacific Ltd.

THE WESTERN CANADIAN

LUMBER WORKER

NATIONAL NEW DEMOCRATIC PARTY Leader Ed Broadbent (second from left) is

Bite...

shown with Doug Evans, Local 1-217 Financial Secretary (left) Syd Thompson, Local 1-217
President; and Regional President Jack Munro, following their tour of the Canadian Forest
Product’s Eburne operation January 19, in Vancouver. Broadbent had been in B.C. for a

week-long speaking tour.

f cea a
|
1

EMPLOYERS’ COUNCIL OPPOSED

TO RIGHT-TO-WORK LEGISLATION |

-The following is the con-
clusion of a background paper
entitled Right to Work Legisla-
tion — Myth or Misnomer,
which was prepared by the
Employers’ Council of British
Columbia.

Although the term ‘‘right to
work” by itself has a magical
and intriguing ring, it is not a
solution for the problems of
employee-employer relations
in British Columbia, particu-
larly as we currently have 258
agreements containing one of
the three types of union shop

clauses. Right to work legisla-
tion will not solve our problems
—it would simply create more.
There are other areas which
should be tackled, which would
work to improving the labour
relations in this province.
Right to work legislation has
not been proven to improve la-
bour relations.

This type of legislation is an-
other intervention by govern-
ment into the affairs of both
employers and employees, two
groups who should be free to
negotiate the terms of their

relationship. Neither will right
to work legislation improve the.
lot of the individual employee
working for an organized em-
ployer in British Columbia.
The imposition of right to work
legislation would probably
result in massive confrontation
between labour and manage-
ment in this province; strong
opposition to such legislation
would work to improve that
climate. Therefore, the Em-
ployers’ Council of British Col-
umbia does not support right to
work legislation.

[

FEDERATION
APPOINTS
DENNISON

B.C. Federation of Labour
President Jim Kinnaird, has
announced the appointment of
Bill Dennison to the Federation
staff. Dennison will be
responsible for co-ordinating
the Federation’s fight to have
government develop concrete
policies that will ease the un-
employment situation in this
country. is

“The appointment of Bill
Dennison to this position
satisfies one of the 9 points re-
commended by the Federation
Convention in an attempt to
ease the unemployment
problem facing one-million
Canadians,”’ said Kinnaird.

“We are determined to see
that government does some-
thing to improve the unem-
ployment situation instead of
making it worse, then punish-
ing the unemployed by cutting
Unemployment Insurance
benefits. It is a totally un-
acceptable situation.”

HUSKY OIL COMPANY
STILL WON'T BARGAIN

Editor’s note:
The following is a copy of the
letter received by Regional

President Jack Munro from.

the President of the Husky Oil
Company in reply to the letter
sent by the Regional Council
protesting the Company’s re-
fusal to bargain with Local 5-
443, IWA, in Pachuta,
Mississippi.

Dear Mr. Munro,

This will acknowledge re-
ceipt of your December 18th
letter concerning negotiations
of the IWA with Husky Indus-
tries at the plant in Pachuta,
Mississippi. ; :

Every operation or plant of
Husky Oil and Husky Indus-
tries has a different setting of

economics. — and work
arrangements vary consider-
ably. :

We believe that the best
place to resolve the wages and
working conditions of -any
location is with the manage-
ment of that location. ;

A copy of your December
18th etter to Husky Oil Ltd.
has been sent to Husky Indus-
tries’ management at the
Pachuta plant.

Sincerely,
James E. Nielson

aL

poo

TORONTO — Spokesmen for
both Inco Metals Co. and its
11,000 striking workers say
mediated talks broke off
recently because the two sides
could not agree on a restruc-
turing of the grievance pro-
cedure.

INGO TALKS ADJOURNED __

a cre

Victor Pathe, one of two pro-
vincial mediators involved in
the dispute, said’ negotiations
were adjourned following nine
days of talks. He said no date
has been set for resumption but
the mediators will maintain
contact with the parties,