of the land

By JOHN WEIR

SPRING CLEANING: This week we are going through the files
and poking into the nooks and crannies for the items we laid aside
to use “some time.” It seems that the time is now and the result is
quite a mixture. First is a Reuters despatch:

According to the Belgrade newspaper Novosti the outbreak
of smallpox in Yugoslavia was almost certainly caused by in-
fected “holy water” brought by a pilgrim returning from the
Middle East.

It said doctors presumed the Moslem pilgrim gave the water
to his 7-year-old niece, who became the first reported case.
Two people have died and 22 cases reported since the outbreak.
Now that wouldn’t have happened if the ‘holy water” had been

not Moslem but Christian. We are sure this judgment will be sup-
ported by Ontario Justice of the Peace Lorne Taylor who told a
man of Mohammedan faith in a Toronto court case that “I just
don’t believe you and your people” and capped it with “Moslems
be damned.!”

This wasn’t in the Crusades during the Middle Ages, by the way,
it was in Canada in the year 1972.

* * *

LIGHTER SIDE: There’s the story about the guy just back from
Ottawa (or Queen’s Park or some other legislature) who was tell-
ing his friend all about the trip.

“J put in a hectic week,” he said, ‘‘going from one office to an-
other, trying to get things done. But. the most unusual thing hap-
pened when I took out a blonde the last evening I was there. We
had dinner, and as we were leaving I asked for a kiss. She slapped
me.”

The friend said, “That must have made you mad.”

“No,” said Jim, “I liked it. It was the first definite answer I'd
had all week.”

* * *

JOE WALLACE has been contributing little bits and pieces, some

of them truly gems, to this column. Here are a few that want to
see the light, the first, titled WHO’S ZOO, being “with apologies
to Mr. and Mrs. Kangaroo and their little Joey”:

He pockets all that we produce
Pretending it’s his due,

If we didn’t have a union

He would pocket wages too.
Pocket . . . pocket . . . pocket...
He is just a kangaroo

Kang-garoo

Kang-garoo

He claims that he is human

But he’s just a kangaroo.

It’s not what they have on you that counts under capitalism,
says Joe, it’s what you have on you. And he tells it in verse:

He knocked on every factory gate
Until his knuckles bled. :

The only door that opened

Was in a jail instead.

Guilty or innocent?

Yes ... and no.

The Judge threw the book at him
Because he was John Doe.

The biggest crook we know
Is head of an industry
And living in luxury
Judicial lights turn green for him
Because he is John Dough.
* * *

AT THE TIME it was our intention to tack the next story on to
some current event, which has been and gone and we can’t remem-
ber what it was. Anyhow, the story stands up by itself:

There was this builder who was constructing a church and a
man walks over and says, “That’s the most beautiful building I’ve
seen. What denomination is it?”

And the builder says, “I don’t know. I’m building it on specu-
lation.” :

cf te *

WE DON’T BELIEVE in poking fun at the younger generation
because they do things different. It’s their generation and (so long
as it isn’t degeneration) they have the right to do things as they
will. They’ll do it anyway. So this story is not intended as a gibe
(if anything it’s a crack at us old stick-in-the-muds) but simply as
a joke:

Short-haired girl to long-haired boy: “Of course daddy doesn’t
mind our being alone together. He spins you're a girl.”

* * ‘

THE HEROIC battle being waged by our federal and provincial
governments against inflation reminds us of the story we heard
the other day about a drunk who was trying to light a match.

He struck the first match. It didn’t work, he threw it away. He
struck the second match. That didn’t work and he threw it away.
He struck the third one and it lit up.

He blew it out and said, “That’s a good one. I’ve got to save it.”

(That’s us getting fired and our jobs being thrown away,

pardner.)

* + *

ANOTHER LITTLE joke just because it strikes us funny. It’s
about the first-grade teacher who took one look at Oscar and knew
he was going to give her trouble. But when she started to explain
arithmetic to her class, she was pleased to see that he was paying

close attention. :
After she had done. several problems, she asked, “Are there any

stions?” :
“yes,” said Oscar, “where do them little numbers go when you

rub them out?”

4

PACIFIC TRIBUNE—FRIDAY, MAY 5, 19722PAGE 10.

Wheat and labor-farmer unit

By BILL MOZDIR

VANCOUVER — There was
widespread response to the Na-
tional . Farmers’ Union Task
Force looking into the west
coast grain-handling situation
last week. Representatives from
several unions, the B.C. Federa-
tion of Labor, the United Grain
Growers and the Saskatchewan
Wheat Pool, as well as indivi-

duals, presented briefs and
viewpoints to the three-man
commission.

The B.C. Federation of ‘Labor
said pointedly that if private
interests failed to rationalize
the facilities for handling grain
in the port of Vancouver, all the
relevant facilities should be
brought under public owner-

‘ship.

Craig Pritchett, for the Inter-
national Longshoremen and
Warehousemen’s Union, said

grain is being moved by. old
methods and old machinery.
Grain movements are getting all
the old railway cars, he said,
and putting grain in them was
like putting water in them. (It
is significant that CN and CP
Railways, companies | which
should have been most con-
cerned with the hearings, de-
clined to send representatives
or briefs.)

The Saskatchewan Wheat
Pool also stressed the need for
improved rail handling. Donald
Lockwood, the Pool’s spokes-
man, advocated year-round pro-
tection of existing rail lines
through Rogers Pass and the
Fraser Canyon from blockage
due to snow, mud and rock
slides, and additional rail cars
and’ locomotives _ specifically
earmarked for grain movement.

Additional grain terminal
capacity at Vancouver was ad-
vocated by both the UGG and
the Wheat Pool. It was pointed
out in one brief that there is
little sense of building vast faci-
lities on. the prairies; the need
is at the port. The Pool wants
to see additional grain handling

Toronto Labor

Atte for Peace

Copies of a letter to Presi-
dent Nixon, have been sent to
Prime Minister Trudeau and
David Livingston, _ president,
District 65 Distributive Workers
of America, one of three labor
leaders recently returned from
an 8-day visit to the Vietnamese
trade unions.in Hanoi.

The letter was signed by Stan
Bullock, chairman of the Labor
Committee for Peace in Indo-
china, Shirley Dowell, treasurer,
and Pearl Wedro, secretary. Call-
ing on Nixon to stop the bomb-
ing and negotiate to end the
war, it also pointed out that
“three U.S. labor leaders recent-
ly returned from an 8-day visit
to the Vietnamese Federation of
Trade Unions and reported to
your government on their dis-
cussion with Le Duc Tho, the
chief negotiator at the peace
talks in Paris. Their statement
to the press was that Le Duc Tho
is prepared to organize in South
Vietnam a coalition government
representing all segments of so-
ciety, including members of the
present Saigon government, with
the exception of the top lead-
ers.”

at Prince Rupert, new grain
handling capacity at Roberts
Banks, two seaports on the
coast, the latter near Vancou-
ver, the other in the north.

Unit trains, carrying  pre-
cleaned grain which would be
loaded directly into ships is an-
other recommendation.

The United Grain Growers
brief stressed the need for ad-
ditional track space for cars in
the Vancouver area.

“The only constructively plac-
ed boxcar is a loaded one readi-
ly available for spotting at a
terminal for unload,” the Far-
mers’ Union said.

This year, particularly during
January and February, as many
as 26 ships waited for weeks
in harbor for grain. Hazard-
ous conditions.on the railines
through the mountains were
only partly responsible, in the
opinion of many. There simply
were too many shortages in
other areas—in CP and CN
priorities in allocating cars for
grain shipments from the prai-
ries, and in handling facilities
at dock side.

In this regard organized labor
has a big stake in working with

‘prairie grain farmers for im-

provement in the whole grain-
moving picture. When the BCFL
said “neither of Canada’s na-
tional railways give any prior-
ity to grain-handling, indeed, it
seems to us that, where grain
has to compete with other ma-
terial which has the advantage
of powerful private spokesmen,
grain comes out second best,”
it was expressing the views of
organized labor in all sections
of trades which have anything
to do with the docks, the sea,
railways, storage equipment and
those, such as the Fishermen’s
Union, who are also in the busi-
ness of producing food.

The BCFL said, ‘‘We believe
that genuine attention to these
problems will lead in the long
run to the nationalization of the
CPR.” Their brief noted that
the National Farmers’ Union,
most concerned, has no repre-

U.S. peace actions mouth
fresh activities planned }

The wave of anti-war protests
in the U.S. continues to swell
against Nixon’s continuing es-
calation of the Vietnam war.
Demonstrations have taken place
across the land involving tens
of thousands of people from all
walks of life.

Thirty - five thousand people
packed Kezar stadium in San
Francisco to hear Bobby Seele,
Fania Davis, Dick Gregory and
Jane Fonda. They also heard a
taped message from Angela
Davis denouncing the bombings.
In Los Angeles 15,000 people
took part in two week-end anti-
war protests. Two thousand
more met at the University of
California. In El Paso, Texas,
Mankato, Minnesota, Boston,
Salt Lake City, Chicago, Stan-
ford, California; in New Orleans,
Evanston, Illinois and Westford,
people marched and demonstrat-
ed for peace in Indochina. .

An estimated march of 125,-
000. (by organizers) and 35,000
(by police) marched through
rain and cold for seven hours
in New York City.. Many had
come from cities and towns
around New York. A day earlier
in the Bronx, high school stu-
dents left classes to support ‘an
anti-war strike, :

sentation on the Harbors Bost
“We are not certain 0 ni
mechanisms involved, but at
are sure that the cost of Mp
fines, demurrage fees, etc. 57
how works back to your ni
bers. We believe we ought

work together to work for Puy
per representation of
Board.” be :

The brief concluded: “We il
lieve that frequent and ot
communication between ;
members and (yours) will i
that our interests are very fot ]
and that vigorous joint
are both possible and Pf
ing.”

The need for unity bette
organized labor and the farm
of Canada was stressed z,
and again by union spoKri
Homer Stevens of the yes
Fishermen and Allied woo
said there must be close! ha
between farmers, fisherme?
all working people to he
conditions, and that it Wa
cessary to get away from
idea that as long as “WE Ae f
there is no need for concel” |
other groups.

The CBRT and G.W» th
400 seamen’s section, Mot
brief stressed the need ref
sections of Canadian pe?
press for Canada’s own di ‘
chant fleet to haul CaM ij
goods to foreign markets: fh
must struggle for the a if
of at least 20 large DU”
riers in Canada on ea¢
and that all grain shippe
these Canadian ships. col é

The hearings in of fh
which concluded the. tout “ag
National Farmers’ Unio® aft
Force was a heartening &
of what may well be 2 2”
of cooperation betwee
and farmer. Certainly
tual expressions of
opened a new level ® fi
standing of joint problem

reve)

con®,

World production of |
fats in 1972 has been
at a record 42.9 millio?
tons, about 3.74% gre
last year. '

United Auto worker ® i
dent Leonard Woode® gi)
the 3,000 delegates at .
UAW convention MP og 1
City that president Ni rnb oh
dropped one ton of bee tel ;
Vietnam for every MM (9, fy
been in office since id} ‘
American people, he 5” nd ‘
that the war be end? | ve
the people of Vietnam in. a)
right of self-determinat! is Wy
same self-determinatlOY fof |
we Americans foug ist)
1776,” he declared. is Yi

. . ri e iF
Nixon’s claim that De Nish
ing down the wal. . 5
bombing four countri’ er
vading two countries:
ed out. ae

The Southern Chr sti
ership Conference aM? |
will mobilize for dem@. vi, 3
across the South for aly
Moratorium. Planné f ey
include Atlanta, NashY i, oh
phis and Miami, A? ~ 0
U.S. student anti-we fot yt
ence last week calle a aff yh
port of the Moratori¥™) pig}
tions and observance al?
ganized locally. The ga
will take the form Of fing
at major Federal DU
installations across ~
States. pas