CMA PROPOSALS TO CABINET Employers seek new anti-labor laws Proposals put before the B.C. Cabinet last Thursday by the B.C. division of the Canadian Manufacturers Association asking for new anti-labor legislation to “crack-down’’ on org End the war WAR. ada: war, Sugar profits B.C, Sugar Refining Co. Ltd. showed a profit of over $13,- 500,000 this year, compared to just over $10 million in 1963, representing a profit jump of roughly 30 percent. It is the sec- ond successive increase, as the 1963 profit take was up 78 per- cent over the previous year. Prime Minister Pearson must declare that Can- —is unalterably opposed to any extension of the —that this country stands for a negotiated settle- ment in Vietnam through the reconvening of the Geneva conference, and the withdrawal of all U.S. forces and war materials from South Viet-nam. Canada’s responsibility is doubiy great because we are a member of the International Control Com- mission. The whole of mankind holds us accountable for the carrying through of the Geneva agreements of 1964, which provided for the settlement of the future of Vietnam through the democratic wishes of the Vietnamese people themselves. The Communist Party calls on the people of Can- ada to insist that our government acts now for peace =: before war engulfs the world. Photo of the earth taken from the moon in Vietnam The National Executive Committee of the Com- munist Party of Canada released the following state- ment last Friday, December 4, dealing with the critical situation in Southeast Asia: United States intervention in Vietnam is threat- ening to take the world over the brink of nuclear war. General Maxwell Taylor and the rest of the Pen- tagon brass are demanding that they be allowed to carry through air strikes against North Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia. There are reports that acts of ag- gression are already taking place. Clearly, unless world opinion is brought to bear at once, there is the gravest danger that the U.S. gov- ernment will launch a full scale attack against the North, and other Southeast Asia countries. THIS IS THE ROAD TO WORLD NUCLEAR 2 9 tie et Pierotti in the New York Post soar again This means that between 1962 and 1964 the ‘sugar monopoly’s. profits more than doubled, Even after paying income taxes on this year’s operations, the company was left with over $1.5 million more in profits than last year, anized labor came under sharp fire this week. The delegation from the CMA asked the Social Credit govern- ment to bring down new legisla- tion at the coming parliamen- tary session, opening inJanuary, which will limit picketing only to a plant where a dispute exists and to outlaw mystery picketing, The big business delegation also asked for the adoption of “right to work” legislation which would permit everyone, whether union or non-union, the right to work, This type of legislation has been supported by the anti-labor and Goldwater ‘forces in the U,S, It also asked that legislation be adopted which would prevent any union in a multi-union in- dustry from calling a strike. Chairman of the CMA delega- tion, R, Wilson of Vancouver, said Premier Bennett had asked the association to support the Bank of B,C, The inference was that the government would “play ball” with the big employers if they went along with the govern- ment’s bank policy, Strong opposition to the pro- posals of the CMA was expressed. _ this week by Nigel Morgan, B,C, Provincial Leader of the Com- munist Party, In a statement to the press Morgan charged that “the employers’ proposals are aimed at hobbling labor com- pletely, “Tf enacted the employers’ pro- posals would seriously infringe on what few remaining rights the trade union movement enjoys,” Morgan warned, He saidthe Com- munist Party intends to cam- paign between now and the opening of the Legislature on January 20 The recently published “Hand- book on the Great Conspiracy” by the B,C, Federation of Labor covering such vital issues as wages, price-fixing and super profits, is not only a valuable public service, but a valuable guide to working men and women grappling with the problems of economic survival. This publication provides a thumbnail expose of the role and powers of monopoly, whereby powerful industrial combines, masquerating under the guise of “free enterprise” or “free com- petition,” cancel out these fine pretenses by a vicious system of “price fixing,” Thus as the B,C, Federation publication says: “The‘ price’ thus ‘fixed’ has nothing to do with ‘competition’ nor so-called ‘free enterprise,’ It.is a high price the consumer is forced to pay because lower competitive prices have been forced off the market,” To emphasize the point the book quotes E, P, Taylor, who controls all but one of Canada’s major breweries as astrong pro- ponent of price-fixing, *T am sure that we now have the power to control prices and sales practices of the industry, and while it may be necessary to see that the legislation is re- jected, “Freedom of function of the trade union movement has al- ready been unfairly, unnecessar- ily and severely restricted by Bills 42 and 43, Trade unions have been made legal entities; effective picketing has been all but outlawed; employers have transformed ‘cooling-off’ periods into ‘long freezes’ thus engender- ing additional frustration, dis- satisfaction and bitterness, “Of course, the monopolies would like to end picketing en- tirely, This and their demand for so-called ‘right-to-work’ laws are not new, The only thing — such restrictive legislation can | do is to undermine sound, demo- © cratic labor-management rela- 4 tions, temporarily prevent work- ers from enforcing propel collective bargaining, and there= by provoke. additional industrial |} strife,” he said, “The Legislature should re~ ject the new restrictions, It should amend the Act to elimin- ate existing anti-labor features, These things can only be attained if the entire labor and progres~ © sive movement of this province _unite to see that this is done at ~ the coming sessionoftheHouse, concluded Morgan, - shake.”’ ‘‘WE EMPLOYERS believe in giving every workera fait —_— Labor exposes monopoly practices for us to start local price wars. here and there to discipline a small competitor, I am sure the profits will prove most gratifying to the shareholders,” A former General Electric vice - president, T, K, Quinn, il- lustrates the enormity of this monopoly octopus which sucks its vast profits out of every facet of economic life. “The extent of our dependence on these powerful few (monopo- lies Ed,) may be realized when it is known that fewer than 500 corporations out of more than 3,000,000 business units, control two-thirds of the American non- farm economy, and inside that 500 a much smaller group has ulti- mate control. This is the highest concentration of economic power in the history of the western world,” As seen from theB,C, Federa- tion publication, the concentra- tion and extent of monopoly “price-fixers” in Canada does hot lag far behind Quinn’s esti- mation, In this regard the book notes that Canada “was perhaps the first to legislate against the mod- ern form of industrial combina- tion and “price-fixing,” Signifi- cantly, however, it is noted that since the end of World War “nearly 200 corporations have been fined for ‘price-fixing,’ DY while millions and millions % | dollars are involvedin each cas® no individual in Canada has bee? jailed for these criminal 0 fences, even when two or three convictions are involved,” In short, the law deals mol? kindly with monopoly price” fixers than with workingme striving for wage increases CO mensurate with prices profits. Three pages of this booklet ust the names of some 150 Can tne. companies convicted under © a Combines Act and the crim? ‘Code of Canada since 1950 Soh prices manipulation and fixiN®s It also lists the fines levied ¥ a such companies, fines whic and large could be describe en “peanuts,” and certainly 20 terrent to the monopolies con cerned, The B,C, Federation’s “nat | book” is good reading for monopoly-dominated era, sree mistakenly referred to 85 | 4 | enterprise.” Copies are availa {7 : from the Federation’s office ree | E, Broadway, Vancouver, at : cents a copy, i 2 _December 11, 1964—PACIFIC TRIBUNE—Pog?