‘Not enough precautions

taken in disaster area’

U.S. company negligent charge miners

The devastating avalanche of ice and snow which buried the isolated
Granduc mining camp about 40 miles north of Stewart, B.C., will be recorded
as one of the worst disasters in Canadian mining history. The total toll of dead
is not yet known but at press time rescue squads have recovered 18 bodies.
from the stricken camp, while a number are still reported missing. Close to 100
workers survived the disaster.

_ FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 1965

VOL. 26, NO. 8

ote 50

10¢

Negotiate Vietnam peace
World demands of U.S.

U.S, “on-the-brink” policy in
Vietnam came under increased
fire at home and abroad this
Week following statements from
top level government spokesmen
that the U.S, will not pull out,
Negotiate, nor stop attacks. on
North Vietnam, Meanwhile, an-
‘Other Coup in South Vietnam serv-
€d again to underline the total
“a of support for the U.S. among

€ people in South Vietnam.

The Soviet Union indicated
Tuesday in a statement that it
Supports France’s proposal for
Feoing a new Geneva con-
ee to negotiate a settlement

the South East Asia crisis.

Adding his voice to that of
Many U.S. Senators and Con-
8ressmen as well as influential
Columnists,. U,s, physicist and
Nobel prize winner Linus Pauling
ured the U.S. of repudiating

€ principles of arbitration and
©mocracy in Vietnam,

Speaking before 1,500 internat-
oe Scholars, politicians and
aders from both East and West
at an international convocation
°r peace held under United Nat-

WORKING FOR
WORLD PEACE

ions sponsorship in New York,
Pauling said “the time has come
to cease military aggression and
pring this evil war to an end.”

The convocation also heard an
appeal sent by Pope Paul VI,
read by Cardinal Spellman, which
voiced a “prayerful desire” that
the deliberations would lead to
positive action for world peace.”
The telegram said that at this
critical time all nations have a
collective responsibility for the
preservation of friendly relation-
ships and the avoidance of armed
conflict which would have “in-
calculable and frightful results.”

The arrogance and openly im-
perialistic ambitions of the U.S.
in South East Asia was voiced by
Henry Cabot Lodge, former am-~-
bassador to South Vietnam and a
top policy maker on South East

Asia policy.

He told an interviewer in“U.S,
News and World Report” that the
legal aspect of the U.S. action in
South Vietnam is “the least sig-
nificant,” when he was asked
what were the legal aspects of
the U.S, action under internation-

al law.

Asked if the U.S, would stay in
South Vietnam “whether we are
invited or not,” Lodge replied:
«That could very well be, yes.
If it is of vital American interest
to deny this area to the Com-
munists, then we would certainly
be justified in disregarding a
demand that we leave .. Fest

Warning against the danger of
U.S. action in South Vietnam,
influential columnist Walter
Lippman said this week: “For
the U.S. to involve itself in such
a war in Asia would be an act of
supreme folly. While the war-
hawks would rejoice when it be-
gan, the people would weep be-
fore it ended.” He said there was
no tolerable alternative except

a negotiated truce.

Old time residents in theStew-
art-Granduec area have stated
that the unprecedented eighteen
foot fall of wet snow in this
mountaious glacier region was
itself a menacing warning of
possible disaster.

District No, 1 Mine-Mill Execu-
tive Board member Al King,
who sped to the stricken mining
area to assist Mine-Mill local
949 at Stewart in the emergency,
told the Pacific Tribune: *In my
opinion with such a heavy snow-
fall, insufficient precautions
were taken. Anybody who has
ever worked in such areas knows
what it is like,”

At the Mine-Mill meeting in
Vancouver Tuesday night to hear
the report of King on the Granduc
disaster one of the survivors
working in the mine tunnel stated
that the last blasting on the
morning of the disaster took
place about an hour before the
first avalanche thundered down
from the glacier.

He, said all the men in the tun-
nel were unharmed, but when they
emerged to help rescue their
fellow workers in the crushed
camp they were faced with hur-
rican winds and flying snow un-
loosed by continuing snow slides,
To make matters worse heavy
fog reduced visibility to less
than 20 feet. This, withnew slides
continuously roaring down made
rescue work extremely hazard-
ous,

Others in quiet matter-of-fact
tones related a saga of heroism
and daring in the struggle to save
their stricken buddies from the

by: | ae

SCENE OF TERRIBLE MINING DISASTER. Picture above
shows part of the Granduc mining camp located under a
glacier 600 miles northwest of Vancouver. The toll of
dead and injured hasn’t been finally tallied. Eighteen are

AL KING, Executive Board Member for
District No. 1, Mine, Mill Union, said
in Vancouver Tuesday night, after re-
turning from Stewart,.B.C., that in-
sufficient precautions were taken with
such a heavy snowfall. Other rescued
miners have repeated his charge.
Mine-Mill is urging the company to
indemnify dependents and has pro-
posed setting up of a Granduc disaster
fund.

buried debris of what was once a
mining camp while the swirling
elements, the dense fog and the
rumble of thundering snow slides
shut them off from the world
outside,

Some were of the opinion that.

the Granduc Mining Company was
“negligent” in not having some
warning system or “outlook”
posted to provide a minimum of
warning in the event of slides
because of the heavy snowfalls,

dead and nine or ten miners still missing.. Many stories of

At the Mine-Mill meeting a
number of important’ decisions
were adopted:

® That Mine-Mill death bene-
fits as provided for by union
regulations, will be paid to the
dependents of all qualified mem-
bers of the Mine-Mill Union who
lost their lives in the disaster,

® That Mine-Mill will urge
upon the Granduc Mining Com-
pany to indemnify the dependents
of all deceased workers to the
extent of $1,000 or more, (Since
no union agreement has as yet
been consummated between the
Newmont Mining Corporation of
New York, U,S,A, (Granduc) and
Mine-Mill as the certified bar-
gaining agency, the company has
no insurance benefit provisions
to cover such an emergency.)

® A proposal to set up a *Dis-
aster Fund” by seeking to interest
trade unions and leaders in the
mining industry to head-up such
a fund to aid Granduc disaster
victims,

The Newmont Mining Company
of New York, which controls the
355 million tons of rich copper,
gold and silver resources of
Granduc, has consistently de-
layed the conclusion of a union
agreement with Mine-Mill as the
certified bargaining agent at
Granduc, As one miner put Fo
this company's policy seems to
be one of “divide and rule,”

The Vancouver meeting agreed
that despite the tragedy of dis-
aster, negotiations for a union
agreement with the company will
be continued,

heroism by the workers have been reported. The mine is
controlled by Newmont Mining Corp., of New York and
is said to be B.C.’s biggest potential copper mine esti-
mated to be valued at $350 millions.

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