.

ABSENTEEISM IN THE MAHOGANY ROOM

Raise pay of city fathers?
Not for work they don‘ do

J. MOTHERWELL, Vancou-
ver; So our City Fathers are at
it again! Their latest caper is to
demand more wages for the ar-
duous work that they allegedly
perform. Seems that $3000 a year
isn’t enough cash for their serv-
ices. Now they want it tax-free;
or at least the greater part of it.

It so happens that I have visit-
ed the city hall on several occa-
sions and watched these geniuses
at work. The first thing that
struck me was the considerable
amount of absenteeism. A ditch-
digger or snow-shoveller who ad-
opted such an attitude would be
fired pronto, Not so our “under-
paid” aldermen.

The second thing that impress-

ed me, while watching the Non-
Partisan elected representatives

-in session, was:the fine partisan

approach they assumed towards
delegations of citizens. If it was
a delegation of businessmen, the
aldermen were ‘all ears; polite,
attentive, eager to please. If it
was a, delegation of tenants with
& grievance, on the other hand,
the city fathers were impatient,
inattentive and decidedly unco-
cperative.

Alderman “Roly” Gervin is

spear-heading the fight for high-
er pay for himself and cronies.
I also understand Roly-Poly also
labor

represents himself as a

. Editor

jeader. I’ve never heard of him
leading any battles for higher
wages for the workers he rep-
resents, though — and I don't
think many of them make $3000
a year,

In Toronto, a city twice the
size of ' Vancouver, aldermen
Graw $2000 a year and have of-
ten turned down moves to boost
their salaries. Until 1947 Vancou-
ver aldermen got $2000. Then
they hoisted their own wages by
50 percent, but apparently aren’t
satisfied yet.

After watching the mayor and
council in action, it. is my con-
sidere@d opinion that any nine
men picked at random could do
a better job than the present
NPA crew are doing on behalf of
the citizens. Raise their wages

for the kind of service they give

us? Nuts! Let’s agitate instead
to bring their pay envelopes
down to the level of the average
worker instead. Even then they’d
be overpaid.

One dollar's praise

for ‘As We See It’

G. D. DANIELS, Vancouver:—
Tom-McEwen's .“As We
See It” of December 23, on current
unemployment, was perfect. He
captured the times. To Tom E
say: May you survive the Hungry
Fifties as well as you did the
Hungry Thirties, ~

This letter is written as praise

weapon.

NAME

for the excellent editorship of the
Pacific Tribune, But I know how
you regard words of praise; so
here is a dollar for a new type-
writer ribbon, a more practical
expression of my appreciation.
Good health to you.

‘PT HIS LAST THOUGHT’

the financing of the paper.

on its fine work.

and justice, Ol’ Bill Bennett.

Tribute to Ol’ Bill

JOE IVENS, Okanagan Mission, B.C.: We are going te
miss OV Bill’s column; neo one is quite capable of taking his place.
The last thing that Ol Bill spoke of that really worried him was

Many, like myself, would like to pay a last tribute to Or
Bill. He will never be forgotten, It seems to me that the best
tribute old timers can pay, and the one that would please OF Bill
mest of all, is to do something to help the Pacific Tribune carry

I feel somehow that we cannot let the passing of this grand
champion go without one special effort to help the paper which
was his last thought, I am enclosing a cheque for $10. I am
slightly older than OV Bill (I was born November 30, 1880; Bill
on May 9, 1881). We went through the same period together. We
both knew what we are after, and believe me, it will come.

I still have to work, as dollars are none too plentiful. Cold
and snow keep me at home for the time being, but when it lets
up I must get going again.’ I’ve got to make up that-$10 by hard
work, putting up cotdwood., I would like to appeal to the younger
comrades (some of them are doing a noble job) to pitch in and
help pay this last respect to one of the ‘great fighters for truth

‘PEOPLE WHO LIVE IN GLASS HOUSES .. .’

Seamen shocked by conditions in

Turks Islands under British rule

Cc, “STRINGER” McDONALD
SS Lake Atlin, Turks Islands:
This ship has just left a group
of islands known as the Turks
Islands, in the British West In-
dies, where we loaded a cargo
of salt for Japan,

The workers on these islands
have a union but the salt com-
mission refuses to recognize it.
There is absolutely no vegetation

on the islands and the only in-
salt, therefore they
have to work at the bosses’ price
or starve to death. Their’ clothes

dustry is

hang in rags from their backs
‘and what little extra they do

Vetition

To the Right Honorable Louis St. Laurent,
Prime Minister of Canada.

We, the undersigned citizens of Canada, acutely aware of
the suffering, horror and destruction brought about by the use
of the atomic bomb, respectfully petition the government of
Canada to take the following immediate action:

_ 1. Urge the Assembly of the United Nations THAT THE
ATOM BOMB BE BANNED.

2. Press for strictest international control to insure com-

pliance of all nations in outlawing the bomb as a military

3. Encourage research in the use of atomic energy for

peaceful purposes and its practical application for the in-—
creased well-being of our people.

ADDRESS

have is usually given to them by
visiting seamen. A ship Joads ap-
proximately every six weeks and
a worker will not be hired if
the bosses think he has any
money saved from! the job on

the last ship loading.

The food situation is no better.
One cow a month comes to the
islands, It is always bought by
the salt commissioners, the gov-
ernor\and other well-to-do people.
A vegetable boat arrives every
three weeks. The first people on
the dock buy up all the veget-
ables. Then there is nothing to
do but wait for the next veget-

Please ono
petition: The

petitions before

'

signed Senvory 31, 1950, to the sponsors ef this
Conadion Peace Congress, 49 Walker Ave., Toronto.

able boat. Fresh water is very

searce and electric lights are un-
heard of, except at the small air-

port and navigation markers.

The -homes are just poorly

thrown together shacks, some

with rocks on the roofs to keep
them from blowing away. The

laborers are moved from island

to island at the bosses’ pleasure.
Most of the women are forced to
prostitution to keep homes going
and children fed.

After seeing how these people

British

“people who live in

live under we feel
that

houses

rule,
glass
throw

shouldn't stones.”

i

PACIFIC TRIBUNE—JANUARY 20, 1950—PAGE 11