| Unity will end
Bill 39--Rush.

“The three months since
Bill 39 was proclaimed have
Shown the bankruptcy of the
Coalition’s labor policies,”
Said Maurice Rush, Provincial Or-
8anizer of the LPP, speaking be-
fore a Nanaimo picnic audience
last Sunday. “Never before in
_BC’s history has an act of the
legislature faced such overwhelm-
ing public opposition as to force
‘the premier to announce only
three months after its proclama-
tion that amendments are neces-
‘Sary,” he said.

Rush pointed out that B.C. big
business and the reactionary coal-
ition government have failed in
their main objective, which was
to prevent the workers in basic

this year, and also to undermine,
and destroy the mass unions in
the basic industries.

Rush said, “The conspiracy of
reaction in B.C. was defeated by
the militant action of the unions
and the united stand of the CCL,
AFL, CCF and LPP.”

“The first round of the fight
against Bill 39 is now over and
we are going into the sécond
Tound. Labor is no longer being
advised to ‘give the bill a chance’.
All now agree that Bill 39 will
have to be changed. This is proof
that public opinion has decisively
altered, and that the government
is pressed into a corner.

“Labor and people’s unity in
© weeks ahead can score a
ockout over the Coalition’s
Teactionary bill,” the speaker
Concluded.

industries winning wage increases

ing committee of the CPC, as
well as editor of the ‘Toronto
Worker.’

In his long years of work on
the Montreal City council he has
spearheaded , the struggle of the
people against the corruption and
exploitation of the Duplessis ma-
chine, and endeared himself to
tens of thousands of French-
Canadian workers. Early in 1947
he made a tour of Canada on
behalf of the Fred Rose Defense,
and for the first time brought
the real truth to thousands of
Canadian workers on the anti-
Soviet espionage cases.

Later his magnificent campaign
in the Montreal-Cartier byelection
is one of the highlights of a
life time of service to the work-
ingclass—a campaign which also
undoubtedly contributed to his
untimely death.

Councillor Buhay is survived by
his wife and daughter, and also
by his sister Beckie Buhay, who
is equally prominent in all that
is progressive in Canada’s labor
movement.

In paying a tribute to the work
and memory of Michael Buhay,
Tim Buck, national leader of the
Labor-Progressive Party, stated:

“Councillor Michael Buhay was
a tower of strength, confidence,
courage and kindness to the

people of Montreal. He was a

Michael Buhay, popular fighter for
people’s rights, dies at Montreal

In the death of Councillor Michael Buhay of Montreal early this month, the labor move-
ment of Canada lost a valiant fighter. Ever since boyhood Michael Buhay has been asso
ciated with the socialist movement in England and Canada. He was one of the founders and
pioneers of the Communist Party of Canada, and for a number of years served on the lead-

MICHAEL BUHAY

model of what a public repres-
entative should be—ever ready,
day or night to help the poor,
the needy, the troubled. He was
an untiring fighter for the in-

terests and rights of the people,

cton is not yet completed.

The reason for such a small
umber of eligible voters in some
large plants lies in the fact that
the government has adopted the

TLC asks gov't
amend Bill 39

_ Upon the recommendation of a
-SPecial committee on Bill 39, the
Vancouver and New Westminster

District Trades and Labor Coun-
Tuectits regular meeting last
Niaaaeg unanimously backed the
then for a special session of
_ je Legislature “at the earliest
date” to amend Bill 39. Premier
: will be informed by
sticials that the ICA as it now
stands is “an unworkable handi-
4p to organized labor.”

ay The TLC special committee have
®en assigned the task of drafting
‘mendments to the act, which
a tate, Submitted to the TLC at
ane ater date for approval. The
Eee nitbes report, read to the
yz, Uncil meeting by Alderman R.
uni Gervin, also urges all AFL
yz, 0MS to send wires to Premier
cont demanding the immediate
d Vening of the legislature to
fal with Bill 39.

presaders of CIO-CCL unions ex-

Shana keen satisfaction on the

bring, .of the TLC which now

the &S the AFL body officially into
"© anti-Bill 39 campaign.

A whale of an idea

on rom Churchill comes the story

Reine northern epicure. ‘“Pop’

tag Pickles whale meat, says it

to <S Just like mushroms, plans
— Commercialize his delicacy.

| For
day Pickling purposes, only the
in between the skin and the

Eskim

°S call it “muktuk.”
AY, AUGUST 22, 1947

\

UPWA wins vote in Okanagan
despite gov't-operator tactics

KELOWNA—After much pressure by organized labor the coalition government fi-
Rally got down to conducting certification in two large packing plants. Certification in the
ses kanagan Cooperative Packers’ Union resulted in a 6 to 1 victory for the United Pack-
‘Inghouse Workers of America (UPWA). Certification in another contested plant in Pen-

strange policy here, permitting
only steady, all-year-round work-
ers to vote, This procedure, ap-
parently suggested by Federated
Shippers through _ their newly
formed company set-up, the. “Ok-
anagan Valley Fruit and Vege-
tables Workers Union” was fol-
lowed despite strong protests by
UPWA leaders against the ex-
clusion of the main body of
highly skilled seasonal workers.
The result of the Kelowna certi-
fication vote is a conclusive proof
of complete rejection of the newly
formed company union under the
leadership of W. H. Sands by the
workers.

UPWA have set themselves the
difficult task of organizing the
unorganized throughout the Ok-
anagan Valley, chiefly concentrat~
ing on those connected with farm-
ing and packing. At & recent meet-
ing of 125 farmers in Osoyoos
many expressed the desire to join
the CIO and receive its benefits,
rather than to remain members
of the B.C.F.G.A. (B.C. Fruit
Growers Association), which is
another child in the Federated
Shippers’ household. These farm-

ers were especially grieved over

Cure for CMA

Cyrus Eaton, well-known
Cleveland banker and indus-
trialist, writing in the Univer-
sity of Chicago Law Review,
said; “To avoid extinction, if
for no loftier motive, we who
are capitalists swill have to
make immediate and radical
changes in our attitude toward
labor and our methods of deal-
ing with labor. We will have
to begin by muzzling such or-
ganizations as . the National
Association of Manufacturers.”
| mr. Eaton excoriated the

daily press for the unfairness
with which it often handles
labor-management disputes.

er of the whale is used. The |

the dumping of cheap American
produce on B.C. markets, then
sold ‘by the companies in prefer-
ence to local produce because of a
high rate of profit. Resulting from
this, farmers had ‘to take a loss
of $380 per ton of tomatoes.
Despite many achievements, or-
ganizing here still remains an up-
hill fight, UPWA leaders say.
‘Companies have had their way too
long and the AFL has never
forced the issue. Progress is also
hampered with the department of
labor’s delay in ‘granting certi-
fication. Union circles here right-
fully suspect that powerful local
companies are behind this move.

an implacable foe of the greedy
and the exploiters. The great
labor movement of Montreal and
Quebec owes much to the long
years of  self-sacrificing labor
done by Michael Buhay. He
helped lay the foundations of
many of the trade unions of
Montreal and Quebec.

“Above all, Michael Buhay
fought for the unity and or-
ganization of the French and
English-speaking people of our
country. He was a true cham-
pion of the rights of the French-
Canadians, an able and power-
ful organizer of the unity and
organization which will inevit-
ably lead a united Canada for-

ward to social progress, peace
and prosperity. 4

“His death was hastened by
his devotion to the cause of de-
mocracy and the people. A sick
man, he travelled the length

|" and breadth of Canada to arouse

the workers and the people to
the dangers of reaction and war
when the King government
launched its infamous anti-labor,
anti-Soviet ‘spy’ scare last year.
Councillor Buhay fought the re-
_actionaries and warmongers in
a@ way which will be long re-
membered in the Cartier byelec-
tion. The great vote he received
plainly showed that the people
believed him, that the workers
and middle-class people of Car-
tier would follow his principles,
that they would not be terror-
ized and stampeded by the power
of monopoly reaction.

“Michael Buhay’s life of work
for the people will always éndure
as a monument to this valiant
son of the working class. His
memory will always be green.

“Canada will go forward along

the path marked eut by Michael
Buhay—to a better life for the
Canadian people, to peace, to
the victory of socialism.”

.

Price indexs soar

TORONTO — Canadian indus-
trialists are apparently bent on
-outshining the cow that jumped
over the moon. With profit tills
stuffed, they have now skyrocket-
ed the cost of living index an-
other full point.

Food prices outranked all oth-
ers, rising 2.1 points from June
to July and 15.6 points over last
year, government figures show.

City solons in

critical mood

on housing issue discussion

It must have been the summer doldrums or Vancouver’s
Civic Non-Partisan aldermen, who look after their political
fences well if nothing else, would never have admitted it.

But at a city council meeting
of them conceded that they had
been stalling on urgent housing
questions for the past three years
and agreed that they ought to do
something. ;

’ Ald, J. D. Cornett was the
harshest in his self-criticism.

“We've been dithering ever since
we've been here,” he declared.
“Schemes of various types have
been suggested, but we have
done nothing. I have never yet
sat in a meeting where we did
anything constructive on hous-
ing.”

With this sentiment, surpris-
ingly enough, Ald. R. K. Gervin
agreed. “Up to date, nothing has
been accomplished. We’ve just
been kicking the thing around.”
Veterans’ and labor organiza-
tions, community: groups like the
Associated Council of South Van-
eouver, the Civic Reform Commit-

tee and others have been telling

.

on Monday this week several

the council this for the last few
years. But after numerous rebuffs
ranging from polite buck-pasing
to insulting rejection, none of
them ever expected to hear alder-
men admit it. :

First to welcome the council’s
own suggestion that
meet and lay down its exact terms
for providing property was the
Tenants’ Committee of the old
Vancouver Hotel. :

The committee this week sent
a letter to the counci] approving

its belated decision to act but

taking exception to its proposal
to discuss housing in a closed
meeting.

Housing, the committee ‘main-
tained, was a matter of urgent
public interest and any meeting
to discuss it should be fully open
to the public. On this ground, the
committee urged that it be allowed
to send a representative.

it should | Quebec

News of —
the nation

* *

Textile contract signed

MONTREAL—Signing of a con-
tract between the United Textile
Workers (AFL) and the mam
moth Dominion Textile Co., was
hailed by labor leaders here as
a victory for the entire Quebec
union movement.

Providing a 10!4c average hourly
wage boost, dues checkoff, 1-week
vacations and six paid holidays,
the agreement was signed in what
union officials termed an atmos-
phere of “mutual respect and ami-
cable understanding.”

Last year it took a 100-day
strike to win UTW demands.

Polio in Manitoba

WINNIPEG, Man.—Polio con-
tinued to spread in Manitoba last
week. Total cases reported were
113 at the end of the week. Hon.
Ivan Schultz, minister of healtn, |
has issued a statement which in-
cluded a report of this year’s
‘polio epidemic in the province.

The report shows that while the
disease is spreading, after effects
have not been as serious as in
previous epidemics.

The department of health ad-
vises parents not to worry un-
duly or communicate their fears
to their children; not to allow
children. to become overtired; not
to allow children to become chill-
ed from swimming in cold water;
and to call a doctor if child has
fever, rapid pulse, headache, stiff
neck or back and upset stomach.

*

=

Walkout provoked

MONTREAL —A strike spread
through the Vickers shipyard here
after 250 members of the Plumb-
ing & Pipe Fitting Workers (AFL)
downed tools protesting company
firing of the union negotiating
chairman. Riveters, blacksmiths, —
the walkout after the plumbers _
restrg appealed for a general pro-—

To pressure the workers a com s:
pany official forecast that con
tinuation of the walkout might

hurt Canada’s place in the “im

ternational shipbuilding business.” _

Up in smoke!

VANCOUVER — Tobacconists
here announce that the 20c to-
bacco package will contain less
tobacco in future and the half-
pound package is up four cents
in all brands to meet increases
set by the manufacturers. Plug
tobacco will remain at the same
price but ‘the plug will be smaller’.

The tobacco industry is one of
the most highly monopolized in
Canada and the U.S., and by its _
very nature, least subject to pub--
lie scrutiny. :

Exposes Duplessis’ lie

Sims stated here yesterday
“Premier has provo-
catively created q story out of
thin air when he says that a
a operated radio trans. eS
mitter has been discovered in the
northern Abitibi region. This is a_
plain and unadulterated lie. The
Labor-Progressive Party does not
operate any radio transmitters in

Mr.