: BUS BOYCOTT PLEDGE
— *Walk, pray
till we win’

f SEATTLE

“We will keep on walking and praying until victory is
won,’ Mrs. Rosa Parks, Montgomery, Alabama, bus boycott
heroine told a meeting in Seattle last week.

Speaking at the local observance of a National Day of
Prayer and Deliverance, Mrs. Parks appeared under ‘auspices
of the Seattle branch of the Na- ——— =~
tional Association for. the Ad- |
vance of Colored People. Heavy
spring rains failed to dampen the
enthusiasm of the audience.

A $1,600 collection was de-
* seribed by the Rev. Fountain W.
Pennick as ‘“Seattle’s partial
reply to the message we «have
heard tonight from Montgom-
ery.” The minister reported that
there had been a steady flow of
contributions from churches and
other groups during recent
weeks. :

Asphtuse Peacuthtly interrupt-
ed Mrs. Park’s simple but dra-
matic account of the events of
the boycott which has captured
international attention. Her
pointed humor was often ‘barbed
with irony,

“Those Montgomery buses used
to be crowded but there are
plenty of seats right now.” :

The need for a Fair Prac-
_ tice Act is shown bythe
recent discrimination against

*

“You can’t discriminate against.
people in a courteous manner.”

2 Susan Chew (above), in the
oe “They wanted those bus seats} Opinion of -the . AaGachuyvee.
ea from -us and now they’ve ect Branch of the League for Dem-

them.”

, Benjamin ‘S. McAdoo, local
NAACP. president, and former

_ State representative Charles
Stokes joined Rev. F. W. Pennick
in blasting the demand that. the
Negro people be patient in their
demand for first class citizenship.

ocratic Rights. Miss Chew was
barred from moving into a New
Westminster apartment she had
rented with ‘another - girl be-
cause the prospective U.S. pur-
chasers insisted on a racial
‘limitation clause. In the re-
sultant public protest, the build-
er cancelled sale of the build-
‘ing and Miss Chow won her
right to her seEuorat. ;

os “We have waited 93. years so
we say hurry up,” Stokes said.

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Mine-Mill cites more WCB injustices

vows she

By BERT WHYTE
Evicted from her home in New
Westminster last week because
she couldn’t pay the rent, Mrs.

Bea Zucco, wife of an ex-miner

who is seriously ill in Pearson
hospital, said this week. she in-
tends to continue her éampaign
for a silicosis pension for her
husband “even if I have to put
my three children in foster homes
While I garry on the fight.”

Jack Zucco was denied a sili-

‘cosis pension under the Compen-

sation Act on the grounds that
X-rays showed TB but not sili-
cosis.

Paying aie to Mrs. Zucco’s
valiant struggle, Arthur Turner,
MLA (CCF, Vancouver East) this
week wrote a letter to the daily
press calling for a change in the
Compensation Act “to provide
that where a workman has been
exposed for a certain period to
dust containing silica and he con-

.!tract tuberculosis, he should re-

ceive compensation. In the mean-
time, the board should. be allowed
to exercise a more generous in-
terpretation of the act.”

Thé .Workmen’s Compensation
Act, Section 8 (5) reads:

“Silicosis shall mean a fibrotic |,

condition of the lungs caused by
dust containing silica and evi-
denced by specific X-ray ap-!
pearances accompanied by a sub-
stantially lessened capacity for
work.”

Turner mentioned a case which
he took up with the board in the
early part of October, 1954.

. “This particular workman,” he
wrote, “had been working inten-

ittently for many years in B.C.
mines, starting at the age of 17.
He was hospitalized for pulmon-
ary tuberculosis. His doctors be-
lieved that he also had silicosis.

“During November, 1954, the
medical referees for silicosis
could not determine ‘that there
is any silicosis Bien in this
pase <2

“Eventually tne: condition of
the workman worsened and sur-
gery was performed. Tissue was
removed and examined. The ex-
amination proved the existence
of silicosis. The board allowed the
claim in June, 1955.

“The significant point is, that
if surgery had not been perform-
ed the claim might never have
been allowed.”

Mine-Mill union in B.C. has
some 50 “live” silicosis claims on
its books. On January 20 this
year a prominent doctor - con-
nected with some of the cases
being handled by the union wrote’
Thomas J. Irwin, Speaker of rhe
House, as follows: —

bd have reviewed some cases
of silicosis with E. L. Walker,
secretary-treasurer, B.C. dis-
trict, International Union of
Mine, Mill and Smelter Work-
ers, and find that several cases

ORPHEUM
BARBERS

611 Smithe (Near Seymour)
— — — REMEMBER — — —
See Alex — And |

Your Haircut Dollar
Goes To The
PT Press Drive

4

Mine-Mill.

Mrs. Zucco, evicted from home,
will continue fight

ARTHUR TURNER

who have 4 definite, legitimate
claim for compension for sili-
cosis have been denied any
consideration by the Work-
men’s Compensation Board.
Several of these cases, if con-
sidered by independent special-
ists’ would without question,
have been proven to be sili-
cosis and compensable.

““There have been innumer-
able injustices committed by the
WCB and their referees in sili-
cosis, a situation which is stead-
ily deteriorating.

“It is extremely important that
the matter be investigated. I will
be very happy to present the
medical findings of any case to
any independent medical board
for their consideration.”

Les Walker produced Case No.
4625630 from union files to show
me how miners suffering from
silicosis get an official run-
around from the WCB.

This miner, 63 years of age, has
been fighting for a pension since
1946. During the past 10 years
he has been unable to work—in
fact, he had to quit an metal
mines in 1944.

A WCB letter to the claimant
dated March 27, 1952, raises the

“substantially lessened capacity |In and re-examined.

for work” clause in the act. and
continues: f

“It is noted that your X-rays

‘do not show sufficient silicosis
to be disabling and under the ©

circumstances your claim has
been placed in suspense. You may

{be re-examined on request at

some future date.’ —

In April the disabled miner
paid $25 for a private examina-
tion by a doctor and was told
he had silicosié&.

Later he appeared before the

same doctor, acting as a referee,
for the WCB, and he was told >
he hadn’t silicosis.

On March 11, 1953, Mine-Mill ©

district president Ken Smith
wrote to the WCB about this
ease, and said:”

“The claim, I understand, has
been rejected on the basis that
there was no evidence of sili-
cosis to a disabling extent.

»“This man in now in bed and
Snehie to do any work whatso-
ever. In view of this ‘it would
appear that the silicosis has pro-
gressed to a disabling extent and
I certainly feel that further con-
sideration should she given to the
claim.”

On April 14, 1953, sthe WCB
wrote to the miner:

“Review of your X-rays and |
medical examinations, 1939 t0
1946 and again in 1952 and. 1953
would appear to indicate that the
extent of silica dust in your lungs
is not sufficient to cause disabili-
ty .. . No compensation or medi-
cal “expenses can be allowed
under this claim at the present
time .,
should increase, the claim may
be reviewed at a later date.”

So the battle for compensatio?
dragged on until January this
year, when Les Walker had ?

doctor examine the disabled mit-—

er again and as a result of the

examination the miner filed 27

appeal, accompanied by the ne&
cessary papers signed by the
doctor stating that there is 4
definite medical dispute to bé
resolved.

The WCB legal department re" —

quested that the appeal be he

|up until the miner was brought

4

“T have had no word from the

since,” said Walker.
re

‘Now U.S. racist cats
can’t dig rock and roll

BIRMINGHAM, Ala.

The pro-segregation battle in Alabama took a surprisé
swing to the juke boxes last week with the declaration by 7

White Citizens Council leader that “rock and roll” has got to

Mine-Mill submits
Kootenay demand

A 20-cent hourly wage boost.
and several fringe: benefits are
the demands of 8,000 Mine-Mill
members at Trail and Kimberley,
now entering negotiations with
Consolidated Mining and Smelt-
ing Company for a 1956 contract.

Major demands are in line with
a program worked out at the re-
cent national convention of Mine-
Mill in Sudbury. | ®
_The union is asking for pen-
sions inprovements; more _holi-
days with pay; sick leave; sever-
ance pay; and time-and-a-half for
Saturday-and Sunday work.

Workers involved are “mem-
bers of Locals 480 and 651 of

Asa (Ace) Carter, executive of
the North Alabama council, told
a rally that “rock and roll” mW
sic, the current rage of the tee?
age set, was inspired by
NAACP and other pro-integt®
tion forces.

Carter disclosed the council 1°
making a survey in Annisto™
Ala‘, after which owners of drug:
stores and restaurants there
be asked to remove “rock
roji* records. 1

He indicated the est wil
publicize the name and store °
anyone who refuses to pan t the
records. e

Carter said not only must
and roll” be abolished from A
bama’s juke boxes but any othe
records featuring Negro perfor™
ers.

The former radio commen t
claimed the music is an attemP.
to “destroy” the morals of th
young people .of the
States. ;

-

APRIL 6, 1956 — PACIFIC TRIBUNE — PA

. If the silicosis conditio® — |

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