Socred must act on people’s needs
by calli islature

ing fall session of legis
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FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 1952

Fishermen strike
against attempt
to cut chum prices

e +
Round-the-clock strike duties for seine and gillnet members

of the United Fishermen and Allied Workers Union began Monday
this week when the union called a salmon net fishermen’s strike
to enforce fall chum price demands, after union meetings ‘had
turned thumbs down on a canners’ offer befow 1946 Jevels,

Pickets are on duty at all major docks and wharves and

unioOn-manned fishboats are patrolling the Fraser

gillnetters attempting to bring
in their cargo of 40 salmon to
the National Harbors
wharf at noon Wednesday were
escorted out of the harbor by
three union pickets and the car-
go dumped overboard.

The fishermen told the union
that they were bringing their
cargo of cohoe, spring and chum
salmon for home canning pur-
poses. Union pickets explained
to- them that one of the first
decisions of the strike commit-
tee, made to avoid any misun-
derstanding or confusion, was
that there would be no food
fishing permitted during the
first two weeks of the strike.

On Monday the union announc-
ed that it had received a writ-
ten offer from a private fish
buyer connected with American
canners in Puget Sound propos-
ing to pay eight cents per pound
for fall chums in Johnstone
Straits and the Fraser River
and six and one-half cents per
pound in other places such as
Rivers Inlet, Smiths Inlet,
Quatsino Sound and mainland
inlets. The buyer told the un-
ion that he can handle over
two million pounds per week
at these prices.

The union strike and policy
committee considered this offer
at a special meeting Sunday in
Vancouver, but decided to take
no action of any kind until con-
Sultation had been arranged
with the executive of the Native
Brotherhood of B.C. A union
statement said, however, that
“we do not intend to undercut
the Puget Sound fishermen who
have a price of 14 cents per
pound.”

Fishermen voted almost 906
percent to reject a Fisheries
Association offer of five and
one-half cents per pound for
fall chum salmon and to take
strike action to enforce their
demands for last year’s prices,
just double the operators’ offer.

A Fisheries Association press
release claimed that “the price
offered is a minimum price
which can be adjusted upward
at any time’’-and bemoaned ‘‘the
short-sighted course” taken by
the union ‘which can only ‘re-
sult in loss of earnings to fish-
ermen and plant workers.”

The Fishermen’s Union, in a
sharply-worded reply. pointed
out that the Fisheries | Associa.
tion sheds ‘‘crocodile tears”

(Board >

River. Two
over the loss in earnings to
fishermen and _ shoreworkers,
but “fails to mention the fact

that it closed down the Northern >

canneries one month ahead of
schedule, thereby locking out
the fishermen and putting shore
crews out of work.’’

The union’s press release con”
tinued, in part:

“Neither do they (the opera-
tors) mention the cost of gear
and living which remain at an
all time high, when at the same
time they offer a price for fish
below 1946 levels. They know
fishermen cannot pay expenses.
let alone earn some money for
their families at the prices they
have offered. ...

“They state either party
would have the right to reopen
for a new price if conditions im-
proved. They do: not state
that they refused retroactive
payment to September 1 if a
new price were agreed upon.
For many years, such ‘retro-
active payment was a mutual
understanding. .. .

“Tf low prices are not the
desire of the operators why
don’t they demand provincial
and federal] action on markets
and on a floor price for salmon?
They now offer prices far below
what the present market will
bear and say nothing about the
future of the industry.”

From all sides the Social Credit government

is being bombarded with

demands to convene a fall

session of the legislature to deal with pressing prob-
lems affecting the people of B.C. “A government

which refuses to govern

in democratic fashion, and

insists on ruling by order-in-council, is not a demo-

cratic government in the

Canadian meaning of the

term,’ is the theme of these growing demands.

The Labor-Progressive party, the CCF, B/C. Federation of
Labor, independent unions ‘and many progressive people’s organiza-
tions ‘have voiced the demand for an early session,

This week the LPP, in a statement issued by its provincial ex-

cutive committee, reiterated its position on the matter.

“Tf

Premier 'W. ‘A. C. Bennett refuses t6 listen to the voice of the
.working people, and insists upon calling another election before
holding a session, then the working people of B.C. must make
sure that 'the Socred government suffers the same fate att the polls
as the late Coalition the LPP statement said.

Full text of the LPP press release follows:

* ‘Premier Bennett and his Social Credit government must. quit
playing politics with the people’s welfare and convene an im-
mediate session of the legislature to act on the many pressing
problems facing the people of this province. :

At» considerable public ex-
pense the former Coalition con-
ducted inquiries into BCHIS, the
ICA Act and the Workmen’s
Compenastion Act, These legis
lative committee reports are
gathering dust -while Premier
Bennett engages himself in a
political conspiracy with former
Coalition supporters in the in-
terests of big business.

ness followed by the Coalition
for so long resulted in the peo-

ple kicking that government out’

of office last June 12. That
road will likewise bring disaster
to Social Credit. .
Much needed and long over-
due civic improvements in the
City of Vancouver which require
legislative action are _ being
pigeonholed because Premier
Bennett and his cabinet are re-
fusing to call the representatives
of the people into’ session.
Other municipalities are faced
with similar pressing questions
requiring legislative action.
“Thousands of motorists an-

. ticipating licénce fees reduction

are to be saddled with exorbit-
ant fees for another year. Work-
ers, and others in the low-in-
come bracket will get no relief
from the iniquitous sales tax for
many months. Liquor reform,
voted for overwhelmingly in the
June 12 election, is being un-
necessarily delayed.

“The electorate voted out the
Liberal - Conservative Coalition
on June 12 because people were
sick and tired of bureaucracy
and the brazen refusal of the
Coalition to heed their wishes.
The people voted for progressive
legislation. They want action

School transportation
sparks student strike

NORTH VANCOUVER, B.C.

Parents in the Maplewood
area staged a two-day ‘school
strike” last week to draw at"
tention to the inadequate trans-
portation |facilities for their
children, ‘

Last year a school bus called
to pick up the children, but this
year the bus began to make its
turnaround at Deek’s gravel pit.
To get on the bus children had
to walk through an industrial
area, where many trucks are on

‘the road,

Parents, fearing for the safe-
ty of their youngsters, asked
that the bus come a half-mile

more along the road. To em-
phasize their demand, they kept
their children out of school for

two days.

On Monday this week the
matter came up in the North
Vancouver and District council
meeting. A letter from the
police commision was read, fav-
oring the plan of Maplewood
residents.

The matter has been put in
the hands of the school board,
and parents anticipate that a
satisfactory solution will be
found. in line with their. pro-

_posals.

The,
‘policy of kow-towing to big busi

6

now. But Premier Bennett,
trained in the Coalition school
as a good ‘Conservative, is deny-
‘ing the people a_ progressive
solution to their problems,
“Instead he is jockeying for
political advantage to ‘himself
at the public expense; and in so
doing he is flouting all demo-
cratic tradition and parliament-
ary procedure. He appoints non-
elected persons to the two most
important posts in the cabinet,

throws out the window the auth.

ority of the legislature and gov-
erns by order-in-council.

“Premier Bennett refuses to .

meet the elected representa-
tives of the pedple in order to
submit Social Credit polities to
them for their

policies to the test of legislative
approval and if not gaining that
approval, making way in the
traditional manner for the next
largest parliamentary group,
the CCF.

“The way in which Bennett
fell heir to the Coalition mantle,
the Burrard recount shambles,
the open public pronouncements
by prominent Liberal and Con-
servative spokesmen of the need
for a new form of coalition on
the part of “free nterprise” to
prevent the CCF from winning
a legislative majority and thus
forming a government, all point
to a conspiracy to maintain big
business control at the expense
of the people.

“Premier Bennett and his So-
cred government are openly
angling for Liberal and Con-
servative backing for an early
election ‘in the Hope that they
will get a “rubber stamp” ma-
jority in the legislature for the
purpose of carrying through the
same big business governmental
policies that B.C. has been sad-
dled with these many: years.

“Labor and all progressive
minded people voted out the old
parties last June 12. They
must now insist that Premier
Bennett heed their will for pro-
gressive legislation and admin
istration. If Bennett refuses to
listen to the voice of the work-
ing people, and_ insists upon
calling another election before
a session of the legislature, then
the working people of B.C.
must make sure that the Socred
government suffers the same
fate at the polls as the late
Coalition.

“The Labor - Progressive
party demands that Premier

* Bennett convene a_ session of
the legislature immediately.”

consideration, :
He refuses to put his party’s.

_ ceeded

PACIFIC TRIBUNE — SEPTEMBER 12, 1952 — PAGE 1?

JOHN STANTON

Barristers
listen to

‘dull Bark’

One of the scheduled nish
lights” of the 34th annual ee f
ing of the Canadian Bar ie
‘sociation in Hotel Vancouv
last week was an address t
Howard L. Barkdull. presiding
of the American| Bar A
ation, which was received,
more enthusiastically bY bl:
daily press than by the make :
ed barristers, Long before
visitor coneluded his rambliné
red-baiting discourse, the 1) aa
Canadian lawyers were YaW Fi
ing, conversing audibly ah
starting desultory clapping ita
an effort to bring Barkdul

oration to an end. A quip spre

3
through the | gathering: Ne
have never heard a due
Bark.’’

Of special interest to fe
labor movement were the dis
cussions on civil liberties 2”
industrial legislation,

-The civil liberties pane
rived at no positive conclusion®
but at one session John Diefe?
backer, MP, spoke strongly ¢
favor of a Canadian Bill © ~
Rights. There was noweve””
no discussion of the anti-den
ocratic Bill H-8 now before P®
liament. i .

1 at

John Stanton, wellknow2 ue
cal labor lawyer, led the of
position to a resolution advoc®
ing a limit to the time in wW2 a
a union may legally strike afte!
taking a walkout vote, and Be
in having it referre’
back to the B.C. section.

An amendment to the resol
tion, prepared by Walter owe”
QC, suggested that after
“expiration of one month ie
lowing the taking of a trie
vote, no union, its officers 4
members shall strike unless th?
parties have agreed to an oa
tension of time or an extensi?
of time has been granted bY te
Labor Relations (Board or oth@
appropriate authority.” :

Such a law could cause more
not less strikes, said stanto™
“It is not realistic to thit
that you can force trade unr
to accept such an undemocral’
law.”’ / :

the