‘Labor's case for merchant fleet -

“SHIP & SHOP” organof the Marineworkers & Boilermakers union,
devoted its entire August issue to presenting the case for re establishing

Canada’s defunct merchant marine.

As a service to its readers, the PT is pleased to pass on some of the
basic, most pertinent observations of this union.

hat kind of merchant

marine should Canada
build? To answer this ques-
tion we should first consider
the characteristics of both
shipbuilding and the existing
trading pattern in Canada,
and particularly on the West
Coast.

The average or typical ship-
building program that has
been attempted in peacetime
has been largely a “custom
built” proposition: one ship
here for this particular job,
one ship there for another.
So far, automation has not
been applied in any great ex-
tent to the industry.

It has always been char-
acterized by a high degree of
labor content (that is, direct

Greetings to PT
readers from

Regent Tailors Ltd.

325 W. Hastings St.
Ph. MU 1-8456
4441 E. Hastings St.
Ph. CY 8-2030

(See Henry Rankin for
personal service)

labor). North American wage
standards can compete very
well, provided advantage is
taken of our admitted higher
productivity.

This then, is the first fac-
tor that should be considered.

Our markets are very far
away. Distances from the
West Coast to ports in Asia
and Europe, and even to New
York and Boston, are mea-
sured in thousunds of miles.

It is a fact, borne out by
many years’ experience, that
the longer the voyage the big-
ger the ships. should be.
There is a big saving in crew
per ton carried. Thus, a 50,-

000-ton cargo ship ‘is far
more economical than five
10,000-ton ships.

The second factor, there-

fore, is that we should con-
centrate on big ships.

Labor Day Greetings
All Our Patrons

TOM’S
GROCERY

600 Main St. MU 1-2614
Specializing in
Delicatessen Products
and European Style
Breads

Labor Day Greetings

The Art

Bookbinder

M. |. SOCHASKY
540 Homer St.,

Vancouver. B.C.
MU 1-4416

Labor Day Greetings
to all our Friends and
Customers from

Home Fancy
Sausage

Complete Line of
Scandinavian Imports
‘264 East Hastings St.

MU 4-3613

757 East Hastings St.

Use Pratt and Lambert Paint

The brand most frequently specified by architects.
Acknowledged by painters to be superior.

TED HARRIS LTD.

WHOLESALE AND RETAIL

MU 4-1105

Labor Day Greetings to the PT

MAX GOLDBERG

Plumbing & Heating Supplies

~ Big savings on your plumbing and heating needs.”
424 Main St., Vancouver 4, B.C.

MU 1-8627

Labor Day Greetings to B.C. Labor
from

PENDER AUDITORIUM
(Marine Workers)
339 West Pender

LARGE AND SMALL HALLS
FOR RENTAL

Phone MU 1-9481

SUT Ve Titt

The third factor is that we
should build the type of ships
that suit existing producis
that are exported. Most of
our exports consist of bulk
commodities: wheat, lumber,

newsprint, ores, minerals,
fertilizers, etc.

Roughly 75 percent of
ships entering the port of

Vancouver are of the bulk
cargo type, not general cargo
ships.

The fourth factor to consid-
er is a whole series of tech-
nical and shipping conditions.
Vancouver’s extremely fine
harbor can handle _— ships
which draw more than 39
feet, but draught conditions
elsewhere are quite differ-
ent. (For example: Panama
Canal — 37% feet; St. Law
rence Seaway — 271% feet).

Taking all the above fac-

Labor Day Greetings
_ Salute from

THE SHOE
CLINIC

L. TORNBLAD

806 Park Royal
YU_7-6162

45 East Hastings

Greetings To
Labor

Head for THE
HUB for a com-
plete selection of
nion Made Men’s
Wear... Work
Clothes, dress
clothes and furn-

ishings,

tors into consideration, it be-
comes obvious that the type
of ship required is a large,
bulk cargo vessel (not com-
bination ore carriers-tankers)

somewhere in the vicinity of

25,000 tons.
A re-allocation of the $374

million earmarked for frig-_

ates would build 28 ships of
this type, with enough money
left over to subsidize their
operation for a 10-year per-
iod, or alternately, 37 cargo
ships.

This project wou!d directly
provide 750 man _ years of
work and an additional 175

man years in allied indust-
ries.

Canada, as the world’s
largest trading nation, has

been without a merchant ma-
rine for far too long. The
labor movement, acting unit-
edly with broad sections of
the Canadian people, can
force the Pearson govern-
ment (or any _ other!) to
change this anti-Canadian po-
licy.

Y, TRANSFER &
FURNITURE
STORE

‘Labor Day Greetings
to all our Friends

(Phone Nick)

1424 Commercial Drive
AL 3-0727

41945 pledge |

To the Shipyard Work-
ers of Vancouver:

On behalf of the Cana-
dian Government, I con-
vey to you Canda’s appre-
ciation for your contribu-
tion to winning the war.)
Using new skills acquit-
ed since war began, Bri-
tish Columbia workers
have built three million
tons of shipping:

53 naval vessels,

231 cargo vessels
costing five hundred mil-
lion dollars, of which half
has been local payroll.
Work now on hand in
cludes an additional 69
vessels.

When you began, 90 per
cent of the parts and mat-
erials were imported. To-
day, 90 per cent are fab-
ricated in Canada, thus in-
suring our ability to make
shipbuilding a permanent
industry.

In quality and output,
Vancouver’s — shipbuilding
record is unsurpassed. This
is due to the skill, zeal and
and energy of you, the
workers, men and women.

We are not going to re-
peat past mistakes. It 15
the determined policy of
the present government
that Canada is in the ship-
building business for good.
The navy and the Merch: ]|
ant Marine that you made |
are going to be maintained }|
and expanded. The ships}
you built will carry Can-}
ada’s trade to the ends of }
the world, creating em
ployment and opportunity
for Canadian workers...

The government that or-
ganized and_ established
this great shinbuilding pro-
gram in Vancouver asks
your support for carrying
out its plans to provide
for your future employ-
ment in the trades at which
you have become so pro-
ficient.

Faithfully yorus,

IAN A. MACKENZIE,
Minister of

Veterans’ Affairs

—_—.

‘Haney, B.C.

Greetings to our Friends and Customers from

HILLAND ELECTRIC

Electrical Contractors

Ph. INgersoll 3-9609
—_— )

—

Haney, B.C.

1963 Labor Greetings to our
friends and customers

Concrete Work — Readymix
Expert Finishing

ELMER H. WALSKE

Phone INgersoll 3-3113

Greetings to all our friends in the labor movement

On Labor Day — 1963
Fishermen’s Union Hall

138 Cordova Street East

AUDITORIUM available for dances, socials, smokers, meetings,
conventions, etc. Good acoustics, public address system,
kitchen facilities, tables. for conventions. Seating capacity: 400

For rates or additional information
PHONE: TED FOORT - MU -43254
August 30, 1963— PACIFIC TRIBUNE—Pa

_