eee 8 a LI LUM I TAIT Lt BCER SEEKS TO ELIMINATE THREAT | Committee fights bus WEST VANCOUVER, B.C. Defeated in its last attempt, the BCElectric is conducting a new and _ well-prepared cam- paign to buy out the West Van- couver Blue Bus line, the only municipally owned transit sys- tem on the lower mainland. Chief concern of the BCElec- tric is to remove the system as a standing threat to its plan to bind all lower mainland mun- icipalities to long-term fran- chises and so thwart the grow- ing movement for public owner- ship. ; Successful operation of the West Vamcouver system has long been held as an example by advocates of a municipal bus system in Burnaby, where strong sentiment for public ownership has so far defeated all BCElec- tric effcrts to secure a long- term franchise. ¢ In West Vamcouver the issue will ‘be placed before ratepayers on October 29 in the form of a plebiscite offering a choice between sale of the bus line to the BCElectric for $250,000 or endorsation of a proposed $100,- 000 bylaw to modernize the sys- tem. This week-a Citizens Protest Committee entered the cam- paign denouncing the plebiscite as offering unfair alternatives. The committee maintained that information in its possession showed that the system was operating at a profit and was adequately financed to continue what the committe termed “ex- ceptionally good service” with- out adding new burdens to rate- payers. Slogan of the committee is: “Keep the Blue Bus Line. Vote down the bylaw.” North Van boatyard workers vote to strike for wage demands Boatyard employees at Burrard Shipyard and Engineering, members of the Marine Workers and Boilermakers Union, voted this week in favor of strike action to enforce their demands for a wage increase and other concessions. Non-union miners armed With the help of state police, these armed non-union miners reopened soft coal mines in Pennsylvania during the United Mine Workers’ strike, while defiance picketing resulted in arrest of 56 UMW members. of an injunction banning mass 4 Hitler Memorial Institute established by Devaluation, prices Housewives’ topic Devaluation of the Canadian dol- lar and its effect on the family budget will be discussed at the next meeting of Housewives’ Con- sumer Association, Wednesday, Oc- tober 19, 8 pm., at 1804 Cotton Drive. A guest speaker will intro- duce the subject. _ Housewives will hear a report on the campaign to prevent an in- crease in telephone rates, and plan further steps to halt the phone company’s proposed rate hike. j| Nazi British fascists Danger of increasing fascism in Britain was strikingly illustrated by a@ feature article in the large- circulation Daily Mirror. The Mirror reported, without condem- nation, that an “Adolf Hitler Memorial Institute’ has been set up in England. Head of the organization is Lar- ratt. Battersby, follower of British fascist leader Sir Oswald Mosley. Battersby, who also publishes a paper in Jimcrow South Africa, wears a swastika in his buttonhole, the Mirror article says, and boasts that “when any Jew sees it he turns deathly pale.” While Burrard Engineering will be’ the first boatyard to be struck, the union is preparing for tie-ups in the whole wooden boatyard section of the industry. Despite the fact that union and employers reached agree- ment on wage agreements in 12 operations, involving all major stee] shipyards, the wooden boat- yard employers, backed by a “no change in last year’s contract” ruling of the Labor Relations Board, stubbornly refuse to con- cede any of the union’s demands. W. L. White, union president and the union’s ‘nominee on the conciliation board, issued a min- ority report condemning the board’s meeting as a “farce” and blasting the chairman, J. D. Ross, for his obvious anti-labor bias. “I would strongly recommend that J. D. Ross not be appointed as chairman on future boards, but be confined by the role of employers’ representative, where he is much beter qualified to act,” said White’s minority report. White’s recommendations as a bas- is for concluding a 1949-50 agree- ment are: an increase of seven cents per hour; three percent of em- ployees’ straight time earnings for annual vacations with pay; Good Friday, Labor Day and Christmas Day to be paid for at straight time rates if not worked; compulsory check-off for all em- ployees for whom the union is cer- tified, with union preference in hiring and lay-offs. “The employers plead inability to paly,’” a union statement de- clares. “Will the operators of the Burrard Engineering produce their books? We think not. Surely if the company is not making a fair pro- fit they should have no objection to producing the books and allow- ing a competent accountant to check.” Including the cost of. living bonus, there is more than 20 cents per hour spread between boatyard carpenter trades and construction carpenter} The union is deter mined not to allow the employers to “get away” with such a situation any longer, and strike votes will be taken in all wooden boatyards. Radio commentator charged by union Charges of “theft by conversion” have been laid against Colin Fitz- gerald, commentator on a morning radio program and president of Harbor Marine Service, by the Marine Workers and Boilermakers Union. : The union is Lane to recover dues money checked off by the firm, but never turned over to the union. The firm has _ since gone out of business, \ SUB TOTAL 435 - 2 WEEKS TO GO LITTLE PEETEE SAYS: “So I went down to New Westminster, because I hear there’s a byelection on, and I knock on a few doors. And what do I get? Why, some subs, of course. “During an election cam- paign folks like to know what labor’s program > is. And where do they fimd out? In the Pacific Tri- bune. Natch. ° “If every canvasser for Maurice Rush would carry a few PTs along and in- troduce B.C.’s leading la- box paper to the people of New Westminster, we'd have a lot of new readers — in that city by October 24.” In four weeks 435 subs have been turned in—not quite one- quarter of the 2000-sub goal Pacific Tribune readers are shoot-~ ing at during the current drive for new readers. The 435 subs represent the equivalent of 369 one-year subscriptions. Just a little more than a fortnight remains before the drive officially closes. Can we reach our objective? ‘That’s up to our readers: we appeal to every PT reader to visit a friend or neighbor without delay and sign him up as a subscriber. Will YOU help? : TOP THREE GROUPS WEATttING 6 hc ee eee 371% subs Witsila no. ois 77 vcs vo aie es eae aa 211% subs Northe VANCOUVER 20 i. . iiox c5is pee deo 19% subs (Other groups im the running: Norquay, 1714; Strathcona, 1414; Electrical, 134; West End, 12; Forest Products, 12; Ship. and Steel, 1014; Moberly, 1044; Commercial Drive, 10.) TOP THREE INDIVIDUALS Hy Maritimes Wer ete in Nee 16 subs D. &. Rutka, Strathcona’ ............ )..14% subs eKU.y MEANTUTING oS eens os ha tae 14 subs: (Othe: individuals in the running: R. Robson, Electrical, 9; — Rita Whyte, Kitsilano, 7; P.B., Commercial Drive, 7.) SUB DRIVE HONOR ROLL (2 or more subs) GREATER VANCOUVER J. H.. Maritime, 16: D. F. Rutka, Strathcona, 144%; J. BR. Maritime, 14; R. Robson, Electrical, 9; Rita Whyte, Kitsilano, 7; Pp. B., Commercial Drive, 7; A. Roderique, Moberly, 6; M. Stables, Renfrew Afternoon, 5; Elsie Brandon, North Van., 4; C. W. Caron, North Van.,: 4. : J. Bird, Hastings East, 4; P. Padgham, Norquay, 4%; Anne Belankaya, Kitsilano, 4; T. D., Maritime, 4%; J. S., 4% W. Jacobs, Ship and Steel, 344; Bill Stewart, Ship and Steel, 3%; R. Lawryniuk, Civic Workers, 3; Alf Dewhurst, Forest Products, 8; A. Lindberg, Victory Square, 3; Nigel Morgan, Victory Square, 3; W. T., Bill Bennett, 3. ; Fred Sapach, Lochdale, 2%; Viola Bianco, Moberly, 2%; E. E., Fairview-Mt. Pleasant, 244; Lena Lipsey, West End, 2%; George Brown, Ship and Steel, 214; Harold Pritchett, Forest Products, 24%; OV Bill, 2%; Fel Dorland, West End. 2; R. Ferguson, West End, 2; D. Janzen, Building Trades, 2; R- Poulin, Forest Products, 2. . B. Carlson, Swedish Workers Club, 2; W. Zuker, Hastings East,'2; H. Matheson, Hastings East, 2; A. Grinkus, Fairview- Mt. Pleasant, 2; Bert Whyte, Kitsilano, 2; R. Dear, Bill Bennett, 2; L. Singh, Kitsilano, 2; S. Reynolds, Kitsilano, 2. PROVINCE D, Blakey, Victoria, 414; E. Creelman, Alberni, 4; I. F- Mortenson, Nanaimo, 4; Nancy Hamilton, New Westminster, 314; H. Codd, Notch Hill, 3%; J. Tanche, Campbell River, 3; C- Hudson, Victoria, 3; F. Bottner, Pt. Alberni, 2; E. Webb, Nanaimo, 2; M. Beagle, New Westminster, 2; L. Noakes, New Westminster, 2; R. Kydd, Prince. Rupert, 2; O. Wickstrom, 2. SUB PREMIUM OFFER ~ JUNGLE LAW OR HUMAN REASON 15¢ By Jessica Smith CASE OF THE DWINDLING DOLLAR 35¢ By B. Marcuse and E. Bjarnason LET THE RAILSPLITTER AWAKE 5c By Pablo Neruda Foes Sent free to every I-year subscriber at PACIFIC TRIBUNE — OCTOBER 14, 1949 — PAGE & ’ Fi