Hall, Monday, December movement in the Scandinavian countries which he toured with a group of Canadian and U.S. Cooperative delegates this past summer. Mr. Seimes brought greet- ings from the Manitoba Federa- tion of Agriculture and Co- operation to the West Kootenay Cooperatives. He stated that -he appreciated being given an opportunity to come to our dis- trict especially as Manitoba had been hearing for years of our novel transportation co- operative. ; He found that in Denmark 85 percent of their economy was cooperative and even in their schools co-op philosophy is taught — from Hlsinor Co-op College alone 1,200 students graduate annually. Due to their policy of non- intervention during the war Sweden’s economy was go0od— there was an abundance of con- sumer goods and was the only country he visited where they could purchase clothing, which he said was of most exceptional quality. In an interview with Madam Koch, Minister of Economics and financial ad- visor to the Swedish govern- ment, asked why Sweden had signed a five-year trade treaty with the Soviet Union, Madam Koch replied that as their dol- lar had been devaluated by the U.S. Sweden couldn’t trade with the U.S. but had been able to make an agreement with Russia with which the Swedish government was highly satis- fied. In Norway, Mr. Seimes met the leader of the cooperative movement who had also been leader of the underground during the occupation. He was Co-op leader. outlines progress of movement By MOLLIE CROWE ROSSLAND-J. J. Seimes, Manitoba representative of the Canadian Co-operatives Council gave an enthusi- astic address to a well attended meeting in the K.P. 1st, on the cooperative very much impressed by the Norwegian people—he said that the terrible devastation left behind by the nazi fascist hordes seemed to have spurred the determination of these people to build a sound econ- omy. The British cooperative move- ment is on a tremendous scale, and the last word in efficiency. | He was privileged to visit the great health and recreation centre known as the Peckham Experiment in Peckham, Lon- don, which was started by the trade union membership in this place twenty-one years ago. In that time juvenile delinquency had been almost completely blotted out and the health of — the people has steadily im- proved. In all the countries he visited he found a decided distaste for all the talk of a third world war and a great suspicion that all this talk is U.S. propaganda—the people generally seemed to have no illusions about the Plan. , In conclusion Mr. Seimes urged that cooperators should not forget that co-ops are for service and not for profit or exploitation. He pointed out that we have a wonderful ~ country, a rich country, and that co-ops should expand tre- mendously and should move quickly. He urged that co-ops educate our young people—the first co-op college is to be opened in Manitoba this year. He felt that the co-op member- ship has a, great responsibility in seeing that no seeds of fascism are allowed to grow in our country—in building a better and stronger democracy. _ Civic workers discuss hew wage proposals Meeting in the Labor Temple on Friday, December 5, Vancouver’s outside civic workers formulated a four-point program for their draft 1948 wage contract, which it is ex- pected, will be presented to The four demands are: ° * 25 cents an hour wage in- Crease across the board. * A 40-hour week with over- time pay for all work beyond 8 hours: in any one day; time and-half for first 4 hours worked Saturdays, and double time for all work beyond 4 hours on Saturday and all Sunday work. * A closed shop, with all workers covered by the contract automatically becoming members ef the union, and paying all oe and assessments by check- o * A doctor and hospitalization plan to cover all outside work- ers and their families,costs to be borne by the City. Other demands agreed on by the meeting are: free water-proof clothing for all employees exposed _ to inclement weather, three weeks Vacation with pay for all em- Ployees who have completed 5 years service, and a job-security Clause in the contract. On December 15 a full meeting of the Vancouver Civic Federation, embracing outside workers, fire- Men and city hall staff, will meet to consider demands from all Castle Jewelers Watchmaker, Jewellers Next to Castle Hotel 152 Granville MA, 8711 4 A. Smith, Mer. POS the new Council early in January. groups and to discuss the possi- bility of a joint submission of contract demands. In his report to the meeting Friday, Don Guise, business agent for Local 28 Civic Employee's Federal Union, and formerly or- ganizer in the IUMM&S, ex- pressed dissatisfaction with the slowness of past wage negotia- tions with the city administration, and stated that the membership ‘of the union were in no mood to tolerate stalling and delaying tac- tics at this time with living costs skyrocketting daily. LSS Back to the bench wage is $1.42 per hour. Defeated for reelection as a United Auto Worker (CIO) vice- president, Richard T. Leonard enters the De Soto plant to return to his old job as a spot-welder. Leonard said he turned down a $25,000 a year job with a New York management firm to “go back to the workers.” His present A union leader for 11 years, Officials of the Canadian controls and subsidies. Fifteen to 20 key unionists are sched- uled to arrive in Ottawa on December 9 and in the interval special meetings of the CCL ex- exuctive committee and executive council will have hammered out the final details of the lobby. While the immediate item on the agenda of all major Cana- dian unions is the fight for the reimposition of price ‘controls, subsidies and excess profits taxes, none is overlooking the wage front. “Excessive increases in the cost of living” has compelled the lead- ership of the CIO Steelworkers Union to serve notice on the basic steel industry that con- tracts will be reopened in April and increases demanded on be- half of 50,000 workers. Many steelworkers will chafe at the five-month wait between now and tthe time when the $45 basic rate for a 40-hour week is presented, Others will see a weakening of their overall bargaining position as a result of récent statements by steel union leaders about the “futility” of the use of economic strength, but one thing is certain rank-and-file pressure will com- pel action on wages. \ A big UAW-CIO wage and or- ganizational drive can also be expected to be launched in Que- bec early in 1948. The union’s Canadian Council, scheduled to meet in Montreal on December 13, will probably map the cam- Mail or phone Get Your Christmas Cards NOW! THE LPP PROVINCIAL OFFICE OFFERS YOU A CHOICE SELECTION $1.00 a dozen With your special greeting, $1.50 a dozen 99 Shelly Building, West Pender St, Vancouver, B.C., TAt. 1451 your orders to: CL lobbies MP’s for controls, subsidies By MEL COLBY Congress of Labor last week confirmed that top leaders of the country’s largest CIO unions will converge on Parliament’s special session for a 10-day continuous lobby aimed at compelling reimposition of price paign at that time. This Sun- day’s Windsor conference of top UAW-CIO officers is also likely to make this its main theme. Even a cursory. glance shows that demands for wage increases to meet jet-propeHed living costs is not confined to any one sec- tion of the working population. One hundred and forty thous- and railway workers in 17 inter- national unions want a 35-cent an hour boost by December 20. Fourteen thousand rubber work- ers in locals affiliated to the United Rubber Workers. (CIO) are. discussing what kind of ac- tion to take to win a 22-cent an hour increase and the 40- hour work week immediately. A total of 1,950 Toronto civic employees, including 880 firemen, are demanding a 12-cent jump. Nine hundred printing press-|. men in Toronto are threatening a& major tie-up of printing and magazine publishing houses un- less a 35-cent an hour wage in- crease is agreed on. Deepisea shipowners averted a strike when they reached an agreement with the Canadian Seamen’s Union by signing a 1948 contract which marks an outstanding victory for the men of the merchant marine. Last summer’s picket line ac- tion by 8,000 Canada Packers and Burns employees (part of a total of some 17,000 who took part in the nation-wide meat strike) has resulted in a 10-cent an hour arbitration award. | The winning of the 10-cent boost means that some 2,000 workers in independent plants will receive a similar increase. The win, how- ever, is partly offset by the CIO Packinghouse Workers acceptance of a no-strike clause in the new agreement, a factor which is rais- ing critical comment among large numbers of meat workers.