abi); FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 1974 D : : i : syetites to this week’s convention of the WA at the Bayshore Inn are Studying resolutions due to come up for debate. The 37th annual convention of region #1 of the International Woodworkers of America opened in Vancouver this week amidst continuing layoffs in the coast lumber industry which, according to union figures, have left 10,000 workers jobless — more than one- third of the total work force. The question of action to get the industry going again emerged even before the convention, in a press conference Monday where regional president Jack Munro told reporters “something’s got to be done to get this industry going. It’s a disaster.” He pointed out that executive officers of the IWA had met earlier with members of the Liberal caucus in an attempt to press the government to remove the 11% federal sales tax on_ building materials, but apparently without success. “That tax should be removed immediately” he said, “and the government should lower mortgage rates as well.” He added that representations would be made to the provincial government to seek action on the construction of public housing. Munro also pointed out that while some 30 plywood plants in this A. Wi cain? all Indications pointing to a ei]; cision to lift the 8% & da, ents Thursday morning, Methane." that decision with ®Xten, io 8S much as a one month “unt, ne for tenants to prepare Stina; 8 eVidence, looked to be No vin at Tribune press time Moving & forceful plea ‘to the iterngo Cabinet Wednesday Nant oo» the British Columbia Led Organization. Yorke BOC-T.U. president Bruce tives (O8ether with represen- labo, ‘4 the B.C. Federation of Cam € Vancouver, Victoria he A Pell River labor councils, come ay and Penticton Mobile council op oations, the Federated Ptinun. d Age Pensioners, the Mant oot Party and seven POvingg weils from all over the they » the lobby met with at- boy 8€neral Alex Mcdonald, vis enister Bill King, and Ung. Y affairs minister Phyllis Sy iSdtesenr Ke told the tenant auth Genes before meeting isrinet vide it appeared that the isttic’ 4, as planning a “blitzkrieg *ereg Shove through a new rent bee subst Thursday morning nbitizeg a! opposition could ee : Weton a BPeal to you,’’ Yorke told nidonot j don’t rush into this. Mother g ave the facts to justify Mescangeneral increase in rents. ty of needs to be done on the € tenants to pay, not SG HINTS DELAY IN RENT ACT only. profitability for the lan- dlords.”’ Yorke put it on the line to the ministers that another rent in- crease at this time would have “serious electoral consequences for the government. Voicing the sentiments of all the groups present, he said, ‘we want to tell you in a friendly fashion that we feel this government is in trouble. What you do will directly affect the living standards of 500,000 people. This is a new situation. It will not be the landlords, but the govern- ment which will be held respon- sible. “Tf you want to regain the con- fidence of the ordinary person, and not of the real estate crowd — who will cut your throat at first chance — then take our advice. We represent the people who elected ” you. Mcdonald did agree that suf- ficient factual material on the rental market was not available to them and appealed to the tenants to “help us get it.” Jack Lawrence from the Vancouver Labor Council responded to the challenge saying, “if you want help — give'us time and we will give you figures. The ministers wouldn’t give a definite assurance of a delay but did say that the longest a decision could be put off would be “ten days to a month’, implying that some extension would be granted. Numerous tenants argued that the apparatus already exists for landlords to apply for new rent increases if they can justify their demands to the Rentalsman. ‘‘The means are there to get more than the 8%,” Yorke added, ‘‘but if you lift the ceiling there are no means of bringing rents down.” See TENANTS, pg. 12 ANAK, PALA WANK WARK wh ah ed ad B.C.T.O. president Bruce Yorke ta province have been completely shut down, plants in the U.S. in- terior are continuing at full production. He noted that the base rate in these plants is $2.25 per hour, indicating that multinational companies are shifting production to cheap labor areas. The crisis in the wood industry as well as exorbitant mortgage and land costs was the subject of a special resolution to be presented to the convention by the regional executive board. However, it was only being distributed to the 210 delegates at Tribune press time, and had first to go to the resolutions committee before coming onto the floor for debate. The resolution deplored the failure of the federal government to plan economic polices that - would provide for full employment and charged the government with allowing the _ real ~- estate ~ speculators and money lenders to “rip off the people’. “As a result of the absence of planning,” the resolution stated, “thousands of woodworkers are now unemployed with further layoffs threatened.” It called for plans to eliminate land speculation by the im- plementation of a crash program of land assembly; relaxation of income standards for NHA mor- tgage qualification; reduced mortgage rates of half the present rate with subsidies if necessary; income tax deduction of interest payments for home ownership and; removal of the 11% sales tax on all building materials. While the resolutions committee had not yet discussed the special executive resolution, many of the issues had earlier come onto the floor for debate. A_ similar resolution submitted by Local 1-217 See IWA PARLEY, pg. 12 | vino > Iks to reporters just prior to meeting with cabinet ministers. On his left are OTTAWA MUST ACT! See inside Cominco vote this week Results of the vote of 4,200 Cominco workers in Trail, Kim- berley and Salmo, members of the United Steelworkers of Amenica, is expected to be known this week. The vote was ordered on the lastest offer of the company by the Joint Bargaining Council after Cominco abruptly ended talks last week in what the union branded as a ‘“‘double cross’. The union executive has strongly recom- mended that the company offer be rejected in the vote. Membership meetings have been held in the past week at Trail, Kimberley and Salmo as well as in Kamloops, Calgary, Edmonton, Medicine Hat and other centres where striking union members have gone looking for work. After 12 weeks of strike, talks resumed September 11 but after seven days of continuous negotiations, Cominco abruptly broke off the talks by refusing to set a date for further meetings. In a statement issued by Marv See STEELWORKERS, Po. 12 mS Jack Lawrence, secretary Vancouver Labor Council and Ron Johnson, representing the B.C. Federation of Labor. (See story this page).