Labor dep’t
walks out
on seamen

“We've been pounding picket
lines for five months and we’ll do
it for five months more, if neces-
sary, in order to make the govern-
ment and East Coast shipowners
come to their seness.” —

This is the answer Canadian sea-
men hurled at boss operators and
government officials last week in
Ottawa when Arthur MacNamara,
deputy minister of labor, and M. W.
McLean, director of industrial re-
lations, refused to consider CSU

_ rank-and-file proposals to end the
strike on a just basis, and walked
out on the seven-man seamen’s
delegation.

“The labor department represen-
tatives claimed that our appear-
ance here was merely for the pur-
pose of propaganda for the press,”
said Charles MacDonald, union
spokesman. “We then called their
bluff by asking them to sit down
with us to effect a Settlement. Mac-
Namara refused to use the offices
‘of - labor department to such an
en

“When informed there were
ships strike-bound in various ports
of the world and that others were
being tied up regularly, they stat-
ed they were not interested. When
asked whether his department had
any power to prevent further
shootings and beatings of seamen
such as occurred in Halifax and St.
John, he terminated the: interview
by walking out on us.”~

So the strike goes on. Backed
by the powerful World Federa-
tion of Trade Unions and the new-

_ ly-formed International Seamen’s
and Dockers’ Union, the fighting
Canadian Seamen’s Union are
determined to continue their
struggle until a just setlement
can be reached.

Asks subsidized
housing program

OTTAWA

Only a nation-wide subsidized
low-rental housing program can
solve Canada’s housing problem,
the Community Planning Associa-
tion declared here last week. Out-
lining the association’s views, R.
E. G. Davis, president, said that
federal, provincial and municipal
governments now have “a decisive
opportunity to lay the foundations
of a housing program for all Can-
_/adian families.” Such a program,
however, must include families of
below-average income.

“Our housing efforts so far have
left half the tenants in Canada
out of the picture,’’ he remarked,

- pointing out that annual rental)

subsidies are essential to make
‘dwelling available to families most
.in need.

The Community Planning Asso-
ciation is a citizen group of about
500 members drawn from the cap-
ital’s architects, social workers,
housing experts and town plan-
ners.

Highest Prices Paid for
DIAMONDS, OLD GOLD
Other Valuable Jewellry

STAR LOAN CO. Ltd.
Est. 1905

&

UNIONS, LPP PRESS CITY COUNCIL

Application by B.C. Telephone
Company for higher rates: is
meeting with stiff resistance
from the public. In Vancouver,
“the city council this week tabled
union protests demanding it
take a stand against the pro-
posed phone rate hike, but con-
dnmued protests may force the
Non-Partisan dominated body to
ict.

The Labor-Progressive party

Opposition strong to phone hike

s launching a public campaign
igainst phone increases, high-
ighted by a postcard campaign
n all provincial cities and
owns affected by the company’s
wroposed plan of increases
(which averaged $1 per month
to most phone users).

LPP radio broadcasts and
newspaper ads will supplement
the postcard crusade. In addi-
tion, a brief will be prepared to
present to the Board of Trans-

port Commissioners when local
,earings take place. Under pres-
sure, the board has intimated
that it will sit in Vancouver to
seceive information from inter-
2sted parties: protesting the
shone rate boost.

The LPP is planning a delega-
ion to city hall in an attempt to
‘orce council to take an active
itand against the B.C. Tele-
»yhone Company’s scheme.

Wrestlers continued to slither

more than half on hour after the
the hardiest spectators were
forced to take shelter under the
trees, and when the rain changed
to a steady, dismal drizzle the
picnic wound up for the after-
noon.

The committee announced this
week that a big picnic windup
dance will be held in Hastings
Auditorium on August 19, where
the picnic prizes will be pre-
sented to lucky winners. The
dance starts at 8 pm, and
downstairs there’ll be games, en-
tertainment and refreshments.

Earlier on Sunday afternoon the
crowd listened to a short speech
by Tom McEwen; editor of the
Pacific Tribune and guest speaker
at the picnic. Dealing with the
international situation, McEwen
emphasized the “gangster diplom-
acy” of U.S. imperialism, as seen
in the operation of the Wall
Street-inspired Truman - Marshall
plan and-its supplementary At-
lantic war pact. :

“American imperialism,”  de-
clared McEwen, “resembles Al
Caponism on a world scale, prey-
ing upon and exacting dollar trib-
ute and domination of its neigh-
bors. And Canada, through the
medium of the St. Laurent govern-
ment, backed by the Tories and
top brass CCF, has been dragged
into this gangster setup.

“No trade unionist need look far
afield to see what the Marshall
plan and the Atlantic war pact
are doing to Canadian trade. Our
markets are disappearing because
the Capones’ have ‘ruled that our
goods can only be bought with
American dollars. As a_ conse-
quence, our industries and our
jobs are rapidly folding up.”

McEwen stressed the importance
of the coming conventions of the
TLC and CCL and the necessity of
sending fighting rank-and-file del-
egations to block the splitting and
destructive policies of the trade
union burocrats and the social
democrats, who are preparing to
transform both Canadian trade un-
ion centers into, pliable adjuncts
of reaction. : 3

a
“When the executive of the
Trades and Labor Congress of
Canada, at the behest of the St.
Laurent government, the shipown-
ers and Yankee gangsterism, sus-
pended the fighting Canadian Sea-
men’s Union, they suspended their
own right to the respect of Cana-
dian trade unionists,’ said Mc-

ties of Canadian workers must
never be surrendered to gangster

Barristers, Solicitors, Notaries
SUITE 515, FORD BUILDING, 193 E. HASTINGS ST.
(Corner Main & Hastings Sts.) MArine 5746

119 Robson St. — MAr. 2622 rule, and that is the basic issue
facing the 1949 conventions.”
STANTON & MUNRO

Ewen. “The autonomy and liber-

Dance to wind up
rained-out picnic

A sudden downpour of rain drenched close to 3,000 people who,

despite a chill wind and cloudy skies, turned out for the United La-
bor Picnic at Confederation Park Last Sunday. :

and cavort in a slippery ring for
storm commenced, but finally even

« - DOREEN BARBOUR
Contest winner

BETTY TARNOWSKI _
Runner-up

Pretty Doreen Barbour + (Miss
Lumber Worker) won the title
of “Miss B.C. Labor’ with a
total of 42,510 votes at 5:15 p.m.
when the contest officially
closed. ; :

Runner-up was Betty Tarnow-
sky (Miss East End) with 37,340
votes, followed by Millie Jazic
(Miss Fisher Lassie), 35,980; Anna-
belle Murphy (Miss North Van-
couver), 33,495; Columba Smith
(Miss Burrard), 30,553; Alice
Padgham (Miss Vancouver East),
25,110; and Evelyn Aitken (Miss
Burnaby), 19,974.

Spectators who had hoped to
see a wrestling match between two
girl wrestlers were shocked to
hear that Mrs. Bea Gillis, one of
the. contestants, had been killed
in an accident early Sunday morn-
ing when she fell 50 feet from
her apartment fire escape on to

\

Disabled
plan protest

Disabled citizens of Vancouver
are planning to parade through
city streets and around social ser-
vice offices to publicize their. fight
to win a $10 monthly increase for
all disabled and handicapped per-
sons in the province.

“Only united action can win our
demand,” states Bob Daniels, sec-
retary of the District Union of
Disabled and Handicapped Per-
sons. “We intend to put all the
pressure we can muster Vic-
toria to secure this increase for
social service recipients.”

The organization is seeking
trade union support for a resolu-
tion demanding the $10 boost.

“Old-age pensions have recently
been increased by this. amount,”
commented Daniels. Wwe welcome
this move on the part of the gov-
ernment, for our senior citizens
have been living on the border-
line of starvation. But disabled
jand handicapped persons are even
eworse off than the old folks. They
are expected to survive on the
miserable pittance of $35 a month.

“In 1947, following public dem-
onstrations of protest and the
sending of delegations to inter-
view authorities, social allow-
ances were boosted from $25.85
to $28.35. Further struggle re-
sulted in another boost to the
present $35. Organization and
action can add $10 to this in-
adequate sum.”

Handicapped and disabled per-
sons are aSked to get in touch
with Daniels at 1216 Lakewood
drive, HA. 1442R. ne

Guise, Phillips
get acclamation

Business agent Don Guise and
recording secretary Jack Phillips
have been re-elected by acclama-
tion to their posts by the mem-
bers of Civic Employees Union,
local 28.

All other union offices are being
contested. Ballots will be mailed
to members, and returned to a
trust company safety deposit box.
They will be picked up and count-
ed on the day of the next local
membership meeting, Friday, Sep-
tember 2.

Frank Smith, employed by the
sewer department, has been chosen
as delegate to fill a vacant spot
as a representative to Vancouver
Trades and Labor _ Council.
(Smith’s name is well known to
Pacific Tribune readers as one of
the most active PT sub-getters.
among civic workers.)

Local 28 is sending 15 delegates
to the Trades and Labor Congress
convention at Calgary next month.

NELY plans dance

West End Club of the National
Federation of Labor Youth will
hold a sock dance this Friday at
2778 Triumph in honor of the Pa-
cific Tribune baseball team, which.
this week won its way into the

a woodpile.

playoffs of the Junior “B” league.

_PACIFIC TRIBUNE—AUGUST 12, 1949 PAGE

Anti-crisis

be won now

SUDBURY »

The time to push demands for
an anti-crisis policy of full em
ployment, and decent wages is
right now, stated Bruce Magnu-
son, secretary-treasurer of the On-
tario Joint Council of the Lumber
and Sawmill Workers’ Union in

and Sudbury. “There can be n0
surrender of conditions established
during coming negotiations of new
contracts. There must be new and
better guarantees against crippl-
ing crisis conditions.”

He outlined the union’s demands —
“for a modest wage increase: 0
85 cents per day and shorter hours
at the same take-home pay, with
reasonable rates for overtime
work, :

This, coupled with a 15 percent
increase in piece-work rates and

in charges for board and lodgings |
are only aimed at establishing
some form of parity between 1a
bor in the woods and labor i?
the mills during the operating Sse@_
son, When we consider the se@
sonal character of woods labor
even this program falls far short

a year-around basis. .

“To organize the unorganized,
and to wage a struggle against
any encroachments in established :
conditions of work and wageS
becomes a matter of paramoul
importance, Magnuson declared.

“his together with a firm stand
against any form of discrimina-
tion in employment, adds up to #
demand for -greater union secu!
ity; improved grievance proced-
ure; and seniority provisions
This must be coupled with com
plete contract coverage of #
present and future job classifica
tion.” :

Magnuson pointed out that
thousands of Canadian workers
were not yet covered by thé
provisions of the Unemployment
Insurance Act, including
labor in eastern Canada, He T@
ported that the Lumber
Sawmill Workers Union would
sponsor a petition on this i*
sue which would be presented.
to the government at the opel
ing of the new parliament i”
September.

In another referenne to nego”
tiations, Magnuson said, “No sy
fort will be spared to reach ®
amicable agreement. At the
time every member must be
pared to face any unforeseen
velopments.” e

Magnuson cited increases ae
for sawmill workers follow
lengthy negotiations and conci at
tion proceedings, and noted the
in several major industries ge
outcome of fourth round |W9e”
battles was still undecided.

He said “fantastic” profits 1% ;
the pulp and paper industry :
been used to “increase mechan
tation and speedups whi
now resulting in layoffs.”

2

pie

Expel Tito opponents

Nearly 600 Communists were ie
pelled from the Croatian°Comm™

ist party for opposing the
Marxist policies of the Tito
ernment between November
and June 1949, according t°

jan
Biber, member of the croat
party’s political bureau. é gest
Biber stated that the Jaf,

number of anti-Tito elements W

eps
found in the University of

.

policy must |

a recent broadcast from Timmins —

a reduction of 25 cents per day es

oo

of meeting actual requirements OP

BELGRADE

'

*