"Fat toaue April, 1964 THE WESTERN CANADIAN LUMBER WORKER 1-85 Donates $4,000 To Flood Victims Upon consideration of the damage caused lumber work- ers’ homes in the Alberni Valley tidal wave disaster, the IWA Regional Executive Board, in session, April 3, adopted a resolution demand- ing immediate action by the Provincial and Federal authorities to compensate the disaster victims for their losses. Some homes, with household effects and cars, were lost entirely and were uninsured against floods. Other homes, with furnish- ings and cars, were exten- sively damaged. A special meeting of the Executive Board, Local 1-85, IWA, acted promptly after the disaster. IWA members were active in rescue work, The Executive recommended the initial payment of $4,000 in aid of the victims, subject to ratification by the ensuing membership meeting. Local 1-85 officials reported that the residents of the de- vastated area were stunned by the fanastic damage done to their communities by the tidal wave. This swept the low-lying districts in the mid- night hours following the great Alaska earthquake. The first wave served to alert the communities along the Alberni Inlet enough to prevent any loss of life. Miraculous and hair-breadth escapes of the children were described. One worker rush- ed to save his car only to find two children floating by on a log; he, too, was chest deep before the trio safely reached dry land. Another man, row- ing around in the dark, rescued a baby floating on a mattress. Fifty-eight properties — in- dividual homes, stores and multiple auto courts — were assessed as 100% losses. All in the disaster area suffered _ Staggering losses in stock and , furnishings as well as salt- soaked cars and trucks. The total loss in homes and busi- nesses exceeds $5,000,000. One landmark, the hall of the New Democratic Party, is reported to have been so damaged as to be unsuitable for meetings, although it be- came Salvation Army head- quarters for emergency cloth- ing distribution. As the Alberni Valley and West Coast Disaster Fund officials state: ‘All that re- mains is re-building the stricken homes and busi- nesses, a start from rock- bottom for many of those af- fected.” QLLLILLL LL Lhd bibl bdd bd bddtbbdbd id didi tilts Quote “The most vigorous oppo- sition to the scheme (Can- ada Pension Plan) has come from the private insurance companies. The opposition of the insurance companies is to be expected; they have after all opposed every public welfare scheme that might be competitive with the business they them- selves are in. This opposi- tion is a conditioned reflex. Their energetic opposition to the hospital insurance scheme is still a fresh, if not fragrant, memory.” — Editorial in the Ottawa Citizen. VLA LLL LLL LLL 4 CLL ddiddbiddiiiddiddddddsddddddidddditidddddddddddi didi daaaiik HANEY BUSINESS GUIDE ESQUIRE MEN’S WEAR (Graham Mowatt) Complete Stock of Work and Dress Clothing “THE STORE WITH THE POPULAR BRANDS” HANEY BRITISH COLUMBIA PORT ALBERNI BUSINESS GUIDE MacGREGOR’S MEN’S WEAR For Everything A Man Wears * WORK, SPORT or DRESS * Woodward We Can Afford To Sell The... BEST For LESS! stores (PORT ALBERNI) itp. YOUR FAMILY SHOPPING CENTRE SHOP AT WOODWARD’'S FOR A COMPLETE SELECTION OF KKK Ke Krk KK kK STAR WORK WEAR ‘UNION MADE’ BY B.C. CRAFTSMEN Your guide to better value STORE HOURS OPEN 9 AM TO 5:30 PM CLOSED ALL DAY MONDAY OPEN FRI. NITE “TILL 9 PM ~3 2g = OPEN LETTER thanking employees of Eburne Sawmills for their donations to the Grande Prairie strikers was distributed by Keith Johnson (left), Financial Secretary of Local 1-207, IWA, Alberta, with the aid of Eburne Plant Chairm mittee member Leon Vroon. AT GRANDE PRAIRIE New Alberta Agreement Puts Company on Spot Canadian Forest Products Ltd. will no longer be able to claim that the wage rates paid in its Grande Prairie planing mill subsidiary are on a par with wages prevailing in the area. This statement was made by Keith Johnson, Fin- ancial Secretary, Local 1-207, IWA, in his weekly radio broadcast in Grande Prairie on behalf of the IWA strikers. Swanson Lumber Co., in three Northern Alberta operations, has accepted terms of con- tract revision which will raise the base rate to $1.55 an hour, he announced. In addition, the terms ac- cepted by the Swanson Lum- ber Co. include provisions for three weeks’ vacation with pay after ten years’ service. This is the first such conces- sion won in Northern Alberta. The proposed revised contract | HAVEN'T WORKED SINCE | LOST MY WATSON’S GLOVES I’m a perfectionist. Since you obviously can’t expect a man to do his best work without his Watson’s gloves, | don’t work at all. I’ll buy another pair of Watson’s soon (they’re not ex- pensive). Let me use this per- fect excuse not to work for just a few more days. JOHN WATSON LTD. 127 E. 2nd Ave., Vancouver, B.C. will also allow an additional paid statutory holiday and medical coverage on a 50-50 basis. During his attendance at the recent meeting of the Re- gional Executive Board, Keith Johnson took the opportunity to thank personally the em- ployees of Eburne Sawmills, Vancouver, for their contribu- tion of $430 in aid of the Grande. Prairie strikers. His letter of thanks was distribut- ed by him to the crews on each shift and reminded them that they had given substan- tial encouragement to the strikers who were protesting -the extremely low wages im- posed on them by Canadian Forest Products Ltd. He also addressed the employees at Pacific Veneer, New West- minster. Posters which pinpointed the inconsistency of the chief shareholders of Canadian For- est Products Ltd. mysterious- ly disappeared but as mys- teriously re-appeared sten- ciled in black paint on the |, sidewalks leading to the plant. The posters read: CANADIANS TREATED THE OWNERS OF CANADI- AN FOREST PRODUCTS LTD. DECENTLY WHEN THEY ESCAPED TO CAN- ADA. OLYMPIA TAILORS WE ARE PROUD TO OFFER YOU SHIFFER HILLMAN QUALITY TAILORED CLOTHES e A Large Selection of Imported Materials Tuxedo Rentals for All Occasions 2425 East Hastings St. (Nanaimo & Hastings Sts.) Vancouver 6, B.C. AL. 3-1310 an, Len Catling and Plant Com- THESE OWNERS SHOULD NOW TREAT CA- NADIANS DECENTLY WHO WORK FOR THEM AT THE GRANDE PRAIRIE PLANER MILL. Company Ducks Meeting BLAIRMORE, Alta. — Of- ficials of the Blairmore Saw- mills Ltd. failed to attend a scheduled conference to dis- cuss terms of settlement of the IWA strike, which has closed all but one of its op- erations since March 9. This was reported by Regional First Vice - President Jack MacKenzie at the _ recent meeting of the Regional Ex- ecutive Board. He also ad- vised the Board that the strik- ers were holding their picket lines firmly and displaying high morale. The Union’s appeal against an injunction prohibiting an information picket line at the North Fork operation of the company was denied in the Alberta courts. Picketing has therefore been limited to the employer’s main operations. This plant, together with the mains woods operations, re- main closed down. Attempts made by the Alberta Labor Department officials to insti- tute mediation: were rejected by the company. The story of the IWA attack on low wages in the area is now being told on the local radio stations and in the local press. It is reported that pub- lic opinion in Alberta resents the low-wage. exploitation of Alberta workers which com- pares unfavorably with stand- ards now established in Brit- ish Columbia and Saskatche- wan.