Kaiser proceeds with drilling While debate on the Columbia River deal concluded by Premier Bennett’s Social Credit government with the U.S. Kaiser aluminum interests has been raging in both the House of Com- Mons and the B.C. legislature, drilling crews have been at work °n the Lower Arrow Lakes making preliminary fests for the project condemned as a sellout of Canada’s interests by all except the Social Credit aparty: UJPO Drama Workshop Production proves hit Enthusiastic audiences applaud- an United Jewish People’s’ Or- of Th Tama Workshop presentation ta © World of Sholom Aleichem Saturday and Sunday nights the York Theatre here. Chel,’ first skit, “A Tale of Aleich, adapted from Sholom on chem’s “The Enchanted Tail- full Set a tone that was success- Y maintained. I. L. Peretz’ “Bontche Schweig” was well performed, but the play itself is extremely weak in con- tent.” Bernard Frohman as Aaron Katz gave an outstanding per- formance in Sholom Aleichen’s “The High School,’ longest and most effective of the three skits. (The Pacific Tribune will carry a full review next week). WA head assails U.S. Formosa policy Al Hartung, president of International Woodworkers of America, told the 18th annual convention of the B.C. district of the IWA that Canadians should not allow: them- ‘| selves to be pushed into the explosive Formosa situation. “I don’t want your sons to fight for the rotten, corrupt leadership ¢ of Chiang Kai- .““One of our greatest mistakes was support for the kind of leadership of Chiang Kai-shek. We did it in Korea and now’ we’re doing it in Formosa.” Dealing with internal union af- fairs, Hartung said B.C. wages should match the U.S. scale. The present differential is 44 cents an hour. A member of the CIO commit- tee which will ratify the merger with the American Federation of Labor February 24, Hartung said trade union unity would “help -|shek, thereby pushing the U.S. and Canada into a third world war, he “declared. break the big business strangle- hold on industry.” He added that there was no im- mediate prospect of amalgamation of IWA and the Lumber and Saw- mill Workers section of the AFL Carpenters Union. : e The CIO-AFL merger will. en- able‘ labor to do a better political job, said the IWA president, ex- pressing the hope that it would make possible the election of labor candidates. IWA. administration beaten on wage issue Despite bitter opposition on the part of the present admin- istration, delegates attending the IWA district conyention here this week passed a resolution stating that in 1956 the wages and policy conference will be held prior ta the con- vention, so that the convention itself will be ale to ratify, reject or amend the conference findings. A roll call vote on the question | saw the administration, after a sharp floor debate, defeated 15,000 to 10,000. (Delegates cast votes for their local’s membership, the number of votes being divided equally among the local’s. dele- gates). Effect of the resolution will be to- reduce the power of the wages and policy conference, which in the past has sometimes failed to carry out convention decisions, and place the vital question of wages and other con- tract issues fully in the hands of - convention delegates. Another resolution put an end to secret negotiations and assured that in, future the TWA member- ship will be kept fully informed 'during contract negotiations. In contrast to past conventions, there was a minimum of red-bait- ing this year, although two resolu- tions were passed giving the dis- trict council the right to deny an applicant membership in a local union; and in cases where restrict- Wim ee - Concert Meeting | LENIN-STALIN ANNIVERSARY | \ RUB} BS Sunday, February 27 -- 8 p.m. PENDER AUDITORIUM - SEER BE 339 W. PENDER Speaker: TOM McEWEN ‘We Can Save Peace’ ed members apply to have their restrictions lifted, making it man- datory for the loeal union to re- ceive the approval of the district council and then the international, before making any decision. Delegates ratified a plan, at present awaiting approval of the union’s international executive board, whereby some _ 8,000 Alberta lumberworkers will be brought within jurisdiction of the B.C. district. IWA_ organ- izers will shortly start a mem- bership drive east of the Rock- ies, it was announced, A financial repoft showed that the strike of Interior lumberwork- ers dast year cost the B.C. district about $400,000, but the officers’ report claimed the money was well spent as the strike has “solidly es- tablished the IWA in an area about to show marked increases in mem- bership.” IWA district president Joe Mor- ris, in his opening address, called for “sane and skillful strategy” to replace “fireworks” in labor-man- agement relations. .He added, however ,that “tac- ties of jungle warfare will be used against employers whose, labor relations are a modernized ‘Version of the law of- the iungle.” Morris was returned to his post by acclamation. All other offices are being contested. the LEGISLATURE EVERY SAT. 7.10 p.m. LABOR-PROGRESSIVE POINT of VIEW by NIGEL MORGAN LABOR BRIEFS A bill now before the provincial legislature would compel private employment agencies to tell work- ers that a strike or lockout is in progress before sending them out to any job where such a labor dis- pute is going on. The bill would also make it ne- cessary for all private employment agencies to get an annual license from. the minister of labor and would prevent charging fees from job seekers. * Keo oe Strikes and lockouts. in B.C. last year resulted in the loss of 140,958 man days, Labor Min- ister Lyle Wicks told the House last week. x x fe Beverage Dispensers’ Union (TLC) has won a three-cent hourly -hike on an employer-paid welfare plan, but gained no general wage increase at 65 Greater Vancouver hotels, in negotiations which have just concluded. A first labor agreement with three new city cocktail bars has also been signed. * soe , The CBC and the National As-: sociation of Broadcast Employees and Technicians (CIO-CCL) set- tled their long contract dispute on the basis of a five percent across-the-board wage boost, thus averting a strike that would have affected radio-TV tech- nicians from coast to coast. © * x Proceeds of a St. Patrick’s so- cial and dance at Pender Audit- orium on. Friday, Mareh 11, will be used to buy a 16-millimetre movie projector for the use of Civic Employees Union, Outside Workers. The dance is being sponsored by the women’s auxil- jary of the union. Tickets are 50 cents. * * * Workers are returning to 5 eae jobs at Burrard Dry Dock Com- pany following a month-long strike of 90 electricians which idled more than 800 workers. When officials of the electric- ians’ union rejected all sug- gestions of seven other shipyard unions to reach a. settlement, the unions decided to send their members. back to work this week, x * * Some 500 members of Civic Em- ployees Union, Outside Workers, attended a membership meeting Monday this week and passed a resolution condemning Vancouver City Council's’ :press campaign against the union’s wage proposals as “being designed to make it im- possible to obtain a fair and un- biased award from, the conciliation board.” The union. named. Sam Jenkins of the Marine Workers as union representative on the conciliation board, which will hear the Out- side Workers’ demand for a 11- cent hourly pay increase. PACIFIC TRIBUNE — FEBRUARY 18, 1955 — PAGE 7