You’RE DOING Z, ~can’r you PRICES SEE WHAT HOO HIGHEST Meat price madness By JACK WARDEN Since the advent of supermar- kets, food prices have steadily in- creased. Previously, when the public deplored rising food costs, the usual reply from the tycoons of the food industry was that the secret to low prices was volume buying and volume selling. The theory was correct but the formula accrued to nobody’s benefit but the supermarket. They have not only captured the wholesale outlets but they have also captured the pro- duction field and the distri- bution field as well. Today we hear very little about volume buying and volume selling. The usual whip- ping boy is ‘high wage demands’”’. Let us look at the meat situation. The Meat Council of Canada in a brochure produced by them in 1970 shows that out of B.C. Hydro out to discredit bus system, union seeks improvements By ALD. HARRY RANKIN Our B.C. Hydro-owned bus system is being operated ina way calculated to thoroughly discredit it. The bus fleet has 403 vehicles; 283 of these are trolley buses which have an average age of 22 and none are less than 18 years old. Since 1956 the frequency of most bus runs in the city has been cut by about 50 percent. B.C. Hydro’s manpower pol- icy, with its system of split shifts and forced overtime is today made up of a rapidly changing work force; the young men won’t Stay. Bad working conditions are resulting in an unusually large number of drivers not showing up, thus bringing about cancel- lation of trips. These and many more charges are contained in a brief that will be presented to City Council shortly by Bruce Yorke of the Citizens’s Co-ordinating Com- mittee for Public Transit and William Link, business agent of dace rene S LES) ERY Hols To Tse “Do you have a book on how to cook without food ...? i; - if VMt4> SICLAR te PACIFIC TRIBUNE—FRIDAY, S : Yad {Rep EPTEMBER 1, 1972—PAGE 2 the Amalgamated Transit Union. And they have the facts to back up their charges. The unexpected success (un- expected only by B.C. Hydro, that is) of the Park and Ride system instituted earlier this Location of Bus Run Hastings Hastings Express Kingsway Fraser Nanaimo Broadway MacDonald (to 41st) Only 350 of the 850 men hired in the past 10 years are still on staff. B.C. Hydro rejects 24 out of every 25 applicants. It would rather pay overtime than hire new men. Overtime for some men is as high as 22% hours a week. The trips being cancelled have caused a substantial cut in the over-all rush hour service in the city of Vancouver. The Union and the Public Transit Committee say that this situation can be corrected only by a ‘‘major effort of time, money and brains” into a drama- tic improvement of the bus system, to bring about ‘‘fast, extensive, convenient, com- fortable and _ inexpensive serviee.’’ Specifically they recommend: : e Restoration of the fre- quency of runs to the 1956 level. e Reduce the split shifts and drastically reduce overtime. e Double the present hiring rate of three men per week. e Purchase at least 100 new buses. e Institute a series of dial-a- bus experiments using the e Restore the downtowner ~ pass. _«;@ During rush-hours, reserve _, curb lanes on Hastings, Gran- Frequency in 1956 (at 5:00 p.m.) Every 3 minutes Every 5 minutes Every 2% minutes Every 3 minutes Every 4% minutes Every 4% minutes Every 2/2 minutes Regina example in at least 4 Van- “tt p@a couver neighbourhoods. t union CAA back year at the P.N.E. parking lots caused B.C. Hydro to resurrect 4 old out-of-service Fageol buses that are so slow they can do only a maximum of 8 m.p.h. on hills! Here are some examples of the cuts in the frequency of service since 1956: Frequency in 1970 (at 5:00 p.m.) Every 7 minutes Every 8 minutes Every 5 minutes Every 7 minutes Every 8 minutes Every 7 minutes Every 6 minutes ville, Main and Kingsway for buses only. To ensure that improvements will be in accordance with citizen wishes; the Public Transit Committee and the Union propose that City Council call a series of night sessions where all interested and con- cerned groups may present their views. every $100 of total costs, they pay $11.25 in wages. Information Canada, in cata- logue 72-003, dated November 1971, shows that in 1963, the total wages (all classes) in the meat industry was $11.50 in every $100 in costs. In 1967 it was $10. In 1971 it was $9.70. In other words, wage costs in the meat industry are substantially declining. 2 What of other costs? While Information Canada shows that wage costs are declining, they show that other costs are increasing. Although total pro- cessed meat production was approximately the same, ‘‘nackaging, supplies and con- tainers’’, increased from $530 million in 1963 to $595 million in 1967, and to $735 million in 1971. ‘All other expenses’’ rose from $825 million in 1963 to the almost unbelievable sum of $1,090 million in 1971! Is it not about » time we had a bit of information from the meat industry with respect to ‘‘all other expenses’, rather than placing any credence to their laments about rising costs due to wages? How about the cost of the raw product? The Livestock and Meat Trade report for August 5, 1972, shows the producer is receiving $33 per hundred weight for the very choicest of heavy weight steers that dress 700 pounds edible red beef. The common average carcass is from animals that dress 400-600 Ibs. to the carcass. These animals bring about $29 per cwt to the producer. Although this is only about $2 above the 1967 price for liveweight stock, the wholesale price for this product has risen from approximately $35 per hundred pound dressed edible beef to $59.80 per cwt in that same period. In dealing with the above prices, we are speaking only of edible red meat from any slaugh- tered animal. A 1,000 lb. steer will dress to 570 lbs. edible red beef. Very few of these reach our usual local markets as such choice stock is used for export. We usually get the 700-800 lb. heifers. the average family? These animals are very 200 beef, but they command a pei lower priced market and car processed considera cheaper. The wholesale price : full or half-carcass prices considerably less, - appro imately $46 per 100 Ibs. if compared to $59 per 100 lbs. : the heavyweight choice steel Nevertheless, we still pay 700 =: for a sirloin steak from the lb. heifer, as we would pay 4 one from the 1,000 lb. steer shank bone cut would still ie cents per lb. at present SUP market prices. i { It must be realized OT although a 1,000 Ib. steel “4 dress to 570 lbs. of edible ™. : meat, the remaining 430 ee not a loss to the meat procs d industry. Nothing is wast i: Tongue retails at .89 centél pound; kidney is .69 cents; that | .47 cents. Even the manure eit is stripped from the entra | slaughtered animals is sold @ at our gardening outlets fol 2a 7 per 40 Ib. bag. The bloods, 8 he hide are all utilized. Eve? Jue hoofs are sold to the Ft factories. Nothing 1s away. he 5? Infor™ ; wage How about g aver tion Canada reports the a wage in the meat prog and industry was $2.46 in 196) @ $3.94 per hour in 1971. B ‘i bone steak in the same P af increased in price from. © a pound to $2.59 in 1971. A triple. tst0 How about the average © Information Canada tells ¥ ig average food bill per iam ‘ant Canada was $34.24 for mit ws $34.34 for pork. In 197 $87.40 for beef and $4777 nis pork. Has any reader 0° injs wages increased ' unprecedented rate? ae All of the above figures Mio been taken from Infort™ cf} Canada, 800 Granvillé ia) Vancouver, (catalogue cout! and from Meat Packers © eal! of Canada, and Livestoe rial Trade Report, Dept. of for ihe ture, Ottawa. Free asking. # shelter. td «oe intoPe ‘BEATING U.S, BLOCKADE. Photo shows North Vietnamese loading rice,and,.other supplies a too delivery along,North Vietnam’s many rivets dnd channels: In-background canbe seen entrar® __ tos