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B.C. LUMBER WORKER

July 31, 1952

10 ELECTION CALLED

ON UNION ISSUE

EREDERICTON (CPA)—New Brunswick Premier John Me-

Nair has called

an election for September 22.

According to him the issue will be unionization of the prov-

* ince’s Electrical Workers (AFL).

Tn fact, despite this attempt to capitalize on the anti-union pre- qiiies still rife among New

runswick farmers, the chief election issues will be provided by the public reaction against

jair’s Liberal administration climaxed by the recent appoint- ment of Royal Commissions to investigate scandals in the de- ee nents of Highways: and of

griculture, Phony Issue

_ The phony union issue will, however, ensure the government’s loss of the province’s small labor vote, say political observers,

Neither Labor nor “good gov- ernment” advocates are likely to find a real alternative in the Tory party of Hugh John Fleming, which now holds five seats in the 52-seat legislature. Politically bankrupt throughout the Mari- times, the Tories are attempting to capitalize on general discon- tent. They are expected to gain some seats but not power.

Labor Supports CCF

Major union group supporting the CCF will be the United Mine- workers’ locals in the: Minto area, divided between the ridings of Queen’s and Sunbury. This and other union support will be ral- lied more solidly to the CCF ban- ner by Henry Weisbach, Execu- tive Secretary of the Canadian Congress of Labor Political Ac- tion Committee, when he visits the Province in the latter part of August.

Spare Ballots R

The prevalence of multi- member constituencies make it difficult for minority parties to gain representation — a small majority over a four-member seat elects all four majority aspirants, while only three might get in if there were four single-member seats.

In addition, each party must print its own ballots, supply them to district returning offi- cers in each poll. This means spare ballots are in the posses- sion of each political party and that another party’s ballots may easily be stolen from the poll. Old party cash and liquor flow freely on election day in both rural and urban New Brunswick. But the Province’s CCF and PAC enthusiasts say they'll be doing their job of pioneering regardless of ob- stacles, :

ve instructor told me I rode as if I were part of the horse.” “Did he tell you which part?”

“My worst sin,” she sighed, “is vanity. I spend hours every admiring my beauty.” 5

‘That’s not vanity,” her friend replied, “that’s imagination!”

hydro employees by the International Brotherhood of

PROFESSOR RESEARCHES — UNIONS

LONDON (CPA)—A British University Professor, Dr. Jo- seph Goldstein, got tired of endless arguments about dem- ocracy and trade unions. So he got himself a workingman’s job and joined up in Britain’s biggest union—the mammoth Transport & General Workers’ Union, built up by the late Ernest Bevin.

, After participating as a rank and file union member in imeet- ings and in the work of the union for eight months (November, 1947, to July, 1948) Dr. Goldstein come to his conclusions. Recently they’ve been published in a book called ‘‘Democracy and Trade Unions”. Roughly, he felt his local union was a thoroughly democratic organization — but membership apathy frequently left effective control in the hands of the few members who were willing to carry on the work of the local. He was particularly impressed with the number of committee -‘style checks British unions keep on their full-time staff representatives,

He points out that his union, like most other free trade unions the world over, admitted all work- ers to membership regardless of race, religion or politics. There was adequate membership repre- sentation in the. policy-making bodies of the union. There were enough ways and means by which union members could keep in touch with elected officers and what they were doing. The mem- bership in turn could readily make its feelings known to the officers and officials. As in all |groups, some people took more part in running the organization than others.

Democracy

Dr. Goldstein found that demo- eratic rights over the machinery of their union were not exercised by more than a tiny percentage of dues-paying members. Only 1,000 local union card-holders at- tended his first meeting, and ‘roughly the same group were there to shake his hand when he went back to his College cloister. Many North American ‘unionists know whereof he speaks.

Dr. Goldstein also suggests that a constant turn-over in the membership of his union made membership participation in its operation difficult, Evidently it did not enjoy union security.

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U.S. Labor Blocked

CHICAGO (CPA)—Despite, their effective veto on the Presi- dential aspirations of Vice-president Alben Barkley, the political spokesmen of organized labor were only one of many voices com- peting for a hearing at the Democratic national convention held

here July 22-26.

In a pre-convention statement, CIO Secretary-Treasurer James B. Carey and Vice-president Wal- ter P. Reuther asked for a strong attack on the “reactionary coali- tion” of southern Democrats and Republicans in Congress, for re- peal of the anti-labor Taft-Hart- ley Act and for federal fair prac- tices laws.

Labor’s Choice

When the Democratic national convention was over, John Spark- man, a Southerner though a sup- porter of the New and Fair Deal programs, had been named as Vice-Presidential candidate. The presidential candidate Adlai Ste- yenson, while a strong and sin- cere personality, was one whose views were only barely left of centre. However, he was named as acceptable along with million- aire liberal Averell Harriman and T.V. crime prober Estes Ke- fauver in a statement issued by labor officials before balloting began.

While the Democratic platform contains planks asking repeal of Taft-Hartley and enactment of

fair practices legislation, Steven- son himself is on record in favor of amendment but not repeal of the disputed labor act and state rather than federal fair practices laws.

On the other hand, it’s been said that Stevenson is being pre- sented for election purposes as a more moderate liberal than he really is.

Labor Vote

It’s also true that while union workers who get to the polls will vote Democratic, the percentage of labor men and women who vote'is just as low in the U.S. as it is in Canada—énly 47% in 1948, That means Stevenson will have to work just as hard to get out his labor vote as he will to garner independent votes that might go to Eisenhower. Thus Labor will have some real power in the Democratic campaign and in the policy-making of a new Democratic administration if it is elected.

Any prospect of a labor party in the U.S. is nearly as far off as it has ever been,

LABOR — MAKES GAINS

LONDON (CPA)—Enropean political trends which have been running indecisiyely against Labor and Socialist parties for-the last two years or more are now, going the other way, bringing sweeping Labor gains in the Netherlands @@) Germany and. Britain during’ recent months,

Most smashing success for the European Labor parties was the Dutch Socialists’ victory in the June 25th general elections there. Labor pulled over 29% of the vote to win 30 seats in the 100- seat legislature, in which parties are represented in almost exact proportion to the percentage of votes cast for them. f

The Labor Party had held only - 27 seats, since the 1948 election, and its previous high-watermark had been the 29 seats it gained in 1946, following the continent- wide swing to Socialist parties at that time. Both major com- munal parties, Catholic and Cal- vinist, dropped seats, though the Labor-Catholie coalition is ex- pected to continue, with Labo; having a. stronger. voice in government,

MEN AND TREES

John Miller at twenty has already been logging for four years. Born in Port Alberni in the centre of the logging industry on the west coast of Vancouver Island, John works as a chaser, unhooking the choker when the turn on the logs reaches the spar tree. John’s livelihood depends on a perpetual supply of. trees. In. British Columbia everyone is dependent, directly or indirectly, on the forest resource.

“Protect Your Prosperity Keep British Columbia Green ;

DEPARTMENT OF LANDS AND FORESTS

British Columbia Forest Service

FLS2.