“Himm, he sleeps so well now since Mr. Hart gave us his word that Bill 39 would be enforced. Poor dear . . . haa—pfffff.”

Bengough proposes board fo pass on price boosts

OTTAWA—Establishment board to hear applications by

increases was urged here this week by Percy Bengough, president of the Trades and Labor Congress of Canada, in

a criticism of the’ government’s arbitrary price decontrol decisions. Rather than press for retention of price controls, the Congress now urged establishment of a - board before which legitimate de- mands by industries for price in- ereases could be aired, he said.

Bengough pointed out that or- ganized labor was required to present arguments for wage in- q@rease demands before govern- ment boards. The same treatment, he said, should be accorded to Canadian industry, with price in- * greases resulting onlv after care- ful study and consultations.

‘Labor must go before boards to justify demands for ware in- _ervases,” said Bengough. “We can- aot subscribe to the government's action in arbitrarily raising the eost of living without prior con- sultation with all groups con- cerned.” J

“The Canadian Gongress of La- hor issued a statement declaring that the federal t, by its mew price decontro! order. was inviting workers to seek new

wage increases to meet higher diving costs.

- “By virtually inviting price in-

creases and allowing prices to spiral the government is asking

fdr trouble,” CCL said. “In effect,

workers are being invited to seek

mew wage increases in order to meet higher living costs.

.“Phe government’s action in re- moving almost all remaining price eontrols in its decontrol order is @ complete disregard of the con- tinual. warnings which this Con-

ng

gress and Canadian workers and

the consuming public have ex- : pressed.”

of a federal government Canadian industries for price

Strikes.

the offer with a $2.25 a week wage increase and the 44hour week. Now the union is prepared to modify its original demands if restaurant owners will write the 40-hour week into the contract. Meanwhile, workers in two of the three Vancouver plants shut down by the United Pack- inghouse Workers’ strike have voted overwhelmingly against the federal government’s proposal that they return to work pending con- ciliation of the nation-wide dis- pute. » '

At the Swift Canadian plant the vote was 20-1 against a return to work and at the Canada Pack- ers plant, 80-1. Workers at the Burns plant, who were to vote Thursday, were also expected to reject the government's proposal.

Another union, driven by aa- vancing prices to seek wage in- creases, was also adding to the provincial government’s difficul- ties this week. A three-man con- ciliation board appointed to me- diate in the dispute between the BCElectric and the Street Rail- waymen’s union, reported this week that it had been unable to reach agreement. The board’s de- layed report was to be submitted to the minister of labor early this

coming week,

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King urged to help Britain .

TORONTO—With the exception of Canada, most of the Common- wealth countries will be repre- sented at a round table confer- ence next week in London to discuss measures on how best to meet Britain’s dollar crisis.

Two weeks ago Australia came to the aid of Britain with $5% million in gold, and pledged her annual gold production of $23 million to alleviate the crisis, ac- cepting sterling in payment as a means of increasing Britain’s gold reserves with which to purchase American dollars. 4

Last week Tim Buck, national leader of the Labor-Progressive Party, stressing the gravity of the situation and the ambiguous posi- tion of Canada, said here:

“TI understand that emergency meetings of the Dominion cabin- et and top officials are being held in. Ottawa on the crisis which has arisen because of U.S. pres- sure on Britain. This .U.S. dollar crisis is indeed serious. It makes Britain’s position intolerable. It signals dangerous mounting diffi- culties for Canada. 3

“Imagine how the British people feel, being told by their Labor government that they must eat less because Uncle Sam turns the financial screws down. How can you maintain health, or expect harder work when your meat ra- tion is 20 cents worth a week. Twenty cents worth of meat a week is the proposed new British ration! Britain is reaping the re- sults of knuckling down to USS. big business. This is the Mar- shall Plan and the Truman Doc- trine in action.

“The duty of the King govern- ment is clear. It is to summon an immediate session of parlia- ment to deal with this dollar crisis, to adopt emergency eco- nomic policies to -protect Canada against U.S. dollar domination, work out means by which the British people can secure from Canada, many of the commodi- ties which they must now stop getting from the U.S.

“Canada can help Britain to eat more. Britain and the colonies can give Canada greater markets which means more jobs, and as- sured income for our workers and farmers. And, if Canada, Britain and all Commonwealth and Em- pire countries would take the road of economic cooperation with the new democracies of Europe and the Soviet Union, many of the present crisis problems, forced on us by U.S. big business, could be tackled and solved.”

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Big business wanted sales tax proposal

HARRISON HOT SPRINGS, B.C. — In a convention which saw most progressive proposals voted down, the Union of British Columbia Municipalities this week:

@ Approved the sending of a mass delegation. of mayors and reeves to Victoria to ask the gov- ernment to impose a sales tax, primary purpose of which would be to provide for the cost -of education, with any surplus ap- plied to municipal hospital, health and other social service costs.

@ Rejected a proposal brought in by Vancouver delegates that the business tax be made manda- tory throughout the province.

@ Rejected a resolution from Prince Rupert and Central B.C. Association urging that the prvc- vincial government be urged to repeal the poll tax in its entire- ty.

@ Referred back a Saanich res- olution asking the provincial gov- ernment to institute a compul- sory health insurance scheme and to distribute the cost of hospit- alization equitably among all res- idents of the province. . Mayor William Mott of New Westminster, new UBCM presi- dent, charged during the acrim- onious_debate on the business tax that “big business would rather see a sales tax,’ claiming that a lobby had been at work during the convention to line delegates up for support of the sales tax proposal. One of the few _ progressive

Prices

night to consider raising their de- mand from the 12% cents an hour sought during negotiations and refused by employers. ; “Reconsideration becomes neces- sary in view of the announce- ment from Ottawa,” Park declared. Bill White, president of the Marine Workers and Boilermak- ers Industrial Union, stated that his union would approach other unions for a discussion of wage demands. He held that demands would have to be boosted because “increased living costs have just - about wiped out the 12%-cent in- crease that we have been able to establish in three-quarters of the shipbuilding industry.” : Harold Pritchett, district presi-’ dent of the International Wood- workers, 1,000 of whose members employed by furniture plants 15 Vancouver and Victoria struck last week for the contract wages

and conditions won by loggers and sawmill workers, said that furniture workers would also

boost their demands.

x

6,000 sign petition

TORONTO—Mrs. Rae Luckock, president of the Housewives Con- sumer Association here, said this

week that her organization would ° continue its fight to have price controls on food reestablished. — More than 6,000 housewives had already signed petitions support- ing this demand, she reported.

———

measures. to win the support of a majority of delegates was the proposal that East Indians be

view of the fact that they were given the provincial franchise by. the legislature earlier this year. The convention agreed to ask the government to amend the Munici- nal Act which now denies East Indians the right to vote, with the qualification that an East Indian shall be defined, as in the vrovincial act, as “anv native British subject from India.’

Delegates, however, voted down

O. L. Jones of Kelowna, that the

government be from the Municipal Act “the en-

elections.

Asks trade with Russia

LONDON—A demand for devel- opment of trade with Russia and the new European democracies as a means of extricating Britain from her economic difficulties and

plans of Wall Street,” was advo- cated by a conference of union shop stewards here last weekend.

given the municipal franchise in.

an amendment suggested bv Ald. asked to delete, tire discriminatory clause” which

bars Chinese, Japanese, other Asi- atics and Indians from voting in

Tribune to report

union conventions’

Two important conventions will take place soon, where

decisions affecting the future |] of millions of men and women will be made. The AFL con vention will meet in San Francisco on October 6, and in Boston the CIO convention i| will meet October 13. The de liberations of both these || gatherings will be of the ut most importance to .all trad? unionists, :

The Pacific Tribune bas |} made special arrangement with Federated Press Service for news coverage of gatherings. Our October 17 and 24 editions will carry roundup news _ features both.

Arrangements have also been made with the ‘Dally Tribune’ reporters for a come plete coverage of the and Laobr Congress conven tion, which opens in Hamilto® September 24.

For up-to-the-minute reports |

if

on.

changing the present disastrous|} on these important trade U2 | policy of dependence on _ the|| ion. conventions—make sure on United States and consequent your copy of the ie commitment to “the imperialist|] Tribune. Local union bundle

orders at special rates cat be secured if ordered now.

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_ ®RIDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 1947

‘The peop'e want a session NOW’ Friday, September 26, at 9.80 pm.

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Ee PACIFIC TRIBUNE—P4S