Halt rape of forests

Cont'd from pg. 1

These were: (1) All productive forest land was to remain in Crown ownership. (2) ‘‘The Crown was to receive a fair share of the wealth produced by the exploitation of this natural resource.’ (3) “‘Speciulation in timber by private interests was to be eliminated.’’ (4) ‘‘The export of logs in unmanu- factured form was to be reduced toa minimum.”

Although the Sloan report opened the way to the present forest legislation, over the years since 1945 each of these

four principles have been

violently abused.

Another point which the Sloan.

report emphasized has been almost totally neglected. That was his strong emphasis on the need for rapidly advancing the processing and manufacture of wood products from the raw material.

Graphic illustrations and facts in the report emphasized the greater advantage to B.C. if it processed logs instead of exporting them in raw or semi-

COPE.

Cont'd from pg. 2

Frank Kennedy, following the nomination conference. ‘‘The response of our members at the meeting was enthusiastic and encouraging. But we still need more poll captians, canvassers, office help and of course, donations to our campaign fund. I appeal to all who want to see alderman Harry Rankin re- elected and some new faces at city hall to support COPE’s campaign.

“The NPA, which represents big business interests, has dominated city hall too long. The Electors Action Movement (TEAM offers no real alterna- tive. COPE candidates are representative of the majority of our citizens — working people, professional people and small business. COPE’s program calls for sweeping reforms based on developing our city for the people who live in it, not just for the real estate promoters. COPE candidates will bring about decisive changes.”’ :

The nominating conference also decided that it will work for the nomination of a mayoralty candidate jointly with the New Democratic Party and the Van- couver and District Labor Council.

aves

manufactured form. To this day — with only minor changes — the forest economy of B.C. remains a raw material one to the great profit of MacMillan Bloedel and U.S. owned companies, and great loss to the people of B.C.

The central theme of the Sloan report was the call to end the wasteful methods of logging prevalent before World War 2 and to adopt new legislation which would place B.C.’s forests on a perpetual yield basis.

POLICY CHANGED

In 1947 and 1948 the provincial government amended the Forest Act to provide for an entirely new kind of forest tenure. It provided that the government would parcel out huge tracts of Crown forests to large corporations in perpetuity at one cent per acre per year.

These public forests lands were henceforth to be “reserved for the sole use of the licensee.’’ In return the companies under took to manage the forests and replant trees to replace those cut so that there would be a perpetual supply of new trees.

In the years that followed public criticism forced minor changes in the legislation. These changes left the legislation much as: it was except that the name of the licenses was changed to Tree Farm Licenses, and the ‘“‘perpetuity’’ clause was changed to a 21 year period at the end of which they were to be reviewed or renewed. In practise the government has renewed them as a matter of course — just as if they were in perpetuity.

SELLOUT

The new forestry legislation meant in effect that the govern- ment would turn over many millions of acres of our best forest lands to.a handful of giant forestry corporations as part of their financial empire to control and exploit.

It represented the most gross sellout of the people’s heritage ever to take place in B.C.

In the years that followed 38 licences were granted mostly to companies like MacMillan Bloedel and giant U.S. corpora- tions who moved into B.C. to take advantage of the new profit bonanza offered by the govern ment.

Huge forest empires were built. Hundreds of millions of dollars were made in stock

abor

nial

blasts Gaglardi

-Jobs not available

The B.C. Federation of Labor this week charged Welfare Minister Phil Gaglardi with making inaccurate statements regarding the availability of jobs in B.C.’s northern areas, ‘‘if workers would take them. . .”

In a press statement the Federation claimed they had investigated allegations that unemployed workers had refused jobs in the north, and pointed out that IBEW has 60 unemployed wiremem ready and able who already live in that part of the province.

There ‘are 100 machinists who are willing to go anywhere to

companies which had acquired a forestry licence.

At the same time, the lumber barons, hungry for more logs, moved into the Public Sustained Yield Units — areas set aside to be managed by the Forestry Service to supply logs for smaller operations — and captured most of the yield. Large chunks of the PSYU were turned over to the lumber mono- polies to serve new pulp mills. They even moved into public parks, such as Strathcona, Manning Park, Jasper and Banff and Cypress Bowl, etc., to swell their profits.

The end result has been that most public forests have been alienated to a handful of giant monopolies, most of them U.S. owned. Of the top eight in B.C. only two are Canadian controlled. The ‘‘big three’? — MacMillan Bloedel, Forest Products and Crown Zellerbach — produce about one third of all our forestry production!

The time has come to call a

half to this rape of B.C.’s most '

vital resource.

The key problem is to regain public control of the forests by repealing the present forestry legislation and adopting an entirely new forestry policy which will leave control of the forests in the hands of the people and their representatives.

It is fifteen years (1955) since the last probe into our forest industry took place, despite the fact that the Sloan report proposed a full inquiry every ten years. Public opinion should press the government to set up a

new public inquiry immediately

to thoroughly probe what’s happening in our forest indus- try and to explore the need for new legislation to end the rape of our forests and return control of them where it rightfully belongs— to the people of B.C.

work, as well as 300 unemployed operating engineers registered with the Dawson Creek office.

“. . We call upon (Gaglardi) to acknowledge the inaccuracy of his statement and set the record straight. The people of B.C. should not be misled about the current grave unem- ployment situation.”

Sek ke

The B.C. Federation of Labor will hold its annual convention in the Bayshore Inn from November 2-7 inclusive.

The continuing struggle against Bill 33 is believed likely to be in the forefront of discus- sions, as well as the necessity of achieving unity.

* * *

United Fishermen and Allied Workers have blasted Dr. Gordon Shrum regarding his statement that the Moran Dam project (on the Fraser) will be included in a study of provincial power needs.

The UFAWU said millions of dollars have been spent in restoring the Fraser River salmon runs, and millions more must be spent to eliminate the

pollution from sewage, forest and industrial wastes.

Union spokesmen said they have always taken a consistent stand in opposition to hydro electric development on salmon rivers so long as alternative sources of energy were available. :

The union pointed out that the nine trillion cubic foot of natural gas available for export would be a pollution-free source 9 electric energy.

“Why sacrifice ‘our salmon industry, worth more than $90. million annually in order to sell - an alternative source to the BES 222

* KOK

A CLC representative at this week’s seminar in Penticton sponsored by the Workmen’s Compensation Board and the

B.C. Federation of Labor, said —

the reluctance of employers t0 include labor in its safety and accident prevention program

tends to reduce labor’s potential

in solving some of the probtems.

By HAROLD PRITCHETT

What started out to be one of the greatest struggles against the lumber barons has ended ina betrayal of the economic interests of the woodworkers in B.C.

With seven unions claiming to represent sections of the wood and pulp industry, a new

approach is needed. The key to .

success is unity of all workers against the common enemy, the boss. Poe

The vital question of labor unity is pointed up by Bennett’s anti-labor law Bill 33, and Trudeau’s “austerity” 6 percent guideline. The executive council of the B.C. Federation of Labor realized this fact early in the New Year when the Employer’s Council called a lockout (employer’s strike) in the entire building construction industry in B.C.

Some success in uniting labor in lumber and pulp was obtained when B.C. Fed. secretary Ray Haynes and pulp representative Pat O’Neal accompanied the IWA negotiating committee in the first meeting with FIR, the Employers Council in wood.

The first break in this excellent attempt at unity came when Pat O’Neal of the Pulp and

“UFAWU.

$560 for their strike fund.

Merger talks with UFAWU

The 28th convention of the Canadian Brotherhood of Railway, Transport and General Workers (CBRT) last week voted to ask the United Fishermen and Allied Workers Union to merge with the CBRT. Delegates overwhelmingly approved discussions already commenced by their executive board concerning the possible entry into the Brotherhood of. the

Retiring president W. J. Smith declared the fishermen on

the east coast are putting up a heroic struggle, and later, full . support for the striking UFAWU Nova Scotia fishermen was given by the CBRT, with a convention hall collection of over

‘Woodworkers economic | inferests betrayed’

Sulphite International Union accepted and recommended acceptance by the pulp section of the industry of a 60 cent increase over a three year contract. This

set the pace for the entire

woodworking industry. This — when everybody knew there was more to obtain, with employer profits and production per man hour at an all time high.

The next betrayal of the~

workers interest came when Jack Moore, Regional President of the IWA, recommended acceptance of this formula to the IWA negotiating committee, and when it was rejected, resigned from the committee as chairman. This was a further betrayal of the workers interest in that the pattern set in Pulp was carried over into the IWA, and a breakfast with the boss can’t change that.

All of this took place after the woodworkers had voted better

than 90 percent for strike if the —

need arose; while at the same time thousands of woodworkers were locked out during the tug

_ boat dispute.

With the boss laying off wood- workers and unemployed reaching a high since 1960, we have the spectacle in the Regional Convention of palace struggle for jobs. It makes the boss happy when men who call themselves socialists fight amongst themselves for positions while the interests of the woodworkers are neglected.

While wages fail to keep up

with rising prices, compulsory arbitration stares us in the face. Woodworkers jobs are at stake! We need a united union with a policy which places the interests of the woodworkers first; a progressive policy which works for a united labor movement

against our common enemy the

bossy; 3. 3

e

=