Britain takes
less lumber»

British Columbia’s lumber in-
dustry is becoming increasingly
dependent upon the U.S. market.
This: is what emerges from a re-
view of prospects for 1952. The
British market is expected to buy
at least 175 million board feet
less B.C. lumber, at prices 15
percent down from 1952.

AS a result, lumber operators
are reported to be relying on the
uncertain U.S. market, which is
now taking what they term “a
fair volume of business.”

B.C. operators blame competi-
tion. from Baltic countries, now
that the British lumber market
has returned to private trading,
but offer no proposals for re-
gaining their position.

McEwen asks atty. general
to probe delay in transcript
of Clemens inquest evidence

onerg’ myny is the transcript of evidence in the Clarence
AEE ty heard the evidence and reached its verdict on
y the transcript is available in less than a week. What is c

5 cee effort to speed up delivery of the transcript to the
om McEwen this week wired Attorney-General Rober

Matter,

een as the Pacific Tribune
iat the transcript, it intends
the on ish the sworn testimony of
Phi. witness at the Clemens
monies thus giving readers an op-
the Brae to Judge the worth of
ae oner jury's verdict, which
trade ee widely condemned by
Sabon ee and other bodies as
Cops plete whitewash” of the two
e who arrested Clemens.
1 Se de was arrested July 19,
and Ret Constable Dan Brown
ing the ert Wintrip. After spend-
Bn night on a Cement floor at
en to + ee: station, he was tak-
the Pal Le bee General Hospital
Plained wing morning when he, com-
that he could not stand up

an,
and ee barely move his arms
Was €gs. Later that same day he
discharged.

Af :
in aa Spending a week at home
V, » he was again rushed to
VGH <

eee July: 28, with a tempera-
Gardner speaker
°n Town Meeting

oa peers secretary of B.C.
Speaker Ouncil, will be one of four
ada to os Town Meeting in Can-
ium; F = held at Pender Auditor-
The “ered February 6 at 8 p.m.
“What Sane of the discussion is
of the we Be the Probable Effects
DHS ane S. Far Eastern Policy?”

"Station poe will be broadcast over

ary 7 ‘(OR on Saturday, Febru-
sat 9 p.m.

Clemens case not yet available? The cor-
January 6—more than a full month ago.
ausing the delay in the Clemens’ case?
Pacific Tribune’s. legal advisors, PT
t Bonner asking him to look into the

ture of 109 degrees. Unable to
move or talk, he lay in a semi-para-
lysed condition for nearly five
months, and died on Christmas Eve.

Last month “150 Negro citizens
of Vancouver met in the Fisher-
men’s Hall and set up a new Org
anization to combat racial discrim-
ination, the Negro Citizens League.
First act of the League was to pass

a resolution asking Attorney-Gen-
eral Bonner to investigate the
Clemens verdict.

This week the Negro Citizens
League is holding its second meet-
ing, to discuss action of Vancou-
ver City Council in refusing to seek
legislation empowering it to’ out-
law racial discrimination.’ Protests
from many: organzations may force
council to review its position.

Endicott ealls for
intensified campaign
to end Korean war

» PORT ARTHUR

[A stepped up campaign in Canada to press for an end to the
war in Korea, to culminate in a National Cease-Fire Day on Feb-
ruary 28, was proposed here on Monday this week by Dr. James G.
Endicott, Canadian Peace Congress chairman. .

“I firmly believe that, if men and women all over Canada will

speak up for a cease-fire now, our
government will be encouraged to
take such a stand in the United
Nations and that this could be in-
strumental in ending that dreadful
and appalling war,” said Endieott.
“J therefore call upon men and wo-
men «all over (Canada to write to
their members of parliament and
ask them to speak up for a cease-
fire now.

“T ask every organization—labor,
farm, women, business, youth, cul-
tural, veterdns, fraternal—to discuss
this proposal and speak up in reso-
lutions addressed to the government
and MP’s.

“J propose that the people of this
country celebrate Saturday, “Feb-
ruary 28, as National Cease-Fire
Day.

“This should be a day on which
those active in the cause for peace
‘deliver a ‘cease-fire now’ message
to hundreds of thousands of
homes and ask the people to visit,
phone or write their MP’s so that
they will speak up for this prac-
tical way to end the war in Ko-
rea. :

“But without waiting for Feb-
ruary 28 I urge this audience and
meetings everywhere across the
country: Write to your MP. Let
your voice be heard. Publie opin-
ion brought about the beginning of
armistice negotiations in Korea.
A little more public opinion can
bring about a cease-fire and we will
have scored a mighty victory for
peace.”

Dr. Endicott said Canadians had
been “cheered and encouraged” by
statements from Churchill and St.
Laurent opposing any extension of
the Korean war.

“Almost every day we read in
the papers the speculations of
some militaristic hot-heads on an
offensive: in Korea, on blockading
China, or use of atomic weapons,
or other actions which might pre-
cipitate world war. ‘

“The fact is that the only way
to guard against spreading the
war in Korea is to stop it, and
that is what the people of this
country are demanding with
growing insistence.

“The way to stop the war in Ko-
rea is for both sides to declare a
cease-fire now, leaving their re-
maining differences to be negotiat-
ed_ afterwards.

Trades Council asks
into conduct of Clemens jury

Vancouver Trades and Labor
Council this week called upon At
torney-General Robert Bonner to
investigate the conduct of the cor-
oner’s jury that inquired into the
death of Clarence Clemens, Negro
longshoreman. .

A yesolution from the Interna-
tional Garment Workers Union,
supported by the Joint Labor Com-
mittee on Racial Discrimination,
asked council to take action to
bring about a government investi-
gation into the inquest because the
jury was “improperly constituted
and unfair in its findings.”

This resolution was replaced by
a susbstitute executive motion which
would provide the attorney-general
with an opening for exonerating
the jury. In the words of TLO
president Tom Alsbury, whose CCF
colleague, Arnold Webster, chair-

\

inquiry

man of Vancouver Parks Board,
was a member of the jury, ‘The
jury should be exonerated, or if
otherwise, bring it out.”

Responding to a letter from Mrs.
Effie Jones and Vancouver Hous-
ing Association, delegates passed
a resolution demanding speedy ac-
tion on the Little Mountain low-
rental housing project.

The decision to proceed was made
by the 1952 city council, voting 6-2,
after a powerful delegation from
church, labor and civic groups suc-
ceeded in overcoming the strenuous
opposition of the Board of Trade,
Chamber of Commerce, and Down-
town Property Owners lobby. How-
ever, the big real estate interests
were not defeated. New chairman
of the council’s building and town
planning committee is NPA Alder-

man William Orr, a bitter oppon-
ent of the Little Mountain scheme.
Council called upon its affiliates
and all interested organizations to
make representations to city coun-
cil. It was pointed out that a
straight majority, instead of © the
usual two-thirds, might be all that
is required to recind the motion
to proceed. ‘
Delegates also took up the mat-
ter of ‘certain anti-democratic sec-
tions in the. proposed city charter.
Syd Wybourn, Street Railway-
men’s delegate, introduced a motion
calling on council to go on record
against “an amendment requiring
candidates to post’a $100 bond as
a qualification for election. The
motion was amended on suggestion
of John Hines ‘of the Painters’
Union to include proposals for ex-

determination.

SRU asks
23 -cent
mcrease

Wage negotiations between the
BCElectric Railway Company and
the Street Railwaymen’s Union af-
fecting over 3,000 workers in Van-
couver, New Westminster and Vic-
toria will open up in an atmosphere
of company toughness and union
Indicative of the
union’s attitude’ was its rejection
by 96.4 percent vote of the Con-
ciliation board majority award of
six cents in the longdrawn out dis-
pute with Pacific Stage Lines, and
its present demand on the BCER
for a 23 cents an hour wage in-
crease. :

The Vancouver negotiation
scheduled for next week follow hard
on an announcement from Edmon-
ton that 450 bus drivers in that city
won wage increases bringing their
rate of pay up to the Vancouver
level, $1.51 an hour. However, it
is noted that Edmonton’s bus fares,.
also just increased, are much low-
er than Vanocuver’s—a straight 10-
cent cash fare, or 11 tickets for one
dollar, as compared with a 13-cent
cash fare, or eight tickets for one
dollar here. :

Union spokesmen, pointing out
that operators get 10 to 25 cents”
less than most semi-skilled and
unskilled workers in B.C., are out
to secure wages and working con-
ditions similar to those existing
in comparable occupations.

The union will present arguments
to show that a bus-driver’s work re-
quires a very high degree Gf se
sponsibility and skill, involving.
stewardship over human lives in a
one-man operated vehicle moving
through heavy traffic, and running
to a tight schedule.

Referring to the coming contract
negotiations, which are being open-
ed for the first time in ,two years,

Charles Stewart, union business
agent, said:
“We consider our proposals

proper and just. The BCER
conversion from two to one-man
equipment, 85 percent completed,
has almost doubled the work of
operators.”

The union will ask a number of
other major changes in addition to
its main wage demand. It wants
the contract reopened every year;
three weeks holiday with pay afteng
five years service; time-and-a-half
instead of the present time-and-a-

quarter for Sunday work; and
other revisions.
tending the registration period

from August to September, and to
extend polling time from the pre-
sent closing at 7 p.m._to 8 p.m. to

enable more workers to cast a
ballot.
TLC secretary R. K. Gervin

spoke against the proposal. He said
he favored posting the $100 as a
protection “against crackpots and
insincere people,’ and held that
éxtending the registration period
would make it impossible to prepare
the election lists in time. The re-
solution was finally referred for
immediate action to the council’s
legislative committee.

PACIFIC TRIBUNE — FEBRUARY 6, 1953 — PAGE 7

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