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FRIDAY, JULY 5, 1963 a" 10¢
VOL. 24, NO. 27. VANCOUVER, B.C.

Key unions pledge aid
in Longshore struggle

Talks between the International
Longshoremen’s & Warehouse-
men’s Union and the Shipping
Federation of B.C. and Wharf
Operators Association were still
goirg on as the PT went to press.

The ILWU bargaining position
has been strengthened by the
news that three powerful unions
have pledged solidarity in the
longshoremen’s struggle — the
Teamsters, IWA, and Pulp & Sul-
phite.

The pledge of ‘full support to
the ILWU if it is forced to strike

in B.C. for its demands’ came
as a result of a joint meeting of
international representatives of
the unions involved, held at IWA
headquarters in Portland, Oregon

-on July 1.

This action of solidarity takes
on new importance in view of
the preparations by shipping
companies to re-route cargo
through the West Coast ports of
the U.S.A. in the event of a strike
in B.C.

Harry Bridges, ILWU president,
has joined the union negotiating
team.

“KEEP BC NUCLEAR FREE
DEMAND COMOX MARCHERS

“Keep B.C. Nuclear Free,’’ “No Nuclear Dumps Here.” This was the message
that rang out loud and clear to the people of Vancouver Island and echoed across
Canada on Monday, July 1st from a motorcade of more than fifty cars and two hun-
dred and fifty people from Lower Mainland and Vancouver Island points which con-

verged on Comox.

Organized by the B.C. Peace
Council, the motorcade was a pro.
test against the announced inten-
tion of the Liberal governme:t
to store nuclear weapons at the
Comox RCAF base.

Decked with car-top signs and
posters, the motorcade stretched
out for almost a mile as it wound
its way up the seventy mile high-
way between Nanaimo and Co-
mox.

Family after family came out
on their lawns to cheer the prc-
cession, leaving no doubt about
the attitude of local residents to
the government’s decision which
would turn their homes into a
nuclear target.

Enroute thousands of leaflets
were distributed showing a nu-
clear mushroom cloud rising over
a map of B.C., and urging the
public to protest the government's
decision.

Entitled, ‘“‘Don’t Let It Happen
Here!”’ the leaflet said:

URGE PROTESTS

“Ottawa’s decision to construct

storage dumps for nuclear weap-

ons at Comox, B.C., and other
points across Canada, is a crip-
pling blow to Canada’s effective-
ness in working for an end to the
arms race.

“The presence of these deadly
weapons on our soil will cut Can-
ada’s ties with the non-nuclear
nations, which, acting together.
are a formidible bulwark against
the outbreak of thermonuclear
war.

“We cannot afford to remain
silent at such a crucial time. It
is vital that all peace support-
ers speak out by writing to
Prime Minister Pearson and their
MP in protest against Canada’s
acquisition of nuclear warheads.”

At the Comox base alarmed of-
ficials dropped the gates as the
impressive parade came _ into
sight, but the cars pulled into the
parking lot outside the base and
held an orderly and enthusiastic
meeting at the entrance.

Lod Gardner, B.C. Peace Coun-

cil chairman, spoke to the gath-
ering and assured them that they
“represented the opinions of the
overwhelming majority of Cana-
dians in their opposition to the
storage of nuclear weapons in
Canada.”

‘BIGGER & BIGGER’

Gardner said he was sure ‘“‘other
groups would demonstrate at this
base and the demonstrations
would get bigger and bigger.’’ He
said the peace forces of B.C.
would not stop until there was
assurance from the government
that there will be no nuclear arms
in Canada.

<<

The inevitable guitar and folk
singers materialized and _ the
crowd shook up the military at-
mosphere of the Air Force base
with such songs as, “‘Ain’t Gonna
Study War No More,” and “Last
Night I Had The _ Strangest
Dream.”

The demonstration ended with
the singing of ‘‘O, Canada,’’ and

See COMOX, pg. 3

ROVAL CANADIAN AIR FORCE

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**NO NUCLEAR DUMPS HERE "reads the sign
at the gate of Comox RCAF station on the left
as pickets protested plans to turn it into a nu-
clear dump. Top picture shows the cavalcade

lining up near Royston. Bottom picture shows
B.C. Peace Council chairman L. Gardner telling
the pickets that demonstrations at the base will
“get bigger and bigger.”

—Photos S. Friedman