3

abor Favors Vote

or 18-Year-Olds

All Canadian citizens from the age of 18 years and over
suld have the right to vote in federal, provincial and muni-
al elections. That was the emphatic déclaration of dele-
es to the regular meeting of the Vancouver Trades and
ser Council this week in voting unanimous approval of a
olution to that effect presented by Delegate Robert Cor-

ick of New Westminster.

he matter provoked a verbal
m -before it was approved,
fever, With R. H. Neelands of
Typographical Union and E.
(Jamieson of the Musician's
on taking the floor to oppose
motion, WNeelands on the
giple that youths of 18 years
not mature enough to handle
franchise,’ Jamieson with a
on to refer the matter back
ae legislative committee.
‘plying to Neelands, Delegate
ag, Machinists Lodge 692,
id it was “absolute nonsense”
‘faim that only those who had
ed the age of 21 were ma-
enough for the vote.
ii show you people of all
| in many parts of Bastern
ada who cannot recognize
> Own names in print yet are
ed to vote,’ he said. “Do
mean to say, then, that young
and women who haye gone
ugh our high schools and
ersities, or others who have
n their place on the produc-
lines and worked consciously
victory, are unable to decide
shall represent them in par-
ent?” :
Its the youth of this coun-
who are doing the fighting,”
i Delegate Sam Shearer of
Railway Carmen. “The
th of the RCAF, of the Ca-
jian ist Division in Italy,
& shown by deeds their de-
| for the ultimate victory of
nocracy. If they’re old
ugh to fight, then they’re
enough to vote for their
ntry.” :

percussions of a dispute that
d up during a session of the
at Trades and Labor  Con-
* convention in Quebec City
ied the floor of council for
*w minutes when Delegate
fack proposed a resolution
foring the action of J. N.

Ross of the Electricians’ Union
in attacking our president, Birt
Showler, for having participated
Jointly with the CCL in the cam-
Paign to amend the ICA Act.”

President Showler refused to
consider the motion and asked
Cormack to withdraw it “in the
interests of the movement.’ The
New Westminster delegate ac-
ceded to the request, but not be-
fore re-stating his condemnation
of Ross who had “participated
with this council in the joint
campaign to amend the IGA Act,
had sat in council when it voted
to approve what had been done,
then waited until he was 3,000
miles away to launch an attack on
Brother Showler for his work in
behalf of organized labor.”

Council approved a resolu-
tion, also presented by Dele-
ate Cormack,. asking dele-
gates to protest “the dictatorial
action of Prime Minister King
In dismissing J. L. Gohen from
the National War Labor Board
and requesting the Trades and
Labor Congress to obtain the
cooperation of all organized
labor in having Cohen rein-
stated.”

Speaking to the motion, Dele-
gate Parkin of the Aeronautical
Mechanics, said that ‘Cohen
walked out of the board in pro-
test against the government's
utter failure to act on recom-
mendations of the board and its
refusal to publish the report of
the board’s inquiry. We should
demand his reinstatement and
press for immediate publication
of the board’s report on labor
relations.”

Delegate Sid Wybourne re-
marked that “by its action in the
Cohen case and other matters af
fecting labor, ithe King govern-
ment was only sealing its own
doom at the next election.’

letal Miners Pledge
all War Output

A pledge by members of the International Union of Mine
{and Smelter Workers, to give their full support to
British Columbia government in the presecution of the
; Was greeted this week by Premier John Hart as a “fine,
Gtaneous expression of determination.”

ie pledge was contained in a
fsent to Premier Hart while
convention was in session.
Premier declared he “deeply
‘eciated the action of the
im”

*xt of the wire declared:

the delegation assembled in
golden jubilee convention of
golden jubilee convention of
TUMMSW at Butte, represent-
‘some 8.000 workers in base
al mines of B.C., pledge to
f government full support of

this organization for the uninter-
rupted production of these vital
War materials.”

Officers of Kimberley Local
651, ITUMMSW, announced this
week that the provincial depart-
ment of labor had certified the
union as bargaining agent for
the workersn ina they Sulli-
van Mine and concentrator at
Kimberley. Union members
termed the decision “a resound-
ing victory for the workers of
BCH

THE SOVIETS

By ANNA LOUISE STRONG
— 35 Cents —

INIVERSAL NEWS — 138 East Hastings, Vancouver

EXPECTED IT

HIPYARD WORKERS!
' Eat at the

SUGAR BOWL CAFE
NORTH VAN

"
Ah

You'll Enjoy Our

HOME COOKING

at the

Shelly Coffee Shop
121 West Pender

3

Vessel Named For N

ewsguild Founder

With a smashing blow, Mrs. Heywood Broun christens the Liberty ship named for her
late husband, Heywood Broun, first president of the American Newspaper Guild (CIO),
in Labor Day ceremonies at the Bethlehem-F airfield shipyards, Baltimore, Maryland. Pres-
ident John Green (1) of the Industrial Union of Marine and Shipbuilding Workers (CIO),
whose members built the vessel, looks on.

IWA Has First Woman
Organizer In Industry

By AL PARKIN

The ghost of the legendary Paul Bunyan must have snorted in mixed derision and tear-
ful despair and retreated farther back into the fastnesses of the dwindling big timber one
day recently, finally convinced that the age-long hegemony of the he-man in the lumber
industry was a thing of the dear, departed past.

The reason for “Ole Paul’s” final eclipse could only have been the recent election: to
the job of business agent of Local 1-217, International Woodworkers of America, of blond,
attractive Doreen MacCordindale, the first woman to hold such a position in any section of
the lumber industry of North America.

It's a big job the members of
Local 1-217 have given their new
business agent. The local has jur-
isdiction over all sawmills, shingle
mills, box, plywood and veneer
plants in the Vancouver area, in-
cluding False Creek, and there
are a lot of them, with hundreds
of IWA members and hundreds of
potential members. Part of her
job—she’s financial secretary of
the local as well—keeps her at
her office in the Holden Building
handling dues over the counter
and keeping books and records.

But her most important duty is
to get out into the mills along
False Creek and Marine Drive,
consult with the members, help
plan the organizing drives, handle
the “beefs” of the membership.

The latter part of her duties, in
view of the traditionally anti-
union attitude of the lumber op-
erators, is the toughest, and the
fact that the local union member-
ship saw fit to place her in the
position the respect they have for
her as a fellow worker and a
good union “man.”

MacCorkindale (that doesn’t
seem right, somehow, but how do
you address a female business
agent?) is nicknamed “Corky,”
but it should be “Speed.” For
she holds the double distinction
of haying won a leading position
in the IWA within the short space
of a few months, and of making
a place for herself as one of the
country’s outstanding track and
field stars. She still holds the
Canadian record for the women’s
75-yard dash, established at a
track and field meet at Powell
River.

Her first job in the industry
was at H. R. MacMillan’s big B.C.
Plywoods plant out on Marine
Drive. She went to work partly
to supplement her ailowance
from the government — her sol-
cier husband has been overseas
almost four years with the Sea-
forth Highlanders and is now re-
ported fighting somewhere in

Italy—and partly because she
wanted to do something for the
war effort herself. Incidentally,
her small daughter, Diane, was
born shortly after her husband
left for England. He’s only seen
her pictures as yet.

The work at the plant as a
glue spreader and stacker on the
dry chain was tough and paid
lower wages than had prevailed
for the male employees in the
same occupation. That was one
thing that made her union-con-
scious, that and the fact that the
IWA fought for equal pay for
equal work.

In addition, when she first went
on the job, the workers at the
plant had just gone through a
dispute with the management
over the issue of union recogni-
tion, in the course of which sey-
eral union members had been dis-
charged. So when she was ap-
proached to become a member
and help in reorganizing the
union, she accepted, later became
a shop steward, and soon won
a place as a union leader on the
job. First recognition of her serv-
ices came in July of this year
when she was sent as a delegate
from the local to the midsumer
convention of the TWA District
Council in Nanaimo. Election to
her present position followed.

When you speak to her about
ihe work, you’re struck by her
matter-of-fact attitude and calm
confidence. She’s sure the local
is going to go ahead. It doesn’t
strike her as strange that a
woman should have the job tra-
ditionally held by a man.

“Why should it?” she asks. “It’s
no longer news when a woman
goes to work in the lumber in-
dustry. There should be no eye-
brow-lifting if a woman is chosen
to lead a union that has hundreds
of women members,”

She will tell you, too, that she
joined the union in the first
place because it held out the
only hope of winning social se-

curity and the kind of democratic
life the men fighting overseas
will want to come home to en-
joy.

“1 don’t want my husband, when
he comes back, to go through the
experience of the veterans of the
last world war,’ she declares.
“This time, making the world
safe for democracy applies to
Canada as well. And if I’ve got
anything to do with it, when he
does come back, there’ll be a job
for him at decent wages. That’s
one thing organized labor can do,
not only for the men overseas
but Canadian workers as a whole.”

CLASSIFIED

A charge of 50 cents for each in-
sertion of five lines or less with
10 cents for each additional line
is ade for notices appearing in
this) column. -

NOTICES

Canadian Aid to Russia Fund,
Auxiliary No. 1. Used clothing of
all kinds always urgently needed.
835 West Pender Street. Phone
MArine 2744.

Next regular meeting of the
Cloverdale Branch of the Labor-
Progressive Party will be held
Monday, September 17, 8 p.m., at
the Liberal Hall.

Regular meetings of the Hast
ings East Branch of the Labor-
Progressive Party are held on
the first and third Friday of
each month, 11 a.m., at 2962 Ven-
ables for swing shift workers,
8 p.m. at 2443 East Hastings for
other members.

CLASSES

Two persons are wanted for a
class studying Russian. Phone
AL 9239M.

a i