At the City Hall 4 2 Civic Leaders Confer at Nelson By Cynthia Carter EXT week representatives of 27 British G i icipali [ . ; olumbia municipali- N = ties: will meet in Nelson to discuss questions of interest tothe entire province. This meeting, which has received little advance publicity in the press, is of considerable importance, since the brief ae ae at uae oncunies of the conference will represent a E of municipal policy of present | i parts of British Columbia. : Hee Eo eso el Representing Vancouver at the mectine i i c , and one is obliged to add “unfortunately,” are Aldermen Miller, Bennett and J Sree: Jones and Miller have won reputations for themselves in civic politics: which can by no stretch of the imagination be described as enviable. Ald. Bennett, who has occasionally taken a pro- gressive, honest Stand in council debates, has nevertheless come to be known as a “pinchpenny.” Resolutions are now being sent in to the chairm convention resolutions committee. Declaration by the Pee ee ernment of its financial intentions regarding rehabilitation of Servicemen “at the earliest possible moment,” has been ursed by several municipalities. a New Westminster, Surrey, Smithers, Langley and several other municipalities have submitted resolutions dealing with post- War reconstruction. Langley council demands that dominion, pro- Vineial and federal bodies ‘cooperate to provide housing, roads, reforestation, drainage schemes and hydro-electric projects. It asks that Ottawa set up adequate training centers for members of the armed forces and war workers, and is also concerned with questions of social security for the province as a whole. Significant is the fact that the Japanese question, magnified out of all proportion some months ago by various groups, including Vancouver city council, has provoked only one resolution. Kent has: submitted that “all Japanese be deported to Japan,’ fearing an organized “spy ring” if they are allowed to remain. Playgrounds—lInvestment in the Future * FS not very often that ‘those hard-working individuals who sit at the press table in No. One Committee Room at the city hall get a chance to sit in on a good fight, a real “knock—’em-down- drag—em-out” between different departments of the city govern- ment, that is. Often enough the council girds up its loins for united battle against delegations of other city groups, of course. But this Monday the press was privileged to watch the council, led by the mayor, and the city exhibition board “‘slap each other’s Wrists,” as the mayor delicately put it. Harsh words were used. Both sides hinted that the opponent was guilty of non-cooperation. Non-Partisan tempers grew hot, and Non-Partisan complexions grew a deeper red as no agreement was reached for a full hour and a half. _the dispute centered around transfer of certain lands to the exhibition board, payment of $5,000 into the city sinking fund py the board, and construction of a scenic highway. Aictually, the debate was of little interest. Wihat was important is that several statements were made by Mayor Cornett that should be noted and filed for future reference. ¢ “T think we have treated you gentlemen more than: fairly,” said the mayor at one point in the argument. “But I certainly won’t agree to robbing Peter to pay Paul. “By that I mean: just this. There are other deserving boards in this city, particularly the Parks Board. You gentlemen pant out that money granted to you is well invested. Might I point out that the Parks Board money is well invested, too—in the future of our children. We need parks and playgrounds, and this to me is an important consideration.” There are few who would not agree with the mayor. ‘And, fortunately, Cornett and his aldermen will have an opportunity very shortly to live up to his words. This fall when estimates of grants needed to carry on work on the Parks Board are presented to the city council, a request that grants in future be based on a standard mill rate will also be submitted. In other words, the Parks Board asks that instead of a yearly lump sum which can be “adjusted” at the will of the council, it be granted a sum based on a mill rate, which would rise or fall with city income. As population grew and tax receipts pecame higher, the Parks Board, with the added burden of pro- viding parks for a greater number of people, would receive a comparatively higher grant. R. Rowe Holland, Parks Board chair- man, tells me that his group has many plans for playgrounds) and community centers gathering dust until sufficient city funds for their construction, are allocated. Three Types of Airport Needed ARLAND Bartholomew, town planning expert hired by the city to revise the town plan his firm drew up for Vancouver some years ago, has opened a Vancouver office where he and a group of alert young men are hard at work. The office is filled with charts, graphs and lists of figures, and plans for the Vancouver of the future are gradually taking shape. : The new Vancouver will be a beautiful place, properly laid ont, light and airy, and streamlined for utility, promises Bartholomew, if the plans now being made are followed. : Of particular importance, he feels, are three important phases of town planning. ‘These are airports, highways and housing. Within 15 years after the end of the war, the estimates, 500,000 planes of all types and sizes will flood this continent, and Van- couver will need three different types of airport. . “Heavy duty planes must not: interfere’ with the running of passenger ships and neither type can be allowed to interfere with privately-owned plane operation. All air traffic must be regu- lated to ensure 100 percent safety,” says Bartholomew. Polluted City Beaches Civic Responsibilty Contaminated water along the city’s shoreline, which ee sults in actual danger to swimmers at Vancouver beaches, is the direct result of lack of a sense of responsibility on the part of Vancouver City Council and the civic engineering depart- ment, charged Elgin Ruddell, Labor-Progressive Party city - secretary, this week. “Sewer outfalls pouring imto the sea are causing the trouble,” said Ruddell, quoting statements of Dr. Stewart Murray, senior medical thealth officer, who re- fused to give city beaches 2 clean bill of health. ~ “Purity of water in Vancou- ver beaches will come under dis- cussion at the next meeting of the Metropolitan Health Board on September 20. The subject was introduced at the August meeting by Reeve W. T. Will- son of Burnaby, who stated that water at Greater Vancouver beaches is lower than that of Deer Lake, Burnaby. Bathing in Deer Lake has been banned for several years by Burnaby municipality because of poten- tial hazards in the water. Vancouver’s two sea water pools at Kitsilano and Second Beach are rated as second-grade pools, with a bacteria ‘count which reveals a real threat to Swimmers. Water of some city beaches has an even higher bacteria count, according to the health officer’s report. CCL Plans Federation Legislative influence of the more than 50,000 workers organized in Canadian Con- gress of Labor unions and affiliates in British Colum- bia will be tremendously strengthened by the forma- tion of a proposed B.C. Fed- eration of Labor. Decision on the federation will be made at a convention of CCL union and affiliate dele- gates to be held in Vancouver on September 30 and October 1. The proposal to form the fed- eration came from a conference held on Sunday, September 3, with Daniel O’Brien, regional director of the Congress) and representatives of CCL unions and Labor Councils. The initial conference decided to present a draft constitution for approval to the convention. “The great advantage ‘of the federation will be in the legis- lative field,” said Malcolm Me- Leod, Vaneouver Labor Coun- eil delegate. “The large ma- jority of organized jJabor in B.C. would be united in the pro- posed body, and they will con- sequently haye a tremendous legislative influence. McLeod saw the federation as serving as a stimulus to the legislative influence and acti- vity of other thousands of un- organized workers in the basic industries of the province. In addition, the labor leader pointed to the provincial Polit- ical Action Committees now be- ing organized as part of,the CCL Political Action Commit- tee, ‘These committees, work- ing in close touch with the Provincial Federation of lLa- bor, will certainly open up a tremendous field in advancing Labor’s contribution to the so- lution of our country’s problems in the postwar period,” he said. The federation is viewed as a non-partisan body which will unite all CCI. members. regard- less of political belief. It will be another, and major step for- ward in strengthening the role of labor in the political field. -and fourth Wednesday Sewage flowing into the water comes from short outlet sew- ers serving homes and busines ses built at a level below the city’s main trunk lines, ex- plains Ruddell. “While all main trunk lines are the responsibility of the Greater Vancouver Sewerage and Drainage Board, the city is responsible for all connections to the trunk lines,” he states. “Tines installed by the Greater Vancouver Board are built ac- cording to rules which specify that outlets’ empty into main tidal streams, 2,000 feet from shore, and 50 feet below water at low tide. The city, however, has been content to serve bus- inesses built at lower levels than the trunk lines with inexpen- Sive short outlets which dump sewage on our beaches. “Sewage at Kitsilano and Se- cond Beach comes from one of these short outlets, which car- ries drainage from plants such as Burns Ltd., down to the water our children swim in. What is needed is the installa- tion of pumping stations to lift sewage from these lowlevel auxiliary lines to main sewage outlets. If this were done the bacteria hazard would be re- moved.” Dr. Murray, who reports that there is a variation of opinion among doctors as to the danger of infection, declares that “chil- dren, who do a lot of diving, will drive infection up the ears” and nose.” 6 HAROLD PRITCHE President of B.C. D Council of IWA. | IWA Cover 20,000 inE International Wood ers of America, Local has signed agreement seventeen companies ing 2,200 men, report Dalskog, secretary of 1 cal. This success has achieved in the com negotiations which w itiated in November ] The IWA in B.C. has | its strength in the lz months, with approxima thousand woodworkers y under union contracts. I pected that i100 percent ization of the industry end of the year will bea in British Columbia. SSS SSS SSS SSS SSS SS == ESOS SECS /- DIRECTORY 5D GS SS SS A charge of 50 cents for each ' insertion of five lines or less - with 10 cents for each additional line is made for notices appear- ing in this column. No notices will be accepted later than Wed- nesday midnight of the week of publication. Branch Meetings East End LPP Branch meets every second Wednesday at 8 p.m. and every fourth Sunday at 1:30 p.m. each month at 875 East Hastings. Hastings East LPP Branch meets every second and fourth Friday each month, 8 p.m., at Club rooms, 2443 Bast Hastings St. North Vancouver LPP Branch meets every second each month, 8 p.m., at 1320 Lonsdale Avenue, North Vancouver. South Hill LPP Branch meets every second and fourth Wednesday each month, 8 p.m., in Horticultural Hall, 41st Avenue and Fraser. South Vancouver LPP Branch meets every second and feurth Wednesday of each month at Norquay Hall, Kings- way at Slocan. West End LPP Branch meets every second and fourth Friday each month, 8 p.m. at 1332 Davie Street. Swing Shift Meeti All Vancouver LPP m are urged to attend swi meetings held on the sec fourth Wednesdays, 1 { 531 Homer Street. NOTICES Wanted to Rent— Suite or rooms, furnishec furnished, Phone MA. | Dancing every Saturdai 9 p.m., throughout the se Seymour Park (Swedish nerth end of Second I Bridge. Sponsored by th Canadian Aid to Russi Auxiliary No. 1, want and workers. Send used ¢ of all kinds to 835 West MArine 2744. Oldtime dancing to Al G: Orchestra every Monday nesday and Saturday HASTINGS AUDITO! 828 East Hastings Phone: HA. 3248 Moderate rental rates : cials, weddings, meeting The Chinese Canadian P Sive Club is pleased=to ar that Mr. Jim Wong, ho ticket No. 998, won the can blanket, jdonated Chinese War Relief Com Proceeds have been 5 Madame Sun Yat Sem fund for Chinese Guerril acknowledged in N.¥. Worker. :