L _ Pension Reform 2 At the City Hall - UBCM Urges. ‘By Cynthia Carter. A WIDE range of resolutions, covering civic affairs, province- wide problems, and postwar planning have won approval of the 150 municipal representatives gathered together at Nelson this week for the annual convention of the Union of British Co- lumbia Municipalities. F) During the first business sessions special attention was paid to the problems of old age pensioners. Removal of the power of old age pension authorities to sell property of a pensioner after his death and retain the amount of all pension payments, was ap- proved in all cases where the pensioner is survived by immediate relatives. Inadequacy of old age pension allowance to meet pres- ent cost of food, clothing and shelter was also scored, and dele- gates approved a resolution submitted by Surrey asking that federal and provincial governments provide for payment of old age pensions to men at the age of 65 and to~- women at the age of 60, and that pensions be increased to a minimum: of $50 a month. A further resolution suggested that the term “old age pension” be changed to “ senior citizens’ allowance.” A resolution asking deportation of Japanese after the war was defeated. (Ironically enough, one of the speakers who com- plained that “the Japanese question is becoming a political foot- ball”? was Q@. L. Jones of Kelowna, a member of the very party . which first pushed the much overemphasized subject into the head- lines—the CCF). : Among important resolutions to go down in defeat was one submitted by Prince Rupert, where united labor was successful in electing a progressive city council last year, asking extension of the franchise te the wife or husband of a property owner. Christianity—Not “Just for Sundays” COURAGEOUS Vancouver woman, with a sincere belief that her crusade was justified and an inability to take no for an answer, successfully battered down some of the city council’s resistance to the campaign for opening of nurseries for the children of servicemen in churches, before a city council meeting this week. The woman was Mrs. D. Roe, representing the Child Gare Centers Board, who minced no words in upbraiding aldermen for their opposition to the scheme, and when she finished talking the Non-Partisans admitted that maybe some of the “technicali- ties” could be overcome, and the plan given the go-ahead signal. The plan, which provides free afternoon nurseries in each city district to give wives of servicemen with children under 14 years of age “one day out each week,” is obviously a sound one. Since the service is to be made absolutely free (lunch for the ehildren will cost 10 cents, with everything else gratis) the women’s organizations sponsoring the plan gratefully accepted the offer of several city churches who volunteered use of their halls for the purpose. The mayor and aldermen, however, put a heavy foot down. Churches were:tax free, they said. You couldn’t let people use tax free buildings when landlords had halls to rent, they main- tained. : Corporation Counsel McTaggart ponderously interjected that churches were tax free only so long as they were used solely for “the worship of God.” “Christianity isn’t just something you trot out on Sunday,” Mrs. Roe shot back. “It’s a week-round affair. I think that the care of servicemen’s families could be considered worship of God.” They Know All the Answers! AS FOR several other little matters which came before the coun~ cil this week, we the people may rest assured that the Non- Partisans have everything under control, in a typically Non- Partisan manner. As an indication of the type of problem, and solution, with which our aldermen deal with almost startling ef- ficiency, we present a capsule report of two matters considered by the council this week. . Returning exservicemen. Veterans are returning almost daily from the battlefronts of the world and the people of Vancouver rightly feel that when their boys come home they should be shown in some tangible way that their great sacrifices are deeply appre- ciated. Hence the intense interest in improvements in the govern- ment’s rehabilitation program, and.growing: campaigns to pro- vide housing for exseryicemen and their families. This week the city council discussed the suggestion. Result: The city coun- cil will present to each returning hero a neat “thank you” ecard, printed on the best paper, and suitably engraved. Contaminated Beaches. Much indignation has been aroused during the last few weeks by announcements of city health of- ficials that water on Vancouver beaches is a potential danger to swimmers, because of poor sewage disposal methods. Blame has been placed by many on the city sewage department, whose pinch- penny methods are responsible for inferior installations. Gom- plaints on conditions of the beach at English Bay have also been made. This week, apparently, Alderman Buscombe has been giv- ing’ the matter some thought. Result: Ald. Buscombe thinks he has the answer to the situation at English Bay. The way he figures, the beach is a lot cleaner there this year than last. The reason? Hot dogs. Yes sir, taste of bathers has swung from fish and chips to hot dogs. Now if we could only encourage the trend .... No, we aren’t kidding. These bits of wisdom actually came out of the beautiful big building on the hill. This December, there will be several Non-Partisan names on your civic election ballot. So if you value your civic sanity—be eareful where you put that X! 5 Union Presses for New Plant Sanction Members of a large delegation appearing on behalf of United Fishermen’s Cooperative Society before city coun- cil Monday, urged aldermen to issue a permit for opening of the Co-op’s proposed new plant at the Inlet end of Victoria Drive. After hearing part of the ev1- dence presented by the delega- tion, council agreed to hold a special meeting before the regu- lar council meeting next week so that decision could be ap- proved at the earliest possible moment. = A protest against opening of the fish reduction plant, an important industry for Vancou- ver, was presented to council, but made less impression upon aldermen than the fishermen’s evidence proving that no odor would be caused by the indus- try. Also in favor of granting the permit was the “Stifle the Stench” committee, active in the fight against offensive in- dustrial odors, who assured the eouncil that it had investigated plans for the new plant and found them entirely satisfac- tory. “Modern industrial methods will be used, and we urge the council to give the matter their earliest consideration,” declar- ed S. Sheard, chairman of the committee. Fishermen placed before the eouncil letters from a California industrial expert whom they had consulted in which he de- clared, “the plant can be de- signed to function entirely without odor.” Aldermen agreed that in view of new evidence presented there would probably be no Community Drive Started The Combined Commun- ity Chest drive for 550,000 dollars which opens Sep- tember 18 will receive the full support of organized labor in Vancouver. Not only are Union locals supporting the drive but rep- resentatives of labor are act- ing on the Community Chest board of directors. Pointing out that one of the main aims of the drive is to combat poor home conditions. Harold Pritchett, district presi- dent of the IWA and vice- president of the Vancouver La- bor Council led members in en- dorsing the drive at a meeting of the Vancouver Labor Coun- ceil this week. : With an objective which calls for the expansion of Vancou- ver centers, boys’ clubs and youth programs, the Commun- ity Chest has always been one of the first organizations to sponsor progressive community social work. The Strathcona Day Nursery at 500 block Powell, the first of its kind in B.C. is the recipient of a grant from the Commun- ity Chest. Neighborhood houses at Gor- don House, Alexandra House and North Vancouver, along with the Crippled Children’s Hospital, the Preventorium and the Victorian Order of Nurses are all sponsored by the Com- munity Chest. : Vancouver during the war years has had a 75,000 increase in population and the Combin- ed Community Chest, with full realization of the growing community problems has broad= ened its program in an at- tempt to meet public demiands. difficulty standing in the way of granting permission to go ahead with construction plans at once. Progress for North Seen “The Yukon must be transferred from a hinter- land of reactionary explot- tation to a position of prom- inence and dignity as the tenth prevince of Canada,” declared Tom McEwen, La- bor candidate for the Yukon Territory in the forthcoming federal elections, to a capacity meeting in Whitehorse on Sun-- day, September 10. McEwen outlined the vital importance of the next federal election to the people of Can- ada. “Choice of a government which will be faced with the task of postwar reconstruction will determine Canada’s des- tiny for a generation,” he said. The speaker laid stress’ upon the danger of a reactionary coalition achieving power after the election, and showed that the only way that this danger could be overcome was throuzh a coalition of progress in which labor was strongly represented. Other labor developments in the Yukon include the holding. of an organizational meeting of the General Workers Union to be held Sunday, September 17, in Whitehgrse. Jack Og- oburne, field organizer of the International Union of Mine, Mill and Smelter Workers, to- gether with other prominent trade unionists will address the gathering.