RONTO, Ont. — A na-

wage conference
' would embrace al]
nions affiliated to the
an Congress of Labor
--n urged in a letter“to

7 -esident, A. R. Mosher.

—ppeal for the wage con-
' fame from C. S. Jackson,
“+ of the United BElectric-
& Machine Workers of
-- (CIO). Emphasizing the
-+such a conference, Mr.
inks’ it up with the
ito safeguard take-home
_ anadian workers and to

a shorter work week in

| provide adequate pur-
_power and create em-
possibilities.

is, hardly a union in the
states Mr. Jackson’s
the CCL president, “that
_uready, or is not about
to grips with these is-
in honesty we must

f iat very little has been
Each union is strug-
ch the same problems
» ugh the barriers which
_-unters are pretty much

p32

-7stone of the UE pres-
iter to the CCL head
-ained in these words:
a whole cannot afford
ith this national prob-
/ wages) in a fragmen-
ordinated manner.”

ser urged that the con-
= such a wage conference
' month, that all unions
to the CCL be asked to
/cesentatives and “thus
to reach agreement on
“1 general objective and

% 1. effort to realize it.”

fag President A. R. Mo-
} sume the leadership and
‘lity for such a wage
2, Mr. Jackson’s letter
-s that not only is la-
*ing “opposition by in-
‘md organized groups of
‘nployers, but that it is
“ed by the policies of the
-nd provincial govern-
ost particularly by the
Fulation, PC 9384.”

that President Mosher
he suggestion and take
steps to convene such
conference of CCL
le UE leader stressed:
2cognizes and supports
price control, but be=
wisleading ery of ‘hold-
1e aganist inflation’ our
3 being pushed back to
tippy conditions which
before the war.

eed a national policy,
ul approach, and a na-
fort,” he said.

7 ADVOCATE — PAGE

Bright spot in auto eonflict i
Frazer Corp. and United Auto Workers (CIO). Left to right: James

W. Wilson, Public Relations Director

S agreement between new Kaiser-

James D. Riordan of Kaiser-

Frazer, and UAW President R. J. Thomas.

1Defeat Drew’s Attempt To
Scuttle Postwar Reconstruction

TORONTO—“Premier George Drew of Ontario has
revealed that he and his government are out to prevent ful-

fillment of the Dominion Government’s
of limited social reforms and measures to
ment,’ stated LPP National Leader Tim Buck

The statement continues:

“The brief in which Premier
Drew sets forth the position of
his government is clearly the
statement of monopoly capital’s
opposition to the re-allocation of
taxing powers and of Dominion-
Provincial jurisdiction which are
necessary if social services,
health and medical services,
pension and edueational stan-
dards are to be equalized at a
more adequate level for the
country as a whole. Itis equally
the statement of the opposition
of big business to the timid pro-
posals put forward by the King
government for governmental
action to maintain the level of
employment. While the Ontario
brief is publicized as “counter-
proposals”, it is obviously an at-
tempt to seuttle the forthcoming
conference of prime ministers.

New Firm Grants Highest Pay In
Automobile Industry -Bonus Plan

NEW YORK—The first break in the. n ational

with the cost of living came

firm seeking to compete with the three major co
25 to 35 percent above the highest wage now pa
cludes a bonus plan and allowance for the firms pledge that it will

granted by the strike-bound

Kaiser-Frazer, which will
preduce both low priced and

high priced cars in competi-
tien with GM, Ford and’ Chry-
sler, agreed with the CIO

United Automobile Workers to
a basic wage ranging from

$1.19 to $1.24 an hour, the
rate now in effect at the Ford

Motor Company’s River Rouge
plant which is the highest paid
in the industry. The bonus
scheme provides that the com-

pany build a fund of $5 for
every car produced, to be dis-
tributed among workers at the
end of the year.

Union shop and dues check-
off are also granted in the con-
tract.

In line with recent demands
from the other auto firms for
“company security” guarantees
to prevent unauthorized work
stoppages, the contract provides
that those participating in wild-
eat strikes will be deprived of
bonuses for the period of the
walkout. This is far more lenient
than the proposals made by the
UAW to Ford to dock workers’
full pay for taking part in un-
official stoppages.

Speculation was immediately

‘aroused as to the possible reper-

cussions of the new agreement
on other wage disputes. Although
the Kaiser-Frazer contract ap-
pears to enhance the UAW’s
strategy of striking one firm at
a time and encouraging produc-
tion among competitors, the new
company is as yet only potential
competition to the auto indus-
try’s “big three” and probably
cannot for many months offer
enough real competition to com-
pel the other firms to settle. De-
spite the UAW strategy, the

three established firms are put-
9

this week when the

General Motors Corporation.

postwar fight to bring wages in line
Kaiser-Frazer Corp.—new automobile
mpanies——agreed to wage rates about
id in the industry.

The estimate in-
meet any’ pay rise

ting up a united front in reject-
ing union demands.

In addition, Kaiser-Frazer’s
ability to start producing rests
on the outcome of current nego-
tiations in the steel industry. If
the CIO United Steelworkers
should pull out 700,000 of its
members on Jan. 14, as it has
threatened, the new firm could
not possibly get underway until
the steel strike was settled, and
thus could not be a factor in the
UAW’s hopes of forcing a
settlement by competition.

It is significant that President
Truman has redoubled his efforts
in the past few days for a settle
ment in the steel dispute. Be-
sides appointing a fact-finding
panel, his most recent action was
to meet with the Office of Price
Administration to discuss a
steel price increase. An an-
nouncement that the OPA might
be willing to allow a $2.50 per
ton increase on steel followed
the meeting and it was also re-

(Continued on Page 12)
See AUTO FIRM

French Rly. Workers Halt
Franco Food Trade Deal

PARIS—Energetic action

by the French Railwaymen’s

Union put a quick stop to a food deal between the French

government and Franco Spain.

Railwaymen at the Hendaye

frontier station, who keep close watch on passing traffic,
observed that between Christmas day and Jan. 2 ‘thirty
truckloads labelled sundry goods crossed the frontier with-
out hitch because official papers were attached. More loads
from the same consignment were due to pass through.

Railwaymen investigated and
found that the trucks contained
425 tons of potatoes sent from
Brittany to Franco’s food dealers
in Valencia—while the potato
shortage in France is so serious
despite strict rationing that not
a single pound has been issued
to French consumers for the last
two months. A strong protest
from the railwaymen drew an
admission from Socialist Food
Minister Pierre Tanguy-Prigent
that the potatoes were part of a
larger consignment bartered
with the Franco regime against
other goods under a trade agree-

ment concluded last summer.
The Railwaymen’s Union —
which had strongly protested at
the time against such an agree-
ment with the fascist Madrid
government—trefused to handle
further foodstuffs for Franco
Spain and moved the remaining
potato trucks to a sidetrack be-
tween Hendaye and Bayonne.
Due to their protest and quick
action, the potatoes have now
been distributed among the local

population, who had not been
issued any ration for several
months.

proposed program
maintain employ-
this week.

“The first obvious result ef
Premier Drew’s declaration of
war against the Dominion Gov-
ernment’s proposals is the ques-
tion mark already placed against
the rapid transit plan voted for
by the people of Toronto on
January 1. Inasmuch as the Do-
minion Government’s contribu-
tion to that. plan is contingent
upon acceptance of its. general
program by the provinces, the op-
position of Ontario, if it goes un-
challenged, will result in shelv-
ing the plan.

“This attempt at frustrating
Toronto’s plans for construction
of a rapid transit system is but
a limited example of the dire ef-
fects that Drew’s sabotage will
have if he is allowed to succeed.
If there is no agreement upon re-
allocation of taxing powers and
vesponsibilities for expenditures
it will be extremely difficult—
perhaps even impossible—to press
the King government to under-
take the large-scale public hous-
ing program that is so acutely
needed. Certainly the Dominion
Government will not be able to
carry through any effective pro-
gram of nation-wide develop-
mental construction. Moreover,

Drew’s maneuver will provide
the right wing Liberals as well
as the Tories and others in the
House of Commons with the ex-
cuse to oppose the extension of
large-scale export eredits and re-
construction loans to our allies.
Such a complete frustration of
all the post-war hopes of the
people must be prevented and the
a storm of opposition against
the reactionary obstruction now
launched by George Drew.

“The fact that Drew’s obstruc-
tion can be defeated is empha-
sized by the fact that he and
his government have been com-
pelled, in the Ontario brief, to

admit the need for some re-allo-
cation of provincial revenue.

“The admission contained in the
Ontario brief, that some measure
of redistribtuion is necessary, 1s
conclusive proof that the prin-
ciple of redistributing the nation’s
tax revenue in accord with na-
tional needs, is unassailable.
Premier Drew’s cunning man-
oeuver consists in offering a
mere sop of 10 percent: of pro-
vincially-raised income and _ cor-
poration taxes, for a National
Adjustment Fund; and then mak-
ing this gesture meaningless by
insisting that “the obligations
and authority of Provincial Gov-

ernments .must expand rather
than contract.”
“Drew’s attempt to scuttle

post-war reconstruction: must be
met and defeated by an aroused
and united ‘people. Canada’s
needs must not become a political
football of the Liberals and
Tories. As part of the struggle to
defeat the .Drew-Duplessis block-
ade, the King government must
be pressed to proceed with its
program of social reform. Reform
of Old Age Pensions, National
Health Insurance, Public Lew-
rental Housing cannot wait —-

Canada’s needs come first!
FRIDAY, JANUARY 18, 1946