The

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“A 40-hour Week Says

jabor In Alberta Seeks
ucking

Big
Shot

| Alberta Labor’’

#30OR legislation regarding
* the 40-hour week with no
Peiction in take-home pay;
~-cent per hour Minimum
©; two weeks holidays with
; revamping the “Concilia-

and Arbitration Act” to
vide for union security and
e democratic measures to
bargaining rights — all
je became the dominant is-
+ before the Alberta legis-
re this session.

> 2e speech from the throne
not even hint that any-
E= was planned to satisfy
demands of the labor
mos of the AFI, or of the
GH, in Alberta.

Ollowing the conventions of
B ARI. and the CCL, which
ted similar programs, in-
Bing the 40-hour week with
mcut in take-home pay, two
enet ministers announced
— nothing prevented the es-
f= shing of the 40-hour week.

@ ever, when delegates of
t labor centers met the
anet it became clear that

esething did stand in the
‘© ministers now made it
fm rent that pressure from
ar quarters had ‘been
ght te bear on the cabin-
B2remier Manning declared
j2ffect that nothing labor

asked for would be en-
Gi in Alberta, at least for
time being.

Fugged Mail Boxes’

‘OR had no alternative.
Jnless it -was satisfied to
E the pleasure of the manu-
arers’ asseciation and the
ssrnment, it had to do some-
&. Ten thousand posteards
ag the MiA’s to act on
program were soon
Bing the mail boxes at the
lature. Coal miners, pack-
~ouse workers, building
®S workers, railroaders, let
*MLA'’s know what they ex-
ed. = ;

‘Feature Section

| by Jan Lakeman

Encouraged by the insistence
on action made by Alberta
labor, the CCH members of the
House moved that the House
should receive representations
from labor and other interest-
ed organizations. The motion
was ruled out of order. Less
than 24 hours later dozens of
telegrams, including one from
Robert Livett, president of
District Mo. 18 of the United
Mine Workers, poured into
Premier Manning’s office and
compelled him to reconsider.
Mr. Roper was allowed to
move his motion at the invi-
tation of the premier.

Organized labor of Alberta,
through unity of action among
all sections — AFL, CCL, and
UMW/A—has been able to force
their needs and demands to
the forefront of the stage in
Alberta.

Vet Representatives
-SHRVICHEMEN have four
representatives in the Al-

Half of the

in Alberta
are ex-servicemen; more than
half of those looking for homes
are the same boys. Disgusted
with conditions, they have an
eye on their representatives in
the legislature, who dare not
Sit and twiddle their thumbs.

berta legislature.
15,000 unemployed

The two CCE members, by
the very impact of the labor
unions, were bound to be in-
fluenced. Inevitably, also, the
government Members were af-
fected by the desires of labor.
Drumheller, a strong UMWA
district, the Crows Nest Pass,
the Coal Branch, Lethbridge,
Medicine Hat, Calgary and Eid-
monton are industrial areas
represented by members of the
government side.

in this atmosphere, the
House listened to representa-
tions from the Alberta Federa-
tion of Labor (AFI), the Can-
adian Congress of Labor unions
and the United Mine Workers,
also CCL. Labor’s demand for

I AATEC Oe TOT

SEE...

The Power

Octopus
Page 11

Atomic Energy
Page 12

Canadian farm scene, where beef, wheat, coal and oil are ‘mined’ by the Big Shots.

the 40-hour week and 60-cent
minimum wage was supported
by the Alberta Harmers’ Union,
with a membership of 20,000 in
the province.

The front-benchers, led by
Premier Manning and the at-
torney-general, Mr. Lucien
Maynard, showed their bias
when they tried to place the
president of the Farmers’
Union on the spot by intro-
ducing the false issue of hours
and wages to farm labor. This
was an obvious attempt to
drive a wedge between the or-
ganized farmers and organized
workers,

“No Trick Questions’

iH: front benchers showed a
different attitude when the
coal operators and manufac-
turers’ -associations appeared,
opposing the 40-hour week and
minimum wage of 60 cents per
hour, and two weeks holiday
with pay. No “trick questions”
were fired freely as had been
done to the farmers’ represen-
tative. There was plenty of
time for many courteous and
respectful questions, It became
clear that the front benchers
were holding the fort for the
employers.

The back benchers on the
government side were divided
between the rural and indus-
trial areas. Urban Alberta was
influenced by the drive of
the industrial workers, while
rural Alberta was not.

This does not mean that the
rural representatives were op-
posed to labor’s demands; but
without positive pressure from
the farmers at home, they al-
lowed themselves to fall in line
behind the front benchers.

Wot enough cooperative ac-
tion has yet taken place be-
tween labor and farmers to
guarantee victory. It became
clear that still more has to
be done to, win the closest
cooperation between organized
labor in Alberta and the or-
ganized farmers.

A beginning has been made,
and the leadership—as shown
in the AFU eonvention and
the AEU brief—has been won
for cooperation, but this good
beginning must be extended to
the people on the farms to
convince them of the need for
farmer-labor unity.

One-Sided Discussion
TIE Alberta legislature differs
from most other proviticial
legislatures in that there are
ne corporation lawyers, no di-

rect representatives of Bis
Business in it. The MILA’s are
all, irrespective of their politi-
eal beliefs, farmers and other
middle-class people.

Labor’s program, because the
hearing was limited to discus-
sion of revision of labor acts,
was somewhat one-sided in
presentation. It became impos-
sible to introduce labor’s whole
program on housing, reforesta-
tion, road building and irriga-
tion. :

Through this hearing, how-
ever, labor in Aiberta has es-
tablished itself as the prin-
cipal force representing a for-
ward policy in the province.
Labor in Alberta, along with
the organized farmers, is on
the road to establish realism
in the policies for the people.

Im the near future, the exec-

utives of the farmers’ organ-
izations and of the labor
unions should ‘meet to ham-

mer out a policy for all agrar-
jans and workers of Alberta.

The Alberta legislature turn-
ed down .every proposal for
legislative change this session
urged by organized labor. It
refused to act on the demand
of the organized farmers to
set up a fact-finding commis-
Sion on the gasoline monopoly
whieh is charging the people
of the west an extra three
cents per gallon. In effect the

legislature protected the mon-

opoly.
The legislature failed to do
anything about shifting the

burden of the educational eost
from its present unfair base
to a provincial base. On the
question of jobs, homes and
security, it was Satisfied with
playing politics by urging the
federal government to do it—
just passed the buck.

Labor’s feet are firmly on
the ground. It has a realistic
program which it has raised
to the forefront of the current
political scene. It now remains
for organized labor to go out
in a fighting campaign to win
the largest possible section of
the farmers and workers.

S.-C Sil
oF e 1 ent

Major Douglas, founder of
the “social credit” theory is
reported to have refused an in-
terview, expressing his epinion
on how his theory is working
out in Albera.

The social credit government
of Alberta, like the CCE in
Saskatchewan, are in practice,
carrying out those polices com-
mensurate with the interests
of Big Business. Their respec-
tive theories do not enter into
the matter of budgets, labor
and farm legislation, ete. That
is why greater farmer-labor
unity is needed in both prov-

" inces.

Coal miners—the men who dig a great portion of
Alberta's wealth.