By KAY BORTKUS

turned into the road lead-
: ing to the Narrows Mill and
were ereeted with shouts of
“What's. up, Norm?” “What's
cookin’,” and “Anything new?”
Though they were used to havy-
ing their picket captain, Nor-
ican Kirby turning up regularly
on each shift, this extra trip
sounded like something new, es-
pecially as there was a parade

over town. :

“No, no news from town yet,”
said Norm. He indicated me.
“This reporter from the Tribune
wants to know how you boys feel
about the Sloan ‘recommenda-
tions.” 2
-“No dice!”’. Art Senft was very
emphatic about that. “There can
only be. one answer as far as
Im concerned. Union security or
no lumber! Sloan's kidding him-
self if he thinks people don’t
know what union security really
means It means that if the most
of the men in one mill or camp
want 2 union, then all who will
benefit in the resulting wage
raises, safety measures, improved
working conditions, holiday pay
and so.on have to belongs to and
support the organization that
makes them possible. That’s what
it means. What would it be like
if the schools, roads, parks and
se forth were paid for only by
the people who voted for the
government in office?”

The conference pledged full

Support and assistance to the
organized miners of the mining
districts of Ontario and north-
western Quebec in their struggle

to achieve their justified de

mands.

The main resolution—adopted

unanimously—placed the ques-

tion clearly before the assem-
bled delegates and pointed out

the only path left open to the
workers in the mines. It read
as follows:

“The outceme of the present
wage battle of the Canadian
workers for more wages and 2
better standard of living will
determine the future of all Can-
adians. The northern Ontario
and northwestern Quebec section
of our party ‘stands pledged by
and through this Conference to
assist the organized workers in
this section of the country to
the fullest possible extent to
achieve their justified demands
upon industry at this time.

“Wage adjustments are imper-
ative if reasonable living stan-
Gards are te be maintained. The
mounting profits of corporations
can fully absorb such increases
without in any way disturbing
the price structure. The great
inerease in the productivity of
labor has laid the basis for a
higher standard of living, but
because of governmental policy,
Which at present favors big in-
vestment bankers and corpora-
tions, we witness a sharp up-
Ward trend in our price struc-

“ture, increased municipal taxa-

tion with higher rentals, etc.
while wartime tlegisiation re-
stricting wage increases remains
to obstruct labor’s efforts for a
better life.

“Tr the case of northern metal
miners, where agreements are
still in effect which recognize

PACIEIC TRIBUNE — PAGE 5&

Ron WHorrebin grinned and
rolled: himself 2 cisarette.

“You see,” he said, “to us union
security conres first, but the raise
is also very important, for with
the cost of things today, we can’t
Make ends meet without it.” x

“Gee, I'd settle for the 40-hour
Week alone,” piped up Reiph:
Philips, the youngest Picket on
the lines, “I hate to work on
Saturday.”

Ralph is 16 and when asked
if he were drawing strike pay he
remarked, “No sir! Every man
in this mill belongs to the un-
ion and not one of them has
Grawn on it yet and I’m not goO--
ing to either. Besides, my dog
Butch keeps me in pocket money.
Just last night he got Me an-
other ’coon and the pelt should
be worth about six bucks.” Butch
is the mill mascot and walks the?
picket line, too. :

“We have nothing much to
read,” they admitted when asked
what the rest of us could do to
help. “And having visitors com-
ing around too helps to break
the monotony. If you know any-
Gne with a battery or portable
radio it would sure help on the.
night shift Henry’s Hamburger
Place has been giving us free
coffee and Smith, our milkman
around here, leaves us all milk
Cvery day.

“Nearly every place in this
district has a sign saying they
Support the demands of the mill-

the authority of the National
War Labor Board, the idea of
these boards to
order wage ‘increases would not
enly be a compromise of the
IUMMSW and CCL’s declared
policy of non-recognition of these
wartime agencies, but
tend to open avenues of further
delay and procrastination of the
miners’ wage issue.

calling upon

would

“The varying contractual re-
lations in the mining industry
need not stand in the way of
immediate co-ordination of the
struggle for the implementation
of the wage program of the
miners’ organization, as it was
laid down at the union’s Kirk-
land Lake conference last Nov-

ember, Even where contracts are
in existence these demands can
and must be recognized as leg-
itimate demands by the work-
€rs involved and should, in our
opinion, be placed now before
the companies, backed up by
appropriate organizational steps
to secure these essential changes
through strike action if neces-
sary.

“We feel, moreover, that steps
should be taken to prevent single
eontract negotiations as much
as possible and that efforts: must
be made to consolidate present
agreements inte overall industry—
wide agreements as much 8s pos-
sible and practical, at least with-
in certain geographical areas of
the north.”

POINTING out the danger to

to the workers from weak
and vaccilating leadership, that
ean only lead to a sell-out of
the workers, Chas. McClure, er-
ganizer for the Sudbury-Soo Re-
gion of the EPP, cited as an
example the failure of the Port
Colborne tocal leadership to
fight correctly for the interests

conference

Onthe IWA Picket Roundup

workers and they have also con-
tributead to our strike fund.
Henrys did and the Lynwood Inn
as well as the Old Dutch Mill and
Jimmy Mundy, who has his me-
chanic shop in his basement. The
folks ali around have certainly
let us know they are with us in
this fight.”

We left them stoking the bon-
fire in front of their tarp lean-
to as the rain settled im again,
and headed for Lynn Forrest,
where the set-up for the pickets
was very different.

The pickets here have the

company office for their head -

quarters. Running water, use of
the phone, a stove for heat and
coffee and even the clean towel
service is still in effect. Maga-
zines were fairly plentiful and
the boys were pretty comfortable.
Bud Reese, dogger at Lynn For-
rest, held much the same opinion
as Ron.

“Hifty cents an hour would
not tempt me back to work with-
out union security,” he stated.
“We've got to fight for it.”

“Weve heard this mill is chang-
ing, hands,” offered George Mac-
Donald, “and without the union
I would be completely at the
merey of the new bosses who may
think that a man of my age has
no business in their mill The
best way to protect ourselves is
to strengthen our union. IT won’t
go back without the security
either.” 5

‘Miners W ant More W ages

AGE adjustments in the metal-mining industry are imperative if reasonable living
Standards are te be maintained, so declared a
Party miners held in the Park Lane Hotel in Kirkland Lake on Sunday, May 19.

of Labor - Progressive

of the workers which resulted
in 2 compromise agreement with
International Wickel, granting
enly 8 cents per hour and which
weakened the economic position
cf the workers.

As an example of what cor-
rect leadership and firm unity
and determination can achieve
the agreement between the
IUMMSW and Consolidated Min-
ing and Smelting at Trail, B.C.
—which won the eight-point pro-
gram for the miners there, in-
eluding a 15% cent an hour raise

_—was cited.

Oscar Roy, LPP organizer for
the northern region, speaking on
the conditions of life and work

of the miners in north-western
Quebec, pointed out that the
miners of that part of the coun-
try were without a doubt the

most highly exploited of the
mine workers in Canada, but
that they were on the move

and insistent on pushing for-
ward the struggle to achieve
their justified demands.

LESLIn MORRIS, Ontario lead-
er of the LPP, attended the
eonference and in his main
speech pointed out - that the
miners were not alone in this
gigantic struggle. Labor through-
out Canada is moving to make
certain that peacetime produc-
tion will not bring again low
Wages and unemployment.

“The drive of monopoly for a
return to the conditions of low
wages and high profits can and
will be defeated,” he said. ‘‘The
people are resolved that big
monopoly must be compelled to

pay decent wages, to recognize ~

unions for all time, to pay their
share of municipal taxation and
to provide for greater social

"welfare, public low-rental hous-

ing and the like”

Short Jabs by of Bill

Hlegal Strikes.

When British Columbia’s first law school was opened at the UBC
fast fall. Chief Justice Wendell B. Farris gave the aspiring lawyers
2 touching litle send-off for their studies. “The lawyer’s work is
not a selfish one,” he said; “The lawyers have a certain monopoly
and special privileges, but only so far as they exercise these for the
benefit of the public.”

We cculd take issue with part of that sage remark of “my learned
friend,” but for the sake of argument, let us suppose that lawyers
function on that understanding. If we do, then the Chief Justice

‘could not have been referring to one of that alleged public-spirited

fraternity who lives right here in our midst, to wit—Walter S.
OQwen, K.C.

if there is any angle in any labor dispute which may be used
by reactionaries to place barries in the way of bettering the standard
of life of the workers, of making this a better world in which to
live and work, to rid us of the cankering fears of want, to prevent
the accomplishment of “the four freedoms,” Owens, with his lawyer-
like quibbling and distortion of the meanings of words which earn

“The ‘union security policy’,” he says, “is in great measure the
policy of the Communist Party in Canada. When carried to its
end no one would be able to work unless he belonged to a union.”
That statement comes with ill-srace from one who, on the authority
ef Chief Justice Parris, enjoys a “menepoly and special privileges”
‘which prevents ANYONE from working at his job unless they belong:
te his union. I believe they call themselves “the B.C Law Society.”
the tightest trade union in Ganada. :

In this latest belch of his, he demands that steps be taken to
end illegal strikes. “Action,? he Says, “is long overdue to stop the
wave of illegal strikes... _” Can it be that Owens has at last
come to the conclusion that the strikers of the medical professicn,
ancther group with a tight union organization, should be clamped
down on? ‘

It is eleven years now, since the B.C. gevernment passed a Health
Act which is now the law of this province. Et is an act which provides
for medical services for all the people of BC. A three-man board
was appointed to administer it. They drew their wages for several
years and may still be doing so. I am not in a position to know
anything to the contrary. : '

But no one in B.C. benefited from that act. The health of not
a citizen of the province was bettered by it, because the medical
doctors went on strike and refused to work the act. They are stall
on strike. That was, I should say. a real strike against the gov—
ernment, a real illegal strike, the first in the histery of B.C. and
we might add, the only one to date. 2

Or maybe Owens has in mind the recent strike of the packing-
the farmers, until the farmers offered at lower prices or the govern-
house owners, who refused to purchase cattle, sheep or hogs from
ment permitted them to sell at prices higher than the ceilings—
while the people of B.C. starved in the meantime. 24

“Financiai success is a secondary incident to the service ren-
dered to the public,’ said the Chief Justice in the address referred
to, in relation to the altruistic motives that well up in the hearts
of the legal brotherhood. If that is so, then here are two cases for
Owens to gc te work on. But he wen’t because he is interested in
preventing any improvement in the conditions of kabor and further
—that comment of Chief Justice Farris is just so much flub-dub.

We Need The. Pacific Tribune. :
@n June 3rd, Prime Minister Attlee opened the Imperial press
conference in London. His interpretation of “freedom of the press”
stated in so many words in his epening address, was, “Tt is a freedom
which belogs not to the press but to the public, whose agents in
this matter the newspapers are — jt is the freedom to be given the

formed.”
Tf we apply that test locally, how does it look?

facts, national and international, on which sound judgments can be _

On May 31

I listened to a radio news broadcast on the CBR. The news <5.0 Ss

spoke of a pastoral letter the Catholic bishops in Western (Crs al
proposed to read in the churches at Easter. In the body of
it was stated that the German people in the Russian zone--

: = Se Nereis Ren Sate ee TNS Nes a ace a aad atl a OO ae ene ete aes ey,
tion lived in a state of horrible terror and that Gerry ae
$2,097 5

were being made into slaves. The U.S. military authc¢-----

not allow the letter to be read in the ehurches as #t ; ep. en
Such was the tenor < 25, Le
curity: As/%> “Sz,

cause disaffection and unrest.
of the radio item.
In the evening editions of the local pepers this

z Eo
In the Province—‘“Vatican Broadcasts German Letteoe fF ee
London, May 3ist. The Vatican radio broadcast a BAKE? ~ g
by Roman Catholic bishops of western Germany cr* i552 ae
occupation policies. The-letter was prepared for rea <5 eer
Sunday services, but was halted at the request of U. “2p, of
ficials. es

4n official American source seid April 26, that elit r was

“offensive and derogatory to the Allies,” and that it Qnvitea “re
sentment and possibly riot.” ' } :
On the same date, the Vancouver Sun published the story as
follows:—"Vatican radio broadcast without comment 2 pastoral letter
by Roman Catholic bishops of Western Germany, criticizing Allied
eccupation policies.’ ate ;
The scurrilous attack on the Soviet Union is hushed up in beth
cases. Do we need the Pacific Tribune? Ti say we do. ; se

Another Beef ae

A few weeks ago we had to take issue with a well known column-
ist who was a little bit slack in his use of quotations and in the con-
clusions he drew therefrom. In our Own paper three weeks ago,
we had another example of the Same kind of thing. An article on
the Island Coal Octopus an excellent article otherwise, had a head-
line which read, ‘$50 Million for a Bottle of Rum.”

That is a nice headline, one that actually makes people want to
read what follows, but it is hardly fair to the Gentlemen Adventurers
Trading into the Hudson’s Bay, who were on the other end of the
deal. The $50 millions is tmie without any shadow cf doubt, but the
bottle of rum is an understatement. eeu

Marx is a good guide for us te follow in a case like this’ In 2

letter to Feuerbach once he wrote, “we must recognize the good
there is in our opponents.”

In this instance, MacKay, who was

agent for the Hudson’s Bay factor, rewarded the Indian who brouszht

the first cargo of coal in his canoe from Fort Rupert to Victoria anda

then took MacKay to show him where it came from, with a bottle

of rum and, let us be fair, a TOP HAT. :
There is a difference, isn’t there?

' EBRIDAY, JUNE 7, 1946