By BRUCE MICKEE BURGH Caribou Gold Quartz miners tell Tribune of Isng struggle for union WELLS, B.C. The simple facts of life in this strike-bound town give the complete lie to the bare- faced mouthpiece of the operators, Bob Morrison, who spews forth his sickening drivel on the radio nightly for a rumored $275 per month. Wells’? two big producing mines, Cariboo Gold Quartz ana Island Mountain, are closed tighter than a drum. With superb morale and organization, the miners and their wives are settling down to stay out till they win their just de mands for 2 29-cent increase, 40- hour week, and union security. The town’s. miner veterans of the war against Fascism, includ- ing local president Frank O’WNeill, “didn’t have to be asked to join the union. They came vyoluntar- ily—for them there is no geing back te 1939. Many remember the 1937 strike, which ended with a conipany union “cooperagive’” imposed on the men. Company spokesmen now loudly defend the ‘“demo- eratic” -rights of a worker not to belong to the union, but these democratic convictions are of re- cent origin. In the days when the boss° bargained with himself through his company union stooges, the “cooperative” enjoy- ead both the closed shop and checkoff B Wor all the shiny newness of its charter in the office (granted) Webruary, 1944), local 685 is well organized. There’s plenty of fel- lows around who learned lessons the hard way in past struggles. They include local secretary Hrank Hennessey, who in 1940 went through the Pioneer strike ef bitter. memory, and Angus Mecivor, veteran of a lifetime of struggles from Scotland to Anyox to Utah and Colorado. “Any guy who goes under- ground is purely the victim of circumstances,’” commented -Hen- nessey, “and there isn’t one & Im a few days the beaches and Pools will echo to the happy Sounds of thousands of boys and girls—toeddlers to ‘teens—learning te Swim at Vancouver Sun’s na- tionally famous free classes. Send YOUR children into this health- ful and valuable activity, under Canada’s finest instructors! @ _ FOR DETAILS, READ _ Vancouver Phone MA. 1161 for SWIM CLASS INFORMATION ‘FOR DETAILS READ PACIFIC TRIBUNE — PAGE 7 who'll miner.” raise his son to be a “There's a big scare campaign on now that with the 10 percent cut : in the pricé of gold they Can't pay a living wage,” said Melvor, : on his way with O'Neil OQ check on 4 reported rare phe- nomenon, a non-union man at a nearby operation. “Well, I ean remember them making a tidy profit at $20.67 an ounce and even now they'll get $35.00. No miner’s had an increase like that.” There’s new men in this strike too. One of them, playing a very Prominent role with calm com- petence, @ man with a non- union background, told me at supper D that he’d heard plenty of stories about racketeers and bur- eaucrats running unions. “T’ve watehed the local setup pretty closely since f got in and it’s thoroughly democratic and above- board,” was his observation. (Are you listening, Bob Morrison ?) _ Ancther brand new front-line fighter is personable Hazel Fer- guson, cook at the big Lowheed Placer operation. “My husband Was in shipyard unions during the war,’ she said. “TI didn’t think they’d take me gn nere, but they said ‘sure’ and now they’re talking about making me ‘the one that does the talking around here.” -“A pair of boots used to last the season but now they only last two months—and that’s just one time.” And so it goes. = Wherever you visit in Wells, whoever you talk to—the miners or their wives, it's the same story. All they have of decency in life the union has won. What they need, the union can get. “They wouldn’t let you in the hospital unless you were on the company payroll. When a fellah got his legs crushed in a cave-in at Lowheed the doctor said if he had to ship him te Quesnel he’d lose both his legs or be erippled for life, but he had to Ship him to Quesnel.” “They turned away a woman in labor—she had her baby in the Stanley beer parlor. They lost three doctors in three years till the union went to the doctor and told him theyd back him all the way. Now the doctor runs the hospital and things are a bit better. > “The whole town’s better the union came. “That Quartz mine up there is one of the worst mines in the whole province for silicosis. If you work too hard you have te open your mouth to breathe, and that’s when you get it. “Sure, they say it’s the men’s fault for, getting silicosis ‘and then they boast that 60 percent of the miners in B.C. are work- ing contract. Contract is nothing but an invitation to the speed- up that gets you silicosis and then you're done. “Any job that’s done right now is done with union men. Even the police came to the union office for men for the public works to say nothing of since in Wells all the little operations. There’s no scab problem. ‘But if the companies think they’re putting us through 2 softening-up period that will make us ripe for the plucking they’re wrong,’ said O'Neill. “Were ready for anything and we're sure to win. The miners have financed gold-mining long enough.’ Chinese labor asks all U.S. troops be withdrawn MOSCOW .—Shanghai labor to demand that the U.S. treops be withdrawn This was made Known here by Chu Hsueh-fan, president of the Chinese Association of Labor, who came to Moscow for the meeting of the World Hederation of Trade Unions but arrived too late because of travel difficulties. conflict in China is so serious, Chu warned, that “it may endanger the peace of the world.” He said that Chinese people ‘welcomed American as- sistance in the task of defeating Japan and disarming her troops” but that “we Chinese trade union- ists deplore any interference by the United States in Chinese in- ternal affairs.” Chu said that, although the country is split in two, trade unionists are proud to state that labor unity has been achieved. The civil war JOHN STANTON Barrister - Solicitor Notary Publie 502 Holden Bldg. — MAr. 5746 Night: Alma 2177-M workers have called upon U.S. export of arms to China by the from the country immediately. “ The Ghinese Association of La- bor, which was formerly restrict- ed to the Kuomintang areas, now groups the unions of both Kuo- mintange and Communist China, le said. Chu was accompanied to Moscow by Liu Ning-t, repre- senting 500,000 trade unionists in the Communist areas. Unless~ there is a radical im- provement in the Chinese situa- tion, Chinese delegates may re- quest that the WETU hold a special session to discuss the con- flict and American responsibility for its aggravation. At the sug- gestion of Liu WNing-I, the six- man WETU delegation which is planning to visit Japan and Korea will also visit China. ence of 3% TRANSFER Courteous, Fast, Efficient Cali —— HAst. 6084-L 406 Alexander Street Quality and Purity As HOMEMADE HASTINGS BAKERY 716 E. Hastings HA. 3244 HIGHEST PRICES PAID for DIAMONDS, OLD GOLD Other Valuable Jewellery STAR LOAN CO. Ltd... EST. 1905 719 Rebson St. — MAr. 2622 HIGH QUALITY LOGGERS AND WORK BOOTS HAND-MADE JOHNSON‘S G3 West Cordeva Street - - BOOTS Phone MArine 7612 sae oe eer as £6 ee Cariboo Gold Quartz Mine, Wells, B.C., not only a pro- ‘ducer of high dividends, but also the highest percentage of silicosis—a subject upon which the defenders of the “poor little shareholders” remain silent. Action program outlined by LPP city Mackenzie King sits in on conference sinister conferences these days —conferences aimed at embroiling Canada in the horrors of atomic war for the greater profit of the men of Wall Street, Threadneedle Street, and St. But a conference took place Sunday in Vancouver aimed at putting a2 crimp in such goulish schemes. When the City Confer the lLabor—-Progressive Party gathered it wasn’t bank presidents and slick corporation lawyers who came together—it was workers, veterans, house— wives, youth — people who have built this city and don’t want it obliterated by atomic bombs. The conference dedicated the full membership to Mobilize the eity to speak out against the atomic imperialists in Peace Week, August 21-28. A committee chaired by Bruce Mickleburgh will plan the occasion. A goal of 500 new members by Christmas was set, with lum- berworkers alone pledging them- selves to sign up that number, and most clubs setting their sights on doubling their mem- bership in the next six months. In this way the searchlight of Scientific socialism can shed new light on the road ahead for the people. © Further eonference action included: @ Demand for full report on the secret city council-BCER franchise discussions, and a plebis- eite on any proposed franchise. @ Protest on proposed lumber James Street. full restoration of wartime price ceilings. @ Demand for action’ to end hopelessly inadequate state of hospital facilities: Proposal present Wartime Housing tenants have option to own their houses. Vigorous protest at of Fred Rose, M.P., as “type of persecution thousands of Gana- dians died to end,’ and a call to labor and all progressive people to back the Hred Rose Defense Committee’s fight for elementary democratic rights. frame-up Unreserved support to the striking miners and foundry wor- kers was again reiterated. TLC leader dies Tom Moore, for 25 years presi- dent of the Trades and Labor Con- gress of Canada died Saturday at his home in Ottawa. Coming toe Canada in 1909 he rose quickly in the labor movement being elected_ to the top AFL position during the last war. He retired from-.the presi- dency in May, 1942 after suffer-— ing a stroke, and was succeeded price inereases and demand for by Perey Bengough. ©DOOO OOO OO DOO OOLOGS O09 O09 0090880055556 o® COOOD OO GLASSIFIED ®O©OOQO OO OOOO OOOO OO OO 0899 OO OOOOH OO9 99H DOOO O98 98O¢) A charge of 50 cents for each insertion of five lines or less with 10 cents for each additional line is made for notices appearing in this column. No notices will be accepted week of later than Monday noon of the publication. NOTICES Oldtime Dancing to ALF. CARLSON'S ORCHESTRA Every Wednesday cnd Saturday Hastings Auditorium 828 East Hastings Phone HAst. 3248 MODERATE RENTAL RATES for socials, Creatian Hali— weddings, meetings, etc. {| Available for Dances, Socials, Weddings, Banquets, Meetings. Hesasonable rates. 600 Campbell Avenue: HAstings 0087. Meetings— Swedish Finnish Workers’ Ciub meets last Friday every month, 7:30 pm., Clinton Bait OK Hair Restored— Qur happiness then if we ap- proach each other with bread, not with atom bomb for this needed health. Guaranteed im- proved health of the hair and head. OK hair restored meth- od. Results from weakest hair roots or fuzz from first free trial with advice. No orders by mail. Case must be diagnosed individually. Urko Antonuck, 671 Smythe Street. Dance, Clinton Hall— 2605 East Pender. Dance every Saturday night. Modern and Gld -Time. Vime's Orchestra. Hall is available - for rent- HAstings 3277. ASH BROS. CARTAGE Moving — Transfer Dump Trucks _ 2239 Cambie Phone FAir, 0469 WHAT'S DOING Gpen Air Dancing— Every ‘Saturday evening in Swedish Park, lecated half-mile north of Second Warrows Bridge toll booth. Old-time and modern dancing. Park for rent for? all occasions. Lots of free parking space. Sports grounds and Theater. Bowl, etc: HAst 4080. Refreshment Social— Olympia Hall, Garden Drive and Hastings, Sat., July 20, at 9 p.m. Music, dancing, refreshments, The Shipyard’s Club SOCIAL AND DANCE Saturday July 13 — 8% te 12 p.m. HASTINGS AUDITORIUM (Lower Hall) Refreshments Admission, 35c¢ Refreshment Social— At Hastings Auditorium, July 20th at 8:30 p.m. Auspices of Kitsilano LPP Club. FRIDAY, JULY 12, 1946€ } 4 t : i