7

7

a By Charles Saunders

UiStia

| ‘ SCCORDING to Gerald Heller, chairman of the War In- dustries Cooperating Committee, absenteeism in Van- yer industries has decreased during the last few months, is considerbaly less here than in comparable industries he east. : ; {statements by Assistant Director William McKinstry of 2ageective Service that high wages are responsible for much : 4 lsnteeism and workers feel they can afford to lose a day’s lea! now and again without undue strain on their pocket- a iks are apparently opinions expressed without much “Swiedge of the facts or due consideration of the evidence t Wore him. The very fact that absenteeism is more prevalent jam he east where wages are notoriously low contradicts this ni @ ement. a (One of the major causes of absenteeism on the other hand nelow wages and poor working conditions. It would be in- brieesting to know the number of manhours lost through @ cess over the last two or three months. We would like to

S00} (

Yay to:

npae Mr. McKinstry and others how they expect workers : ning 50 to 60 cents an hour, exposed to all weather con- =F ons, to supply themselves with the rainproof clothing and ,firishment necessary to maintain the health and efficiency

ss@inanded by everyday work in the shipyards.

# A married man with a family even in the higher paid = | eee ean ill afford to miss even a days work except "“\ough sickness or other unavoidable circumstances. One ithe ways in which absenteeism can be practically elim- sited is by adjusting grievances of the men on the job. It is interesting to note that a report issued by the War bor Board in the United States placed lack of materials d lack of machine tools as primary causes of production ling below schedule, whilst millions of man-days lost ‘ough occupational accidents and deaths rate third. The al lost-production time from these three causes is so many U®1es more than that lost through strikes that there is no = nparison. > Undoubtedly one cause of absenteeism which cannot be 1ored is the lack of facilities, organizations and planning ) the job. It is a fact that in the best organized plants, iere the most up-to-date methods are used, absenteeism iless prevalent.

i

‘HE transportation problem for workers in the shipyards will be further complicated by new gas rationing regu- ions. No allowance is made unless four passengers are

0 rried in the car. This is not always possible to arrange nfll.d consequently many war workers will be compelled to si y-up their cars. i Streetear services are already overcrowded to bursting _ #pint in the present situation. How they will stand up under t#§e strain of hundreds more workers travelling each day sa hard to see.

Worth Vancouver ferries will also have to bear a heavier _#ad, and it is evident that the time has arrived when this

ansportation problem should be gone into thoroughly.

| In San Francisco shipyards workers are hauled from the

past bay metropolitan area to Kaiser yards on the north side is: the bay on a railroad that has been especially constructed r the purpose. The road was built almost entirely from ~#econd-hand materials, while the cars were renovated from se old Second Avenue El line in New York. »@ Cleaned inside and out and painted a maritime grey, SMiese cars are providing an express service for war workers. @ ‘ails were dug up from abandoned lines in Oakland, Berkely “ud Alameda. The cars are used exclusively as an express z@ystem and do not stop between the city and the yards. #8 Capable of handling around 50,000 passengers a day, the | Jars are ready to be used to the fullest should the future Tnited States gas and rubber program deprive the thousands if workers at present using their cars of that method of ransportation. a There are miles of abandoned rails lying around railroads j@oat are no longer in operation in the Vancouver district and s@ivith some of the initiative shown in overcoming difficulties B@.outh of the line the transportation of the ten thousand work-

rs in the North shore yards should not be difficult to solve.

iy

‘Siege Of Leningrad’ To Open Next Tuesday At Plaza Theatre

The full-length Soviet film, “The Siege of Leningrad, con- taining the living record of a people’s incredible courage dur- ing the long campaign to hold Leningrad in spite of heavy odds, will open at the Plaza Theatre next Tuesday, February 23, fit- tingly enough on the twenty-fifth

The sixty-minute feature was© flown from Leningrad to London, where a commentary in English was added by Edward R. Murrow, Buropean representative of Colum- bia Broadeastinge System. A print was then rushed to Canada, arriv- ing just as news was received of the lifting of the Siege.

Twenty-two Soviet cameramen filmed the important phases of the seventeen-month siege which lasted from August 1941 to January 1943. The inspiring courage of this city ef three million which withstood the shock of a mechanized Nazi army numbering almost one million troops was faithfully recorded on film, sometimes in the very teeth of Nazi bullets. Thus it was pos- sible to include such shots as a telescopic close-up of a Nazi just asa sniper’s bullet got him in the head.

During the siege of Leningrad, the Nazis used 6,000 cannon, 4.500 trench mortars, 1,000 tanks, 1,000 planes, 19,000 machine guns and 800,000 men. Yet Leningrad was the first spot on earth where the Nazis were stopped. For 515 days the em- battled people fought on, in spite of complete stoppage of all normal services, including transportation, fuel, water, civilian power, and a bread ration that went down to 41% ounces a day.

At first, the only supplies came in by plane, or were smuggled through by guerrillas. When winter came, however, daring engineers built a road right across Lake La- doga, and on Nov. 28, 1941, the first convoy of 100 trucks roared across; 100,000 tons of supplies passed over the ice-road, carried by as many as 2,000 lorries in one day. When the ice melted, shipping carried on, while 300,000 Leningrad citizens cleared the streets of snow, and planted 22,500 acres of truck gardens.

With war at its grimmest, life still went on; 90,000 children went to the unheated schools every day.

Golleges graduated 2,500 students. Publishers brought out mnay vol- umes, including 100,000 copies of Tolstoy's War and Peace. Auxiliary Fireman Dmitri Shostakovitch wrote his immortal Seventh Sym- phony. Leningrad actors presented 20,000 performances to soldiers and workers.

Pay Tribute To Labor Woman

Many friends and members of the labor movement gathered in Ocean View Cemetery last week to attend the funeral of Lily Bruce,

whose recent sudden death from pneumonia recently had come as a shock to those who knew her.

Among messages of sympathy and condolence to the bereaved husband and daughter, was one received from Tim Buck, whose secretary Lily Bruce had been for years, stating:

“Qn behalf of myself and all our committe, please accept our deepest sympathy on your grievous loss. Your bereavement is at the same time that of the whole working class. We mourn in Lily a loyal, devoted comrade, builder of our movement, a fighter for people’s victory. Her years of work will

anniversary of the Red Army.

New Film Shows Women in RCAF

“Wings on Her Shoulders,” new- est release of the National Film Board’s World in Action series, gives the first dramatic account of service of Canadian women in the Royal Canadian Air Force. With a greater weight of bombs being dropped on Germany by the Royal Ganadian Air Force in com- bined operations with the RAF and the U.S. Army Air Corps, the flow of air crews to the Allied fighting fronts must stepped up in Ganada. Already deep into her manpower pool, Canada has been faced with the problem of releasing men from necessary but non-com- batant duties on the ground so that they can join the fighters of the RCAF overseas.

Looking to England and Russia, Ganada profited by the experience her Allies in the use of women in their armed services. Quick to

Teachers Gain Wage

increases

RICHMOND. — Salary increases amounting to $7,500 were awarded Richmond school teachers by an arbitration board headed by Judge A. M. Harper last Monday.

“The teachers are very pleased with this decision.” stated D. M. Ladd, president of Richmond Teachers’ Association. “In some cases yearly increases were larger

than we asked for, although the maximum Salaries were not as great.”’

The fifty-eight teachers had ask- ed for increases of $70 yearly for high school teachers for 15 years, until the maximum of $2,250 was reached. Junior high school teach- ers sought increases at the rate of $70 a year for 15 years, or a maxi- mum of $2,150. Elementary school teachers asked for increases of $60 per year with a maximum of $1,620.

The Richmond school board argued that it had lost $3,000 in fees and $2,270 in government grants as a result of the evacuation of 400 Japanese pupils.

Frank Wilson, Chilliwack, who

realize the value of woman-power

in the solution to her problem she formed the Women’s Division of the Royal Canadian Air Force.

Through the first days of medi- cal examinations, inoculations, uni- form-fitting and drill to vital jobs at Air Force Headquarters, train- ing stations and outposts, “Wings on Her Shoulders” shows the wide range of duties now taken over by the women in Canada’s growing air force. Men once held down to ground duties now take to the air to win their wings, backed up by the increasing strength of the Women’s Division.

appeared before the arbitration board for the teachers along with D. M. Ladd, pointed out that school costs have been cut by $6,000 since the Japanese evacuation.

Awards made by the arbitration board provide fer yearly increments as follows: high school teachers, basic ~$1,200, increase yearly of $75 up to $2,100. The school board had offered increases to $1,900. Junior high jteachers, basic $1,100, in- ereases up to $2,000, as against the school board’s offer of increases up to $1,700. Elementary teachers, basic $960, with increases of $60 up to $1,560. School board had sug- gested increases to $1,400.

live on in the world of freedom.”

‘‘1’]] Have to Call You Back. the Stove!”

Grace—I1 Have Something on