An Independent Semi-Weekly Newspoper Devoted
MBRARY
victoria;
I
to the Interest
Central and Northern British
Prince George, B.C., THURSDAY, November 19, 1953
$4.00 per year
per copy
ey Men In Lumber Strike Meet Premier Today
Key spokesmen for both the International Woodworkers i and the Northern Interior Lumbermen's Associa ih Pi W A
me ssocia
wj|| meet.with Premier W. A. C. Bennett and Labor Wik hi f
abor Ly!e Wicks this afternoon in a further effort to end
infetior's 54 day-old strike
�of the impending meeting leased by the I.W.A. this I mine and first disclosure of happened at last Thursday's Mi between the I.W.A.'s Joe is Mid Premier Bennett-was
wording to a top union official tlje premier proposed that iidu^tf'ini 'inquiry commission et up :ill(1 lnal tne interior's go back to their Efwhllc the commission is at
Morris laid this plan before the policy committee in Van-er on Saturday and returned | Victoria Monday to?, tell the 'proposaLhaa been re-
vice- president of the man in charge inistration here, said turned down the pro-Ion ihi.' grounds the commis-; job would be a long drawn laffnir with no guarantee that plovers would accept itsrecom-jflations.
industrial inquiry commis-
has powers roughly equal to
(if ;i royal commission and
I) would'be to determine the
ity of .claims made by both
l^putants and bring in recqm-
indatipns for the disputants to
�"'as' a basis for settlement.
whereby the recommendations can be enforced.
The commission's decision-would be no more binding on either union- or employers than the awards of a conciliation board.
At the meeting with the. premier today it is expected the union will�ask^foT~appoInTml�nT~oT~a~ mediator in the, dispute who must be acceptable to both parties. '
IWA Moots Higher Pay For Strikers
A meeting of the International Woodworkers of-America district executive board for the purpose of considering increased strike benefits to workers here will be held in Vancouver tomorrow and i Saturday.
Fred Fieber, vice-president of the-, I.W.A.'s British Columbia district, said that the union's officers have, already approved a special" clothing allowance for the children of strikers which will amount to about $8 a child.
lAIthbush provincial' legislation
ppowers a government to set up
a commission, Fieber stated,
es not provide any, measure
Workers Threatened Says Union Leader
International Woodworkers of America vice-president Fred Fieber charged today thajt employees of local lumber operations have been intimidated by employers into signing
back-to-work petitions.
The charge came only a few days after a Northern Interior Lumbermen's Association spokesman charged the union with in-
Mayor Talks Strike With Wicks Today
His Worship Mayor Garvin Dezell flew to Victoria last night to keep an~app5intment with Hon. Lyle Wicks, British Columbia's-Minister of Labor, today.
In his own words/the mayor will "try to find some >vcy to bring an end to the labor stalemate which is so seriously, stifling the economy of this city and district." His Worship made the appoint- ��^-------------- ^----------------'
�.
ment with the minister .on Tuesday just two � days after he hy
j completed talks with a top L-W\A.
official and members of the Northern Interior Lumbermen's Association.
� The mayor said he had no solution to present to the minister but. �^vould attempt to determine what thVvgovernment can and will do
the present dispute to an
had proof of intimidation by employers.
Fieber also remarked ��>. on the lack of violence on the strike front
lack of violence on the str timidating ,workers_into not sign- witnin the last {ew days.
ing the petitions.
According to Fieber, a number ' of workers resident in the city have been threatened with loss of their jobs when the strike is over ; if they dp not sign petitions now
*'I am very gratified to note that no further violence has come about," he said. TENSION
Giving background to an inci-
signifying they wanj. to return to dent over a week ago in wnifh work under conditions of last year's contract.
The key I.W.A. official said he
Wai, Customs Staffs ill Move December 1
last two non-union workers vvere in | jured in a fracas with pickets, 'Fieber told The Citizen, "The employers had a back-to-work movement planned here over a week ago and this created a great deal of tension among the membership.
"It is an established fact that the employers had a I four-car 'goon' 'squad and "this did nothing to ease the situation." . In labor terminology a "goon" squad " is a ^group of men who
, . ,, ., , . , . _, .., ,, . . ,, , specialize in the instigation of vio-
ibia will be-occupied by Postmaster Wallace Mulligan 'lence and whose purpose it is to i staff on December 1. *--------~------~-----------------------resort to force to achieve certain
lAscore�""of. carpenters arid other lumination is provided, by huh- fnd*''?�"faf [n the lnte^'"Slr�
tradesmen are today rush- dreds of feet of drop-style fluores- both ?itle* "a^,*c^� , U m on the main floor quart- cent fixtures ;, j�^|| JSS�S?ta�i for the
acctipled by .the postal) Woodward's Ltd. of Vancouver firsvt timG the i \v A's attitude to-' have tlteasis ! da^ alon8 with" the government's
' � .. _ . ��. , ., . -r j � i i 'blessing on a plan to spend $28,-
R. K. Gervm, secretary of Vancouver Trades and Labor , 000 towards completion of the
Council, charged that the present part-time labor board has centre within the next few "neither the time nor authority to function properly." 'j months.
- The LR.B. was changed from full-time to part-time' Technically, the centre will be-
It May Be Hard16 Believe-But Civic Centre Deal Ended
No ceremony will mark the conclusion within the next few days'of one of the most drawn out, frustrating and'red tape entangled'deals which the City of Prince George has accomplished since its.jncorporation in 1915.
The. deal; to assifme municipal] ownership of the uncompleted $50,000 Hrince George Civic CentreJat the corner of Seventh
operation a year ago as one of the^Socred government's economy measures, arid because it wds felt the' move would speed up service to unions,; Mr. Gervin told delegates.
come the city's property when signatures of. two officers of the Prince George Civic Centre Association are affixed to a legal
departments will be able has heen pi.OvidedAfor the staff, j
V4 S SAY RRS--C
their headquarter* before . 1 deadline.
(^� t II V I I I^IUtlUCU U V7 L lilt O IU I � � I ^s^
Huge store room.sN occupy most HiKwas answering allegations in of the basement spaW, which al- the pre&^hat the I.W.A. has no
pork on the .second floor offices so contains furnance room equip- right to rftc.RCMP and other Dominion ped with twin oil-fin
heating the building
ventilating unit le;
parts of the $550,0(
strike, o was take
wernniem branches has been ttailcd in order that workmen omiate on the post-office ms sections, iReflecting the latest trend in r
fe Planning; extensive use has1 poses. . A^------- j
Unmade of aluminum, in the | A large loadlrfe^mTunloading 'interior *jstairs portion of the building.! area is located at the rear of the lion
operations where
s for nc> vote was taKen or where the" 3fgB� .results of the vote went against all strike action.' ding. T "If the I.W.A.�i-s-.acting -on be-
'All windoAV area have
have been half of people who have not auth-
............
fo7 liisuiation puv- orised it to do so, it is merely fol- A: j "owing the lead of the Northern Lumbermens Associa-
jietal contrasts pleasingly 1 \ralls of birch hardwood vc-� m the public space, "which is" pinated by fluorescent fixtures ;t'(l in a ceiling of white tic-ii] tile.
o than 700 aluminum lock and drawers have.been In-'. and space has been' pro-for additional boxes when PWirwl.
t C!CLH co"�ters and partitions IVC been, trimmed with alumi-ano the counters and tables e been covered with heavy
. be
I*"! lino.
Floor
o flitch
' >n the public space as*well main stairways have been 11 with'- terrazzo slabs, js composed of small chips le jjct Irregularly in cement
^ -post master's" office occup-nc northeast corner of the ov. 19 (CP)
A ball
building,.with access to main floor offices.
Stress Importance Of Motor Industry
VANCOUVER Nov.
(CP) �
This association, representing less than half of the number of operators in the district, is bargaining for the entire district industry, and believe me, this is definitely against the wishes of many operators.
"The association is forcing it-i self upon these non-member- operations as a bargaining agency
Speaking at the annual convention of the association here, he said "the provincial government must underwrite the cost of transportation arteries such as a .Fras-er River crossing."
He said he placed the automobile trade among the top four essentials with food, clothing and shelter, of the Canadian standard of living.
"People are .spending more money on cars than on food," he said.
Attorney-'Gcneral Bonner said the main obstacle to W.C. expansion was the geographical barriers dominating the province. "Much of the responsibility for opening up the province will depend:, on the efforts of- the transportation
g'ro hurtled down from the industry," he-said. fc. T. Williams told The Citizen today.
His statement came almost two � years after municipal ownership of the centre was first considered iy the city council and almost one year since ratepayers approved the deal in a two-to-one plebiscite vote last December.
�His Worship Mayor Dezell, one of the foremost figures behind the drive to have the city takeover the ageing and unfinishecl structure was not available/today for comment on the fruits of hte en-dea'vQns..He is th' Victoria conferring 'w'ftjj/^Hbn: Lyle Wicks, tempt tO/S-fx'cd "settlement of the B.'CVs^MmJster of Labor, in tin at-JLUefior luint)or Inclustr'y strike. -^C'ity Clerk \Vrilli;ims said lie will contact W.i C F.ra'ser; trensurer Of ihe' Civic Centre Association, and '(I. ID. Rryant, its president, within the next few days for the purpo.-o of. concluding the final forniaTity,7i
;L'pdn receipt of the S7Q00;cheqiib from the city.the association will pay. off its liabilities and quietly di'op into obscurity.
It was formed some years ago for the sole purpose of providing the city with n dvie centre and it raised close to $50,000 towards this end.
�I.W.A. Meets tonight
A general membership meeting Of the International Woodworkers of America, Local 1-121, will take place tonight at S p.m. in.the Elks Hall. .
�Guest speaker at the meeting will be.Jack Hoist, financial secretary for the Courtenay local "of the union and a member of the board of trustees. <-.
Gun Club To Stage Practice Tonight
Red Cross Executive Meet
John Morrison Gives Report On Blood Donor Clink here
A practice shoot for members ^ report on the recent Blood DondP.drive here, and spec-
and prospective members of'ial thanks to those who helped make it a success, were given
Donor panel, at
the executive meeting of the Red Cross last Saturday afternoon. . *! !
btid
Prince Cleorge Gun Club will com- Ujy john Morrison, chairman of the Blood mence at 7 p.m. tonight at I'irst tho oypnitiw mpptinn nf the Red .-Cross loi Avenue Arinqrios.
First practice shoot was
Mr. Morrison gave special credit to Mrs. Tommy Richardson for hoi1 assistance as secretary, Mrs.
p
Tuesday with about 30 attending. Team Captains arc urged
by
cUdi officers to get their-entries H. Millar for arranging nui^e as-
soon as .possible so that
slstance. Mrs. 'D. Fraser and her helpers for providing . hot coffee and toa for donors, Mrs.R. E. Fal-ardeau and Mrs. C. Straw for tak-ing care of the soft drinks, the
m
.scheduled shooting can commence; v It is expected first scheduled team matches will take place in about three weeks.
Club officials/.'have authorized registijars^jind those who called reconstruction of the two-level from house to house signing up steel shooting platform and work on modifications to it should ,bc
completed next week.
The platform Svill be cut into two sections and! reinforced with heavy steel braces.
'Range officials, say the rebuilt shooting plaform will he completely rigid and should end com-
donors;
Of the 1300 who pledged to give blood, there were 992 donors, he said, although rnany others, were unable to qualify to give blood, after they had signed pledges.
Cost of WHniiing the Red Cross travelling clinic to Prince George Was $1000, he said,' an^/ ITe had
plaints of shakiness and vibrations co]lectGd nlnrc than S220 from from marksmen using the nipper
level.
BULLS
111
CREELMAK, S,r^
iprlET bull calves born in Septem-
customers and friends unable to donate otherwise., h,which helped defray such expenses as rent of the hall and purchasing soft drinks.
Mr. Morrison also extended thanks to the school boys . who
ber.to a Hereford cow owned by | assisted by carrying blood -to the
of
Nat Woitin here apparently estab- � trucks, and in other ways lished a livestock record. The Can-1 .Mrs...G. S. Wood, chairman adian Hereford Digest in Calgary the Disaster Relief Committee, n> said jio other tStich case was re- ported one bad fire recently.which corded in Canada. has resulted in a little girl having
to'spend three months In hospital.
Tho Ke-.l Cross was able to assist with outfitting the family, supplying heckling and in other ways, she said, and kindly Prince George citizens assisted also with cribs, high chairs and other items.
President Mrs. K. .B. Carter informed the executive of the JlVn-"?" ior Red Cross ae'tiviues, which have 'included visiting and read-inn stories "to. children in-hospital..
They have 'undertakpn to thako 2r> baby nii*h'nww.ns, she said, as �well as undertaken fund raising activities which help to send children from here "to the coast for needed hospitallzatibn theUc^--
Mrs. V. (). Albins read the report of.a civil defence mectii\g-lield in August, . when she was present as n niembct-of the'Red Cross executive. She outlined the work of tho Red Cross "should their assistance be called.upon. �_�
.Mrs. Carter expressed regret � that Mrs. Jack Johnston has to resign from the Red Cross executive as'she and lier husband are rnpy- _" ing to_ Vancouver. The Red Cross \ is losing a very valuable ii here, Mrs..Carter .saki. _ L . �
The- meeting "was held in City Hall.