November 13, 1945
T H E FISH E R M A N
Page Five
'You Have he Floor
• This column is open to all readers. The Editorial Board requests all letters be signed. Signatures will be published unless otherwise stated. Letters should not 4>e more than 200 words in ^ngth. Letters to the editor dc not necessarily reflect the policy of The Fisherman.
Salmon Tendermen Get Unfair Deal,
Editor, The Fisherman:
The salmon season over, most of u3 tendermen are left in a rather awkward position in regard to our incomes. It seems that the bigger the season the less the tendermen's income, which seems to me anything but fair.
Some of the packers are taken off the salmon at the beginning of the herring run in the early part of October and have made $300 or more in bonus before the last of the salmon packers get in.
The salmon packers, in my opinion, have to work harder than either the pilchard or herring men. They have to scrub hundreds of pen boards, loosen aiid shovel ten to fifteen tons of ice each trip and be responsible for accurate tally sheets as well as weights.
I am not trying to say that the pilchard and herring packing is all milk and honey either. But what I am trying to say is that there should be equal compensation for equal services rendered. That to me seems to be the responsibility of the operators as they must realize that fellow who gets $200 to $500 less per season than the other in a similar position in their service does not feel he is getting a fair deal or justice.
It works the same as if some operators were paid only nine dollars per case and others were paid ten dollars. Assuming that the nine dollars a case operator can somehow remain in business, he nevertheless feels lfke quitting and that is exactly how some of us are feeling about the situation. But suppose that some of us quit and try something else; will that solve the problem? I doubt it. yet it might help someone else to a better break.
TOM JOHNSON. Nelson Bros. Shipyard, Vancouver, B.C.
Lesson Learned
In Coalition Tactics
Editor, The Fisherman:
It would appear there are three reasons for the disfranchisement of so many thousands of B.C. voters in rural areas. In many cases, the people themselves were careless in not being sure that they were on the voters list. Secondly, it could have been inefficiency on the part of the returning officer by not making sure the registration forms arrived in time to be of any use. Lastly, however, almost all the blame can be laid at the doors of the powers-that-be for their utter disregard of the democratic rights of voters in rural areas.
Take Stuart Island for example. Although most of us were careless in not making certain that we were on the voters list, it would not have helped our cause had we been otherwise, because the forms arrived just too late to place us on the official voters list. Consequently out of over one hundred voters, less than two dozen were able to cast a ballot.
However, it will not occur again, as we have learned an early lesson in Coalition tactics.
ROY E. OLSEN P.O. Stuart Island, B.C.
Cummins Diesel Sales of B.C Ltd.
DEPENDABLE MARINE DIESEL ENGINES 1832 W. Georgia Vancouver
Are You A Sincere Trade Unionist?
Editor, The Fisherman:
It takes all sorts of people to make a world. It takes only one sort of people to make a union— honest, unselfish, efficient workers; all the others who creep in are only tolerated because a union to succeed must be democratic and tolerant by nature.
Too many of the latter seek and attain positions of trust only to improve their personal security and profit disregarding their fellow workers.
A case in point is an engineer who served on the union committee in negotiations with the companies, left his boat and even left the company to go halibut fishing while another engineer unwittingly took, the packer out.
When halibut fishing was over that same engineer returned to the company, bumped the man who had put the engine room and its equipment in first class order and took the packer out on pilchards and later herring. That is not sporting.
Another case in mind is of an officer in a local group who was being relieved for lunch periods by a man from another shift, objecting to negotiating an agreement with the company, stipulating that each man work a straight eight hour period which would have been only equal and fair treatment for all concerned.
Another man has been advocating a closed shop in a recent article in The Fisherman.. This in itself is fine. But, by his own testimony, that same man was a fish buyer for Kyuquot Trollers Co-op Association last year and by incidental fishing earned something over $1,700. During the season without joining the union because the initiation fee was too high. Sounds a bit unreasonable, don't you think?
A departmental foreman in a cannery up the coast is one of the big noises for unionism at every meeting and around the bunkhouse. Under his jurisdiction on the job, however, there exist a number of discrepancies which he has not even attempted to correct which shows a lack of consistency.
You might think from the foregoing that all union men are blackguards and scoundrels, but that is far from the truth. B.y the honest, efficient efforts of most of our leaders, our UFAWU has grown from many small beginnings into one great stalwart organization and the discrepancies are the exception rather than the rule.
The ideal union man is always interested in the welfare of the body, the branch or the whole union to secure fair wages for honest efforts; one who is willing to share the good derived and the responsibility in negotiating for prices and conditions, always mindful to give the employer honest value for an honest wage. Don't forget that the management have their headaches, too, even though they are very well rewarded for this discomfort.
It is the opinion of the writer that keeping in mind and practising the foregoing qualifications by the individual members, unionism would be so strong and popular that very little thought would need be spent on ways and means to induce prospects to join up nor to collect dues from members. The union would be full of men and women who would make good chairmen, secretaries, committee men, and every man would be an organizer.
"A UFAWU MEMBER"
Vancouver, B.C.
a4 l/ttle lktez... at prank whthi&p's eeswBtics.
WELL, WIN IEEE IN THE
tvhj0p is there Ktti truth
SToev ?
EVEfNTHlMS IN THE HEADLINE IS TRUE ENOJiSH —AND YET— THE WHOLE STOZV IS A TISSUE OP LIES J
YOU SEE-1 WAS SASSE0 IN THE PlRST WORLD WAR. THE HEAT SETS WE SOMETIMES... ANP THE 5AS WAKES WvE BLEARV. ONE N1SHT, WHILE DRlVlNS THROUGH A LITTLE TOWN CALLED CRANBERRY, 1 RAM INTO A PENCE, UPSET Wrf CAR., AND DID sous. WNOR DAMASE. THERE ^_, WAS NOTHINlS SERIOUS.,
WELL, 1 WAS oklLED... AND ACCUSED OF DRUNKEN DRIV|N<5... SUT WHEN THE CASE CAME TO TRIAL, THE LEAOlNS TOWN.DOC' TOR. POINTED OUT THAT THE SYMPTOMS OF DRUNKENNESS AND SUSSING WERE FREQUENTLY INDiSTINSUlSHABLE... AND THE CHARGES WERE WITHDRAWN ..
Mail On Hand In Union Off-
ice
THREE BOATS SUNK AT PRINCE RUPERT
PRINCE RUPERT — Three fishing boats were sunk at their moorings during a gale which raged here recently. The boats Prosperity C, Kaschie and Libra sank in approximately 20 feet of water. Minor damage was done to other fishing vessels during the gale, and many took refuge in the sheltered waters of Seal Cove.
The following list of union members have mail on hand in the UFAWU office at 138 East Cordova Street:
*K. A. Astrom, *0. Armid, Mr. and Mrs. Albert Abbott. *A. Andersen, Emil Andersen, Hedman Andersen.
•John Beaton, * Alfred Brandon, E. Breimo, Frank Coleman, M. Carlson, Chris Chris-topherson. '*Coate, Druce, G. Bursey.
*Eric Dahl *W. Darson. O. Dervik, J. J. Duffy, B. Fitzpatrick. Harold Foss (letter from Norway) . »B. Ford. Halften Foray, O. Gregovich, John Grier, *W. J. Goodland.
•Ole Hallen. 410. Holland, *M. Hanberg, R. J. Hjelmeland, Alick Hobbins (letter from Australia), G. Hollingsworth. Carl Hansen, Christian Jensen (letter from Denmark), Thomas Jensen, Viggo Jensen, A. Jerstad, "Sam Jordie.
*E. Kaario, Fred Klatt. Krist Kristoffersen, L. Langmo, Louis Larsen. J. Lawson, Harold Lien, *B. Lindquist, *0. Longwell, John Lund.
Joe Mallaytinka, *Donald Martin, *R. Montgomery, *J. Morrison, *S. Murray, Capt. J. H. Myers, R. McAuley, J. J. Mclntyre, Neil Mclntyre, "John McAskill, John A. McKenzie. *R. McGee, *John McMillan.
*R. Nilson, John Ohnstad (Un. E. Ins. Book), A. V. Olsen, *John Olsen, Olaf Ols-son (letter from Norway) ; *01e Osberg, T. Pavlocivich, *Harpy Person, Bill Peterson,
*L. Peterson, James Pongracz, Harry Prit-chard, Magne Rabbon, Capt. T. M. Ramsay
(letter from Canal Zone), James, Richardson, *Agnor Rordal.
Leah Schiller. John ' Slatta. Walt Smith. Capt. E. S. (or A. S.) Sornes, S. O. Spitz,
*R. J. Steele, *George Swanson, Jonas Thompson ( letter from Norway), *W. Turner, *E. Tysseland, *C. H. Vindberg, *C. Vjkdal, *G. White, Olay Worren (letter from Norway) . '
(Note: — (*) in front of a name stands fot Income Tax Slip.)
Hair Seal Blubber Wanted
Editor, The Fisherman— We have an order for fifty pounds of hair seal blubber. This is wanted for coyote bait. Price offered is 10c a pound, plus cost of packaging and shipping. To anyone interested we will supply name and address and they can deal direct.
Fishermen's Cooperative Federation One West Cordova St. PA. 0185 or HA. 3976.
NEW FISHERIES SUPERVISOR NAMED FOR NORTHERN B.C.
Frank Warne, a member of the federal fisheries service since 1921, has recently been appointed by the Civil Service Commission to fill the post of district supervisor of fisheries for northern British Columbia, He has been acting as supervisor since September, 1944, following the retirement of the former supervisor, James Boyd. Mr. Warne joined the staff of the Dominion Department of Fisheries as a patrolman in 1921, following his return from overseas service in the first Great War.
Coal Harbor Shipyard
LTD.
BOAT BUILDING & REPAIRS
Covered Marine Ways Work Boats — Fish Boats 1747 W. Georgia (rear) MA 7743
SALMON
NELSON BROS.
Fisheries Ltd.
325 Howe Street Vancouver, B.C.
PACKERS of
HIGH EST QUALITY
CANNED
Salmon — Pilchards — Herring
PRODUCERS of FISH MEALS and OILS
STYLES . VALUES QUALITY
Always at the Home of UNION MADE Clothing — and Friendly Service.
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Phone PAc 3645 45 E. Hastings Vancouver
AN admiral, watching a young ** sailor labor eagerly but clumsily on the quarterdeck, asked: "How long have you been in the Navv, son?"
"Two months," the boy replied. "How long have you been in?"
The admiral was taken slightly aback, but he good-naturedly answered: "Thirty years.'
The sailor shook his head sympathetically and said: "It's hell, ain't it?"—Walter Winchell.
(Jncle Zeke, patriarch of a small village, was asked why he enjoyed .talking to himself.
"Firstly," said the old darky, "Ah laks to talk to a smart man; and secondly, Ah laks to hear a smart man talk."
-—Wall Street Journal.
pi: Look, bud, do you know you " could double the amount of beer you sell?
Bartender: How's that?
GI: Fill the glasses.
PHILPOTT OPENS ART EXHIBIT
The second annual "British Columbia at Work" competitive art exhibition, conducted by the Labor Arts Guild in the Vancouver Art Gallery from November 13 to December 2, will be officially opened by Elmore Philpott, Vancouver Sun columnist and CBR news commentator, on Wednesday evening, November 14 at 8 o'clock,
A. S. Grigsby, Curator of the Gallery, announces that enquiries and entries received indicate this year,s show, portraying the industrial and working life of this province, will surpass the successful 1944 exhibition in both size and standard.
"British Columbia at Work" will this year make a still greater contribution toward bringing Art, Labor and the Community into closer understanding and unity," anticipates John Goss, director of the Labor Arts Guild.
DEATH BENEFITS PAID Full death benefits were paid to Mrs. Boyer and Mrs. Larsen, whose husbands were crew members of the missing tuna vessel Arrogant, on instruction of the UFAWU executive board meeting of November 2.
Crawley & Didricksen
Boat Builders & Designers
All Kinds of Work Boats 8 Fish Boats — Fishing Craft Repairs —
COW BAY. PRINCE RUPERT
B.C. Cod Fishermen's Co-operative Ass'n.
Room 7, 342 West Pender St. MArine 0361 Vancouver, B.C. •
PRODUCERS & MARKETERS of LIVE LING-COD since 1933
. MEMBER: B.C. FISHERMEN'S CO-OPERATIVE FEDERATION
Sales Manager: r. urquhart
N.H.B. Dock HAst. 0292
Vancouver, B.C.
For your Electrical Supplies . . . Electric Refrigerators, Washers, Ranges, Floor and Table Lamps, see . . .
NORTHERN B.C. POWER CO. LTD.
Phone 21* STEWART, B.C.
PRINCE RUPERT, B.C.
. . . Phone 79 . . .
McCUTCHEON'S PHARMACY
Third Avenue & Sixth Street
DRUGS — KODAKS STATIONERY, CHOCOLATES
Bob 808, Prince Rupert, B.C.
Always "The Best for Less' fcfe* at
VANCOUVER, B.C.
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