ThefUhermMi
Representing The Organized Fishermen And Shoreworkers of British Columbia
IN THIS ISSUE
Halibut Landings_________Page 4
Kyuquot Co-op History____Page 2
MM
Vol. VII. No. 18.
(297)
VANCOUVER, B.C., TUESDAY, JUNE 5, 1945
BROADWAY
PRINTERS LTD.
PRICE: FIVE CENTS
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Can nets9 Proposal Breaks Deadlock
Weekly Averages For Seine Salmon At Weighing Points
Negotiations for the 1945 salmon price agreement have entered a new phase as a result of proposals submitted by the Salmon Canners' Operating Committee. The new proposals are designed to facilitate agreement with the fishermen on methods to be employed for weighing seine-caught pinks and chums.
IVaiMH Some of the United Fishermen & Allied Work-/il> IfHHIII ers> rjnion members employed at Namu are shown in the accompanying pictures snapped by business agent Alex. Gordon during his visit there two weeks ago.
Posing against a background of corks are eight very pretty net girls . From left to right, standing, they are, Edna Nyland, Mar-jorie Nygaard, Doris Nygaard, Hazel Pettersen and Agnes Brink. Seated, from left to right, are Ella Levelton, Mabel Wright and Castalia Smith.
The five net men relaxing below are, from left to right, John Curtis, "Geordie" Sinclair, Bob Craig, Norman White and George Allen.
Looks like winter in the bottom photo, judging from some of the clothing and headgear being worn. However, it's almost summer and the men shown here have just emerged from the cold storage plant. Standing, third from the right, is Ewart Lohnes, newly elected plant secretary, who has the big job of following in the footsteps of Ronnie Small.
Shore Negotiations Strike Ripple Rock
Negotiations between the United Fishermen and Allied Workers Union and the Canadian Fishing Company for an agreement to cover the Home Plant Vitamin Oil Plant have come to an end as a result of a refusal by the company to consider time and one-half overtime pay for hours in excess of eight per day.
Morgan Winds Up Meets At West Coast Centres
A series of successful meetings at points on the west coast, winding up on Sunday night with a mass meeting in the Port Alberni Capital theatre, highlighted Nigel Morgan's campaign for election as independent labor candidate in the Comox-Alberni riding last week.
Accompanied by George Miller, president of the United Fishermen and Allied Workers' Union, Morgan spoke at Tofino, Ucluelet, Barn-field and Kildonan. According to reports received, Morgan's meeting at Tofino last Thursday was better attended than meetings held by both of his opponents recently.
Union Meetings
Port Mann
Important business, including a full report and discussion on salmon weighing and prices is scheduled for next Sunday's Port Mann local meeting. The meeting will take place at 2 o'clock as usual at the Port Mann wharf. -President Alex Eyton and secretary Dal Triggs urge all members to make every effort to attend.
Shore Workers
Regular meeting of the shore workers local, UFAWU will be held Thursday, June 7 at eight o'clock in the Fishermen's Hall.
Albion to Hold Dance on June 8
The Albion local has planned a dance for Friday evening, June 8 in the Albion Community Hall. Music will be supplied by the Tempo Tops orchestra.
Marking the sixty-second meeting which he has addressed during the current campaign, Morgan told his Port Alberni audience that the only effective, democratic solution to the Japanese question is contained in the policy of deporting to Japan those judged guilty of espionage or disloyalty, repatriation to Japan of all those who can be persuaded to return, discontinuance of future immigration, and removal of all Japanese from British Columbia.
Morgan stated that he would oppose return of the Japanese to the B.C. coast because of national security and because of the difficulty of integration of the Japanese into Canadian life on account of the isolated character oi the communities along the B.C. coast line.
George Miller reviewed Morgan's record in the labor movement, declaring that he had never once wavered in his efforts on behalf of the working people of the province.
"Morgan," Miller declared, "has played a distinctive role in organizing the 23,000 IWA members against opposition few men were willing to face.
"In fighting against shipments of scrap iron to Japan," Miller said, "Nigel Morgan took his place on the picket line before the boat that was loading the scrap."
William Rigby, secretary-treasurer of the UFAWU, will speak with Harold Pritchett tomorrow evening at 6:45 over CJOR on Morgan's behalf .
• Other points upon which it was" impossible to reach mutual understanding are the length of the qualifying period after which a man would be classified as an experienced helper and the rate of pay for the maintenance man.
The Union requested a 3-nj^ntli qualifying period for inexperienced helpers, after which the rate of pay for'experienced helpers would be paid.
Company officials in their counter-proposal demanded a one year qualifying period. After discussion, the Union suggested a compromise of six months which, while it was agreeable to the management of the Vitamin Oil Plant was not agreeable to other members of the Company's negotiating committee and was consequently not accepted.
On the second point, rate of pay for maintenance men, the Union requested 86c per hour instead of the present rate of 77c per hour. After a lengthy discussion the Company offered 80c per hour which, in view of the duties involved in this classification, was unacceptable to the Union. A compromise offer of 82c per hour was proposed by the Union negotiating committee, but this was refused by the Company.
This marks the second occasion negotiations on this particular agreement have hit Ripple Rock. The first set of negotiations which commenced several months ago came to an end as a result of the very definite position taken by the Company against the institution of time and one-half overtime pay.
On this first occasion, the Union placed the matter before the Regional Board. However, due to a technical error in not informing the Company in writing of its intention of going before the Board, the Union was instructed once again to meet wit hthe Company.
This ruling of the Board was welcomed by the Union since it reopened the prospect of concluding
an agreement on the basis of mutual understanding. Such a conclusion to negotiations was well on the way to accomplishment until negotiations hit the 8-hour day Ripple Rock. Instead of the time and one-half for hours in excess of eight per> day. which was requested by the Union, the Company offered time and one-half for hours in excess of nine per day or 48 hours in a six day week, whichever amount is the greater.
This submission by the Company was unacceptable to the Union since all Vitamin Oil Plants in the Vancouver area have time and one-half for hours in excess of eight as r. minimum hourly condition. Business agent Gordon points out as an example that North Vancouver plant of the Washington Laboratories Ltd. is paying time and one-half for hours in excess of eight on week days and time and one-half for hours in excess of four on Saturday. This same condition exists in the Vancouver Vitamin Operation of the Western Chemicals Ltd.
The Vancouver Fishermen's Cooperative Association liver plant is paying time and one-half for hours in excess of eight per day and for —Continued on page 8
The canners' new offer was presented to a negotiating committee of representatives of the United Fishermen & Allied Workers' Union and the Native Brotherhood on May 25 and has been the subject of further discussion and elaboration by joint sub-committees during the past week.
Essence of the canners' new proposal is the use of specified plants as weighing stations for establishing average weights of pinks and chums caught in the areas closest to the station.
Successful working out of an agreed test of weighing stations and sub areas would mean:
• A straight poundage price for all pinks and chums in 1945 whether caught by gillnets or seines (the canners have already—agreed to weigh all gillnet pinks and chums on the grounds);
• Seiners delivering to packers would have fish counted as at present and the tally as well as the area fish where caught would be entered on the seiners' fish book;
• For each fishing area on the coast the weighing station closest to the area would count and weigh all pinks and chums brought in from the area whether by seiners directly or by packers. Daily fish weights would be added and a weekly average announced at the end of the week for the designated fishing area;
• All fishing companies would accept the average weekly weight at the designated weighing station for pinks and chums caught in the given area no matter where such fish were actually delivered;
• The union would be provided with a full record of fish weights at all weighing stations and would
Halibut Season Shortest So Far
Closing date for halibut in Areas 1 and 2 has been set at midnight on June 12, making 1945 the shortest season on record with only 43 days of actual fishing in these areas.
Halibut caught incidentally to other types of fishing may be marketed under permits which expire on November 15.
'Last year's season lasted 51 days despite a quota smaller by 1,000,-000 pounds than the 24,500,000 pounds to be caught in 1945.
Area 3, with 28,000,000 pounds to be taken, is still far from its quota.
Area 1 includes all convention waters southeast of a line running northeast and southwest through Willapa Bay on Cape Shoalwater.
Area 2 includes all convention waters off the coasts of the United States, Alaska and Canada between area I and a line running through the most westerly point of Glacier Bay, Alaska, to Cape Spencer Light, thence south one-quarter east.
Kyuquot Trollers Co-op Holds Meet On June 15
Semi-annual meeting of the Kyuquot Trollers Cooperative Association will be held in the Social Hall at Kyuquot on June 15, according to a circular issued by managing secretary A. E. Carr. The meeting is scheduled to open at 9:30, with a number of points coming up in addition to the regular order of business.
English Bay Closure Out
No interference with commercial fishing in English Bay waters will be permitted by the Board of Park Commissioners, according to a letter sent last week to President George Miller of the United Fishermen and Allied Workers' Union.
Signed by Mr. T. B. Stroyan, Superintendent and Engineer, the letter was sent in reply to a communication from Miller early in May protesting against a suggestion that waters between Point Grey and Point Atkinson be closed to commercial fishing.
The resolution passed at the Commissioners' meeting declares that "the United Fishermen and Allied Workers' Union be advised that the Board of Park Commissioners is sympathetic with their viewpoint and that we, as a Board, have nb desire to interfere in the meantime with the historic right of fishermen in this connection, or in any way to interfere with so valuable a public asset."
Probably the most important point will be the plebiscite concerning separation of the stores from the producer end of the cooperative.
Answers to the plebiscite, which asks the question "Are you in favor of transferring store business of the Kyuquot Trollers Co-op Association to a new co-op on the plans submitted by the stores committee?" must be left in an envelope with the nearest camp man by June 13. This will give time for the packers to pick them up and deliver them to the meeting.
Reports will be given on the new sales organization, the Fishermen's Cooperative Federation, giving full details of its operations and accomplishments, and also on the Fishermen's Mutual Marine Insurance, which will probably be on a working basis by the time the meeting takes place.
Delegates have been invited to attend from the United Fishermen & Allied Workers' Union, the UBC Extension Department and all other fishermen's co-operative organizations.
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also nominate members at each station for weight-checking purposes.
Under this plan not all seine-caught pinks and chums would be weighed, nor would all plants receiving such fish weigh them. Only those plants designated as weighing stations would weigh pinks and chums for the purpose of the record. These designated plants would only weigh fish delivered from areas in close proximity to the plant thus establishing average weights for the pay-off based on short hauls and little shrinkage.
Plants suggested by the canners to serve as weighing stations were: Wales Island for the Naas area; Port Edward for the Skeena and Queen Charlotte areas; Butedale for the Butedale area; Klemtu for the Klemtu area; Namu for the Namu area; Bones Bay for the Johnston Straits area; Knights Inlet for the Knights Inlet area; Imperial for the Lower Gulf area; Kildonan for the Barkley Sound area; Nootka for the Nootka area.
The general negotiating committee of the UFAWU and the Native Brotherhood after receiving the new offer stated that it was prepared to give it the most careful consideration with a view to recommending the principle of the proposal to their respective memberships. At the same time the canners were informed that to speed conclusion of an agreement it was essetitial to present 1945 fish price proposals to the fishermen at the same time as the weighing station proposal was being considered.
During the past week a sub-committee of the Union and the Brotherhood has worked out detailed proposals in regards to fishing areas and weighing stations considered necessary to put these proposals into operation.
The sub-areas for which separate averages should be established, were worked out for the whole coast and the number ^and location of weighing stations to serve for these sub-areas were fully discussed.
Thus for example in agreeing to Wales Island cannery as a weighing station for the Naas it was proposed that there be three sub-areas for which separate weekly —Continued on page 8
Want Hair Seal Skins
J. H. Munro Limited of 1363 Kingsway, are in the market for at least one hundred raw, salted hair sealskins, according to a communication received from Mr. T. Taylor of the Department of Fisheries.
The skins, Mr. Taylor states, should be evenly salted and not more than half an inch of blubber left on the pelts.
After salting, they should be rolled flesh to flesh and each skin tied to keep the salt from shaking out.
Then can be shipped by freight collect at prices varying from two to four dollars, according to size, quality and the way they are handled.
This price, Mr. Taylor points out, would be in addition to the five dollar bounty paid by the Fisheries Department. Seal noses, of course, still "have to forwarded for bounty purposes.