October 12 ,1938
THE FISHERMAN
Page Five
PREMIER PATTULLO
When the provincial legislature convenes on October 25, one of the Premier's pet enactments, the Labor and Conciliation Act, is slated to come up for amendment as a result of labor opposition.
Singood The
Fish
erman
Say*
THE FISHERMAN is a darn fine paper, but we don't get it often enough and there isn't enough of it. We want a bigger paper and we want it every week.
There was a kid in the Model School last winter who, in answering a question on the difference between results and consequences, remarked:
"Results are what you expect and consequences are what you get." There's meat in that remark. What we expect is a bigger paper, published weekly. What we will get will be the consequence of our efforts.
All you guys should get down to figuring how we can improve the paper— how to make it bigger and make it a weekly—then send in your ideas to the editor. That'll get results.
* * * *
IHEARD a story the other day about a farmer who plowed his field, harrowed it and got it ready for seeding, then waited to see if he got a crop or not before he put in the seed.
That sounds plenty foolish, but it's no wores than some fishermen who, when asked to join the union, says: "I want to wait and see if the union will amount to anything first."
Get in and help "seed the ground" then see if we get a crop!
* * * *
FOR an example of perfect organization, look at any of the huge modern factories. Every piece of machinery and cvry worker in that plant is dependent on very other machfnu and worker for operation.
Unfortunately too many working men don't yet recognize the value of organization. The captains of industry surely do. The cannerymen, for instance, have organized the fishing industry and are using the fishermen for part .of their machinery.
But the fishermen still quarrel among themselves about which is the best union, forgetting that a little extra work will solve the problem by creating one union in the industry. And that day is surely coming.
Setting Precedents In Strike Strategy
By GEORGE MILLER Business Agent, S.P.S.U.
WITH the seiners again out fishing after the most impressive strike conducted by organized fishermen in the history of B.C. labor, we are duty bound to make a complete analysis of the reasons for the strike, the tactics employed to bring about a settlement and the outstanding examples of strength and weakness shown during the two-week suspension of operations. *
Shortly after District 1 was closed to fishing, the writer contacted the secretary of the Canners Operating Committee with a view to opening negotiations on fall prices. At that time we were given to understand that the operators were unable to discuss or settle prices "as it was out of their hands" and controlled by the cold storage companies.
It was for this reason that seiners, after fishing a week at an 8-cent rate for chums, decided at a meeting in Alert Bay to tie up and open negotiations for a higher price.
This same meeting set up an Action Committee of 12 members as the recognized strike leadership, and decided to anchor the entire fleet out in the Bay and away from the docks, this of course for their mutual protection and to keep ranks solid. CANNERYMEN'S BLUFF CALLED
Several meetings were held with the cannery managers to attempt reaching an agreement, the Action Committee putting forward demands for union recognition and last year's prices, with a minimum of 12 cents to start. This was countered by the managers with a proposal of 8 cents for canning purposes. When this was refused, cannery-men ordered all gear ashore, hoping this tactic would force the fishermen to accept the extremely low offer rather than lose the balance of the season's fishing.
In reply, seiners voted to strip all seiners and prepared not only to spread the strike into other areas but to actually deliver all gear to the respective canneries and call the season closed, tnus calling the cannery managers' bluff.
12 cents was the correct one, since if we had insisted on the 16-cent price, no agreement would have been reached. THE OPERATORS' SIDE
It must be understood, in this connection, that the operators' side of the question was—and the present agreement is based on it—that they cannot pay freezer prices for canning purposes.
One thing is certain. In future closer communication must be established between the different groups of fisher men to ensure uniform demands.
As is well known by now, there was over 40 boats fishing during the strike, but in the beginning at Alert Bay there were only five boats out and a few at Deepwater Bay. The strikers at the latter point were successful in bringing these boats in from the grounds, but at Alert Bay a very weak attempt was made. There was the fatal opinion expressed that "those few boats can't hurt us," and consequently no real attempt was made to bring them out. This in
(nnHERE is no doubt that had the man-JL agers used a little more common sense and less of a dictatorial attitude at this time, there was every likelihood of a settlement being reached, for if an agreement could have been reached in Vancouver, why not at Alert Bay?
With the seiners at Alert Bay standing for last year's prices, the seiners tied up at Granite Bay held several meetings and finally decided on a 16-cent price through the fall season. This price demand, at first glance, would seem a good one. It would closely approach the average price paid last year, but it should have been advanced in the first place so that instead of two demands, every striker would have been united on one central demand. As it was, I believe the first price demand for
Each year that Professor H. S. Swingle operates his floating fertilizer spreader over the ponds of the Alabama Experimental Station, the acre yield of fish is multiplied by four.
From a rowboat he scatters 40 pounds of ammonium sulphate, 60 pounds of super-phosphate, 5 pounds of muriate of potash and 30 pounds of limestone per acre to nourish the microscopic water plants upon which the fish feed. The plants flourish and turn the water green. As soon as the color fades he applies another dose. Once a year the ponds are drained and the fish counted and weighed.
Fertilized ponds produced 580 pounds of fish per acre, while unfertilized ponds produced only 138 pounds per acre.
w
A Correction
E WISH to acknowledge receipt of
Fish Eggs
IN EXPERIMENTS carried out by the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom it has been found that in a ling cod weighing 54 pounds, its ovaries contained 28,361,000; a turbot weighing 17 pounds had 9,161,000 eggs; a halibut had 3,000,000 eggs; a flounder, 1,638,000; a sturgeon 635,000, and several herring averaged 30,000 eggs each.
According to David Starr Jordan, eminent biologist, a sockeye salmon will deposit about 4,000 eggs and a king salmon from 5,000 to 7,000 eggs.
Unfortunately, due to unfavorable environment and degradations of natural enemies, only a very small percentage of fish eggs deposited develop into adult species. In fact, it is estimated that only one egg in every 2,000,000 becomes a full-grown cod.
gillnetters at Port Renfrew on a report in the last issue concerning at- ■ tempts to cut cohoe prices to 35 cents on the West Coast.
Our report quoted Todd and Sons as being the initiators of the move to reduce the price, whereas the attempt was actually made by G. R. Clarke of the Salmon Canners' Operating Committee, who addressed a wire to West Coast buiyers ordering them to cut the price.
As a matter of record, it was through the agency of W. Goodrich, buyer for Todd and Sons, that the price was stabilized at 6 cents a pound, and The Fisherman hereby apologizes to Mr. Goodrich and Todd and Sons for any wrong impression that may have been created.
Because water pressure increases with depth, fish constantly but slowly have to adjust the pressure in their swim bladder as they move from one level to another, to avoid sinking below or rising above their desired depth.
That is why, when a body of water is dynamited and fish are killed, those that were momentarily too buoyant come to the surface while others sink to the bottom.
itself gave the agents of the canners at Alert Bay a free hand with nothing to fear from their scabherding activities.
It is well to remember the above in any future strike struggle that may arise, for immediately following the decision of the combined groups meeting at Granite Bay to proceed to Vancouver and call the season closed, the agents of the canners recruited every boat they could get hold of to fish the Johnstone Straits area.
•
IMUST here give praise to the initial stand taken by the fishermen at Qua-thiaski Cove to stand pat with their I brother fishermen, and with the exception of those few who were influenced to break away, the best elements stood pat to the end.
No one can deny the splendid demonstration of solidarity staged by the men in the seine fleet to their brothers at Blubber Bay, or the impressive picture of the fleet coming through the First Narrows that Sunday afternoon.
There is no doubt in anyone's mind, least of all in the minds of the cannery operators, that a union capable of pro-' ducing such organizational ability was capable of obtaining a fair and just price for the labor involved in fishing B.C.'s dangerous waters. A CORRECT MOVE
From this point of view it can be stated quite definitely that the decision to come in to Vancouver was a correct decision, and linked with the splendid solidarity displayed by the strikers in town, as well as the move to pull the seiners on strike on the West Coast of Vancouver Island, became the determining factor in forcing through the negotiations.
But while this splendid tactic worked successfully this time, there is no guarantee it will work in any possible strike in the future. There is one cardinal rule in all strikes—stop scabherding ! That fact was partly lost sight of during this struggle, and to repeat again, I believe this was the major weakness displayed. In future, then, all our moves must be calculated with a view to stopping fishing operations completely in event of a strike. That will be our best guarantee of concluding successful agreements.
IN VANCOUVER . . .
Buy The Fisherman at:
ROLSTON'S CIGAR STORE, Hastings Street,
★
WOODWORKERS' CIGAR STORE Hastings Street
★
NEW AGE BOOKSHOP
50 East Hastings
★
LARRY'S NEWSSTAND Hastings Street
★
BRUNO'S, Flack Block ★
SUN CAFE, Steveston
UP COAST ...
RONNIE'S SPECIALTY SHOP Alert Bay
★
YUCLATAW TRADERS Stuart Island
AND . . .
From the Union Representative in your district.