Page Four
THE FISHERMAN
March 23, 1943
Burgess Reports To Fishermen's Convention
Complaints About Fisheries Department Require Attention, Frank Answers
We have been notified recently by the department of fisheries that it is very probable that some unusual restrictions will be placed on fishing operations with a view to conservation of the pink salmon and also on the chum runs. The departmental policy indicates that further conservation measures may be necessary this coming year in the Fraser River District to increase the sockeye runs. I have asked the supervisor of fisheries to attend our convention and to outline the general ideas behind these sudden announcements. I sincerely hope that he will avail himself of the opportunity to do so.
For the past two years we have endeavored to keep in close communication with the department and the cooperation shown by Major Motherwell to date has been gratifying. I feel that the time has arrived, however when the executive board of this union should ask some very plain questions from the department of fisheries and demand very plain answers.
There have been bitter accusations against the department's policy with regard to cod fishing.
I have heard on many occasions from reliable sources that officers of the department have allowed herring to he taken when they were actually preparing to spawn. There have been protests raised by the salmon seiners over the present   system   that compels transferring from one seine area to another, and the very heavy penalties imposed in the way of fines for this trivial offense. We asked for the closure of the Nanaimo area for fall fishing as a conservation measure and the opening up of the old boundaries in the Qualicum area for fall fishing. After thorough discussion on this matter with the purse seiners I feel that this policy is still correct but the department is deterred from meeting our requests not through any regard for conservation, but by political opposition of a minority group of sports fishermen. There have been many complaints lodged with  the  department  that sports fishermen   are  obtaining gasoline permits on commercial licenses and are  fishing salmon in the Howe Sound area during holidays and at other times and are disposing of their   catch   on   the commercial
. market. To my knowledge only one arrest was made during the year for this practice.
False Spawning Reports
We have had very serious complaints from the Queen Charlotte Islands, lodged by one of the pioneers in that part of the country, and the father of one of union members there, to the effect that local* fisheries officers on the Queen Charlotte Islands are appointed purely on the basis of political patronage and have turned in false reports to the department on the condition of the spawning grounds there. Is this the reason behind the depart-
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ment's decision to place unusual restrictions on the Queen Charlotte  Island   chum   run. These complaints must be investigated in the interest of our membership. I feel that the executive of our union   should   carry instructions from  this convention to demand at least the opportunity of once a year discussing the entire policy of the department with its officials, who need to take greater cognizance of the fishermen's views since commercial fishermen are far more fully acquainted with local conditions on the fishing grounds than are fishery wardens who have not a thorough knowledge of the industry.
Positive Policy Proposed On Japanese Question
I note in the resolutions several canners as a weapon to break down relating to the Japanese question, 'conditions throughout the industry. For the most part they are direct- j Fishermen justly fear that were ed either towards the repatriation | they allowed to return to the in-of the Japanese to Japan after the I dustry they could be used as a war or to their total exclusion from complaint tool by the operators to the fishing industry. I submit that destroy established working condi
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Canada's fighting men will never let their country down. Every Canadian knows that. Knows, too, the courage and the spirit of the fighting men of the other United Nations.
And Canadians at home won't
let the fighting men down I
Soldiers, sailors, airmen risk the dangers, suffer the wounds, but they can't win the war alone. Victory depends, too, on civilian service. The home-front job is to keep vital supplies rolling forward, and among the chief supplies huge quantities of fish and other foods.
Every pound of Canadian Fish that can be produced this year will be required to meet the food needs of Britain and other United Nations, supply Canada's forces, serve ordinary domestic demand, and replace in the Dominion other food shipped out to the Allied peoples.
That's the Fishing Industry's 1943 Job — Canada Knows the Fishing Industry Will Do It
we must be extremely cautious in dealing with these resolutions. The preamble of our constitution clearly states that we are organized as a body of working people for our general welfare irrespective of race, creed or color. This is the democratic way and a fundamental principle of any worthwhile working class organization; to deny it would be to take a chauvinistic attitude which could be seized upon to foster racial hatred and discrimination among the various nationalities engaged in the B.C. fishing industry.
Let us first clearly recognize we haven't won the war. To endeavor to write the terms of the peace treaty, taking victory for granted is not only foolish and futile but harmul. Irrespective of this primary fact if we were to take the extreme position as an organization of demanding the re-
tions and that this is the only reason why certain canners behind the scenes are pulling wires to bring them back. The United States have a far greater population of Japanese than our country and the first blow struck at the democracies was directed at the people of the United States, yet they have held their heads and not allowed themselves to be guided by any hysterical cries to deport all Japanese back to Japan.
I believe, brothers, that we should deal with the Japanese question in the following manner. Recognizing that the resolutions submitted at this convention are directed towards protecting the economic conditions of the fishermen now in the industry and also recognizing that there is no need for the Japanese to be returned into the fishing industry as a productive force, we should take cognizance
patriation of all Japanese then  'of the fact that a grave menace to
what is to prevent those who foster this agitation from exerting pressure to have us take an identical attitude with regard to the Chinese workers in the industry or for that matter if developed a degree further to Italian workers, the German workers or Norwegians or Slavic. We would then find ourselves not united as workers but divided and split along racial or national lines.
Proposes Limit On Fishing Licenses
We must consider the Japanese question sincerely and from all angles before passing any resolutions. It is true that while they were in our industry they were dominated by a pro-fascist element, they refused cooperation with the white fishermen in an organized manner, and were utilized by the
the living standards of the bona fide fishermen of British Columbia may present itself when the war is over if the government were to encourage additional thousands to enter the fishing industry when war industries such as aircraft, munitions workers, shipyards, etc., close down.
We should demand that no increase in the number of fishing licenses in the province should be allowed over the number existent in 1941 and that no person be given a new license unless he is a bona fide fisherman renewing his past license or a member of the armed forces who had left the industry to serve his country. This would have the effect of preventing Japanese from re-entering the industry. Limitation of licenses would also be an additional 'practical means of regulating conservation.
Co-od Selling Of Livers, Fresh Fish Hopeful Sign
I shall make but brief reference here due to the length of this report to the development of the United Fishermen's Co-operative Society since a year ago. The venture to date for its first year, that is in the liver business, has been extremely successful. The Co-operative Society is growing and growing rapidly and its development should go hand in hand with that of the Union as it plays a definite roll in the betterment of returns to the fishermen in certain sections of the industry beyond the scope of collective bargaining through the union. We have handled well over six hundred thousand pounds of liver material since last April, an estimated value of fish oil of one hundred and seventy-five thousand dollars.
Here we have had our troubles too. We have had to meet and deal with every opponent in the industry and every possible tactic has been used to destroy our co-
Department of Fisheries, Ottawa.
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operative   movement   before It grew large enough to eventually • control the liver oil business. The task has not been easy but nevertheless we have met every challenge and in general I believe that the fishermen supporting the cooperative have been very well satisfied. There remains a great deal of work to be done among organized fishermen in the line of educational work on the cooperative movement and a crying need for leaders to be developed. I believe, however, that we have firmly entrenched ourselves through the  cooperative in the liver processing business and can look forward with justified anticipation to a time when fishermen will have complete ownership of their own plant.
We have embarked upon the organization of a fresh fish section of the cooperative, although on a small scale, and all arrangements have now been made for the marketing of Fraser River gillnet caught spring salmon under the name of our Co-operative Society. We have gained an enormous amount of knowledge of business and business conditions and with the continued support of the fish-mermen and more educational work, I believe that the co-operative will not only continue to grow but will become an extremely important factor in the industry.
Concluding Remarks
The officers of our union have made every endeavor to work on behalf of the membership along every possible avenue that is open to us, where there was an apparent need for action to assist fishermen, whether through legislation, bargaining with companies, entering into the cooperative field or establishing services for ihem, such as the Settlement Service already referred to. I wish to thank the members of the executive board and all members of negotiating committees, whose co-operation and devotion has made my personal task much easier. They have ably fulfilled the duties placed upon them at the last convention.
Cannery Workers Elect New Officers, Adopt Constitution
The second annual convention of the United Fish Cannery and Reduction Plant Workers' Union closed last Wednesday-night with the election of new officers for the coming year. Jack Sedgwick was elected president of the union, and other elected officers are Clinton MacKenzie, first vice-president; Percy Norton, second vice-president; W. Gateman, general secretary-treasurer; L. Lowry, three-year trustee; Miss E. Oli-phant, two-year trustee; and E. E. Brown, one-year trustee. Meeting in night sessions to en-; place  a   general   union organizer
able delegates from local plants to continue work while the convention was proceeding, the delegates, adopted for the first time in the history of the union a complete constitution.
In the course of the sessions many resolutions were adopted which taken together outlined a program for improving conditions in the industry, organizing the unorganized, and advancing Canada's war effort.
In regard to working conditions the convention went on record as favoring equal pay for equal work, without discrimination on account of race, sex or age; two weeks' holiday with pay after one year's service; inclusion of cold storage workers in cannery agreements; the establishment of a standard method of compiling overtime hours to be agreed upon between the union and managements and to be sent to the branch secretaries; proposals to management for the provision of social facilities irl out-of-town canneries; sick leave periods to extend up to two weeks before deductions begin.
and a Chinese organizer in the field. A further motion instructs the executive officers to meet with the Native Brotherhood with a view to issuing a charter for a Native sub-local. Membership dues were increased to $1.50 a month to enable the union to extend its organizing activities. It was decided, however, that increased dues payment would take effect only from June 1.
It was agreed that foremen who were members of the union should not hold office in the union, or on plant committees and opposition was expressed to proposals for the return of Japanese to the restricted areas of the province.
Among other decisions were resolutions favoring the establishment of a single united trade union movement in Canada, and asking the government to assure labor representation on all government bodies, particularly such as are set up to plan post-war rehabilitation. The convention went on record as favoring the implementation of the parliamentary committee's report to the last session of the House of Commons which recom-
The   convention   proposed   joint mended the lifting of the ban on
discussion with the UFFU on the advisability of opening fishing on the Fraser river at 6 p.m. Sunday to continue till 6 p.m. Friday, in place of the present opening at 6 a.m. Monday. This would be one of the matters which might be discussed at the Joint Industrial Council between the fishermen's and cannery workers' unions which the convention considered should be established with a view to coordinating policies and exploring the possibility of establishing a single industral union for the fishing industry.
The convention urged all members to participate in the organization of seasonal employees and decided at the first opportunity to
the Communist party and other organizations and the return of confiscated property to labor and cultural organizations.
Full support was pledged to the war effort and a resolution was passed that union branches should discuss ways and means of increasing production efficiency. The formation of a joint production board composed of representatives of management, labor and the government was proposed. A further resolution was carried urging the Canadian government to use its influence in the Council of the United Nations in favor of the speedy opening of a real second front in Europe to insure victory over fascism.
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