As leaders in the forest industry take a look at the year ahead of us, Bill Moore has some of his own predictions for 1972. In his regular column this month, Bill looks into the new year with four main predictions, dealing with labor-management, fallers, environment and one of a jocular nature.

and cons of the present method of paying a faller for his daily work. ....But when present rates of pay vary so extremely as they now do in this category, and when accidents occur more frequently than in any other category of loggers, it would suffice to say that it is time for sensible mana-gement and concerned union leaders, and the rest of our industry to make a very concerted effort this year to bring into our coastal logging industry a standard-ized day rate for fallers.
....Further failure to do this will have heavy repercussions on everyone in this industry.

PREDICTION NUMBER TWO
A difficult negotiation between mana-gement and labor for a new master contract in the forest industry will be settled without a strike or lockout being called. June 15 is the deadline of the two-year contract now in effect.
....No one should ever minimize the multiple problems there are for both sides.
....The forest industry of B.C. can take a certain pride in its past ability to come to a contract agreement without the use of strike or lockout in all but three years over the past 25 years.
....One more point I would like to bring out on our sometimes troubled management-labor scene.
....While the words of leaders from both sides may sound like world war three at negotiation time, we can be thankful on this west coast of Canada
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In spite of ourselves – 1972!

earned by fallers on the one hand and experienced machine operators or rigging crews on the other – has not lent itself to job satisfaction amongst the work force.
....And lastly, the work stoppages caused by the employer-faller squab-bles can only lead to further problems.
....I don’t blame a faller, or anyone else for that matter, wanting more earnings for his days work. That is the right of the work force to ask for more.
....It is also, the duty of enlightened management to see to it that they do not abuse their right – the right to give reason why they can’t pay more.
....Some companies, large and small, over the past 20 years have very much abused the incentive system as it pertains to the faller category.
....In their desire for a good felled and bucked inventory of logs on the ground, some of these companies have allowed themselves to be negotiated into a ridiculous situation in the eyes of men other than fallers.
....When I hear of fallers being paid well over $100 a day for less than eight hours of work, and I see long exper-ienced log loading operators, skilled truck drivers and know-ledgeable hook-tenders being paid less than half this amount for their eight hours of work I, like many others, wonder what is going on.
....Also, when I see by the recent Workman’s Compensation Board hearings the alarming statistics of fatalities and accidents to the fallers category, it does not stand to reason reason that our present system is compatible with safe production.
....I would not attempt to argue all the pros

FROM PAGE 23

Bill Moore

Canada that they have only been words so far.
....There are many countries today that are actively fighting wars.
....We here in the west can have this too if we allow our emotions to get the best of our judgement. Anta-gonistic words we can handle. Bullets are a different story.
....Let us then doff our hats to some leaders of both labor and manage-ment in this forest industry of ours who, while fighting the social war with words, have had the sense to keep our west progressive. It’s not always easy.

PREDICTION NUMBER THREE
....The environmentalists pressures will continue to grow stronger for their aims: cleaner air, water and land.
....These pressures led by such groups as SPEC and the Sierra Club have now formed a part of our society.
....While some may not agree with these pressure groups, I am of the opinion they are very necessary in our world today.
....The only sanctuary from these pressures lies in our ability to answer them with concerned action and not defensive attitudes.
....This does not mean that industry, and particularly our forest industry, has to throw up its hands and totally environmentalize itself.

....However if this industry, like others, can tighten its belt in a crisis like world war II and be of full use to the country and not just the stockholders, then these same industries can do much more than it already has, to not let the mistakes of a Great Lakes happen here.
....British Columbia literally has the world by the tail, still at this moment. The forest industry represents a great part of the economy of this province, and the influence of this forest industry on the matters of the environment are very strong.
....Those influences should be utilized to their fullest to help us from the mis-fortunes of a fouled Great Lakes or an over-industrialized Toronto area.

....This forest industry could do well to set up its own environmental committee made up of concerned parties from all walks of our industry, our people, and other allied interests.
....Let us take a deep concerned look at ourselves, without bias, before standing on our self-righteousness in a defensive attitude.
....That attitude never won a battle.