, d?^, c i« 6 4) "This company is able to go on record and publicly state it can withstand a strike of 12 weeks." The Company has never publicly stated that it could withstand a strike of 12 weeks. At the initial meeting held last June, when the Union presented firm demands which would have cost the Company approximately $1,000,000 (one million dollars) over the next two years, it was pointed out by the Company's representatives, behind closed doors (and not "publicly"), that if their obviously unrealistic demands were being presented solely for the purpose of precipitating a strike, they should not overlook the possibility that it might very well stretch out to an 8 to 12 week shutdown. While the Company is well aware of the effect of a strike on both current contracts and future business, it feels that going beyond the terms of the mediator's recommendations would impose an even more severe burden on the Company's future operations. 5) "The Wilson letter to its employees refers to a settlement the Canada Cement Company made with its employees." The Company has never issued a letterto the employees referring to the Canada Cement Company agreement. Its only letter to the employees was submitted to provide informative answers to questions being posed by many of the employees prior to the strike. 6) While Mr. Hull has "yet to hear of any company, in granting wage increases to its employees, that has not quickly found reason to increase the prices of its commodity", such companies do exist, and Wilson Concrete Products is a prime example. In 1950 our standard concrete block, which sold for 22%c net to a contractor, was made manually on a semi-automatic equipment by a machine operator who was paid the prevailing rate of 75c per hour. In the year 1967, the same block sells for 27c net, (not including the subsequent Federal and Provincial Sales Taxes), and is produced on completely automatic machinery supervised by the same machine operator, whose newly established rate is $2.15 per hour. Perhaps it will be conceded that this modest price increase wouldn't even touch the increased cost of raw materials throughout, the same 17 year period. This condition has resulted from a degree of competition which has seen some 12 block companies in our marketing area go out of business during this period. Mr. Hull's distorted comments are not likely to contribute to an atmosphere conducive to the bargaining in good faith necessary for an eventual settlement. Yours Truly Wilson Concrete Products LIMITED CHARLES I. WILSON, PRESIDENT