H.R. (Harry) Neelands

International Typographical Union Local 226, Independent Labor Party MLA

Download Harry Neelands Part 1 audio recording [00:59:53] (.mp3)

Download Harry Neelands Part 1 transcript (.pdf)

Download Harry Neelands Part 2 audio recording [01:13:03] (.mp3)

Download Harry Neelands Part 2 transcript (.pdf)

H.R. (Harry) Neelands (1881-1974) was born in Ontario and came to B.C. as a child. He apprenticed as a printer in Victoria and moved to Vancouver in 1905 to work at the Daily Province. He was Secretary of the International Typographers Union (ITU) from 1909 until 1954. He was elected as an MLA for Vancouver South, representing the Independent Labor Party for two terms, 1920-1928. He was a school board trustee in South Vancouver from 1912-1918, then the Vancouver School Board from 1932-1942. He served several terms as President of the Vancouver Trades and Labor Council.

Part 1

This interview provides a detailed account of Harry Neelands’ involvement in the labour movement and political activities in British Columbia from the early 1900s to the 1920s. Neelands describes his early career in the printing trade, joining the International Typographical Union in Victoria, and later moving to Vancouver where he became active in the local union and the Vancouver Labor Council. He discusses the working conditions and wages of the time, as well as the political involvement of various union members, including Angus MacInnis and others, who were elected to municipal and provincial offices. Neelands himself was elected to the South Vancouver school board in 1912 and later to the Vancouver school board, running as a labor candidate endorsed by the Independent Labor Party (ILP).

Keywords: International Typographical Union, ITU, ITU Local 226, Allied Printing Trades Council,  TR Cusack Company, The Province (newspaper),  Victoria, Vancouver, closed shop, Vancouver Labor Council, South Vancouver, school board, Parm Pettipiece, Billie Pound, Stuart Campbell, Jack Sidaway, Harry Cottrell, Harry Corey, Angus MacInnis, Jimmy Smith, George Hardy, Helena Gutteridge, Jim McVety, Chris Pritchard, Harry Cowan, Mel Bryan, Street Railwaymen Union, Independent Labor Party, ILP, Socialist Party of Canada, Canadian Labor Party, CCF (Co-operative Commonwealth Federation), NDP (New Democratic Party) election campaigns, general strikes, 1911 building trades strike, storming of Labor Temple, opposition to OBU (One Big Union).

Part 2:

Part 2 provides a more detailed account of the experiences and perspectives of Harry Neelands when he served in the British Columbia legislature as an Independent Labor Party MLA from 1920 to 1928. He discusses the party’s campaign efforts, including holding educational meetings, working with other labour unions, and advocating for policies such as an eight-hour workday and old-age pensions. He describes the challenges of being a small opposition group in the legislature, but notes that they were able to influence some government policies through behind-the-scenes discussions with ministers. The transcript also covers Neelands’ involvement in the Typographical Union, including the Vancouver local’s efforts to support unemployed members during the Great Depression. He also discusses union politics at the international level.

Keywords: International Typographical Union, ITU, ITU Local 226, Independent Labor Party, Carpenters’ union, Plumbers’ Union, Street Railwaymen Union, Electrical Workers Union, South Vancouver, Burnaby, school board, Empress Theatre, Tom Richardson, J.S. Woodsworth, Ned Richard, Bill Pritchard, Sam Guthrie, Tom Uphill, John Oliver (Premier), Alec Manson, Parker Williams, (Harry) Charlesworth, (John Duncan) MacLean, (William) Sloan, Frank Browne, Helena Gutteridge, unemployed, Great Depression, eight-hour day, minimum wage, Oriental franchise, political fundraising, Bill 42