The Rdcky Mo
VOLUME 5, No. 23
oxnve
(Hugo S. Sims, Washington Cor.
respondent)
In view of the widespread discus
. sion of the National I&bor Rela
tions Act, which is constantly as
sailed by industrialists who clamor
for its modification, it might bo well |
to review the Act itself, the work of
the National Labor Relations Board
and some of the history connected
with both.
It should be clearly understood,
in tho beginning, that the Nation
al Labor Relations Act., signed by
the President on July 5, 1935, gave
legal recognition to certain speci
fied rights of laborers and prohibit
ed employers from doing
acts, considered unfair to labor.
For Employes Only
The Act affirmed the right of em
ployes to full freedom in self-organ
izations, and in the designation of
representatives of their own chooi
ing for the purpose of collective
bargaining. It forbids employers
from dismissing employes because
of union membership or engaging in
union activities, from supporting
company-unions financially, or aiding
in their organization; from refusing
to bargain with any labor organiza
tion chosen by the majority of em
ployes through their free choice and
from bargaining with any other
group than the one chosen by the
majority of employes as representa
tives of the workers.
In brief, the Act recognized the
right of laborers to organize and
bargain collectively and set up the
National Labor Relations Board 10
Protect laborers in the full exercise
of their rights. Board is char
ged with enforcement of the Act.. It
receives complaints, holds hearings
and issues cease and desist orders.
In the event that employers fail to
comply with the orders, they are re
ferred to the Federal Circuit Court
of Appeals for review and enforce
ment, if upheld.
To Protect Labor
Tho NRLB is an independent
agency. Its prime purpose being to
see that laborers are protected in the
exercise of the rights given by tha
Act itself. This Act, it should be
clearly understood, was enacted solo~
ly for the protection of laborers.
Consequently, the Board investigates
issues, facts, practices and activi
ties of employers or employers in
tion, to form, join or assist labor
organizations, to bargain collective
ly through representatives of their
own choosing, and to engage in con
certed activities for the purpose of
collective bargaining of other mutual
aids or protection; and is charged
with the duty of preventing any
person from engaging in any unfair
labor practice affecting commerc".
Court Upholds Law
The Act was upheld l>y the Unit
ed States Supreme Court on April
12, 1937, in five eases appealed from
lower courts. In six additional cases,
the Court failed to announce any
opinion adverse to the Labor-Board
or holding invalid any single revi
sion of tho law. In its opinion, the
Court uphold the Act as a valid
exercise of the commerce power of
Congress, said that it did not vio
late the due process clause of tho
Constitution, and declared that the
procedural provision adequately safe
guarde against arbitrary action.
Subsequently, tho Court held that
the board could not be enjoined from
holding hearings on complaints
against employers, that in particu
lar, situations, when it finds domi
lia&ra or interference on the part
-of an employer in the organization
of his employes, tho Board has the
power to order the employer to
withdraw recognition from the so
called company union; that 'tht
statute applies to an employer pro
cessing raw materials within one
state and shipping part of his prod
uct out the state, and, finally, tha.
workers on a strike remain employet
and that the employer, if he dis
criminates against them, violates th
Act.
Court Worries Board
Because tho Board is a quasijudi
oial agency, it has been involved in
the recent discussion of the relation
ship between the Court and such gov
ernmental agencies, Edwin S. Smith,
one of tho three members of the
Board, recently criticized the ten
tency of some Circuit Courts to
give little or no effect to the find
ings of facts made by the Board,
although the Act expressively says,
if such findings, are supported by
evidence, they shall be final.
Admitting that tho interpretation
of the Acts, the appropriateness of
the Board's ruling, and its juris
diction, were intended to be review
ed by the courts, Mr. Smith said
Congress did not intend to delegate
to the courts the task of weighing
the evidence the Board had heard
and of coming to an independent
conclusion as to whether the Board
has correctly appraised it.
He points out that ' Labor's ex
perience with the courts has, gen
erally speaking, not been a happy
one." There has been, he saya,
many attempts by Labor to correc:,
by legislation, the lack of compre
hension shown the social problems
of employer-employe by certain
courts, which have been slow to
"adapt their points of view to the re
organization of the human rights of
Labor in an evolving, dynamite and
democratic society."
Handled 15,000 Cases
Chairman J. warren Madden, in a
recent address, made his first extend
ed answer to thoso attacking the
Boaid. Reviewing its work, he points
out that some 1,000 cases have been
solved, most of them since the Su
preme Court decision.
In some thousands of cases, he
says, tho charges have been dis
missed or withdrawn after the
Board's agents had investigated
the allegation and found them to be
without merit.
In other thousands of cases, em
ployers and employes have adjusted
their difficulties on the basis of com
pliance with the law.
Conducts Elections
In some 1,200 cases the Board's
agents have conducted elections co
permit employes to select their rep
resentatives for collectivo bargaining
In seventy-five per cent of these
elections, he reports, established
trade unions were selected, but in
others the employes either selected
a new and unaffiliated union or vot
ed their desire to have no union.
In some hundreds of cases, he con
tinued, preliminary investigation
seemed to establish the merits of
complaints and the Board, unable
to obtain compliance without for
mal proceedings, held public hear
ings in the community where the
controversy arose. These have ex
posed unfair practices, ranging from
minor violations of the statuto to
the terrorization of entire commun
ities in complete disregard of civil
liberty.
Has Some Opposition
In hundreds of other cases, the
Board has issued formal decisions
stating the facts and setting forth
conclusions as to what should be
done to bring the situation in com
pliance with law. Mr. Madden ad
mits that great credit "must be giv
en to those employers who have
lead tho way to the acceptance" of
the now law. At the same time, he
says, the opposition, having failed to
prevent passage of the law, has
transferred itself to tho courts in
an effort to nullify the law.
This concludes, as Briefly as pos
sible, our explanation of the Act
and the functions of the Board, to
gether with a history of what ha?
happened since the Act was passe I.
The Act itself was passed to pro
tect certain rights of Labor and the
Board, under statute, can only take
cognizance of violations of the Act.
Whether tho basic Act should be
modified, in order that the Board
may take cognizance of complaints
of employers, is a matter upon
which there is considerable dispute.
ROCKY MOUNT. NORTi
Meter Records Power of Kiss
\ " if
*
v
The Armour Institute of Technology at Chicago has announced the
development of a machine called a "Kiss-O-Meter" that consists of an
ammeter connected through an amplifying system. The subjects grasp
an electrode each and the ammeter records the Intensity of their kiss,
ranging from zero to 120. When the oscillation point reaches 90, or higher,
a bell rings. The photograph shows Jane Bryan and Charles Modershon
demonstrating the apparatus.
/ ' i '
i
Fraud Charges
There is now going forward in Guilford County an in
vestigation! of last Saturday's primary. According to
press reports J. 0. Atkinson, Jr., a candidate for Congress
and County Chairman of the Democratic Party for many
years only received 25 votes in the city of High Point
where about 45000 votes were alleged to be cast. Even
though Mr. Atkinson had been chairman and head of the
whole political organization of Guilford County he was
recorded as not having received a single vote in a major
ity of the precincts of High Point, even Mr. Barker from
the district city of Durham was credited with having re
ceived 68 votes. Just immediately as soon as you leave High
Point the records show that Atkinson received 2-3 of the
votes. This naturally caused grave and serious suspicion
and an investigation was demanded which is now in prog
ress, and the first day's investigation show that in one
box 67 votes were changed. Of course this does not in
clude other irregularities such as putting in additional
votes and the number of dead people who were permitted
to vote which is to be looked into. It is indeed a sad
condition that with education every body going to an 8 or
9 months school and with our Australian Ballot and with
all, it is a hard proposition to hold an election without
fraud charges, which were not only charged but have been
proven. Practically through the state there are charges
made and the sad part of it is that so much of it is true.
These charges come generally from strictly administra
tion stalwarts.
In High Point and Greensboro they even have the gov
ernor to appoint their local recorders of cit ycourts.
ROCKY MOUNT TO BE LEFT ON SIDE ROAD
Several years back some real estate operators in the
city of High Point conceived the idea of changing the
main road from north to south and east to west from go
ing through the city by building a road around High
Point at a cost of many hundred thousand dollars. It af
ter developed that the motive behind this was real estate'
rather than relief of traffic. The highway commission of
that district was induced to consent to this change, and
High Point instead of being on the main thoroughfare was
left off on a side road. The business people immediately
discovered that a very bad and selfish mistake had been
made and they induced Dr. J. T. Burrus to again run for
the Senate where he had the road re-routed through the
city of High Point.
Rocky Mount is facing a situation if not parallel to the
High Point case the effect of what will happen is parallel.
We are informed that the Norfolk road from Raleigh to
Norfolk is to be changed from the city of Rocky Mount
to the Stoney Creek Pumping Station road and out by the
County Club and from there to connect with the new
Norfolk road two mles North of the city which would
leave Rocky Mount completely off of this route. This is
a very serious change very vital to the business houses of
Rocky Mount. We would not know who is responsible for
this change but generally in time past these things have
been discussed in the newspaper and there has not been
one word said about it not even a whisper. We were among
those that believe with the late P. C. Vestal, that the north
road from Scotland Neck to Rocky Mount should lead dir
recently into the city but by reason of certain gentlemen be
ing on the local board with property interests on the road,
it was built where it is, two miles north of the city. Mr.
Vestal stating at the time that the purpose of that move
ment was to leave Rocky Mount off of this road and some
events that have transpired since (it appears) he was in
deed a phophet. If this road is diverted and the traffic
carried away from Rocky Mount it will be a great loss to our
city and those responsible for this change will not be able
to estimate the damage done. The welfare of the city
should be first.
CAROLINA, Friday,
! BONE WINS
JUDGESHIP
CONTEST
Judge Walter J. Bone of Nashville
was reelected resident superior
court judge in one of the closest
and hottest contests in this section.
Judge Bone, who has held the su
perior court bench a year since his
appointment by Governor Hoey, de
feated Itimous T. Valentine, his fel
low-townsman and manager of Dr.
Ralph Mac Donald's campaign for
gorernor in 1936, in every county
of the second judicial district ex
cept Nash. Bone received 14,412 votes
in tho district, to Valentine's 10,754.
In Nash County, where 7,027 votes
were cast for the two candidates
for superior court judge, Valentine
led by a majority of 1,024 votes.
Bone Takes Four Counties
Bono won in Edgecombe by a ma
jority of 1,349 from a total of 5,709
votes, defeated Valentino two to
one in Wilson county and led by
comfortable margins in Martin anl
Washington counties, the remaining
counties of the second judicial dis
trict.
Paralleling the state-wide trend,
Nash voters gave Robert R. Reynolds
and Stanley WSnborne majorities
over Frank Hancock and Paul Gra
dy in the contests for United
States senator and state utilities
commissioner.
Prospects of a second primary for
Nash county were foreseen as re
sult of the close outcome of the
election for judge of the Nash
recorder's court. Judge L. L. Daven
port of Nashville, tho incumbent,
led Robert Jones of Bailey by only
121 votes with J. W. Grissom of
Rocky Mount running a close third.
James W. Keel, Sr., of Roeky Mount
was low man.
Although Jones could not be
reached for a statement, it was ex
pected that he would exercise his
privilege of asking for a selfonl
primary. If so, the run-off election
would be held early in July.
Returns from Mannings township,
the last to report in Nash Saturday
night, completely changed the pic
ture in the race for recorder's court
judge. Returns from the other 15
precincts in the county showed Gris
som to be leading, with Davenport
second and Jones third. The Mann
ing vote pushed Davenport anl
Jones both ahead of Grissom, Jones
receiving 351 votes and Davenport
299 in that precinct.
The Mannings vote contributed
largely also to Valentine's majority
in Nash, giving Valentine 723 votes
to 92 for Bone in that precinct.
In Nash county the five members
of the county board of commission
ers were reelected in spite of tho
competition offered by two new can
didates, Tom Williams and E. L.
Williams.
J. Henry Vaughan of near Nash
ville received the largest number of
votes among the commissioners, 4,-
800 votes. The other commissioners
who were reelected are G. R
Strickland of Bailey, J. B. W.
(Please turn to page four)
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Mrs. Roosevelt To
Visit Halifax Co.
President Also May Accompany First
Lady On Tour Of Resettlement
Project
Halifax, June 6. —Mrs. Frankli.i
D. Roosevelt, First Lady of the
land, will visit North Carolina
again this year for a day anyway
sometime in December, it was re
voaled hero today. Last year Mrs.
Roosevelt spent the day, during
the Strawberry Festival, in Wallace
and visited the Penderlea Resettle
ment project.
This year Mrs. Roosevelt, and pos
sibly tho President himself, will
visit the Roanoke resettlement proj
ect near here some day in Septem
ber. The date will be set later.
This was announced at the open
ing of the resettlement project's own
community store recently by L L
MacLendon, supervisor of the proj
ect. Over 150 of the settlers attend
ed the opening of the community
store at a dance and a dinner.
Tho project here was started sev
eral years ago but the majority of
tho settlers came here in January
of this year and it will bo the first
time that the First Lady of the na
Edgecombe Nan Is Suicide After
Questioning in Liquor Searc
Conservation
Payments Made
Nash County Farm Agent J. S.
Sugg, announced that thero was
$55,000.00 in checks received by tho i
office this week which are now be
ing delivered to the farmers in pay
ment of compliance with the 1937
Agricultural Conservation Program.
These checks are for approximately
300 farms and for approximately
900 people counting both landlards
and tenants.
Mr. Sugg announced that notices
are being mailed out to tho produc
ers as fast as their checks arrive
and that it is useless for tho farm
ers to call at tho office for their
check unless they have received a
notice that the check has arrived.
According to Mr. Sugg the work in
the County Agent's office is great
ly handicapped each year by people
coming in seeking information
about their check when they have
not received a notice. In his an
nouncement he urgently requests all
farmers to cooperate with the of
fice by waiting until their notice is
received before applying for the
check and then take the notice to
tho county agent's office in order
that the clerks delivering the checks
will not waste time looking up the
producers name. The notices are
written in such a manner that the
clerk can find the cheek by
the numbers listed on the notice.
Additional cheeks are expected
each day and notices will be sent
out iinmediatelv upon their arrival.
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Mrs. Langley Dies
In Nash County
Funeral Services For Well Known
Woman Conducted Wednesday
Afternoon
Mrs. Luck E. Langley, well known
and highly respected resident of the
Sandy Cross section of Nash coun
ty, died at her home five miles
west of Roeky Mount around 11
o'clock.
Mrs. Langley, WHO was 72 years of
age had been unusually active until
a recent stroke, which was given as
the cause of her death.
Funeral services were e m'.ucti I
from the Mill Branch church at three'
o'clock Wednesday afternoon by El
der A. B. Densi.n, Primitive Bapti't
minister, and Rev. Johnnie Williams
Interment followed there.
Born on March 15, Mr-.
Langley was the daughter of the late
Mr. and Mrs. .1. P. Robbing.
Survivors include two brothers an l
two sisters, all of whom live herj
and in this section. They are S.
Robbins and J. W. Robbins, and Mrs.
Dora Weaver and Mrs. Ityitie
Weaver. Mrs. Langley's children in
clude Roy H. Davis and Jasper W.
Davis and Mrs. Minnie Bulluck and
Nannie R. Davis, all of Nash County,
and two grand-children, George W.
Davis and W. Marvin Davis, sons of
the late George I. Davis and both
having lived with Mrs. Langley.
Pallbearers were named as fol
lows: Avtive—John I). Bobbins,
Marvin Robbins, John D. Weaver,
Webster Davis John A. Bulluck, Cecil
Battle, George Robbins; honorary—
D.r D. L. Knowles, Dr. L. W. Kor
negay, George W, Pridgen, J. H.
Pridgen, L. P. Morgan, L. G. Hooks,
A. T. Griffin, J. H. Lanier, Henry
Whitfield, Johnnie Joyner, Dock Vi
verette, Dr. E. L. Perry and J. Lu
ther Brake.
Maritone Board buys three liners
to start new service about Sept. 1
to South America.
NOTICE
Those desiring to subscribe to The Rocky Mount
Herald may do so by sending SI.OO with name and ad
dress to The Rocky Mount Herald, Rocky Mount, N. ff.
Town State Route No
SI.OO PER
QUIERED IN LIQUOR SEARCH,
EDGECOMBE MAN ENDS LOT
Tarboro, Juno 3.—Clayton Daniel
Tliigpon, Jr., about 40, member of
a prominent Edgecombe family,
shot himself fatally as State patrol*
men and ABC enforcement officer*
started to question him this after-;
noon as ho sat in hi 8 car on *
farm near Old Sparta.
After shooting.. himself, in the
cheat with a .32 calibre pistol, offi
cers said, Thigpen turned the gun
on Patrolman B. L. Marshburn, but
ABC Officer Seth Anderson grab-'
bed the pistol and deflected Thig
pen's aim. The bullet pierced An
derson's left hand and went into*
tho ground.
Thigpen was placed in a patrol
ear and rushed to Edgecombe Gen '
eral Hospital in Tarboro, but died -
en route. With Marshburn and An
derson were Patrolman S. W. Both
rock and ABC Officer Smiley New
some.
A coroner's jury called by Dr. 1
\V. W. Green, acting coroner an.l
sworn by Sheriff W. E. Bardin at
the scene of the shooting, tonight
in Tarboro n-tuyied a verdict of
suicide. V"~
Thigpen, son rf? one of the most ,
prominent fanners in the Conetoa
section, shot himself on the J. W. j
Foster farm, about nine miles from [
Tarboro. The officers, waiting near
the Tar River bridge on ti tip
a bootlegger would etui!' near
there, saw Thigjun drive into the !
farmyard early Ibis afternoon.
After about an hour, the officers
said, they became suspicious, and
approached Thigpen's car with a re
quest that he show his driver's U
cense. Thigpen became highly nerv
ous, fhfy" declared reached into a
pocket as if to get the lieeus.', but '
took out a pistol and shot h'vnsp'f.
They found 15 gallons of ille
gal whiskey in the car, the offi.-era
reported.
John Massenburg, 68, Negro, who
lives in a house by which Thigpen a
car was parked, said Thigpen came
there about 1 o'clock this afternoon
and tried to sell him a pig. When
Thigpen started to leave, Massen
burg said, he found there was no gas
in his car; when the officers ap
proached, Thigpen had just put into
the tunk a couple of gallons of gas
which Massenburg's son had obtain
ed for him. The next thing he
knew, Massenburg said, he heard
two shots.
Members of the coroner's jury
were W. A. Hearne, G. F. Webb,. J.
A. Edwards, Jim Lawrence, John
Crisp and Ben Walters.
Alleged Shortage.
Probed At Wilson
Sweeping Investigation Of School;
Budget Ordered By Board
Wilson, June 7.—Charges made be
fore the Wilson county commission
ers here yesterday that $7»,000 of '
last year's school budge: of $203,01)0
had been unaccounted for and that
it was impossible to find where tho
money had gone, along with a num
ber of other charges connected with
the administration of schools in the
county caused the commissioners to
call for a sweeping investigation of
school affairs in the county an]
order that a hearing on tho situt
tion be started at 9 o'clock at the
court house hero Wednesday morn
ing.
Tho allegations and charges con
cerning the money and several other
things were hurled at the school au
thorities at the commissioners meet
here by several prominent Wilson
(Please turn to pag e four)