Newspapers / Watauga Democrat (Boone, N.C.) / Jan. 31, 1946, edition 1 / Page 2
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THIS WEEK IN WASHINGTON A^Imum at CwtraawHl Hap pwh? in lb* National Caoital Washington, Jan. 29-^-Al though ' labor legislation has taken preced ence over everything else which is before congress, observers here are pwimistic over the possibilities of any law being passed which will do much to bring labor-management peace. The President continues to insist that his suggestion, for fact-finding committees and a 30-day cooling-off period before strikes, would aid the situation, but the experience of fact finding committees ?? ready appoint ed don't give much encouragement to his plan. Both labor and manage ment seem to oppose it ? and there is little chance that a peace plan un acceptable to both sides of conflict could be of much help. Labor argues that the "cooling off' period would actually be a "heating up" period, that there has never been any shortage of facts when a strike is called, and that the proposal would merely delay action which labor considered necessary against "arrogant employers." Management argues that the fact finding plan would create new prob lems, since any time a "fact-finding committee recommended a new wage increase, all unions would feel that they were being discriminated against unless they got the same in crease for their members. Manufac turers also object to the provision in the bill which would require them to open their books to the committees. There are wide divisions in con gress over what type of labor legis lation should be enacted. The ma pority want some kind of measure ? but there appears to be a sizable group which fvors a more or less in effective law ? one which won't step on anybody's toes too much but will serve to quiet the public's demand for a new labor law. The President's social program ? including the new social security measure which would provide huge funds for medical care, hospitaliza tion. etc. ? seems to be in for tough sledding. Increased demands for a balanced budget and for major cuts in government spending make it ap pear to be a bad time to try to get through any big spending bills. And the fact that unemployment is much less than was anticipated has taken] unemployment insurnce measures out of the "emergency" category. An increase in the minimum wage required by law will probably be put through during the present session of congress, but both that bill and the fair employment prac tices act are meeting a lot of oppo sition from southern congressmen. It is quite possible that they will employ filibuster methods to pre vent either measure from becoming law. ? ? ? The growing danger of wide spread inflation was recently high lighted by the order issued by the governors of the Federal Reserve system eliminating the use of credit in buying securities. The order re quired that buying on margin be stopped. This is the first time in history that this has happened. Mar riner S. Eccles, chairman of the re serve board, warning of inflation, i said that this was only a minor step] toward its prevention. He considers Do YOU suffer from CRAMPS NERVOUS TENSION on "CERTAIN DAYS'* of tho month? If female functional monthly .dis turbances make you suffer cramps, headache, backache, weak, tired, ner vous. cranky feelings? at such times ? try Lydla E. Plnkham's Vegetable Compound to relieve such symptoms. Taken thruout the month ? Plnk ham's Compound helps build up re sistance against such symptoms Also great stomachic tonic! Try it! ?) PERFECT ;fj DIAMOND RINGS I ? Doubly guaranteed in wi iting to be perfect. I 2 ? Individually repistpred ^ in the ownei s name ! 3 ? Fully insured agoinst : . ; theft, fire ond loss. B. W. Stallings Boon#, N. C. PUBLIC INDIFFERENCE TO HO AD ACCIDENTS IS CITED BY HATCHER Chapel Hill, Jan. 26? Maj H. J. Hatcher, commander of the state highway patrol, believes the indif ference of the uublic in general is one of the big handicaps in reduc ing highway accidents. In an address here, Hatcher said the peak in fatalities from highway accidents was in 1041 when 1,286 perfeons were killed. "Unless the public becomes more arounsed to the seriousness of the situation," he said, "that record is going to be surpassed before long." the most important step to be im mediate balancing of the federal budget All government figures indicate that the cost of living is gradually increasing and it is expected that there may be a big jump in prices of many consumer goods within the next few months. Efforts to. keep prices in line seem to be breaking down. Although President Truman continues to back OPA price con trol policies, he is being blamed for encouraging inflation by his appar ent willingness to settle labor dis putes by permitting some price rises. Price of eggs was consistently higher in 1945 than in 1944. Blowing Rock High School News Tuesday evening, Jan. 22, Blow ing Hock divided a triple-header with New land here. The boys' B tean tied with a score of 12-12, with B?raby Walters high scorer. The girls won by 21-15, with Leota Goulds as high scorer. The B team boys defeated Newland 26-23 with Perry Lentz as high scorer. Friday, Jan. 25, Blowing Rock boys and girls played North Wilkes boro there. The Blowing Rock girls won 33-10, Velma Coffey scoring highest. TKe Blowing Rock boys lost the well-fought game by the score of 17-22, Bruce Greene high scorer. Wade E Eller, state health inspec tor, visited th. school last Friday and gave it an A rating. The members of the American Legion gave a box supper in the school gym last Saturday night. They made $300. The money is be ing used for buying flags and other equipment for the Legion. The latest report shows that most of the grades have responded 100 percent to the March of Dimes drive. Very attractive posters and decorations are being used in the lunch room these days, carrying out the March of Dimes idea. Mrs. Brown and Mrs. Cottrell, 5th and JOHN ROBlPBRYAN John Roby Bryan was bora"March 7, 1 288, and died January 23, 1946, age 77 years, 10 months and IS days. He was married to Mary Magdalene Norris in 1896. To this union were bom nine children, two of whom preceded him in death. Surviving are the widow and the following children: Mrs. Emma Davis, Mrs Iva Lee Norris, Herman Bryan, all of Boone R.F.D.; Mrs. Belle Morris, Johnson City, Tenn.; Mrs. Alma Beach, Maidsville, W. Va.; Dan Bry an, Banner Elk; Lloyd Bryan, Boone; two sisters, Sarah Bryan, Boone, and Mrs. Caroline Phillips, Mebane, N. C. Thirty-six grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren also sur vive. Funeral services were conducted from Meat Camp Baptist Church where deceased was a member, by Rev. R. C. Eggers, pastor, assisted by Rev. Howard Shore. Much of the nation's reserve stock of lumber is depleted and timber production is short of the mark which foresters believe should have been turned out with proper care of woodlands. 6th grade teachers, are in charge of the decorations. Mrs. Crawford's third grade* is making very clever scrap books for the hospitals in Boone, Banner Elk and Jefferson. NOTICE TO TAXPAYERS The penalty on 1 945 taxes which have not been paid will go into effect February I , and 1 am anxious that the taxpayers make every effort to meet their taxes this month and save the extra costs. THE PENALTY IS FIXED BY STATE LAW, AND MUST BE ADDED IN EACH INSTANCE ? # Thanking everyone for their fine co-operation, and hoping that the imposition of the penalty may not be necessary in most cases, I am, Yours very truly, 0. L. COFFEY Assistant Tax Collector A Letter to the President of the United States January 18, 1946 ' Hon. Harry S. Truman President of the United States The White House Washington, D. C. Dear Mr. President: Your proposal to me in Washington last evening that the wage demand of the United Steelworkers of America-CIO be settled on the basis of a wage increase of 18% cents an hour, retroactive to January 1, 1946, can not, I regret to say, be accepted by the United States Steel Corporation for the rea sons set forth below. As you must be aware, your proposal is almost equivalent to granting in full the Union's revised demand of a wage increase of 19% cents an hour, which was advanced by Philip Murray, the President of the Union, at our collective bargaining conference with the Union in New York a week ago today. In our opinion, there is no just basis from any point of view for a wage increase to our steel workers of the large size you have pro posed, which, if put into effect, is certain to result in great financial harm not only to this Corporation but also to users of steel in general. As I have tried to make clear to you and other Government officials during our con ferences in Washington over the past few days, there is a limit in the extent to which the Union wage demands can be met by us We reached that limit when we raised our offer to the Union last Friday from a wage increase of 12% cents an hour to one of 15 cents an hour. This would constitute the highest single wage increase ever made by our steel-making subsidiaries. Our offer of 15 cents was equivalent to meeting 60^ of the Union's original excessive demand of a $2 a day general wage increase. Our offer met 75^ of the Union's final proposal of a wage increase of 19% cents an hour. A wage increase of 15 cents an hour, such as we of fered, would increase the direct labor costs of our manufacturing subsidiaries by ap proximately $60,000,000 a year. That is a most substantial sum, and does not t?ce into account the higher costs we shall have to pay for purchased goods and services, when large wage increases generally become effective throughout American industry, as is inevit able after a substantial increase in steel wages. As you know, collective bargaining nego tiations with the Union broke down at the White House yesterday afternoon, because Mr. Murray then refused to budge from his position that a country-wide steel strike must take place, unless steel workers are granted a general wage increase of 19% cents an hour. Our offer of a wage increase of 15 cents an hour was again rejected by the Union. The Union threatened to go ahead with its program for a national steel strike at midnight next Sunday, although such a strike will be a clear violation of the no strike provision contained in our labor con tracts with the Union, which continue by their terms until October 15, 1946. From the outset, we have recognized how injurious a steel strike will be to reconver sion and to the economy of this whole coun try. Most industries are dependent upon a supply of steel for their continued opera tions. We have done everything reasonably within our power to avert such a strike. If a strike occurs, the responsibility rests with the Union. When the Government at the eleventh hour informed us about a week ago of its ? willingness to sanction an increase in steel ceiling prices, we at once resumed collective bargaining negotiations with the Union. Such price action by the Government was a rec ognition by it of the right of the steel in dustry to receive price relief because of past heavy increases- in costs, something which the steel industry for many months has un successfully sought to establish with OPA. I should like again to point out some per tinent facts relative to the wages of our steel workers. # ? Since January, 1941, the average straight time hourly pay, without overtime, qf our steel workers has increased more than the 33'/r increase in the cost of living during that period, recently computed by Govern ment authorities. Steel workers' wages have kept pace with increased living costs. Such average straight-time pay in our steel-pro ducing subsidiaries was $1.14 an hour in each of the months of September, October and November 1945. excluding any overtime premium and any amount Tor correction of possible wage inequities. An increase of 16 cents, in accordance nj^th our offer, would ? raise such average straight-time pay to $1.29 I an hour, placing such pay among the highest today in all of American industry. Under our offer of a 15 cent increase, the average weekly take-home pay of our steel workers for a forty-hour week would amount to $51.60, assuming that no overtime is in volved. This figure is only $4.54 less than the actual average weekly earnings of these employees, including overtime, in the last full war year of 1944, when the average work week was 46.1 hours. The difference is really less, because we will undoubtedly continue to have overtime in the future, just as we have at the present time. In Novem ber, 1945, overtime premiums to our steel workers aggregated more than $1,300,000. Such reduction of $4.54 in weekly take-home pay is the natural consequence of a shorter work week of forty hours, and therefore one of lower production. Much as we desire to avoid a steel strike, we cannot overlook the effect both on this Corporation and on our customers and American business in general, of the 18% cent an hour wage increase, which you have proposed. Such a wage increase must result in higher prices for steel than have pre viously been proposed to us by the Govern ment. Great financial harm would soon fol low for all users of steel who would be obliged to pay higher prices for their steel, higher wages to their employees, and still have the prices for their own products sub ject to OPA control. Such a high and unjus tified wage scale might well spell financial disaster for many of the smaller steel com panies and for a large number of steel fab ricators and processors. The nation needs the output of these companies. Increased wages and increased prices which force com panies out of business can only result in irre parable damage to the American people. In our judgment, it is distinctly in the public interest to take into account the in jurious effect upon American industry of an unjustified wage increase in the steel in dustry. After a full and careful consideration of your proposal, we have reached the conclu sion above stated. . ? ? Respectfully yours, Benjamin F. Fairless, President. Umte^ States Steel Corporation United States Steel Corporation
Watauga Democrat (Boone, N.C.)
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Jan. 31, 1946, edition 1
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