Newspapers / The Charlotte Labor Journal … / Feb. 4, 1937, edition 1 / Page 1
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The ONLY REALLY INDEPENDENT WEEKLY in Mecklenburg Ommty For a Weekly. Its Readers Represent tht LARGEST BUYING POWER In Charlotte Ihf Charlotte labor journal Patronize ear Adrer tilers. They make YOU* paper penible by their co operation. Irutkful, Honest, Impartial AND DIXIE FARM NEWS Endeavoring to Serve the Masses Vol. VI.—No. 38 CHARLOTTE, N. G, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 1937 •OOhnai AovittW S2.00 Per Year G. M. C. EXECUTIVE MEETS LEWIS IN A PARLEY ON AUTO STRIKE; GOVERNOR MURPHY ALSO PRESENT DETROIT, Feb. 3.—The General Motor’s strike conference broke up shortly before 11:30 today and Governor Frank Murphy announced there would be another later in the day. ‘There has been a very interesting conference and another will be held late today. There is no further comment.” The governor, William S. Knudsen, executive vice-president of General Motors, aad John L. Lewis, chairman of the committe for industrial or ganization, and others loft the conference room. DETROIT, Feb. X—High officials of General Motors and the com mittee for industrial organisation met with Governor Frank Murphy behind the barred doors of a court room here today in a new effort to terminate the General Motors automotive strike. Conferring with the governor were William S. Knudsen, executive vice president of General Motors, and John L. Lewis, militant chieftain of the C. I. O. The letter by which Knudsen accepted the governor’s invitation disclosed that Murphy telephoned him at 10 P. M. last night urging him to meet with Lewis “in accordance with the wish of the President of the United States.” The General Motors official wrote that this “leaves no slternativt except compliance,” and said he would confer “with a view to formulating a basis for negotiations.” . _ The conference began shortly before 10 o clock, little more than five hours in advance of the deadline set in a stringent court injunction for evacu ation by strikers of two General Motors planU in Flint, Mich, that they have held since December 30. - IswmssmmssMWMWMWMW* Auto Situation Up To Thursday A. M. Unchanged DETROIT, Fsh. 4-—A conference between leaders of opposing sides in the widespread automotive strike ad journed last night after what Gov ernor Frank Murphy described as a “cordial and judicious" talk. The conferees will meet again at 10 A. M. (Eastern Standard Time) to<tay William S. Knudson, executive vice president of General Motors Corpo ration, said, “Not a thing" was set tled. <He was smiling when he left the room after four and a half hours’ uninterrupted conferring with the Governor and union representa tives. John L. Lewis, chairman of the Committee for Industrial Organisa tion, of which the strike union— United Automotive Workers—is an affiliate, said any statement most come from the Governor. “The Governor has the sole word,” Lewis said. Homer Martin, U. A. W. A. president, declined comment when he departed a little earlier than Lewis. MAY MOVE TO N. C. TO TAKE ADVANTAGE O FCHEAPER LABOR PHILADELPHIA, PA.—Seventy employees of one of the mills own ed by the Marshall Field Mills Corporation here decreed a sit down. strike against a reported plan of the company to move its mills to North Carolina to take advantage of cheaper labor. The employees aslo asked for a 20 per cent wage increase. The manage ment of the corporation thereupon asserted the 100 per cent principle of private ownership in mill prop erty and posted notices that the mill where the strike occurred would be closed permanently. LISK BUSY ORGANIZING ' THE TEXTILE WORKERS “Red” Lisk, textile organiser of Concord, was in to see The Journal Monday, and told us of some organ izing activities he is engaged in at the present time that is bearing fruit. Lisk is a worker in and out of season Subscribe for The Jouitial A. F. OF L EXECUTIVE COUNCIL WILL MEET MONDAY, FEBRUARY 8 WASHINGTON, D. C—The Executive Council of the Ameri can Federation of Labor will meet on Monday, February 8, in the Council Room of the A. F. of L. headquarters here, Frank Morri son, secretary-treasurer of the Federation, announced. The Executive Council consists of the President of the Federation, 15 Vice-Presidents, and the Secretary-Treasurer. The ■embers are elected by the annual convention of the Federation for one year, their terms be ginning on January 1 following the convention. The Council is the admin istrative agency of the American Federation of Labor. It is required to give a detailed report of its activities to the annual convention. The duties of the Council include watching legislative matters affecting the interests of working men and women, organizing workers into unions either directly affiliated with the Federation or with affiliated national and international unions, chartering unions, requiring observance by affiliated unions of the obligations assumed in their certificates of affiliation, and administering the funds of the Federation, which in the fiscal year 1935-1936 totaled over one and one-half million dollars. “A WORKER” ASKS WHY N. C. SHOULD PASS BACKWARD AS TO THE CHILD LABOR AMENDMENT JUST KILLED This writer has worked since eight years of age, attending school in day. working evenings and nights, studying his lessons from 7 to 8, then trndged off to school even at that age having a feeling that all was not weQ, and a dissatisfaction that grew as to the system of necessity, and while not a self-made man having gained no prominence, here nor there, he has still been a worker, a good citisea, a taxpayer and a conformist to the law. He has never wanted to see his children grow up in the treadmill that he went through, unnecessarily even though his people were of the “better” class, with plate and Dresden china, and portraits of patriots hanging upon the walls. Yes, the family album was there, with men in uniform, long since passed to their reward. In those days, they held chattel slaves. The more religious slave holders compelled their chatter lings to cook their Sun day food on Saturday and had them whipped on Monday if they did any work on Sunday, unleaa it was to lift “their” ox out of a ditch. This all seems pretty as to the fight for the right to work the child as a chattel, but those days have gone. Put every idle man to work, draw the women not emplpoyed through the necessity of a livelihood for herself or children from the competitive labor field, and give the men a chance. There are people today living on the labor of their children, who would be deprived of their gravy, but where they are compelled to work this will be taken care of. So, “come South, Mr. Manufacturer, where there is child labor a plenty, long hours and cheap living conditions.” God help us. And I love North Carolina, am a Southerner and I raised a family here. —A WORKER. (Broafht out of the record* mad readopted December h 1936) NOTICE TO ADVERTISERS AND BUSINESS MEN A resolution adopted last year as to The Labor Journal and solicitation of funds in the name of Central Labor Un ion was brought out of the minutes and republished as in formation. The resolution rends as follows: “Resolved, That we publish in The Charlotte Labor Journal, that we do not condone any solicita tion of advertising except for The Charlotte Labor Journal, purporting to represent labor, unless over the signature of the secretary of the Charlotte Cen tral Labor Union. CHATTING HARRY BOATE --~---:_i I« It really a law, or merely a general impression, that it is violation of °* *• *'*v® m one’s possession defaced or mutilated coins? y,*®r* **° ** w“ common for persons to have watch fobs made of dimes, which it was necessary to mutilate in order to string them together. And scarcely a person has missed discovering at some time mixed with his I change a mutilated coin—penny, nickel or dime. What to do with these corns is puzzling, especially if one wishes to be honest with his fellow man, for they will not be accepted in general trade. I recently entered a National tank with a mutilated coin and aswed what I should do with it. Was told they did not know. Took the same com to the Federal Reserve Bank and asked the same question. After being eyed with curiosity by both the guard and the cashier was informed they could or would not handle it. The only thing left was to keep it or throw it away, in the latter case making myself liable to receive it again among change, thus paying a double price for nothing. Now mutilated or defaced paper money does not fare so badly, as wit ness the Literary Digest in the following article under the title; “Burned Money,” which is given for the information contained: “It’s puzzle time at the Currency Redemption Division of the Treasury Department in Washington. Every January bits and pieces of bank notes arrive from all over the country—need identification. UA Michigan widow hid her life’s savings in the chimney. Last week a fire destroyed them. Her local tank sent the ashes to Washington. She hopes the Government will return her $1000. “A Pennsylvania farmer found a sum of currency he had hoarded ten years ago. Almost unidentifiable, the soggy mass was forwarded to the Redemption Division. First inspection revealed the notes were worth at least $6,047. “Trained experts with much patience do their utmost to redeem currency whenever possible. If portions of the notes bearing engraved designs are left so that they can be identified as to kind and denomination, full value may be obtained. When accompanied by an affidavit that the remaining portion of the notes was destroyed and how, severely damaged currency may also be redeemed as full value. Decayed currency is the hardest type for Treasury workers to identify. Ashes are almost hopeless. “Approximately 100 cases come in daily. Ordinarily, torn notes are cared for at local tanks, only difficult cases referred to Washington. “In the years since the World War the amount of money in circulation has ranged between four and one-half to six billion dollars. This represents about $45 per capita, of which less than $4 is in coin, the remainder m paper currency. “One dollar bills, constituting more than one-half the number of bills in circulation, last about nine months; $10 bills are usually good for four teen months; $1,000,000 Treasury bills are almost ‘untouchables.’ “The Federal Reserve banks turn in about 05 per cent of currency for redemption. All National tank notes, which are being retired, are sent in by the Federal Reserve banks, and removed from circulation entirely. Ap proximately $400,000,000 of National bank notes were sent in during tne fiscal year ended last June, $1,500,000,000 Federal Reserve notes, and $750, 000,000 other currency. “Gold certificates are few. Exclusive of those held by the Treasury and Federal Reserve tanks, only some $100,960,000 are outstanding. “Oldest notes in circulation are U. S. Notes, an issue dating from the War Between the States. Next in age come gold certificates (1863), fol lowing by National tank notes (1864), silver certificates in 1878, Treasury notes in 1890. “Currency comes in all forms of mutilation. A lot has been burned, some chewed by dogs or other animals, swallowed by cows or goats, destroyed by burial or being lost in pocketbook, gnawe-J -by rats and mice. “A farmer feeding stock lost his qnuC j,‘ saw a calf chewing it. Unable to get it back, the farmer killed the calf, worth $35. The Treasury re deemed the $70 in the purse when it was forwarded to Washington. Dogs may chew bank notes, but they seldom swallow them, according to authorities. Therefore the Treasury is leery about redeeming money supposedly devoured by dogs. Still, when a Pennsylvania girl sent in pieces of a $5 note with an affidavit the rest had been swallowed by her dog, the Treasury, finding her character good, sent payment In her letter of thanks the girl enclosed the other portion of the note, subsequently found. “Much burned money comes from airplane wrecks, ships’ fires. The Moro Castle fire, for instance, brought in several hundred individual lots of currency. Also the safe-deposit box of the purser. “But attempt to hoodwink the Government by sending in two parts of a note for redemption on different occasions are seldom successful. “A man in Cleveland sent in a charred portion of a $5 note. His affi davit stated he had jerked out the bill with his handkerchief as he was emptying ashes. The currency fell on hot embers. The Treasury paid him. Later the other portion of the same note came in through a Cleveland tank. The Currency Redemption Division duly notified the Secret Service. The man was sentenced to jail, fined $260. “A waitress in Oklahoma burned a $6 note on a gas jet, received re demption. Then the other portion came in through the Federal Reserve bank at Oklahoma City. She was arrested, as were the two men who had at tested her affidavit, and the notary. “It’s risky business to fool around with the Redemption Division.” WOMEN’S UNION LABEL LEAGUE MEETS NEXT WEDNESDAY AT 7 P. M. Next Wednesday night, February 10, the Women’s Union Label League will meet in the Moose hall, 7 to 8 o’clock. Mrs. James H. Fullerton, acting president, requests that all members be present, as an effort is being made to make 1987 a banner year in both co-operation with all the locals in Charlotte, also for promotion of the union label. CHRISTOPHER UP WASHINGTON WAT ON UNION BUSINESS Got a letter Monday from Organ izer Paul R. Christopher, who has been in Washington on business the past week, stating that he would leave for Asheville to resume his organiza tion work in that territory on Tues day. Had begun to worry about him, for when two weeks pass and we do not see Christopher something unus ual has happened. But he is always on the job and always busy. A MAN RIDES UP PENNSYLVANIA AVENUE A man rides op Pennsylvania Avenue (But he moves across the pages of history, also Into the vision of a world.) He is a simple man. (But he holds the hopes of millions In his cordial hands. He partakes of their bitter bread and tears. Within his eyes, their dreams are lurking.) He is a kindly man. (Somehow those who see most clearly The awful realities of the world, with fearless heart, Can laugh most graciously.) He is a figure, tall and proud. (How is it, may I ask, can this aristocrat Waft so within the hearts of toilers? How is it, can this proud man Move so in tune with pedestrians? , Why, Why? May I ask, Can he know them, and be known by them?) He is human (Yes, secret of the truly gnat, my brother! There are no barriers between hearts Which keep themselves simple, kindly, proud and human.) A man rides up Pennsylvania Avenue (In a glow, he rides, and in a dream. Into the hearts and minds of Millions.) —The Journal of Electrical Workers and Operators. NORTH CAROLINA HAS AGAIN JOINED BACKWARD RANKS BY DEFEATING THE CHILD LABOR AMENDMENT, THROWING RED FLAG IN F. R.’s FACE Roosevelt s undying friends, both personally and politically, “standing” for what he stood, and running on his political plat form, with 100 per cent co-operation promised the dear voters have killed children labor bill over at Raleigh, declaring for free dom of the states. Only nine more states to ratify are necessary to make it the law of the land, but North Ca-olina could not see its way clear to line up with the administration. The first volley against it came from a Gaston county representative, the center of the textile industry in the state, and next came the Democratic wheel horse of 21 legislative sessions, declaring that “Every man worth a damn worked before he was 18 yea~s old. True, and they will continue to do so, but Mr. Murphy evidently was playing to the stands, for he knew there were exempting clauses. But he let his venow spread a little farther in his passionate appeal against the wishes of the man he proclaimed a ‘‘peerless leader,” when he stated “Pin-headed protoplasms of a Federal agent would be snooping about our farms hunting for a boy attending to the chores if the biO were passed. They went on in argument to say that “the sovereignty of the state would be usurped, and that North Carolina could solve its own labor problems,” and on and on the tirade against a bill for which such men as Roosevelt, the heads of Carolina and Duke universities, the women’s organizations of the state, the leaders in our social and labor movements for uplift, stand. And they de feated it, the textile interests won, using the farmer as the goat, and painting pictures of devastated homesteads. Let’s cut this vote out, paste it in our hats, and look it over every election day. Mecklenburg’s delegation went solid with their promise, and the people of the county thank them, for it keeps unsullied the repu tation of the grand old county as the cradle of independence. The vote: For the amendment: Abernathy, Adams, Allen, Atkinson, Barker, Barnes, Berry, Blankenship, Brooks, Bryant, Caffey, Cooper of Cherokee, Cooper of New Hanover, Davis of Hyde, Eagles, Fulghum, Garrett, Hanford Hash, Hatch, Horner, Horton, Howard, Jenkins, Jones, King, Leary, Lump kin, Mayhew, Mitchell, Moore, McBryde, Norwood, Paylor, Poole, Scott, Seeley, Spruill, Stell, Taylor of Caswell, Thornton, Uzzell, Vogler, Ward, Williams, Williamson, Wilson of Forsyth—47. Against the Amendment: Andrews, Aycock, Banks of Jones, Banks of Pamlico, Benton, Best of Pander, Best of Wayne, Blount, Bast, Burgin, Cabe, Carruthers, Craig, Davis of Dare, Davis of Randolphp, Dellinger of Gaston, Elkins, Fenner, Flowers, Gardner, Gass, Giles, Grant, Gray, Haynes, Hobbs, Johnson of Currituck, Johnston of Iredell, Joyner, Kimzey, Ledbetter, Martin, Miller, Mnrphy, McDowell, McDuffie, McNeill, Patton, Peace, Pickens, Price, Quinn, Rasberry, Rouse, Royster, Seutelle, Siler, Smith, Stone, Summersill, Taylor of Alleghany, Thomas of Anson, Thomas of Harnett, Underwood. Warren, Wilson of Sampson, Withrow and Zickler—58. Clark and Leggitt paired. Women Factory Workers Sing As They Picket! LA FOLLETTE, Tenn.—Demand ing union recognition, shorter hours and higher wages, nearly all of the 00 girl employes of the Atlas Shirt Company quit work in a strike fea tured by a singing picket line and the active support of union miners. Pickets carried banners announc ing; “We are creating a new NRA.” The girls, who went to the picket line at daybTeak, sang extemporan eous songs, including, “The miners are behind us and we shall not be blue.” Robert L. Childers of District 19, 'United Mine Workers of America, pledged 100 per cent support to the strikers and said: “We are going to see them through to the end.” Min ers joined the girls on the picket lines. A check for your subscription would be appreciated. Blankenship’s City Attorney Bill Is Being Fought Representatives Blankenship and Mayhew, of Mecklenburg, and George A. Smith, a Charlotte lawyer, favor ed the measure fo rabi 11 to pay the city attorney $6,000 a year, while it was opposed by Mayor Ben Douglas, I of Charlotte, Councilman Roy Hud 1 son and L. L. Sides, City Revenue i Colector Jim Armstrong, Frank Sims, ' a lawyer, J. H. Fullerton and others. —News, Feb. 2. PARDON BY LEGISLATURE IS PLANNED FOR MOONEY SACRAMENTO, CAUF.—Twenty six of the eighty members of the i California Assembly Legislature pro posing the enactment of a law par doning Tom Mooney, now serving a I life sentence in San Quentin Prison ! for alleged participation in the San Francisco bomb outrage during the Preparedness Day Parade on July 22, 1916. LABOR SHORTS BY THE RAMBLER The American Federation of Hosiery Workers are in special Convention in Washington, and North Carolina has some able representatives among the delegates. This Convention will be history making, particularly as re gards the South. The Convention may vote $50,000 to the CIO to be used in the campaign to organise the workers in mass production industries along industrial lines. There is considerable talk to this effect among the delegates. John L. Lewis, Director of the CIO, and Homer Martin, President of the United Automobile Workers of America, addressed the Convention last Thursday. Net a seat was available in the big Convention hall and except for interruptions during repeated outbursts of applause not a sound could be heard while they were speaking. The Rambler talked for quite some time with Homer Martin, and while most of the conversation dealt with various aspects of the Geenral Motors strike, other impressions were gathered. While young in veers Martin has what it takes. Likeable, calm, honest, energetic, and capable he will, under the sponsorship of the CIO, direct the UAWA to mere and greater victories in the automobile industry as time Discussing the legality of the sit-down strike strategy Martin said the sit down strikers were not only hired to go into GMC plants but took their poets on invitations from the bosses. Graham, Plymouth, Studebaker, and Nash cars were classed as very i fair to the United Automobile Workers union. Reports have been received that the Royal Cotton Mills, Wake Forest, was on strike, but as this goes to press no concrete information is on hand. The workers are members of the United Textile Workers of America. Francis J. Gorman is now International President of the UTW. Thomas F. McMahon resigned last Saturday and was elected Honorary President by the Executive Council. He will assume his new duties as Di rector ef the Rhode Island Department of Labor on February 20th. A testimonial dinner was tendered McMahon last Saturday evening at the Hamilton Hotel in Washington by the official UTW family and a few old friends. This in commemoration of his 50th consecutive and active year in the American Labor Movement. The Spencer Mill workers, Spindale, lost their unorganized strike for higher wages. Indeed, the pass key to low wages and oppression in mass production industry is “No Organization.”
The Charlotte Labor Journal and Dixie Farm News (Charlotte, N.C.)
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Feb. 4, 1937, edition 1
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