TV ONLY REALLY INDEP1
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the A. F. of L.
For a Weekly Its
tV LARGEST BUYING POWER in Charlotte
labor Journal
risers.
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Truthful, Honest, Impartial Endorsed bjMfcs^N. CStaU Pedora* AND DIXIE FARM NEWS
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VOL. IX—No. 34
YOU* ADVIRTIttMINT IN TNI JOURNAL !• A
INVUTNINT
CORIiMUfitR
12.00 P«r Year
CHARLOTTE, N. C, THURSDAY, JANUARY 18, 1940
Charlotte Central Labor Union Will Sponsor Skating A
reas
MEETING A.F.L HEADS IN ATLANTA
ON MARCH 2-3-4; STATE & NATIONAL
UNITS HAVE ACCEPTED INVITATIONS
TO MEET; PRES. GRAHAM BE THERE
ATLANTA, Ga., Jan. 15.—Presi
dent Wm. Green, Secretary-Treasurer
George Meany, and Secretary Emer
itus Frank Morrison will be principal
speakers at a conference to be held
in Atlanta on Saturday, Sunday and
Monday, March 2nd, 3rd and 4th, ac
cording to an announcement made by
George L. Googe, Southern represen
tative of the American Federation
of Labor. The conference was called
by the 'Presidents of State Federa
tions of Labor in the ten Southern
states, to meet the organising de
partment of the American Federation
of Labor, headed by Frank P. Fen
ton, Director of Organization for the
A. F. of L., and Mr. Googe, in charge
of the organization work in the South.
The Atlanta Federation of Trades
invited the American Federation of
Labor to hold the conference in At
lanta, and the invitation was accept
ed last week, announcement of which
was made upon Mr. Googe’s return
to Atlanta from Washington Sunday.
The conference has the endorsement
of the four departments of the A. F.
of L., the Building and Construction
Trades Department, The Metal
Trades Department, the Railroad Em
ployes Department, and the Union
Label Trades Department. Execu
tive officers of these departments
will attend the conference and par
ticipate in the discussions and activi
ties, it is said.
At a meeting of the Railroad La
bor Chief Executives’ Association
representing the 21 standard rail
oad organizations, a resolution was
adopted giving unqualified endorse
ment to the conference to be held in
Atlanta, and David Robinson, Grand
President of the Brotherhood of Loco
motive Firemen and Enginemen was
selected as spokesmen at the confer
ence for the 21 organizations.
Tha Legal and -Legislative Depart
ment of the American Federation of
Labor will be represented by Judge
Joseph A. Padway, Chief Counsel for
the A. F. of L., it is announced.
Mr. Googe stated that a majority
of the executive heads of the 105
National and International Unions
affiliated with the A. F. of L., have
accepted invitations to attend the con
ference. Organizers and field repre
sentatives of all International Unions
working in Southern territory will be
in attendance, it is said.
Sponsors of the conference are the
Executive Boards of State Federa
tions of Labor in Virginia, North
Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia,
Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Lou
isiana, Tennessee and Kentucky. Rep
resentatives from the Central Labor
Unions, Building Trades Councils,
Metal Trades Councils, District Coun
cils and all Local Unions in these ten
states, it is said, will gather in At
lanta for the conference.
“The conference here will, without
doubt, be the largest meeting ever
held by the American Federation of
Labor Unions in the history of our
movement’ said George Googe, “and
it will be larger by far than any
convention of the American Federa
tion of Labor in its 69 years of ac
tivity.”
Presiddit Dewey L. Johnson, of the
Atlanta Federation of Trades, has
named a Committee consisting of Al
bert Gossett, Chairman, F. H. King,
Paul C. Chipman, Wm. A. Cetti and
Miss Ira Jarrell, to make arrange
ments fo# the conference. “We are
planning for entertainment of a mini
mum of &iM)0 representatives,” Chair
man Gosatt said.
With Governor E. D. Rivers head
ing the delegation Governors from
the Southern states will be invited
guests of the conference. Dr. Frank
P. Graham, President of the Univer
sity of Njjrth Carolina, has accepted
an invitation to address the confer
ence.
Charles B. Gramling, President of
the Georgia Federation of Labor, has
been named chairman of the State
Federation of Labor Executives'
Group, and will preside over the Ses
sions of the Conference devoted to
State organisation work.
President Dewey L. Johnson of the
Atlanta Federation of Trades an
nounces that Conference Headquar
ters will be maintained at the Ans
ley hotel,-while the sessions of the
Conference will be held in the City
auditorium. “It will be a distinct
honor to Atlanta to be host to the
largest meeting ever held by the
American Federation of Labor.”
President Johnson said, “and the At
lanta Federation of Trades will make
such arrangements as this gigantic
and noteworthy gathering demands.”
The purpose of the conference, Mr.
Googe says, is to bring the officers of
,he A’d£JS£Sp‘-«>-**
its
den
■ oft
-end-the rank
mg officers of the National and In
ternational Unions together with the
officers and members of State and
City Bodies and the Local Unions of
the South. “The progress made by
the American Federation of Labor
Unions in the South during the past
few years has challenged the admit
ation of our present bodies, all ol
whom are anxious to co-ordinate all
organizing activities. We also de
sire to co-ordinate our State Legis
lative activities with the Railroad
Brotherhoods and a program will be
adopted at this conference along these
lines. Then, too a large number of
the executive officers of our National
and International Unions were born
!”. *hc, ?°uth- hen** their personal
interest in our work and our interest
in them It will be the first time in
hK*#re th"1 ■« of our Local Union
officials have had an opportunity to
meeet and confer with their execu
tive officers, and I am confident that
our movement will receive greater en
couragement and impetus through
this conference than in ay other way,1
said Mr. Googe.
Information As To
Labor Calls
FOR CENTRAL LABOR UNION,
call Wm. S. Greene, Secretary,
229 S. Tryon Street. Phone
3-1459.
FOR BUILDING TRADES HALL,
call 9140; 113}/* 8. College Street.
CHARLOTTE LABOR JOURNAL,
call 3-3094; 302 S. College Street.
CENTRAL LABOR UNION meets
in Pythian Hall, Piedmont Build
ing, 218 S. Tryon Street every
Wednesday night at 7:30. H. A.
Stalls, president.
BUILDING TRADES COUNCIL
meets every Friday night at
113!/* S. College Street, at 7:30
P. M. H. L. Kiser, Business
Agent.
FOR TEAMSTERS AND CHAUF
FEURS LOCAL NO. 71. call
3-5601; office, Builders Bldg.,
Room 126; H. L. McCrorie, Busi
ness Agent, home phone, 3-6388.
Sn«*ice and Work U
New Motto in Italy
ROME.—In line with Italy’s
newly inaugurated "Silence Cam
paign,” the Rome federation of
Fascist groups of combat has or
dered distribution of posters say
ing:
“In this office we do not dis
cuss high politics and higL _lrate
gy. Here we work!"
The posters are being given the |
widest circulation and will be |
posted in all offices, Fascist '
,-lubs. cafes, restaurants, movies
■ rrrl theaters ,
Soldi* of 19391Ubuna
Old-Time Expressions
NEW YORK. — The shavetail
footed off when he bunked fatigue.
That, according to Col. L. B. Ma
gruder, Second corps area recruit
ing officer, merely means the sec
ond lieutenant made a mistake when
he went to bed during a lull in
drills.
Magruder got together a list of
some of the more common expres
sions used in conversation among ,
soldiers. They have not changed 1
much down through the years. j
Other terms included: battin’ the
breeze, a conversation which usu
ally ends with an argument as to
who won the Civil war; cabbage,
money; chow hound, gourmand; cir
cus water, iced drinks with meals;
gold brick, lazy soldier; hash heat
er or slum burner, the cook; Java
and sidearms, coffee, milk and
sugar; jawbone, charge it; mitt Hop
per, a handshaker.
Population of India to
Pass 400 Million Mark
SIMLA, D^DIA.—The population
of India is expected to exceed 400,
000,000 by the time the seventh all
India census takes place in March,
1941.
An increase of 47,000,000 in the
last 10 years is expected to be re
vealed.
This represents a record increase
of 13.4 per cent in the population
since the last census of 1931, when
the total figure was 352,837,778.
Experts base their expectations
of this big increase on the fact that
during the last 18 years India has
been free of any major epidemic
or/*e:>«*ral famine conditions.
Three out of five ear owners in the
United States have never owned a
new car.
CENTRAL LABOR UNION DELEGATES
OF VARIOUS LOCALS SOLIDLY
BEHIND SKATING AREA PROJECT
Hie meeting of Central Labor Union Wednesday night
marked a new era in endeavor and put every delegate on the
alert for the work in store for the A. F. of L. in Charlotte for
1940. Eighteen organizations were represented by their delegates,
each and every one bringing a message of growth in member*
ship and one of whole-hearted support for the Skating Area
Project, which Central Labor Union will sponsor.
President Stalls presided. The minutes of the previous meet
ing were read and approved.
Various special and regular committees reported. Most of
the meeting was devoted to the discussion of the skating areas,
and the report of the skating areas committee, with the following
recommendations, was concurred in by the assembled delegates:
That every delegate to the C. C. L. U. is a member of the Skat
ing Areas Committee, that President Stalls and the regular pub
licity committee handle the publicity in connection with the under
taking. That the C. C. L. U. sponsor the entire project, eliminat
ing the W. r. A. feature, wnicn onngs me enure cuw ui me
project to some $3,600. That a secretary-treasurer be appointed
to handle the cost for the financial side of the project. This
particular phase of the matter was handled by a special motion
which was passed and must be approved in the next Wednesday <
meeting according to the constitution, making an amendment •
necessary as follows: That a special secretary-treasurer can bej
appointed to handle a special project of the C. C. L.-U. sponsor
ship, and that such elected member is the sole custodian of the
funds, with checks to be made out to the secretary-treasurer of
this special fund; and he be bonded for one thousand dollars, in the
case of the Skating Area Fund.
Brother T. L. Condor was named acting secretary-treasurer
of the special skating areas fund pending adoption or rejection of
the amendment to the constitution. Much discussion of a very
high civic nature took place about the project, and Brother Moore
was complimented highly by President Stalls, and continued as
chairman of the special Skating Areas Project.
The dance committee’s report was received and committee
continued to icport about what they find upon looking into a com
bination dance to aid the skating area feature.
Credentials of the following Teamsters and Chauffeurs were
ived and two obligated: H W. Houston, H. L. McRorie; R. H.
McGinnis, F. C. Ross toi* obligated. After much fur
the gomHif tfchr order-the meeting
Facing the Facts
With PHILIP PEARL
The present Labor Board and its
entire administrative personnel must
go
This has now become the almost
unanimous feeling of the American
people and of congress.
The courts also have had their say.
Here is a cogent declaration from
the United States Circuit Court ol
Appeals in Chicago:
“Time and experience have dem
onstrated that the public, as well as
litigant*, wjll tolerate the honeat
mistakes of those who pass judgment,
but not the biased acts of those who
would deprive litigants of a fair and
impartial trial." , .
The court directed these words to
the National Labor Relations Board
in a decision last week reversing one
of the board’s rulings.
It was more than two years ago
that the American Federation of La
bor first raised its voice in protest
against the unfair tactics of the La
bor Board. Since then abundant
proof has been adduced of the justice
of the Federation’s charges. Day in
and day out we read in tne newspapers
revelations by the House Committee
investigating the Labor Board which
bear out in every detail the complaint*
of the American Federation of Labor.
We read about officials of the
board who traveled through the coun
try on a government expense account
recruiting members for the C. I. O.
We read about agents of the board
who secretly referred to the Ameri
can Federation of Labor as the
“damned A. F. of L." and spoke of
C. I. 0. cases as “our cases."
NO HALF-WAY MEASURES
In these circumstances, no half
way measures can be tolerated. Ap
pointment of new board members to
replace those now serving will not
be enough. A complete house-clean
ing of the entire Labor Board setup
is imperative. Such a house-clean
ing is provided for in one of the
American Federation of Labor
Amendments to the National Labor
Relations Act now pending before
congress. This amendment would
abolish the present board, purge its
entire personnell and create a new
Federal Labor Board of five mem
bers.
Even this great forward step is not
suficient to guard against a recur
rence of Labor Board trouble. Con
gress must lay down the rules of the
game which the new Labor Board
must follow. We have learned the
mistake of entrusting wide discretion
ary authority to quasi-judicial Gov
ernment agendas. The inevitable
consequence is abuse of discretion.
The American Federation of Labor
has wisely provided for this contin
gency. Its amendments contain spe
cific rules for the guidance of the
new board. These rules were design
ed to guarantee fair play to all llti
pants before the board. I ney were
not fashioned just to protect the
American Federation of Labor and
the members of its affiliated unions.
They are just as fair to C. I. O. unions.
And they guarantee equal fairness to
employers. We cannot have favorit
ism in the law, because favoritism
spells injustice.
Thus, the American Federation of
Labor amendments do not say that
the craft units must be chosen by
the Labor Board as the appropriate
collective bargaining unit. Nor d-.
they say that the industrial unit must
be chosen by the board in every case.
Instead of any arbitrary, autocratic
rule, our amendments declare that
it shall be up to. the workers them
selves to decide in each case by ma
jority vote who their collective bar
gaining representative shall be,
whether they want to be represented
by a craft unit, a plant unit, an in.
dustry-wide unit or a geographical
unit That is the essence of democ
racy. It is in accordance with the
spirit of the act which was created
to guarantee to the workers of this
country the right of self-organisation
for collective bargaining.
Contrast this amendment sponsored
by the American Federation of Labor
with the one which the C. I. 0. has
announced it win seen to oouun. me;
C. I. 0. amendment would require 1
the board to fix the industrial unit
in every case regardless of the wishes
of the workers affected. Is that
democracy? Is it common fairness?
Furthermore, the C. I. O. wants a
new provision in the law to provide
jail sentences for employers found to
have Violated the National Labor Re*
lations Act. The American Federal
tion of Labor is strongly opposed to
any such idea. We believe it violates
the fundamental principle behind the
National Labor Relations Act which
seeks to establish peaceful and friend
ly relations between employes and
employers.
Instead of trying to imprison em
ployers and thus possibly destroy the
jobs of workers, the American Fed
eration of Labor has taken a step in
the opposite direction. We want to
be just as fair to employers as wr
would like them to be toward us. The
amendments sponsored by the Fed
eration would permit employers
caught in the middle of a dispute be
tween rival unions to file a petition
with the board asking for an election
to determine the lawful collective
bargaining representatives of his era- i
ployes. That is only fair.
Charlotte A. F. of L. Labor Organiza
tions Will Raise $3,000 As Its Quota Of
WPA Project For Construction Of Ten
“Off-the-Street” Areas for Children.
SCHOOL AUTHORITIES HAVE BEEN ASKED USE OF
SCHOOL GROUNDS FOR CENTERS PERMITTING
SKATING, TENNIS, VOLLEY BALL, SHUFFLE
BOARD, DECK AND PADDLE TENNIS, ETC.
In line with activities of Charlotte Central Labor Union,
A. F. of L., for 1940, along with organizing, and its other en
deavors of a progressive nature, a decision was reached at the
meeting on January third to accept the responsibility of “Off
the Street Play Centers,” which will give the children of Char*
lotte safety areas for their recreational activities.
The announcement was given out
this week by Marvin Ray, superin
tendent of the Park and Recreation
Commission. Around $3,000 will be
the sponsor’s share which is expected
to be raised. Cement squares, 40
feet wide and 80 feet long will be
built to allow skating, volley ball,
tennis, shuffle board, deck and pad
dle tennis, and other games. Loca
tions for these centers were suggest
ed as follows:
First Ward school, Bethune school,
Wesley Heights section or Seversville,
Latta Park, Myers Park school or
Edgehill Park, Morgan playground
or the Second Ward section, Inde
pendence Park, Cordelia Park, Bid
dleville section at either Fairview
Park or Biddleville school, Plaza sec
tion or Lawyers road school, North
Charlotte.
Central Labor Union’s committee
to handle the details of this under
taking, and which has already met
with the Park Commission and re
ceived permission to sponsor the
project is composed of J. A. Moore,
chairman; A. R. Cathey, T. L. Con
dor, L. R. McElise and E. M. Morgan.
The locations for these “off the
street” play areas will be composed
of the spots above mentioned in dif
ferent sections that will provide easy
access for the children of every sec
tion of the city.
J. A. Moore, of the Machinists
Union, which he represents as a dele
gate to Central body, is chairman
of the committee, he being also a
member of the Park and Recreation
Commission; another member of the
■committee, L. R. McElise, is a mem
*ber of the Federal Housing Commis
sion, while T. L. Conder is from the
■Carpenters and Joiners Local; A. L.
Gatney, of the Municipal Workers
.Local, and E. M. Morgan, of tile Fed
eral Labor Union.
Plans will be mapped out at a later
date as to matters of detail, the
project having to pass through Ra
leigh and Washington for final ap
proval.
Ways and means for raising the
nearly $4,000 necessary are in an
embryonic state at present, but locals
connected with the A. F. of L. will
help in various ways, and other civic
minded bodies are expected to help
in raising the amount, which means
much to our city.
Lewis Puts Wfceeler
And His Aspirations
On Political “Skid”
WASHINGTON, Jan. 13.—Talk
that John L. Lewis may get behind
Senator Wheeler, Democrat of Mon
tana, for the Democratic presidential
nominatoin increased tonight when
Lewis praised him as a “most emi
nent statesman” and invited him to
address the United Mine Workers
Golden Anniversary convention at Co
lumbus, Ohio, January 23.
The C. I. O. leader told Wheeler
that “among the delegates you will
meet many personal friends whose
confidence you have retained through
out the years of your public service.”
Troubled by Insomnia?
Maybe It’s Just an idea
ROCHESTER, N. Y.-If insomnia
troubles you, it may be an impris
oned idea trying to break through
the dark folds and crevices of your
brain, according to Dr. Eliot D.
Hutchinson, assistant professor of
psychology at the University ol
Rochester.
Hutchinson states that more than
10 par cent of artists, writers, musi
cians, scientists, and other creative
persons he has interviewed have
moments of ‘'insight” when trouble
some problems suddenly clear up.
Such creative insight, he believes,
is the result of hard thinking, long
effort without apparent results, a
period of emotional irritability and
high tension, followed by a period
when you may forget tbs problem
entirely.
Bees Are Mild on Ground,
Vicious at High Levels
DAVIS, CALIF.—Bees that are
docile and meek at sea level be
come hot-tempered and vicious when
released at high altitudes, experi
ments made by the college of agri
culture of the University of Califor
nia here indicated.
The best test occurred when a
swarm of Caucasian bees were
shipped from virtually sea level here
to the University of Wyoming at
Laramie, which is at an altitude of
7,200 feet. The Caucasian bees es
tablished themselves here as an un
usually gentle strain.
Within a week after their arrival
at Laramie, Prof. C. H. Gilbert, of
Wyoming university, reported, they
had become most violent and vi
cious.
covers this right of free speech, but
the Labor Board has sought to deny
it
In view of the foregoing, can the
fairness of the American Federation
of Labor's amendments be chal
lenged?
(Baicaead by the American Federation of
Weekly Hen Service)
U. S. Moves to
Stop Sabotage
Lifting of Arm* Emb&rgd
May Stir Foreigners
To Violent Acts.
WASHINGTON. — America
moved swiftly against foreign sabo
teurs operating in the wake of tbs
arms embargo repeal.
Sinking ait Staten Island, N. Y.,
of a barge carrying two Lockheed
bombers consigned to Great Brit
ain, increased official tension and
.served to highlight new dangers.
The planes, covered with water
proof casings, were recovered alp
most undamaged. Authorities at
first declared the sinking was acci
dental, but New York’s special anti
sabotage police squad, supplement
ed by G-men, took over the inves
tigation.
Protect Key Points.
The special squad, made up of BO
selected officers and headed by
Capt. George P. Mitchell, has been
organized to protect key points in
the highly industrialized area.
Predicting “considerable more”
sabotage as the result of lifting of
the arms embargo, Attorney Gen
eral Murphy declared the depart
ment of justice and other agencies
in the battle against destructtanists
were prepared to accept the chal
lenge.
Sabotage was discovered at the
Newport torpedo station, one of the
largest in the world, situated on an
island in Narragansett bay.
Throughout the nation, extra
guards were being thrown about
piers, bridges, communications <
ten, airplane factories:
bases.
Preventive Me
Factories manufacturing war
planes and engines have taken pre
ventive measures, subjecting em
ployees to rigid requirements on per
sonal past history, some refusing to
hire any except American citizens,
and tightening rules generally to
prevent saboteurs from gaining ad
mittance.
In New York, an anti-sabotage or
ganization has been formed by po
lice, the FBI, naval intelligence,
customs, postoffice, coast guard and
treasury department agents. The
city’s 80 piers are covered M hours
a day by the police department to
prevent sabotage.
A letter to a shipping line official
threatening to blow up with TNT
the Queen Mary and Normandie,
lying in adjacent North river berths,
brought immediate action. Police
guards were doubled and Mayor La
Guardia visited the piers to insure
special protective orders
obeyed.
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