13 YEARS OF
CONSTRUCTIVE
SERVICE TO
NORTH
CAROLINA
READERS
VOL. XIV—No. 6
CHARLOTTE, N. C„ THURSDAY, JUNE 22, 1944
$2.00 Per Y
44
WIN THE WAR IN ’44
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Free Labor Will Out-Produce Nazi Slaves
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I the LAfc ' v TYING POWER in Chnrlntta
W.:%V
A. F. of L. Pledges ft 750 Million To Bond Drive(
They’re Fighting: NOW—Bach Them Up: NOW—Buy War Bonds: NOW
A. F. OF L. CLEARS BOARD OF STRIKES
48 HOURS AFTER D-DAY HAD BEEN
ANNOUNCED - 7,000,000 MEMBERS
PLEDGE $750 MILLION IN BOND DRIVE
WASHINGTON, D. C. — Labor mobilized its maximum
strength across the length and breadth of America to back up
Allied invasion forces, fighting on the beachheads of France, with
overwhelming superiority *n war material over the enemy.
Forty-eight hours after D-Day the docket of the National
War Labor Board was cleared of any and all strikes involving
AFL Unions and President Green cabled the good news to Gen
eral Dwight Eisenhower, in command of the Allied Expedition
Forces.
Following up this all-out support on the production line, Pres
ident Green called on the 7,000,000 A.F.L. members to buy at
WASHINGTON, D. C—President William Groan of the American
Federation of Labor sant tba fallowing cablegram to General Dwight D.
Eisenhower:
"NATIONAL WAR LABOR BOARD INFORMS ME THAI ITS DOCKET
SHOWS NOT A SINGLE STRIKE IN NATION INVOLVING AMERICAN
FEDERATION OF LABOR UNIONS AS OF THIS DAY. OUR SEVEN MIL
LION MEMBERS ARE ON THE JOB SUPPORTING YOU TO THE LIMIT.
WE HOPE THIS INFORMATION WILL ENCOURAGE YOU AND YOUR
BRAVE MEN IN THE GRAVE TASKS AHEAD.
"WILLIAM GREEN, PRESIDENT
AMERICAN FEDERATION OF LABOR."
least$750,000,000 worth of War Bonds in the current Fifth War
Loan Drive.
“Let’s buy more to shorten the war,” the A.F.L. Chief ap
pealed.
Leaders of A.F.L. organizations in every part of the country
rallied to the call for redoubled service and reported production
going full blast on the nation’s production front.
At the same t;me, Army and Navy chiefs paid high tribute
to the long production battle waged by the nation’s workers which
made the invasion possible.
ORNBURN TO BROADCAST JULY 6, ON
“UNION LABEL AND WAR PRODUCTION”
WASHINGTON, D. C.—“Union Label—the Emblem of
American Standards” will be the subject of a radio address
by I. M. Ornburn, secretary-treasurer, Union Label Trades
Department, American Federation of Labor, Thursday, July
6, 1944, from 11:15 to 11:30 P. M., E.W.T., over the coast
to-coast network of the Mutual Broadcasting system. The
broadcast will originate from Mutual’s Station WOL in
Washington, D. C. ^ ,
The Union Label Trades Department urges all members
of labor unions, union label leagues and women’s auxiliaries
to “listen in” on this important broadcast.
UNION LABEL TRADES DEPARTMENT
American Federation of Labor.
K. AA****A**M«0a '
Free Labor Will Out-Produce Nazi Slaves
FARMERS TOP OTHER GROUPS
IN “INCOME” — CORPORATIONS
ARE THE ONES “GET SOCKED!”
CLEVELAND, Jane 17*—Increases in the incomes of farmers
since prewar 1939 are greater than those of wage and salary work*
ers “and both of those increases have been more rapid than have
the net profits of corporations,” Brig. Gen. Leonard P. Ayes, vice
president of the Cleveland Trust company, asserted today.
Writing in the bank’s monthly busi
ness review, the economist and re
tired Army officer said farm pro
prietors’ incomes in the last qUarte
of 1943 were 284 per cent that of the
average 1939 earnings, against 242
per cent for wage and salary earners
and 213 per cent for corporations.
Ayes saidpthe average annual wage
of the nation’s 22,500,000 mechanical
worke s, including mining, manufac
turing, construction and transporta
tion workers, increased from $1,399
in 1939 to $2,370 in 1943, a rise of
169 per cent.
During the same period, earnings
THE FIGHT ON
COUNTERFEIT
COUPONS WAGED
-V—
WASHINGTON. — OPA’s war on
counterfeit gasoline coupons has put
I eight illicit presses out of commission
since the middle of March, Price Ad*
ministrator Chester Bowles reports.
More than 1,300 peddlers of counter*
feit and stolen stamps have been ar
rested since January 1. Two major
dist touting gangs, one on the East
Coast, one on the West, have been
broken up. Every handler of counter
feit coupons brought to trial has been
convicted
aliTconvention
TALKS CANCELED
BY ODT OFFICIALS
| WASHINGTON. — Col. J. Monroe
I Johnson, ODT director, has announ
ced that to reduce civilian and gov
ernment travel he and other ODT of
ficials are discontinuing public ap
pearances or addresses at conventions
or similar gatherings that involve
use of transportation facilities.
With the invasion under way, he
pointed out, demands on transporta
tion facilities are increasing. He sug
gested that, in view of present and
anticipated conditions, officers of all
organizations, which have meetings
scheduled consider similar cancella
tions.
-V
FLY A BOMB TO BERLIN- PUT
It PERCENT OF PAY IN WAR
BONDS.
BRITISH HONOR A. F. OF L.’S GENEROSITY
\
Ernest Bevin, British Minister of Labour, unveiling the dedicatory plaque at a rest-break
house in Tadworth, England, established as part of the A. F. of L/s war relief program in
England. Contributions made by A. F. of L. members through the Labor League for Human
Rights help support both this and other projects for aid to British workers.
. . ' -
of so-cailea white collar workers,
which “numbered nea ly 17,000,000 in
1943,” rose 129 per cent, from $1,182
to $1,530. For the comparison, Ayes
listed as white collar workers those
in wholesale and retail trade, finan
cial occupations, state and local gov
ernments and those engaged in sev
eral of the service occupations.
Industrial production showed a de
cline during April, Ayes said prelim
inary figures showed. The ' index
showed April production 38.3 per cent
above the computed noimal, compar
ed with 40 per cent over normal in
January, and 39.3 in February.
180,000 PRISONERS OF WAR
ARE IN THE UNITED STATES;
JAPS ARE “CONSIDERED DEAD”
WASHINGTON, June 19.—-Of more than 180,000 prisoners
of war now held in over 100 permanent camps in the United
States, 180,000 are Germans and 50,000 are Italians, the Office of
War Information reports. Only 200 Japanese prisoners of war,
taken captive on the high seas or in isolated outposts have been
brought to this country.
German and Italian prisoners are
here for three reasons: 1, it is more
economical to bring them to this
country than to ship food overseas
for them; 2 it is dangerous to keep
a large g oup of the enemy in the
rear of fighting troops; and 3, Amer
ican soldiers overseas may be better
utilized otherwise than in guarding
prisoners of war.
JAPANESE CONSIDERED DEAD
AT HOME
While Japanese prisoners in this
country may be visited by representa
tives of the International Red Cross,
the YMCA, and the protecting pow
er* Spain, the Japanese prisoners are
disinterested. The Japanese refused
to send “capture-cards” to their fam
ilies ahd they want no reports made
to their government. They have never
received any mail or gifts froqi their
homeland. In Japan, they are con
sidered dead, and funeral services al
ready have been held for them.
Italians and Germans, however, are
eager for mail and parcels from home
snd talk freely with representatives
m the International Red Cross, the
YMCA, and their protecting power,
Switzerland. Their "gripes” are the
usual complaints of a soldier.
MAINTAIN AMERICAN LABOR STANDARDS
I. M. ORNBURN, Secretary-Treasurer
Union Label Trades Department, American Federation of Labor
Union men and women should invest every dime they can spare in the purchase of War Rmwi. .nj a*_
They should do this for two reasons: First, to help win the war, so that *£ son^ dMglSSs fSh!5 JE
sweethearts, may return to their homes; and second to build up a reservoir of moneywhich will enaM^l!?..
maintain (he American standard of living after the war. y n eB W,H *"*“* *°
Workers are now buying over 475 millions of dollars of War Bonds each month Wk« _
these uncashed bonds in the hands of workers all over the country w.ll Z .viable for the nur^Jl
ttiings which we cannot now buy because of the exigencies of war. By rYlelringin the *\*“y
2?pUn<s,rrhaSin,t P°Wer* ^ WlM * ereBted foT “en Wh° wil1 * SSSSk from JST^SU 25
And in order to keep the American standard of living intact, the men who ar»_«-_
mnst receive union wages and be employed under union working coitions H„ Ts
money is being used to insure union wages and union working conditions to the workers of AmericaT^ThaTf
is only one way_we must purchase only goods bearing the Union Label, .nd patronizc only JZSZ? dJSZ?
mg a Shop Card or Service Button. y rTIC** display
■
?jnunuuHrziif///f//ssA
I’LL DRIVE A NAIL
IN THIS AXIS TWIN
COFFIN EVERY TIME
J GET A CHANCE/,
-V/SS/S/s
Economist* have ken shooting about the dangers of inflation; they have been shedding tears *******
-- workers have been getting more wages during .the war. They hare pointed with darns at what they de
scribed as a “dangerous inflationary gap” which was calculated to bring sky-rocketing P^ces. ......
Bat the Federal Reserve System has punctured their fears. This venerable and conservative institution
eeatly come forward with figures to show that this so-called -inflationary gap has been plugged up be
the workers here invested their excess earnings in War Bonds and Stamp*, instead of squandering th
^ This being true. If the government will continue to hold prices in line, the workers can continue to In
vent Id percent of their wages in the purchase of War Bonds.
So on this Fourth of July of 1»44—the birthday of the Repu
their patriotism in no greater way than by backing up the war effo
On__ aL __An_a 1_7_a_a X. _.1J mm Wav «ka tnlai
_^_saftest inveatment in
States.
The Union Label Trades
and women's auxiliaries to
by continuing to buy War
Thus, after the war, we shall all have
American standard of living.
iblic—the workers of America
_ _ _fort by the purchase of War Bonds and
the wo^id, backed sp by the tetegrity of the government of the United
_ Department, therefore, urges aU members oflabor unions, tnm {**! J*"gQ
get ready to maintain the American standard of living during the post-war period
Bonds and
and Stamps!
to buy goods bearing the Union Label and maintain the