She Charlotte labor Journal
mirumttmi
BUY MORE WAR BONDS
Sndororo bg tko S. C. StmU
of Labor
AND DIXIE FARM NEWS
Official Organ of Central Labor Union; Standmg
for tko A. F. L.
VOL. XIV.—NO. 18.
CHARLOTTE, N. C„ THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 1944
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NELSON SHATTERS ANTI-LABOR
LIES IN TESTIMONY AT SENATE
WAR PROBE AS MYTHS, SLANDERS
WASHINGTON, D. C.—Testifying with factual and official
authority, Donald Nelson, chairman of the War Production Board,
shattered the myths and slanders that have been circulated about
labor's record in war production— Mr. Nelson gave his testimony
before the Senate War Investigating Committee shortly before
his departure for China on a special assignment by President
Roosevelt. His story was told behind closed doors but the com
mittee decided the revelations were so important that they were
released for nublication.
To show how effectively Ur. Nelson
blasted the antilabor lies, we present
below numbered paragraphs stating
first the charges against labor and
Nelson’s replies:
1— That war production is practi
cally collapsing.
Nelson: “The production situation
at the present time is good, with the
exception of a few bad spots such as
we have always had in the past two
and a half years. Today they are
relatively small compared to the prob
lems we have licked in the past. I
feel they can be licked, they will be
licked, and they will be licked on
time.”
2— That workers have been letting
down on the job and not backing up
the fighters to the limit.
Nelson: “Since the outbreak of the
war, American labor and industry
have cooperated with government
agencies to the limit in meeting the
stiff schedules of war production . . .
We have had our production problems,
but I know of none which has not been
solved on time by the active and close
cooperation of labbr, business and the
government... Workers have traveled
from one end of the country to the
other to do the job that was neces
sary.” '
3—That workers are deserting war
jobs and rushing into civilian jobs.
Nelson: “We can find very little
evidence of such labor dissipation.
... All our people have investigated ,
the problem and find very little of
that. The labor force has been re
duced, mostly due to natural causes,
such as improvement in techniques
and in efficiency of workers, rather
than out-migration. As a matter of
fact, layoffs are greater than the
GIVE OUR BOYS OVERSEAS
NONPERISHABLES AND THINGS
THAT CANNOT BE OBTAINED
WHERE THEY ARE “LOCATED”
WASHINGTON.—In general, Americans overseas would like
gifts that are not bulky or perishable, that cannot be obtained
where they are and that remind them of home, relatives and
friends, the OWI states in a report on suggested Christmas pres
ents for servicemen and women overseas.
The OWI obtained its information
from overseas correspondents of
“Yank,” from servicemen and women
who had returned from overseas, and
from the Army Post Office and Nav
al Postal Affairs Sections.
The suggestions varied for differ
ent theaters of war, but the Army
list of gifts known to be popular with
soldiers and to stand up under try
ing transit conditions included: auto
matic pencils; pocket-size books; cig
arets; cigars; stationery; razor
blades; wrist watches; money orders;
photographs (pocket-size in water
proof folders); tobacco pouches;
dried fruit; vacuum-packed nuts;
games; checkers; cards; puzzles;
pipes; small shaving ldts; hard can
dy; soap and wallets.
The Navy list for all theaters in
cluded: Sneakers for wear in show
ers; moccasin-type bedroom slippers;
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I pocket-knives; pocket-size books and
dictionaries; Bibles; insect repel
lants; alarm clocks; smal (snapshots;,
playing cards; toilet kits; airmail
stationery; tinned luxury foods like
olives, - sardines, nuts; small home
made personal articles; fruit cake;
shaving kits; fountain pens; sun
glasses; steel mirrors; coat hangers;
wash cloths; dice; poker chips; fold
ing writing pads; dehydrated fruit
juices; favorite pipe tobacco mix
tures; foot powder.
On the list of what not to send
were: Perishable foods, intoxicants,
weapons, poisons, inflammables, in
cluding matches and lighter fluids.
Soldiers said they did not want
to be burdened with things too heavy
to carry, gadgets for storing person
al articles—such as mending kits cr
.toilet cases for .tying around the
waist—or patriotic decoration*.
OUR COMMON INTERESTS
By RUTH TAYLOR
War hu brought about the Unship of common suffering. But when
the war clouds have been swept aside and peace once more reigns on earth,
will there be unity—the same unity as i ntime of trouble?
Common suffering has welded together people of different nationalities
as though they were members of the same family. Common aims have
bound together people of different faiths. Common ambitions hare co
ordinated the actions of people of different backgrounds.
Will we now let rival ambitions separate us? Common ambition is
working together toward the same goal—a prize which will be shared. Rival
ambition is striving for a goal which must be seized for the benefit of one
and the detriment of the other.
After all, what does common mean? According to the dictionary it is
usual, average, regular, and pertaining to or participated in by all. There
must be no division either in war or in peace In a democracy. As Victor
Olsnder said, “The foundation of unity is the equality of status of the
citizens.”. In short, if law is to be effective it must be applied always,
everywhere and to all.
We have learned from bitter experience that to be truly free, men
must have the assurance of all alike of an opportunity to work as free men
in the company of free men. No man can be confident in perpetuity of his
own safety unless and until every man. woman and child is equally safe.
If we are to fulfil our duty as Americans in the trying days ahead, we
must, without setting aside any of our individual rights, work together in
our community or commercial life, to carry out the ideals of democracy,
to see to it that there are opportunities for each man to advance according
to his talents and abilities, to extend a friendly hand to those who need
help, to keep the laws which we oyselves have made. Only faith behind
democracy can foster the common vvtues which are necessary for self gov
ernment and for the preservation of our unity.
Centuries ago Euripides stated It thus:
Look to the things of God.
Know you are bound to help all who are wronged.
Bound to constrain all who destroy the law.
What else holds state to state save this alone.
That each one honors the #eat laws of right.
We have done this in war. We must do it in peace.
WMAMWWMMMMUWkOMMOMM
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number of people who move of their
own accord.” •
4— That a critical manpower short
age exists. '
Nelson: “Employment in munitions
industries has been receding steadily
at the rate of about 100,000 a month
since 1943 . . . owing principally to an
increase in the efficiency of some of
the great labor-consuming war in
dustries . . . War production does not
need more than 100,000 of the 700,000
already released from munitions in
dustries. . . . Current manpower prob
lems consist primarily of the need t»
maintain or increase employment in
a few specific locations and a small
number of individual plants.”
5— That, because of the supposed
stringent manpower situation, recent
drastic labor controls, practically
equivalent to a “labor draft,” are nec
essary.
Nelson: “Each of the problems we
have calls for a carefully aimed rifle
shot if it is to be licked. These prob
lems will not be solved by letting loose
a blunderbuss against the whole man
power situation or by general edicts
and broad limitations on the use of
labor.”
During the session, some of the
Senators asked Nelson how the WPB
reconciled the army scare about man
power shortages with the wholesale
cutbacks that have been occurring.
“We ^ust don’t attempt to,” Nel
son replied.
---V
The pressman’s first impressions
are seldom right.
THE TRAGEDY OF EUROPE'S CHILDREN
Symbolic of the task of human reconversion which the labor movements will face ia the postwar world is this
montage of photographs from Therese Bonney’s book, “Europe’s Children.” These are the hungry and desperate
faces onr American boys are seeing in the cillages of France and Italy. They are the faces our boys will see, in
the months to come, in Norway and Holland and Belgium and the other enslaved countries of Europe. The Amer
ican Federation of Labor and its relief arm, the Labor League for Human Rights, have strongly endorsed pending
proposals to feed these children through the medium of the International Red Cross. George Bernard Shaw, advo
cating the feeding of Europe’s starving children, declares that “every meal these children eat at our table will be
a premium of the very safest form of insurance against another war.” *'*
■ ' ■ ■ p
GEN. PATTON
SAYS HE NEVER
SAW $1,000 BILL
—V—
WASHINGTON.—Lt. Gen. George
S. Patton of the American Third
Army takes exception to one story
, about him.
He appended the following note to
a recent report on military operations
to Chief of Staff General George C.
Marshall:
“In a clipping which just reached
me from home, I saw some corre
spondent had stated that I arrived in
Normandy waving a $1,000 bill and
making bets. I arrived in Normandy
incognito. I have never seen a $1,000
bill.”
LABOR SUPPORT
OF RED CROSS
IS HAILED BY
NAT. CHAIRMAN
—V—
WASHINGTON, D. C.—Continua
tion of labor’s “wholehearted co
operation” with the Red Cross was
urged in a Labor Day statement
made by Basil O’Connor, chairman
o fthe American Red Cross. Pointing
to a record “of which working men
and women are justly proud,” Mr.
O’Connor said:
“On Labor Day, 1944, the country
•is a wnoie will pay tribute to the
important role which American labor
has played in wartime, as well as in
peace. On this day, as on any other
day in the year, labor will continue
uniterrupted its work to back up our
men o nthe men on the fighting
fronts.
“There is much yet to be done,
not only between now and the end of
the war, but afterward. Once peace
comes, the peoples of the world must
rebuild tbeir normal way of life.
Hundreds of thousands of American
men from labor’s ranks, returning
from battlefronts with other veter
ans, need to be helped in their ad
justment to civilian life.
“For the Red Cross, tile task is
even greater than before. No conceiv
able turn this war could take would
greatly lessen the responsibilities
of the Red Cross during the coming
year.
“The record of labor’s support of
the Red Cross is one of which the
working men and women are justly
proud. Through the Red Cross, they
have helped provide comfort, surgical
dressings and life-saving plasma to
our men in uniform. From labor’s
ranks have come many of our over
seas workers, giving direct assis
tance to the armed forces in every
theater of war.”
_V.
WAR PRISONERS MAKE PIE
According to repatriates, the fare
of prisoners of war and civilian in
ternees in Germany now includes
mince pie. Corned beef, raisins and
apples are used for the mince meat,
and the crust is made from pulver
ized biscuits and oleomargarine. All
ingredients except the apples are
from the American Red Cross pris
oner of war food parcels, one of
which is delivered to each prisoner
of war every week.
THE JOURNAL
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from the
THREE-BILLION NEW ROAD
PROGRAM PUSHED TO PROVIDE
POSTWAR JOBS OVER 3 YEARS
WASHINGTON, D. C.—A $3,375,250,000 road construction
program, one of a series of weapons being fashioned in Congress
to combat postwar unemployment, is being pressed toward adop
tion'by Senate leaders.
une 01 tne most ambitious public
works programs under consideration
as part of the over-all reconversion
machinery, its consummation would
require tne approval of State Legis
latures. State funds would be neces
sary in most instances to supplement
proposed Federal expenditures total
ing $2,076,250,000.
Some 46 legislatures meet in Jan
uary. Senate Majority Leader Bark
ley told sponsors he will join in an
effort to obtain passage during the
next fortnight of a bill authorising
the Federal contributions. They
would be spread over three postwar
yeqrs.
me major provision oi tne Highway
bill calls for ^ Federal contribution
of $650,000,000 annually for 3 post
war years, $200,000,000 of which
would go for urban highways, $250,
000,000 for the Federal-aid highway
system and $200,000,000 for farm-to
market roads. *
This money would be allotted on
the basis of a Federal expenditure
of'60 per cent and a State contribu
tion of 40 per cent.
A table prepared by the Public
Roads Administration shows that con
tributions would range from a $51,
885,000 annual allotment to New
York State down to $2,522,000 0 Dela
ware.
IT WILL TAKE FIVE MINUTES
TO MAKE TAX RETURNS FOR
OVER THIRTY MILLION PEOPLE
Approximately 30,000,000 employes will be relieved of the
work of computing their 1944 income tax by using “Withholding
Receipts’* for their returns, Joseph D. Nunan, Jr., Commissioner
of Internal Revenue has announced. Under the new arrangements,
the work of filling out the Withholding Receipt, from which the
tax is computed, ought to consume no more than five minutes.
Fast writers ought to be able to cut this time in half.
A Withholding Receipt, showing total wages paid and total incone tax
withheld daring the year, is required by law to be furnished by each eu
ployer to each of his employes on or before January 31. The form of the
Withholding Receipt has been revised to include the necessary questions and
instructions that will permit most employes to use it as a return.
This form of return may be used by anyone whose total income in 1944
was less than $5,000 in wages and not more than $100 in other forms, such
as dividends—and interest. A taxpayer using his Withholding Receipt for
his return will fill it in and mail it to his local collector of internal revenue
by March 15, 1945. The collector will figure his tax, give him credit for the
tax already paid, and send him either a bill or a refund for the difference.
fHE MARCH OF LABOR
wis., has a scout moor
WI1W A UNION LASCi lRcoTNa
30, JOINTLY SPONSORED W UCAl
2266/ltXnLK M9BKERS UNION OF
ANfRlCA, AND COOPtfU.MC.
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IN
tyo CAW K SUM 1H«
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MmH THE UNIVERSAL 4& -AN-HOUR MINIMUM
**A6€ WENT INTO EFFECT JULY |7,1944, IT RAISED
THE WAGES OF MORE TWAw 111,000 AMERICANS.
7
ANTI-FOURTH TERM PLATFORM
I’M AGAINST PRESIDENT ROOSEVELT FOR THE
' FOURTH TERM BECAUSE—
1. I was against Roosevelt for the First Term. (I was for
Hoover and Bankruptcy.)
2. I was against Roosevelt for the Second Term. (I was for
Landon and lambasting the Administration.)
3. I was against Roosevelt for the Third Term. (I was for
Willkie and Wall Street domination.)
4. I am against Roosevelt for the Fourth Term. (I’m just
against him—like I’ve always been. I’m still trying to
heat something with nothing.)—Missouri Democrat State
Committee.
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