Newspapers / The Charlotte Labor Journal … / Dec. 28, 1944, edition 1 / Page 1
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g^ Che Charlotte lahoe AND DIXIE FAN* NEWS o//*i< <*•».» VOL. XIV. NO. 33 ... _ CHARLOTTE, N. C, THURSDAY, DECEMBER 28. 1944 ~ «2.00 Pct T«. i • 11 . ...i "wm y m—m—mw^ph . : ■ .' ' • * (-^®f * f ’ labor League # D«pt. Labor Library Back Up The Boys — With Bonds The ONLY REALLY INDEPENDENT WEEKLY la Mecklenburg County «int«d ahb coarturo ™ For e Weekly Its Readers Represent the LARGEST BUYING POWER in Charlotte i i ibb =- -—aaaeoacsaRnBKKaMBnnaveHBnssBnanw MECKLENBURG COUNT* IN ITS ENTIRETY SOME BUSINESS CONCERNS ARE CROOKED—BIDDLE PLACED ON SPOT FOR FAILURE TO PROSECUTE “GYP” CONTRACTORS AND GRAFTERS Seldom does a day pass without new evidence coming to light of dishonest business men “gypping” both the Government and the people. Here are a few typical examples of recent weeks: PROSECUTION STALLED WASHINGTON—Nearly a year ago the House Military Af fairs Committee disclosed widespread corruption in connection with the construction of Camp Shanks, New York. The records were turned over to the Department of Justice, but the crooks are still at large. Responsibility is placed on the doorstep of Attorney General Francis Biddle by Congressman Andrew J. May (D., Ky.) chair man of the House Committee on Military Affairs. He has declared that unless Biddle “ferrets out the crooks before the start of the next Congress” he will "dissect the case mi the floor of the House for the benefit of evervhodv ” Testimony before the committee disclosed that army officers conspir ed with contractors to “gyp” Uncle Sam out of huge sums — probably ‘ running into the millions. The Department of Justice says the case will be placed before a Fed eral grand jury. *Red Marker" Racket Consumers who have been robbed blind by the “black market” are now victims of the "red market,” as well. Under the new racket, crooked butch ers have been palming off point-free utility grades of beef as higher grade cuts—and then to rub it in, have collected ration points, as well as above-ceiling prices for the product. This week Economic Stabilizer Fred M. Vinson finally took action designed to curb the racket by issuing an order that requires grade labeling on at least every 2 inches of dressed carcasses. Thus, the grade mark will show, Vinson said, on most steaks, chops and roasts bought by consum ers. OPA was directed by Vinson to enforce the order. Government Is Cheated Uncle Sam was bilked in a deal between the Maritime Commission and the Southern Pacifjc Company for the purchase of 10 of the com pany’s ships operated on the Atlan tic Coast under the name of the Mor gan Line, the House Marine Commit tee has reported. The committee denounced both the company and the commission — the former for deceiving the government on the condition of the vessels, and the latter for buying the ships “sight unseen.” Tho the steamers were on the average a quarter of a century old, j the commission paid nearly $5 mil ' lion for them and, then had to spend another $*4 million for repairs and alterations. The price paid, said the committee, "considerably exceeded their fair market value.” It de scribed the deal as "most reprehensi ble.” Cigarette Makers Convicted Three of the nation’s largest to bacco companies—Liggett ft Myers, R. J. Reynolds and American—were found guilty last week by the U. S. Court of Appeals at Cincinnati of conspiring to fix prices in violation of the anti-trust laws. However, they got away with fines totaling a mere $266,000, which alongside their profits, running in tens of millions of dollars a year for each, ranked about as bi gas the price of a cigarette. Shoddy Clothing Consumers are being mulcted on both price and quality of cotton gar ments, a sub-committee on post-war planning of the House Committee on Agriculture was told last week by spokesmen for women’s groups. Caroline F. Ware, appearing for six women’s organizations, declared that even where garments are avail able, they arp of the shoddiest kind. "Consumers today are literally up in arms,” she said, "over their in ability to find in the stores essential garments of minimum quality to be i serviceable, and at a reasonable 1 price.” Distillers "Gyp" Too An idea of the mammoth amount of price chiseling going on in the wmmmwmmwwwmwmmwmwwwwwwwwwwwuwm m | THE MARCH OF LABOR Gw 800 Uft. SAILORS AAIPMARIAS AND 1442 AS.L. WORKERS CAP- . TuRED 8Y THE JAPANESE AT WAKE ' ISLAND HAVE BEEN'“ADOPTED* BY T*£ INSURANCE A6ENTS UNION -CLQ OF BOSTON, WHOSE MEM BERS HAVE VOTED TO AN HCU& PAY BACH PER MONTH ^ D BUY 1HE CAPI»VES OufaiES^ :: lH (jbc national labor UNO*, ANATlOWAU federation of crrYTMce j COUNCILS, attained a MEMBERSHIP OF l<0|000. THOUGH rr lAOTEO ONtY li* YEARS, 1866-1672. IN **>, AMVtAOL amAHSHT 1** UAMM0S fC* ALL HOf MouR.lbOAT W*3 V5K1 _ “SHADOW BOXING” IS THE CHARGE THAT PRESIDENT GREEN HANDS TO MURRAY ON THE “PEACE PACT” WASHINGTON, D. C«—-CIO President Philip Murray reject ed AFL demands for resumption of conferences for unification of the American labor movement and offered instead a proposal for united policies by the two organizations while dualism con tinues. Art. President William Green promptly branded Mr. Murray’s sneering letter as “shadow-boxing and pretense.” He insisted there can be no effective “functional” unity without “organic" unity. Mr. Green’s statement follows: “I interpret Mr. Murray’s letter as a flat refusal on the part of the CIO to accept the American Federation of Labor’s appeals for resumption of conferences seeking a united labor movement in America. The only V'ay to achieve unity is to unite organical ly. This is labor’s greatest need now and in the post-war period, yet Mr. Murray turns a deaf ear towatd it. “Instead Mr. Murray offers the same sort of phoney, functional unity which the CIO has often prated about in the past Our experiences during this war have taught us that it is im possible to maintain united labor pol •SSSSMMlWVWISWWSMIMVVMWt STRIKES TAKE A “NOSE DIVE” FOR A “NEW LOW” —V— WASHINGTON, D. C.—Time lost by strikes has taken a nose-dive, the Department of Labor revealed. During October, the last month for which figures are available, man days lost from work stoppage amount de to 690,000, or a mere 9/100 of 1 per cent of time put in by the nation’s workers. That’s a decline of 3224134 mandays below losses from strikes for the cor responding month a year ago, the de partment said. FEDERALCOURT KILLS THE IOWA ANTI-LABOR LAW WASHINGT0N,AD. C—Labor of- . ficials ballad a Federal Court devision in Iowa which knocked out a state | law placing a six months’ time limit on suits for back pay under the Wage Hour Act. Iowa is one of a half doaen stotes which in the past few years put over statutes drastically cutting down the time in which to sue employers who chisel on pay legally due their work ers. Heretofore, workers have had the same right as business men and others in suing for money due them—that is, they could begin court action at any time within the six-year statute of limitations. _w_ IBEW MEMBER WINS DSC FOR D-DAY DEED —V— WASHINGTON.—For single-hand edly wiping out two machinegun nests and capturing an enemy snip er on the Normandy beach on D-Day, Sgt. Richard J. Gallagher, Brooklyn, has been awarded the Distinguished Service Cross* hightest Army honor that can be conferred by an overseas commander. Gallapher was a mem ber of Local 3, IBEW (AFL), and was employed at Consolidated Fire Alarm Co., before joining the Army in May IMS. liquor industry was indicated when the OPA started a damage suit for more than 15,200,000 against three distilleries for violating price ceilings. The American Distilling Co. of New York; Country Distillers Pro ducts Co., Beattyville, Ky., and Ben Burk, Inc., Boston, were named in the snit. The OPA demanded triple damages for brasen overcharges on liquor prices by the three firms. All in all, it's a sorry example of patriotism from so many sections of Big Business with the nation en gaged in the deadliest war in history. And it probably will not be forgotten when the boys come home and learn there's something else besides strikes rotten on the home front. i —--V The greatest mystery is death. icies and programs at the top while division, dualism and bitter discord I continue in the field. “The unalterable fact remains that two national labor organizations can not co-exist in America without seri ous injury to the nation’s workers and the cause of progress. There is room for only one united labor move ment in our country. The inevitable chock of post-war economic read justment will make this clear. I deeply regret that Mr. Murray and his associates in the CIO do not yet realize the dangers that face labor and are content merely with shadow boxing and pretense.” OUTPUT LAG IS NOT FAULT OF LABOR SAYS OFFICIAL CITES ADDITIONAL REASONS WORCESTER, Mass.—In a speech before the New England Conference of the USA, Joseph D. Keenan, WPB vice chairman for Labor Production, deplored accounts of production problems which blame labor for present shortages mi the grounds that workers have grown complacent and are failing to stick by their war lobs. ^ Statements made by military lead ers and war production officials, Keenan said, have clearly shown that many factors other than labor short ages are responsible for the current situation, though be was frank to ad mit that some of the difficulties ex perienced in meeting production can be attributed to problems of recruiting labor and to turnover. He cited these additional reasons for lagging schedules: The war in Europe has lasted long er than even obr generals had origin ally expected. Experience of actual battle condi I "" m"m tions is constantly creating new and unexpected demands. We are ahead of our military sched ule in the Pacific. "The doughboy has fought his way ahead of sched ule,” he quoted General Somervell as saying, "and we have to keep up with him.” Another reason for production de lays is the frequency with which .the.... Army changes models, Kennan said. No matter what the reasons behind the critical production, Keenan said, he was sure that workers will agree that there is only one thing we are going to do about them meet them. Yeariryeuxaigmakewhat you will of it It opens up to you newr espoirsihiHties, newopportunities^and perhaps new sorrows. y him who possesses vision, 1945corniron^ejyghest, the jj unightiest^tide- tjiat has^ever^come flowing into our portof~irope~___ Therejare those who will Iook mournfully into the face of the New Year. There a^e those who will say thatthe world is still in the midst of a terrifying dream. But they'are the unfortunates without vision. \* N. tn our own hearts, each of us knows that the worlct could and should be a better place in which tb Ijve. We know that war has no place in a gpoc/ worla> But we know^too, that tyranny, injustice and hatred always lead toVar. It is parf'of our job to see that those^ forces of ev^l are forever ^tamped out. America is a mighty nation, and>America is no more than a mul tiplication of our owr\ community. Each of us must have the vision to live pnderstandingly with our neighbors. We must not only be neighbors, we must be'good neighbors. Then the insidious forces which lead to violence have no.soil in which to grow. They are as seed cast upon the rock. Our own community is proud of its past achievements. The past three years have taught us that we can do what we will in our own minds. The job we have done in the past gives us the courage and fortitude to face the future unafraid. We know that no problem is without a solution. So it is with a spirit of genuine hope, a feeling of humility an'3 * prayer of thanks that this newspaper wishes each Of you A VERY HAPPY NEW YEAR! SUPPLIES OF ! TENTAGE ARE FALLING SHORT —V— WASHINGTON. —To date, the Army has received only 43 percent of the tentage it needs, the War Department announces, revealing that urgent pleas from General Eisen hower's headquarters for additional tentage for’ at least 600,000 troops and prisoners of war have emphasized the critical situation in the cotton duck industry. With heavy rains and snows immi nent, General Eisenhower character izes shelter in the European theater as extremely unfavorable. Bombing and shelling have destroyed most1 housing and commercial storage fa cilities in northern France and Bel gium, and the speed of the war tempo has afforded no time for construc tion of barracks or store houses. In the Pacific area heavy rains and moist heat make the average life of cotton material extremely short and strain the situation further. -V Conductor: “Madame, that child is over 6 years old and he will have to pay full fare.” Lady: "But I’ve only been married four years.” Conductor: “Never mind the true confessions; all I want is the money.” -V “While myriads of Chinese are dy ing of starvation profiteers daily have a fourteen-course dinner.”—Manches ter Guardian. , • X AMERICAN HERC^j rz=ZL__ *» JULIAN OU-ENDOPFF I ^ • « r0li-S'* dtyt and six nights after abandoning a torpedoed ship 10 i_C l Chief Mate Van Rutherford McCarthy remained at lhe helm of a lifeboat. Buffeted for sixty-three hours by a terrific gale, he kept the tiny craft afloat and brought his men through safe. He slept only six hours and kept the morale of his men high. He has been awarded a Merchant Marine Distinguished Service MedaL War Bonds back suck Wurageous men as Chief Mate McCarthy. Buy , moce war Bond*. . V.S'.Tninr}Pr‘o<imo 9
The Charlotte Labor Journal and Dixie Farm News (Charlotte, N.C.)
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Dec. 28, 1944, edition 1
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