Editorial
CHARLOTTE LABOR JOURN iL ft DIXIE FARM NEWS
Pablishad Weekly rt Charlotte, M. C.__
ft. A Stalls. £ ’.;tor and Publisher W. M. Witter, Associate Editor
Enter to as second-class mall matter September 11, 1981, at the Post
Office at Charlotte, N. C., under the Act of Congress of March 3, 1179
SUBSCRIPTION RATES: 82.00 per year, payable in advance or
8c per copy. _
The Labor Journal will not be responsible for opinions of corre
spond en: a, but any emmstais reflecting upon the character, standing or
reputatiori of any person. Arm or corporation which may appear in
the columns of The Labor Journal will be gladly corrected whs* called
ta the ■tuition of Ur Polisher. Correspondence and Opa* Forum
opmions solicited. _■
* Were it not for the labor press the labor movement
would not be what it is today, and any man who tries
to injure a labor paper is a traitor to the cause.
—AFL President Gompers.
THE MAYOR HAS CALLED FOR AID
Mayor Herbert H. Baxter is to be commended highly for
proclaiming Saturday, January 29, as foliar Day in the
March of Dimes campaign. The Journal knows that the
Mayor quickly responded to the urgent appeal of the
Mecklenburg Foundation, in order to do the city’s part in
helping to see to it that our $100,000 quota is raised.
There has been some talk that the campaign may be ex
tended for another week if the quota falls far short of its
goal, and in case this is done it will be nice if the City’s
head will also proclaim the following Saturday as a Dollar
March of Dimes Day. We pass this on in order to be help
ful in this campaign.
Truly, the need is most urgent. The populace should
awake to the necessity of raising the quota and putting it
a far way over the tbp. If another such epidemic as that
experienced during the last summer and fall should strike
our community the need for funds will soar into several
hundred thousand dollars. We have patients receiving
treatment at present which require around $5,000 per week. I
This is just a common mathematical problem which each
of us can figure up in a second.
The need exists and let’s go all-out in an effort to do our
best for those unfortunates who now need and who may
need our help this year.
RETAIL PRICES DROP FOR THIRD STRAIGHT MONTH
For the third consecutive month the Bureau of I.abor
Statistics reported good news for wage earners and their
families.
The bureau reported another drop of 0.5 per cent in the
retail prices of goods and services during the month which
ended December 15.
Food prices, falling for the fifth consecutive month, were
chiefly responsible again for the drop in the retail price
index as of December 15. The bureau reported the index
on that date was 171.4 per cent of the 1935-39 average.
The index had reached a peak of 171.5 in the late summer.
The drop of 3.1 points amounts to 1.8 per cent.
The mid-December reading was 2.6 percent higher than a
year ago, 29 per cent higher than in June. 1946, and nearly
74 per cent above the figure of August, 1939.
T^je November-December retail price declines included
apparel, which fell one-half per cent. Fuel and house-fur
nishing prices dropped fractionally. Rents rose by 0.6
per cent.
Food prices reached their peak .in July and by the year
end had fallen almost one per cent below the rate in De
cember, 1947, Whereas the indexes for groups other than
foods ranged from 3 to 8 per cent higher than at the end
of 1947,
The December food prices were 1.2 per cent below t^ose
of November and 5.4 per cent below' the July peak. The
food index in December was 205 per cent of the 1935-39
average and 41 per cent higher than in June, 1946.
Most classes of foods contributed to the decrease, led by
a more-than-seasonal drop of 11 per cent in egg prices.
Meat prices dropped 3.2 per cent in the month as lower
tags on beef, Iamb and most pork cuts more than offset
sharp advances for salt pork.
Fresh fruits and vegetables advanced 2 per cent, led by
sweet potatoes, lettuce, cabbage, spinach, onions and white
potatoes. Prices of fresh green beans dropped almost 23
per cent in the month. Dried fruits and vegetables de
clined fractionally. Prices on canned goods were unchanged
on the average.
Commodities are designated by brand names and human
beings are distinguished by Union Labels!
TURN YOUR MARCH OF DIMES INTO A MARCH OF
DOLLARS-—HELP COMBAT THE DREADED POLIO!
Advisory Council Urges
Better Unemployment
Insurance Program
Washington. — The Advisory Council on Social Security
reported to Congress on the deficiencies of the present
state-federal unemployment insurance system and recom
mended a 16-point program for its improvement.
In a report to the Senate Finance Committee, the coun- ;
til, which is composed of 17 prominent labor, business, and;
educational leaders under the chairmanship of Edward R.:
Stettinius, former Secretary of State, proposed greater
benefits and a broadening of the system to include about
7,000,000 workers who are now excluded from unemploy
ment insurance protection.
Nelson H. Cruikshank, director
of the AFL’s social insurance ac
tivities, served on the council as |
a representative of the Ameri
can Federation of Labor.
The report nighlights the fol
lowing deficiencies In the pres
ent system which the council
singled out for special criticism:
1. Inadequate coverage.—Only
about 7 out of 10 employes are
now covered by unemployment
insurance.
2. Benefit financing which
operates as a barrier to liberal-1
ise benefit provisions.—The pres
ent arrangements permit states
to compete in establishing low
contribution rates for employers
and therefore discourages the
adoption of mote adequate bene
fit provisions.
3. Irrational relationship be
tween the contribution rates and
the cyclical movements of busi
ness.—The present arrangements
tend to make the contribution
rate fluctuate inversely with the
volume of employment, declining
when employment is high and
when contributions to the unem
ployment compensation fund are
easiest to make and increasing
when employment declines and
when the burden of contributions
is greatest.
4. Administrative deficiencies.—
Improvement is needed in meth
ods of finaneng administrative
costs, provisions for determining
eligibility and and benefit amount
in interstate claims, procedures
for developing interstate claims,
and methods designed to insure
prompt payments on all valid |
claims and to prevent payments
on invalid claims.
5. Lack of adequate employe
and citisen participation in the
program—Workers now have less
influence on guiding the admin
ist ration of the program and de- j
veloping legislative policy than
they should, and some employes,
employers, and members of the
genera] public tend to regard
unemployment compensation as a
handout rather than as social
insurance earned by employ
ment, financed by contributions,'
and payable only to those who
satisfy eligibility requirements.
The 16-point program for ac
tion by Congress was designed
to correct these deficiencies, the
report declared. Among the
recommendations, the following
are of special significance to or
ganized labor:
1. The council urged lifting
the limitation whirtf excluded em
ployes of small firms from cov
erage under the Federal Unem
ployment Tax act.
2. Employes of nonprofit or
ganizations with the exception of
clergymen and members of re
ligious orders, should be granted
the benefits of coverage by law,
the council said.
3. The council urged the devel
opment of a procedure under
which wage credits earned in
more than one state may be com
bined for the purposes of the
law.
4. On the subject of disqualifi
cations, the report recommended
a federal standard which would
prohibit the states from (1) re
ducing or canceling benefits as
the result of a disqualification ex
cept for fraud. (2) disqualify
ing those who are discharged be
cause of inability to do the work,
and (3) postponing benefits for
more than 6 weeks as the result
of disqualification except for
fraud.
While signing the report, 5
members of the council appended
a statement declaring in their
opinion that regardless of the
improvements made in the exist
ing system, anything snort of a
national plan to replace the pres
ent state-federal system would
not achieve the most desirable
objective of attaining a highly
efficient unemployment insur
ance program. These were: Nel
son Cruikshank, Sumner H. Slich
ter, Harvard University professor;
J. Douglas Brown, of Princeton
University; John Miller, assistant
director of the National Planning
association, and Emil Rieve. pres
ident of the CIO’s Textile Work
ers union.
Some of The Things We
Lend Money on
DUwonda
W'ltfllM
Jewelry
Men'* Clothing
Tool*
Silverware
Shot Gra
Rifle*
Pistols
Trunks
Addins Machines
B»IW
Sait Canes
Masiral iHtraatsli
Kodaks
Typewriters
All Ilusineas Strictly Confidential. When in Need
of Money We Never Fail You.
8*» as tor bargain ia diamonds, watches, jewelry, clothing, etc.
RELIABLE LOAN CO.
Ml BAST TRADE STREET
how to nu. it unm
L Don’t attend meetings.
2. If yen go, go late.
3. If tbe weather isn’t plena*
ant, stay home.
4. Don’t accept any office; it’s
easier to criticise.
6. Never approve anything
your officers or committees
6. Don’t pay your dues until
7. Don't Mter recruit^ lilw
members.
8. Insist on official notices
being sent you, but don’t pay
any attention to them when
you get them.
9. Don’t waste any courtesy at
a meeting. It’s up to your
officers to take it.
i
10. When you don’t like what’s
going on say so, but under
no circumtrnces offer any
constructive suggestions.
11. Devote most of your timv
talking; let someone else do
the work.
12. If elected a delegate to a
higher body or convention,
don’t bother about attending
meetings.
13. Then you can report when
you get home that the or
ganization is in the hands
of a political gang and that
there is no use trying to do
anything about it.
14. Look for hidden motives;
don’t credit brother or sister
members with any ideals*
15. Don’t co-operate with any
officer or committee; make
them co-operate with you.
16. Remember that you know
more than anyone else about
everything. If they don't
agree with you, they’re
wrong.
(Reprint from Cleveland Citizen.)
The Golden Rule of Trade Un
ionism is to buy Union Label
goods from others as you would
have them pay Union wages unto
youl
vOOK
tkbSiga
New and Reconditioned
PIANOS
For the best value in NEW or
reconditioned pianos, select ■
yours from our stock of nearly I
100 instruments. Setinway,
Mathushek, Winter, Howard, |
and many others. Prices to
suit everyone.
ANDREWS MUSIC CO.
"Our 55th Year”
"Steinway Headquarters”
231 North Tryon Street
A. & M. Food Store
1551 Cliffwood Piece
Telephone 4-5069
CHARLOTTK. N. C.
THE COMMERCIAL
NATIONAL BANK
Charlotte, N. C.
J
SUMMIT'S POOD STOKE
533 I. IS* St.
Tel. 9812
CHARLOTTE, N. C.
Your Business Appreciated
nr i
||i $?:. j
Sherron Grocery
220 Lakewood Art.
Tel. 3-3590
CHARLOTTE, N. C.
Benard's
Gulf Service
Complete One Stop Service
1600 South Boulevard
Telephone 5-9193
CHARLOTTE, N. C.
W. L. Byrum
GENERAL MERCHANDISE
Shopton Rood
Tel. 39-9481
Route 3, Charlotte, N. C.
P&MCof.
501 W«t T«4t SI.
Charlotte, N. C.
Service Station
1106 E. 7th St. Dial 9U5
CHARLOTTE. N. C.
White Star
Super Market
832 West Boulevard
Telephone 3-8970
CHARLOTTE. N. C.
Prosperous New Year!
White Food Store
3106 N. Caldwell
Tel. 2-4605
CHARLOTTE, N. C.
For Indigestion, Sour Stomach and Gas, Take
NA-CO TABLETS
MONET BACK GUARANTEE
SELWYN CUT RAJE DRUG STORE
NEXT TO POST OFFICE
(RfATORS OF
109 SOUTH TRYON*l?3 NORTH TRYON
tlM CS
Proudly we present
ROOSTER . the m« emblem of
Colonial Stores.
The CS Rooster la a sew way
of identifying Big Star aad Little
Star Stores, aad above all — A
HARK OP QUALITY FOODS.
Join the thousands shopping
ander the sign ef the CS ROOST
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yon did!
COLONIAL STORES
*' INCORPORATED •
ATDONIZE JOURNAL ADVERTISE 111
Martin’s Department Store
RELIABLE MERCHANDISE ALWAYS
AT LOW PRICES
Stwp at yyiaJdin and Sava
SHOES—CLOTHING—FOR THE ENTIRE FAMILY
AT CORNER TRADE AND COLLEGE