AFL Asks Revision Of Our Tax
Structure As Employment Spur
Washington — The APL urged
Congress to cut excise taxes on
•consumer commodities as part of
• a over-all revision of the tax
structure to spur employment op
portunities.
The APL proposed also that fed
eral employment services be ex
panded, the unemployment compen
_ nation system be improved and
1
broadened, and that federal laboi
standards under the wage-hour and
Walsh-Healey acts be strengthen
ed.
Following are excerpts from the
AFL statement submitted to the
congressional committee on the
economic report:
Unemployment
“While the present level of un
employment is still within the lim
i
SEASON'S GREETINGS
STOWE MERCANTILE COMPANY
B«lmont, N. C.
”,
SEASON'S GREETINGS
4ft
PHARR WORSTED MILLS, Inc.
McADCNVILLf, N. C.
—
SEASON'S GREETINGS
LENOIR ROOFING CO.
Lenoir, N. C.
loliday Greetings To All
Gastonia Transit
Company
GASTONIA, N. C.
its of the degree of short-term
fluctuation that can take place
without undermining or seriously
endangering the general stability
of the economy, it is nevertheless
greater than that toward which na
tional policy, public and private,
should aim over the long run. It
involves an appreciable degree of
waste of manpower and potential
production, as well as individual
hardship.”
> Reason for Unemployaient
“The recent rise in unemploy
ment is largely attributable to cut
backs in production following the
working down of the large backlog
of consumer demand which existed
at the end of the war. Thre is no
reason to believe that unemploy
ment will increase substantially
during the next few months except
for the usual seasonal influence
and the short-run effects of the
shutdowns in the coal and steel in
dustries. The housing program, dis
tribution of dividend payments on
veterans' insurance and the in
crease in the minimum stimulus
to consumer demand and employ
ment over the coming months.”
Job Aiai
“The aim should be to maintain
an economy in which all who are
ready, willing and able to work can
find the type of employment for
which they are best fitted in a
relatively Bhort period of time. A
certain amount of frictional and
seasonal unemployment will always
exist but there is no reason why
their present levels and amplitude
should be accepted ,as necessary
and irreducible.”
Tax Revision
"For a healthy economy, taxes
must be levied according to the
‘ability to pay’ concept with chief
reliance for governmental revenues
placed upon the progressive in
come tax. It is clear that a tax
which is added to the final prices
paid by consumers for any service
or commodity inevitably reduces
the demand for that item and in
turn the employment of workers
engaged in its production. Regard
less of anything that might be said
as fb the actual incidence of these
taxes, there is no question but what
the net effect on employment is ad
verse. Taxes of this style should
be reduced and eliminated wherever
it is feasible to do so. Among the
federal excise taxes that should
be repealed as promptly as possible
are those on oleomargarine, trans
portation of persons and property,
toilet preparations, electric light
bulbs, electrical energy, matches,
tires and inner tubes and luggage.”
Other Steps
‘The AFL is in favor of estab
lishment of a single national sys
tem of unemployment insurance.
Unemployment is essentially a na
tional problem and is not an ap
propriate area for state operation.
We also favor a national unified
system of free public employment
offices under the direction of the
U. S. Employment Service.
“In addition to the steps that
should be taken with regards to the
improvement of the unemployment
compensationand employment ser
vice programs, following are some
of the measures that should be
needed to counteract sharp iu
creases in unemployment:
“(1) Prompt inauguration of a
broad program of useful public
works; (2) Monetary and credit!
policies aimed at stimulating in
vestment and production; (3)!
; Promotion of employment-creating
cooperative undertakings; (4) Re
duction in the standard workweek
and workday without loss of earn
ings; (5) Special measures to
make surplus food products avails
able to unemployed and low-in
come families.' *
Valdese Manufacturing
Company, Inc.
VALDESE, N. C.
Says Jobless Funds Can Afford
A Boost In Benefit Amounts
Get Christmas Bonus
St. Louis.—Members of Fed
eral Labor Union 22,766 won a
6 1-2 percent Christmas bonus
amounting to $40,000 at National
Lead Co., Granite City, 111.
J. H. Skaggs. AFL organiser,
negotiated the bonus, which is in
addition to any benefits provided
under the contract he contract
does not expire until May 17,
1950.
Co-Ops Can
Bring End To
Home ‘Lock-Out’
Washington.—The AFL says un
ion members have been locked out
of new homes.
“Most members of AFL unions j
are among the 40 percent of Amer- j
ican families with incomes of $2,-,
000 to $3,760 a year,” the AFL said
in a new pamphlet, “Homes for
Union Members.”
“This is the middle income
group in our population; thus far
this group has benefited very little
from any boosing legislation,” the
AFL said. Congress has passed
bousing aid in the form of financing
for high-income families and pro
vided for construction of low-rent
public housing projets for low-in
:ome families.
The AFL believes that the mid
dle-income families of the nation
can be helped by the cooperatives
housing program provided by the;
bill sponsored by Sen. John Spark
man of Alabama.
“One section of the bill is de
signed specifically to help union
members join together with other
people in similar circumstances to
fanance and build the kind of
apartments and homes you would
like to live in at rents that you
can afford to pay,” the AFL pam
phlet explains.
The pamphlet, available to AFL
members through their local cen
tral labor union housing commit
tees, urges local unions to pass
resolutions supporting the Spark
man bill and to contact members
sf Congress personally and by let
ter advocaing their support.
AFL President William Green
mid in a letter accompanying cop- 1
ies of the pamphlet that AFL un- 1
ions should get behind the bill
which he said should be coming ’
up for consideration early in the 1
forthcoming session of Congress. 1
Tobin Offers Help
On Wage-Hoar Law
Washington.—Secretary of La
bor Maurice J. Tobin offered the
insistence of his department to
workers and employers to help un
lerstand the new wage-hour law
imendments which go into effect
fanuary 25.
The new provisions signed into
law by President Truman raise
the minimum hourly wage from 40
Lo 75 cents an hour, further re
itric^s child labor, and strengthens
the workers’ ability to collect un
derpayments of the minimum
wage. Unfortunately, it removes
some workers from its protection
in direct opposition to AFL de
mands for broader coverage.
Pointing out that the new amend
ments go into effect January 25,
Secretary Tobin said:
“I hope that during the inter
vening time employes and employ
ers alike will carefully study the
new provisions of the act to ascer
tain their rights and responsibili
ties. I offer the assistance of the
Department of Labor.”
He said the law will increase
workers’ purchasing power and pro
tect employers who pay decent
wages “from unfair competition
by those who pay substandard
wages.”
Requests tot information about
the law may be addressed to the
Labor Department in Washington
or its field offices, Mr. Tobin said.
LEGION STARTS CO-OP.
Blackwell, * Okla. — Construction
has been started in a <1 single
family unit veterans’ cooperative
Rousing project, the first to he
started in the state under the
A m e r i can Legion’s sponsorship.
The project is being built under
a provision at the National Hous
ing Act permitting the FHA to
finance bouses to built by a non
profit corporation and sold to
msiahsf at the corporation.
Washington. — Robert C. Good
win, director of U. S. Bureau of
Employment Security, said an
analysis shows that state unem
ployment compensation trust funds
are “not only large enough to meet
all contingencies in the foresee
able future, but to finance increas
ed benefits.”
His analysis was submitted to
a meeting of the bureau’s federal
advisory council which includes
AFL representatives.
"This analysis,” Goodwin said,
"discloses that benefit disburse
ments nationally were about twice
as large during the 12 months end
ing September SB, 1949, as they
were during the.previous 12-month
period. However, the aggregate
sum of the 51-state reserve funds
held in the Federal Unemployment
Trust Fund declined by less than
6 percent.
“With the exception of 2 states,
funds now available for future
benefit payments in the trust fund
could easily withstand the impact
•f a sharp rise in unemployment.
As a matter of fact, most state
reserve accounts in the federal
trust fund are not only large
enough to meet all contingencies
in the foreseeable future but to fi
nance increased benefits.”
Goodwin said the aggregate sum
if all the state reserves in the
Federal Unemployment Trust Fund
ivailable for benefit payments on
September 30, 1949, was $7,156;
300.000. as contrasted with $7,475,
100,000 on the corresponding date
in 1946 and $7,600,000,000 on De
cember 31, 1948.
"While nationally the trust fund
is in splendid shape, some state
kccounts are in much better con
dition than others,” Goodwin said.
"This is due to the fact that the
reserves of the various states are
not pooled and interchangable.
Each state has its own separate ac
count in the trust fund. As a result,
the ability of each state to make
payments to un^nployed workers
Is governed by the solvency of its
own account. In the ease of one
i>r two states, funds available are
not large enough to withstand a
prolonged period of high unem
ployment.”
In order to safeguard reserves in
itates which might be threatened
with insolvency and to assure con
tinued payment of benefits when
hie, the Labor Department is sug
resting to the council the establish
ment of a federal reinsurance fund
From which grants could be made
« states whose reserves had be
:ome seriously impaired.
Goodwin said that only about 7
tut of every 10 employes In the
:ountry are covered by unemploy
nent insurance.
"The time is overdue to extend
inemployment insurance to small
’irms,” Goodwin said. "Almost
1.000. 000 are employed in small
rirms that are no yet covered.”
GREETINGS
LITTLE FARM
MARKET
Phone 3943
Salisbury Avenue
SPENCER, N. C.
JIMMIE BLACKWELDER'S BAR-B. Q.
* ^
BARBECUE DRIVE-IN
Phone 3002 1624 Innes St.
SALISBURY, N. C.
ISENHOUR BRICK & TILE CO., Inc.
PHONE 3966
SALISBURY, N. C.
HOLIDAY GREETINGS
STILLERS PIEDMONT SALVAGE
CHARLOTTE HIGHWAY
Salisbury, N. C.
EVERGLO SIGN CO.
Gold Leaf -— Neon — Commercial — Outdoor
Show Cards — Truck Lettering
Scotch Lite — Reflector Signs
Phone 3788-J Charlotte Highway
SALISBURY. N. C. -
JOE'S BARBECUE
Specializing in
PIT COOKED BARBECUE
CHICKEN IN THE ROUGH
T-BONE AND ALL TYPE BEVERAGES
On IE S. Highway 29 Between Spencer and Yadkin
R. F. D. No. 4 Phone 917B
SALISBURY, N. C,
F. & S.CAFE
24 Hour Service—7 Days a Week
"HOME OF COUNTRY HAMS"
Plate Lunches - Regular Dinners
Phone 9240 224 N. Depot
SALISBURY, N. C.
Carolina Erection
and Industrial
Painting Co.
512 SOUTH AVON
GASTONIA, N. C.
PHONE 5-2665 BOX 626
W. J. BARLOW, M«r.
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have boos recently
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Industrial Painting Ce,