t r
RALEIGH.—The hut travel has
rapped for the 1951 General As
sembly, and the time has come
to try to evaluate the actions of
the Legislature just ended.
In the ftnals days of the ses
sion, the. lawmakers themselves
were trying to do a bit of review
ing themselves. The “hold-the
linera”—perhaps better described
as the status quo or “do-nothing”
boys—were on the defensive as
they tossed bouquets at each other
terming this “the best” Legisla
ture of them all. At the other
extreme were those who called
this “the worst" Legislature in
history, with the possible excep
tion of reconstruction days.
In between were the bulk of
the legislators, who had come to
Raleigh honestly hoping to do
what was best for the State, re-1
gardless of what legislation was
recommended by whom.
And they were in the middle.
Lobbyists combined with Scott-ad- .
ministration haters to take over
the so-called House leadership.
Special interest advocates were
in the saddle in the Senate. The
liberals had no leadership.
“I feel as though I’ve been
beating my head against a stone
wall for three months,” one of
these caught-in-the-middle law-'■
makers said. “It’s hard to think
of anything really constructive
that this Legislature has done.” j
Rep. Bill Rodman of Beaufort,
an honest and sincere hold-the
liner, said he thought the out-:
standing accomplishment of this
'General Assembly was the ac-.
ceptance of the Samuel H. Kress j
Foundation offer of a million dol
lars worth of art. This will be
matched by the State’s $1,000,000
—appropriated and set aside In
1M7 tor the purchase -oL JWt.
treasures.
“This is the first big step in
making North Carolina the art
center of the Southeast,” Rodman
said. “We will be able to loo*!
back with pride upon our part in
the establishment of a great art:
center nere.
That was a major action, it is
true.
But there are two other pieces
-of legislation that stick out in _
my mind as the ones that this
Legislature will remember with
pride—and they had better treas
ure these, because they are among
the very few actions of the 1951
General Assembly that would not
Jbe better forgotten.
First is the great forward step
taken to provide for the treat
ment of the mentally ill. For
yean we have been housing our
mentally ill — inadequately in
many instances—and that is all.
little if any treatment has been
provided. We just put a roof
over their heads, fed them and
gave them clothes, then let them
wait around either to die or cure
themselves.
But this Legislature set up a
psychiatric teaching hospital at
the Univenity of North Carolina.
It provided an extra half mil
lion dollan to give more adequate
physical and mental treatment of
patients.
And they earmarked $50,000 a
year to be spent in setting the;
top psychiatrist or psychaitrists
in the country to be brought to'
North Carolina and take charge
of the psychiltric school and
treatment in the hospitals. Sal* j
ary was to be no object. (A top
man was found, but Assistant
Budget Director Dave Coltrane,
for reasons known only to him
self, refused to approve his hir
ing, despite the mandate of the
Legislature.)
The second most important
good thing done was establish
ment of a policy concerning pav
ing of secondary roads. In many
instances throughout the State it
has been feund that the paving of
a road did not bring all of the
desired benefits expected. Farm
ers found that under the eight
ton weight limit, because of thin
top-coatings in an effort to pave
as many miles as possible, ham
pered hem in getting their pro
duce to market This low weight
limit also has been found to be a
drawback to industries wanting
to set up on secondary roads, in
some instances. Tougher weight
penalties were passed into law to
protect all highways, but the im
ports?;'.. thing is that a series of
conferences between highway offi
cials and legislators resulted in
establishment of a secondary road
policy.
Summed up it is this: North
Carolina will not build, or rather
pave, ^secondary roads that are
less serviceable to the farmer and
industry than they were before
being paved.
It may mean that we will get
fewer paved roads, but those that
are built will not be torn up t>y
reasonable truckloads of produce
going to market.
Probably just as important as
these two steps was the new farm
census law fostered by Senator
Adam Whitley of Johnston. This
act will double th» appropriation
for the farm census, making $64.
000 a year available, and will al
low county commissioners to hire
persons to take the census yearly.
“A good farm census is invalp
able in our farm programs, get
ting allotments, and in any num
ber of things to help improve
farm income and living condi
tions,” Senator Whitley said.
“This will help us get a good
census instead of the half-way
one we had.”
The Assembly also naa on me
credit side of the ledger:
1. A foot-in-the-door stream
sanitation measure. Although
written by industrialists, who—
naturally—would not do them
selves wrong, many believe it will
lead to a really adequate, work
able stream sanitation law in the
future. It is so tied down with
whereses, ifs, ands and bets, how
ever, that it might react much
like the motor vehicle inspection
stream sanitation in North Caro
lina for a long time to come.
2. A clamp down on another
loan shark racket. The lawmak
ers put an ax to an extremely
profitable practice of small loan
outfits. These folks have been,
many of them at least, forcing
persons getting loans to take out
health and accident insurance pol
icies. These would insure pay
ments of loans if the debtor was
run over by a car, or had some
other accident, or if he happened
to get sick. Incidentally, the cost
of the loan premium in many in
stances ran as high as 70 per
cent of the total amount loaned.
It was a sweet way of avoiding
the State laws against usury, and
it paid well—even one supposedly
respectable banker was using this
method in his pwn little small
loan outfit, according to ex-Banka
Commissioner Gurney Hood.
Anyway, the lawmakers made it
so that the rates for any such
policies in the future will have
to have the approval of Insurance
Commissioner Waldo Cheek. ,
I suppose that you also will
have to classify "no new taxes”
as being on the favorable side of
the assembly action. Certainly,
no one wants his taxes raised if
he can help it. The lawmakers
were instructed by the folks at
home that added taxes were not
wanted, and they voted that way.
They refused to put new taxes
on or to eliminate any sales tax
exemption despite the fact that
many of them felt they were leav
ing Raleigh with a red-ink budget.
It will be a miracle—or rather,
it will be sure 'nough inflation—
if the present tax schedule brings
in enough money to meet the
record half-billion budget—some
$502,000,000, to be more accurate.
On the other aide of the ledger
are quite a few black marks.
One of the most flagrant pieces
of bad legislation was the Hamil
ton Bill, reportedly a rewriting
of the judges' retirement act but
actually a bill passed to get
Judge Luther Hamilton of More
head City back on the State
gravy train to the tune of some
$556 a month. This is the same
Judge Hamilton who became to
tally disabled two days before he
was to have been dropped from
the list of special judges. He
l also is the same judge who admit
ted he sentenced a man to die—
although he did not believe he
merited a death sentence—be
(Centiaaed On Page 4)
U. S. WORKERS RANK ,
SECOND IN FOOD ,
PURCHASING POWER
r .
WASHINGTON, D. C. — The
purchasing power of American
workers hourly Warnings — in
terms of food — ranked second
among 20 countries in 1050, the
U. S. Labor Department’s Bureau
of Labor Statistics reports in its
February, 1951, Monthly Labor
Review. Australia was the only
foreign country studied where
less working time was required
than in the United States to
buy a given amount of food.
Following Australia and the
United States, in order, were:
Norway, Canada, Denmark, Israel
and Sweden (tied), Great Britain
Csechoslovakia, Ireland, and
Switzerland, Finland, Netherlands
and Western Germany, Chile..
France (Paris); Austria (Vien
na), Hungary, Italy, and the So
viet Union,
Soviet workers had to work
seven times as long as Americans
to buy a riven quantity of food,
according1 to the best available
estimates of 1950 earnings com
bined with 1950 food prices. Wage
earners in Canada, Great Britain,
Israel, and the Scandanavian
countries had to work 20 to 64
per cent longer than Americans.
Workers in Sweden, Great Brit
ain, and Israel were able to buy
more food with their hourly
earnings in 1950 than In previous
years, relative to the United
States.
[ In comparing food purchasing
powers of various countries, BLS
points out that between 1937-38
and the spring of 1950, U. S.
food prices less than doubled and
hourly earnings more than dou
bled—increasing the power of
American workers’ earnings in
of foyjl at the market by
about 17 per ,cent.
The amount of food U. S. hour
ly earnings can buy rose almost
5 per cent between March, 1949,
and March, 1950, because of a
3 per cent drop in food prices
and a 1 1-2 per cent increase in
earnings. This broadened the
existing gap between the food
purchasing power of U. S. work
ers and most other foreign work
ers during the year.
In 13 of the 19 foreign coun
tries covered in the survey the
| purchasing power of the wages
of worker* with family responsi
bilities is increased by means of
: family allowances. In some of
these countries, the increase is
substantial. The largest family
allowances are reported from
France, where the food purchas
ing power of the worker with a
wife and two children is one third
higher with the family allowance
than without it.
The Bureau Stresses the diffi
culty in evaluating the economic
significance of these variations in
work time required to buy food
in different countries. War dam
age in most of the foreign coun
tries increased the disparity be
tween U. S. and foreign food
purchasing power in the postwar
period as compared with prewar.
Currency devaluations in Septem
ber, 1949, were a factor in chang
ing food purchasing powers be
tween 1949 and 1950.
Differences in food purchasing
powers cannot be considered in
dicators of the relative well-being
of wage earners in different
countries, since indexers of the
purchasing power of earnings in
terms of food are but one factor
concerning relative welfare, BLS
notes.
In Arkansas, where they have
about aa vicious a state law
against Unions as you'll be able
to find anywhere, the state su
preme court ruled that picketing
is just as basic an American right
as free speech. The ruling came
in a case where the strike al
ready had been settled .The Ark
ansas court ordered the lower
court to wipe the injunction off
the books.
On March S3 the railroads an
nounced that they're now going
after a 16 per cent increase in
freight rates. If their past suc
cess on this score is any indica
tion, they’ll get it.
f* • bright leaf tobacco auction sale in one of Kinston's 14 tobacco warehouses. (Photo by
Whitaker-Leffeur, courtesy of Kinston Chamber of Commerce).
(See Kinston Story On Page 3) '
Cost Of Living Index
Brought Up-To-Date
MILWAUKEE, Wis. — The
UAW-AFL Research Department
has received several inquiries
relevant to the government’s an
nounced changes in its computa
tion of the eost of living index.
Users of the UAW-AFL Binder
are particularly concerned as to
how this will affect monthly re
leases under the cost of living
section.
Beginning fritti January. 1951,
figures, the Bureau of Labor Sta
tistics will issue both the im
proved adjusted index and the old
index as compiled heretofore. Tha
UAW-AFL resedrefh service will
supply both figures with the com
plete breakdown for the old ser
ies—the one which will be used
by those unions having escalator
clauses in their contracts. As
new contracts are signed, they
are expected to' embody the new
cost of living index and eventu
ally this wiU replace the old one.
Index includes:
1. Correction of the rent index
to take account of the effects of
higher rents charged for newly
built rental units.
2. The use of 19S0 population
figures in combining separate city
3. Modernisation of the mark
et basket of goods and services
priced for the index to reflect
postwar consumption and spend
ing hnbits. Both the items priced
and the importance attached to
various items in the market bas
ket are being adjusted to reflect
the pattern of family spending
today.
4
HERE’S WHAT YOU
CM DO TO HEP
BRING PRICES DOWN
WASHINGTON. — The United
Labor Conference adopted this
program for action:
The need for an effective anti
inflation program dealing with
prices, rents and taxes is obvious
to all the American people.
Action must be undertaken by
the Administration and by Con
gress to protect every American
and to safeguard the defense
program itself.
Action will be taken if the
American people make their voice
heard in unmistakable terms.
To carry out the declaration of
principles adopted here today, we
agree:
1. To enlist co-operation in
support of this anti-inflation pro
gram from all community organi
zations which support our demo
cratic institutions and are devoted
* to the anti-totalitarian objectives
of Americas defense program.
2. To promote public meetings,
radio and television p no grams,
speeches before community
groups and other appropriate
means of alerting every citizen
to the need of improved defense
mobilization and anti-inflation
policies.
3. To forward letters, tele
grams, petitions and memorials
I to President Truman and mem
bers of Congress In support of
the principle of equal sacrifice
and fair play in the mobilisation
program. Our first objective is
the improvement of the Defense
Production Act.
4. To help establish local con
sumer committees through which
the people may be fully advised
of the developments in Washing
ton, violations of price regula
tions may be publicised, and to
co-operate with public spirited
merchants for local anti-infla
tion programs.
6. To secure
the widest pub
LOCAL LABOR SETS
WARNING FROM ST.
PETERSBURG, FLORIDA
The following letter sent out
by the St. Petersburg Florida
Central Labor Union is self-ex
planatory. Local Labor organi
sations are advised to be on their
guard.
Important Notice
Be on the lookout for RAY
MOND MORREL PARKS, de
scription as follows:
Age 46.
Complexion: Medium.
Hair: Light brown, very thin
nearing bald.
Height 5 feet 10 1-2 inches.
Weight: 172 or heavier.
He is wanted by this central
body for embexzling $600.00 plus
bad checks of $200.00 and a per
sonal note of $300.00. He is also
wanted by many merchants here
on bad check charges.
This man specialises in selling
advertising signs on a commis
sion basis for labor halls.
He is a very smooth salesman
and will promote ail forms of
letters of recommendation and
credit. He then goes into his
routine wherein he gets every
thing he can get and then leaves
town.
Beware of this man and above
all do not allow him the privilege
of selling advertising for your
labor hall.
Fraternally yonrs.
C. B. BROWN, President
W. J. EVANS, Secretary.
licity through the labor press and,
if necessary, through the pur
chase of local radio time and
newspaper space, for the voting
record of senators and congress
men on major bills, affecting the
fight against inflation: and for •
better defease mobilisation pro
gram.
To this program sf action, we
pledge our united effort.
RENTS JUMP SKY
HIGH WHEN RENT
CONTROLS ARE OFF
Rent control ended in Ham
mond, Ind., March 2. By the
| Rep. Ray Madden (D., Ind.).
| whose district includes Ham
Telegram after telegram add
Here are MM of the wires:
“Rent decontrolled. Landlords
hog wild. We are at their mercy.
Can anything be done? Please
“Since rent decontrol onr rent
for one and a half rooms has
increased from 160 to $75. My
galfkry has increased 10 per cent.
What is to be done?"
“I beseech you to act at once
regarding unfair rentals. My
rent is to jump 66 per cent first
of next month. Now 1 ask you
in God’s name, is that fair?"
“Since rent controls were re
moved In* Hammond our rent, one
and a half room apartment, has
been increased 50 per cent. Un
fair."
“Since rent decontrol in Ham
mond I have had my rent in
creased 58.6 per cent. This is
certainly unjust.”
“Since rent decontrol has gone
Into effect in Hammond, Ind., my
rent has been increased from $55
to $77.50. Seems unfair."
, middle of March the office of
mond, was swamped with pro
tests.
up to
are g
help
FOOD GAMBLERS GET
FAT WHILE FOOD
PRICES GO HI6HER
The smart boys are Rambling
in food. It’s better than stocks
or horse*. That’s because yoa
need to pay onTy 10 per- cent
down to buy corn, wheat, soy
beans or other farm products in
commodity markets.
But if you want to buy a
chunk of General Motors or soma
other company listed on a stock
exchange, you have to put down
75 per cent. And if you're play
ing the ponies, you hive to plunk
down cash on the barrelhead. *
Gambling going on in food is a
big reason you pay so much for
Tcpceries. The big-business de
fense program has placed no re
strictions on food gamblers. Con
gress last year beat a proposal
to control food gamblers.
William Fairfield, a farm ex
pert, tells how you can get rich
quick by gambling in food in an
article, uHow Speculators In
crease Our Food Bill,” in tha
March 20 issue of The Reporter
magazine:
“A man who has $750 to spec
ulate with can bay at most $1,000
worth of stock. On a commodity
exchange, however, the same $750
can get him contracts for a*
much as $7,500 worth of a farm
product.
“If the stock goes up 10 per
cent to $1,100, he can sell at a
profit of $100. If the farm prod*
uct goes up the same 10 per cent,
to $8,250, he can sell at a profit
of $750. * * •
“Most of the trading on tt>«
commodity exchange* was specu
lative. That is, the traders play
ed no direct part in the market
ing or processing of the farm
commodity involved. They were
interested anlr In matctxu a
summer . . more than I in
every 10 bushels of December
wheat and more than 9 in every
10 bushels of November soybeans
traded on the Chicago Board of
Trade were bought and sold by
speculators.
“During 1950, the volume of
soybean futures traded on that
exchange amounted to more than
15 times the size of the entire
U. 8. crop.”
When you see a Union Shop
Card you know the firm which
displays it pays Union wages and
observes Union working condi
tions. Non-Union firms do not
display the Shop Card. Look
for it!
Organic matter la essential to
profitable production of every
crop; it increases the ability of
the soil to absorb and hold water,
and improves the structure of the
soil and its ability to utilise plant
foods, especially nitrogen
i
i/cwi I D0 menjaiiy vMinrappc% iw§ wfwjrin
EMPLOY PHYSICALLY
HANDICAPPED MM