Are You Registered To Vote On May 31st?
The Charlotte Labor Journal tS
AND DIXIE FARM NEWS
Presenting Labor News and Views Without Fear and Without Favor
VOL. XXI; NO. 40
CHARLOTTE, N. C„ THURSDAY, MAY 15. 1052
Subscription Price $2.00 Per Year
Typographical Conference Meets Here May 24-25
THIS IS A PICTURE OF THE ADVISORY COMM ITTEE OF THE SOUTHERN A. F. OF L LABOR
INSTITUTE FOR WORKER EDUCATION
Green Cautions Congress
Against More Inflation
AFL President William Green called upon Congress to
take prompt and strong action to prevent a second and even
more dangerous round of price inflation. Because of the
“harsh realities” of the Korean war and the constant threat
of further Soviet aggression, organized labor will continue
to co-operate with the wage stabilization program, Green
told the House Banking and Currency Committee at a public
hearing.
He warned the lawmakers, how
ever, to reject big business pro
posals to destroy the tripartite
character of the Wage Stabilisa
tion Board and to weaken its au
thority.
Would Wreck Program
“Any change in the composition
of the WSB or curtailment of its
powers would wreck the wage
stabilization program and seri
ously threaten the successful
prosecution of the defense effort,”
Green testified. “Workers will
not permit themselves to be
* placed into an economic straight
jacket at the very time tnat sus
pension of a large sector of price
controls is taking place.” 4
Green submitted to the commit
tee facts and figures proving that
labor has not profited from tbe
defense program and that the
“take-home pay” of workers has
deteriorated during this .period,
due to higher prices and fixes.
He declared: “Workers have
made genuine sacrifices as thejr
contribution to the defense effiort.
They will continue to do so as
long as it is necessary. But work
ers will refuse to make further
sacrifices if other groups are not
called upon to make equal sacri
fices. Workers cannot continue to
accept restrictions on their wages
unless there is an effective and
equitable price and rent stabilisa
tion program.
Should Be Stronger
“On behalf of the 8 million
members of the American (Feder
ation of Labor, I therefore urge
the Congress to do nothing which
would further weaken the De
fense Production Act. Instead, it
should1 be strengthened in accord
ance with the recommendations I
have made.**
Green emphasized that price
controls cannot be “turned on and
off, like a faucet.” He charged
that “many families have been
priced out of the market” as the
result of increases in the cost of
living. That accounts for the low
er demand for consumers* goods
and the high inventories idling
up in the stores, he explained.
Yet prices still, remain high and
the prospects are that they win
climb even higher, the AFL lead
er asserted.
'K “The burden of evidence is
overwhelming,” he warned the
House Committee, “that the pres
sures of the continuing defense
mobilization program are likely
to force prices higher during the
coming year.”
For these reasons, Green rec
ommended that the price control
program be extended for another
year and strengthened by repeal
of the Capehart Amendment, the
Herlong Amendment and the But
ler-Hope Amendment. He also
urged action by Congress to make
control of food prices more ef
fective.
FARM BUREAU INSURANCE
COMPANY RISES RAPIDLY
COLUMBUS, OHIO—The Farm
Bureau Life Insurance Company
has joined a select group of some
60 other companies with more
than a half-billion dollars of in
surance in force, Murray D. Lin
coln, president, said today.
“Our in-force business totaled
$500,146,395 on March 31, 1952,”
Mr. Lincoln said. “That puts us
nine months ahead of schedule in
our five-year development pro
gram.”
The company is recognized as
one of the fastest-growing life
insurance companies in America,
having reached its present size in
just 16 years.
REaSTttED?
Conference Organized In
Charlotte January, 1926
The thirty-second meeting of the Virginia-Carolinas and District
of Columbia Typographical Conference will convene in Charlotte
Saturday and Sunday, May 24 and 26 at the Hotel Charlotte. An
nouncements to delegates and visitors have been sent out by Con
ference Secretary, O. N. Burgess, who reports that several hundred
delegates and visitors are expected there next week for the annual
Printers' conclave.
Kefauver Lauds
U. S. Labor Press
Senator Estes Kefauver of Ten
nessee today praised the labor
magazines and newspapers of the
nation for their campaign to per
suade more citizens to register
and vote. Senator Kefauver, in
a statement, said:
“The American labor press is
to be warmly commended for its
splendid good-citizenship work
this year. Never before has the
labor press as a whole done so
much to educate the working peo
ple of our nation and their fam
ilies on the tremendous import
ance of full exercise of the right
to vote
“It has very noticeabh
this year that the American peo
ple are eager to vote. The huge
turnouts for the various primaries
throughout the country have been
an indication of this strong desire
on the part of American citizens
to make their voices heard.
“The campaign of the labor
press urging citizens to register
and vote—a campaign which has
been carried on since the begin
ning of the year and is now being
intensified—has certainly been an
important factor in persuading
more and more Americans to do
their duty by going to the polls.
Please Tarn To Page 4
The conference was organised
in Charlotte in January, 1926,
and for several years semi-annual
meetings were held, but after the
extension of the conference juris
diction to include the District of
Columbia and Maryland several
years ago the meetings were cut
to one time a year.
Charlotte Typographical Union
No. 338 is host to the meeting in
Charlotte this year and for sev
eral months a special committee
has been at work making arrange
ments for the gathering. Hotel
Charlotte has been selected as
the convention site and both busi
ness and social activities will be
conducted there. On Saturday
night, the 24th, arrangements call
for a dance and floor show in the
ball room at the aotel, and the
regular business session will get
underway Sunday morning at
and others will welcome the dele
gatee and visitors to Charlotte.
Sunday afternoon at 2:00 o’clock
a banquet will be given the dele
gates and visitors during which
time talks will be given by many
of those in attendance.
At the business session Sunday
morning an official of the Inter
national Typographical Union will
address the meeting, and also ad
dresses will be given by other
speakers.
The Journal will carry a com
plete program in next week’s is
sue, which will be deupted to the
conference session.
WSB Decisions InyolTe Carolinians
Duke Power Electricians Get Raises
, RICHMOND, VA.—Wage deci
sions involving 5,831 North Car
olina employees were announced
today by the Fourth Regional
Wage Stabilization Board.
An approximate 3 cents hourly
increase across-the-board was ap
proved for 4,011 (AFL) electrical
workers of the Duke Power Co.
of Charlotte. This adjustment,
based on an inter-plant inequity
claim Is retroactive to January 1»
1962.
A total of 1,494 employees of
the Carolina Power and Light Co.
of Raleigh received one additional
paid holiday or a total of six an
nually, in addition to small wage
increases of varying amounts.
The Board sanctioned an hourly
increase of about 1 1-2 emits for
1,310 non-union workers in all
divisions of the company; ap
proved an approximate 3c hourly
boost for 92 (AFL) engineers and
allowed an approximate 1 1-2
cents increase for 92 (AFL) elec
trical workers.
The Board approved a progres
sion plan easing for hourly in
creases ranging from 9 to 11
cents for 69 non-union employees
of the P. H Hanes Knitting Co.
of Winston-Salem. Four paid
holidays per year were allowed
81 (CIO) textile worker* of the
Royle and Pilkington Co., Inc. of
Hazel wood.
A proposal of the Truitt Man
ufacturing Co., Greensboro steel
fabricating firm, was modified to
permit a 5 1-2 cents ' hourly ini
crease to 94 (AFL) structural
iron workers, retroactive to De
cember 1,1951, The Board denied
the company's request to increase
paid holidays from two to
six. An increase in paid holi
days from four to six, considered
within area practice, was allowed
57 United* Transport Service Em
ployees (CIO) of the Robertson
Chemical Corp. of Wilmington.
The Board turned down, on the
basis of excessive area practice, a
proposal of the Swift and Co. of
Greensboro, to increase paid hol
idays from four to six, but ap
proved overtime pay at the rate
of time and one-half after 8
hours per day for 25 United
Transport Service Employees
(CIO)