A GENERAL NEWSPAPER DEVOTED TO THE INTERESTS OF ORGANIZED LABOR IN CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA. Recognized and Endors- ed by More Than Fifty Local Unions and Cen- tral Bodies Over Cam- bria County and Ad- jacent Mining Areas. & “ls << i iy a oN > Mi COURIER Patton Courier, Established AN ATTAINMENT OF THE LARGEST GENERAL WEEKLY NEWSPAPER CIRCULATION IN CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA. Our Shop Is Equipped to Do Job Printing of All Kinds. Nothing Too Yarge or Too Small We Cater Especia'ly to J Local Union, Printing. Oct., 1893, VOL. 45. NO. 19. CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA AREA. THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 16. 1939 723 South Fifth Ave. PATTO in A SUBSCRIPTION, $2.00 PER YEAR CALL ISSUED FOR ACONVENTION OF UMW AT DU BOIS District No. 2 Delegates Will Gather at Elks’ ‘theatre on 24th of February. Officals of District No. 2, UMWA, OFFICIALS OF WPA AWAIT REDUCTION | ORDERS FOR AREA Sharp Criticism Is Aimed At So | Early Estimates Conservative; | Slash of 6,000 Is Expected; Lack of Projects. - Washington.—The Senate Civil Lib- Officials of the Works Progress Ad- | €rties Committee recommended legisla- tion on Monday to stop labor spying LAFOLLETTE PROPOSES LAW TO CURB LABOR SPIES, C0. POLICE me Employers Who Use Private Police Systems As Agents in Anti-Union Policy, and Violate the Rights of Labor Guaranteed by the Federal Laws. tion of markets and interruptions of the free flow of commerce. “The ruthless and brutal activities during the past week sent out a call! ministration in Area 11 are awaiting te the Local Unions advising them of word from Harrisburg in connection and to restrict the activities of com- | of armed private guards to prevent un- a special convention of the district, to; be held in the Elk's Theatre, at Du- | Bois, Pa., commencing at 10 A. M., on | Friday, February 24th. The purpose of, calling the convention is in conform- pany police. The committee, headed by Senator LaFollette, Progressive, Wisconsin, was sharply critical of activities by police employed by the Republic Steel Cor- poration and the Harlan County, Ky., with the announcement made last Thursday to the effect that 100,000 Pennsylvania project workers, includ- ing about forty per cent of the men employed in this county, are to be ion organization gave unfair competi- tive advantage to those employers who oppress labor, create bitterness between labor and management, lead to strikes and cause interruptions in the flow of commerce.” ity with the recommendation of the | dismissed beginning April 1st. Earlier International scale committee and rec- | reports that some 4,000 would be drop- ommends that District No. 2, with the | ped in Cambria, Somerset, Blair and Coal Operators’ Association. ? y The committee, which will disbsz “The experiences in Harlan County, 2, which will disband soon unless the Senate grants it more ; other bituminous districts, select repre- sentatives to assist the executive offi- | cers of the district and international | unions in the wage scale conferences, which are to be held in New York | City, beginning March 14th. | District No. 2 is entitled to four | members on the scale committee, ex- | clusive of the executive officers. This | special convention is called for the ex- clusive purpose of giving the member- ship the privilege of electing these! four members, and local unions in the | selection of their delegates to the Du Bois convention are cautioned to ex-| ercise care and see that eligible men | are chosen. Representatives to the District con- | vention shall be elected directly from ! the Local Union, and shall have one vote for every 50 members or less and an additional vote for each fifty mem- | bers or majority fraction thereof, but no representative shall be credited with more than five votes. Represen. | tation is based upon the average mem- | bership of local unions, and only those | unions in good standing with the dis- | trict and international are eligible to have delegates seated. | The delegates to the district conven- ! tion shall be elected at any regular | meeting after the call has been issued. Local unions having a small member- | ship may group together and elect a! delegate. Notice of the call was signed by | James Mark, President, Edward Swee- | ney, vice President, and Richard Gil- | bert, Secretary Treasurer. { PICKETING OF STORES | OF CHAIN GROCERY CO. | IN VARIOUS SECTIONS | In an effort to obtain a written cons) tract with the company, officials of the United Wholesale and Retail Em- | ployees of America, CIO affiliate, | have caused some of the stores of the | American Stores Co. in this section to be picketed during the past week. At Nanty-Glo, Patton and other points the system has been used. For some | time past, we understand, the company | has been operating under a verbal con- | tract with the union. | Union recognition, in the way of | written contracts, was given by the A. & P. Tea Company at its Curwensville and Clearfield stores some months ago, for the first time, and since then we | are told about six other stores have | also been covered by written agree- | ments. The strategy of the union in the | case of the American Stores, hence, is | an effort to get them away from the | verbal agreement and signatures on the | dotted line. | FORBES URGES ORGANI. ZATION OF MINE SAFETY UNITS OVER CAMBRIA | | | proximately 40 per cent of the total | | number employed will have to be { work due to a lack of new projects, | ME R T according to John S. Ginter, admin- | ’ The new committee succeeds the Re- | | publican County Executive Committee | | fairs. | ensburg Trust Building, w conservative in the face of other pre- | ties where Republic Steel Corporation dictions that the number will exceed | operates, clearly indicates that where 6,000 | private police systems are used they Unless much larger congressional | re instruments of anti.union policy,” appropriations are forthcoming, WPA | the committee said. “They— | Bedford counties appeared to be too |XKy. and in the industrial communi- funds, said the use of private police as an agency of labor policy is an at- tempt “to impose upon labor a selfish private interest by means of private armies.” Discussing possible legislation, the reductions in Cambria county will; _“(A) Abridge and violate the civil keep pace with those planned in the | liberties of workers and other indi- state, a local WPA official asserts. Ap- | Viduals. guaranteed by federal statutes. | dismissed to keep WPA expenditures | in line with budgetary necessities, it was reported. Men and women in the administra- | & . +: tive offices as well as supervisory | On the economic front,” the com- workers also face loss of employment, | Mittee declared, “the use of private it was announced “White collar” | police systems as agents in employers staffs will be reduced in proportion to | @anti-union policy causes disorganiza- project retrenchment officials said. The quota for Area 11 currently | | stands at 15,600, but the WPA has not | Leen able to keep that number at causing loss of life and injury to per- i sons and property. “(D) Endanger the public safety. istrative assistant in charge of he Johnstown office. BITUMINOUS RI ] i In the last ten days or so numerous | Lo Vv and Sioa projects have been completed an | there isn't enough work on remaining | | jobs—particularly sanitary sewer con- C. E. Smith Declares Movement struction and highway repairs—to go to Amend the Act Made for | around, Ginter says. Pha Ris ! Sponsoring agencies, such as muni- Their Profit. cipalities, school districts, townships and boroughs, have fiscal budgets al- | Washington.—C, E. Smith of the Na- ready set up for the year and most of | tional Bituminous Coal Commission on | them have not set aside funds with | saturday challenged a group of pro- which to sponsor public works, it was | qucers who blamed the commission | pointed out. for ‘demoralized’ ’coal prices. In a The drastic slash of WPA rolls is | letter to one of the group, Smith said | scheduled to begin at the end of March | that these men were attempting to re- | with 100,000 men and women in the | peal price fixing and other vital sec- state to be dropped over a 90 day pe-! tions of the 1937 Coal Control Act for | riod. By July 1, unless additional mon- their personal profit, ey is granted, the case load in the Smith, asserting that he spoke also | state is expected to drop to about 140,- | for other members of the commission, | 000. . . | gave his views in a letter to J. D. A, | When the retrenchment program is Morrow, president of the Pittsburgh completed there will be fewer than | ~ "0 Company 9,000 men at work on WPA in the four | : county area which means that only | 3,000 for 4,000 in this county will have jobs on projects. | I | His letter coincided with announce- | ment by a group of bituminous opera- | { tors of formation of a committee fo: | amendment of the coal act. The opera et ae e tors said the coal act had failed to aid REPUBLICANS NAME A | the industry and that a new approacl PATRONAGE COMMITTEE | is necessary. The group said it would OF THREE IN COGUNTY | seek elimination of provisions precluc | ing contracts for sale of coal for longer than 30 days in advance, removal of the one per cent tonnage tax and sim- plification of the act's administrative machinery. “These elements have been waiting for the psychological moment to strike a crippling blow at the program,” #Ir Smith said, explaining that the pro- gram was not intended to be a striki government regulation. He said that low coal prices were due to last yewr's business recession. Mr. Englehart’s action was taken at| You declare that the commission a meeting held in his office in the Eb-| has gotten exactly rowhere,” Smith ith Mr. Lux. Wrote Morrow. “This is a slightly in- Emil C. Schwing of Johnstown, Lou- is Luxenberg of Barnesboro and Wal- ter S. Anderson of Munster township, were appointed on Tuesday afternoon by Attorney Harry A. Englehart of! Ebensburg, chairman of the Republi- can party’s county committee, to serve as the party's patronage committee. in the handling of all patronage af- | Organization of mine safety units! enberg, Gus M. Gleason and Walter W | accurate statement to put it mildly. th: hout th Krebs, members of the G. O. P. Coun- = — . ny 3 & mums of and Mr. | FOURTEENTH PLEA IS accident prevention was urged Satur. | ty Executive Committee, : day afternoon by J. J. Forbes, Pitts- | Schwing and followed a suggestion re- burgh, chief of the Safety Division of | cently made to Mr. Englehart by Ja- | mes F. Torrence, chairman of the state | ing held at the court house in Ebens- MADE BY A CAMBRIA SLAYER FOR PARDON George Henderson, convicted of Republican committee, that the county | “(B) Violate the rights of labor | “(C) Result in riots and bloodshed, | committee said it wanted to proh | “labor espionage and the cl YW \ coercion and iniimidation of workers | In ordinary times and to restrict com- pany police to company property dur- ing times of strike. It recommended prohibiting the em- ployment as armed company guards of persons “who have previous crimin- al records showing a tendency toward violence or the dangerous use of dead- ly weapons.” C10 STEPS UP ON SPEED AGAINST NLRB CRIPPLING Last Week’s Vote on Friends for the Board Is Hailed As Big Victory by Leaders. Washington..—I'he CIO this week stepped up the speed of its campaign to prevent passage of crippling am- endments to the Wagner Act. In Congress the National Labor Re- lations Board won a major victory when its appropriation bill was passea by the House of Representatives with- out a cut in funds for the next fiscal year. Lee Pressman, CIO general counsel, described the House vote as “a first round in labor’s fight,” and said that “labor’s vigilance” was responsible 10: checking “the enemies of collective bargaining in a back-handed attempn to cripple the Act.” A concerted drive to prevent pass- age of Senate Bill 1,000—introduced by Senator David Walsh of Massachu- setts—was started in every CIO local throughout the United States. Reports from AFL and Railway unions indica- ted that many of them, too, would re- sist the bill, which is sponsored by President William Green of the Am erican Federation of Labor. The Walsh-Green amendments are aimed at smashing industrial unions and would open wide the door to company unionism. An analysis of the AFL amend- ments, showing how they would in- jure all workers and all bonafide un- lons, was presented in a new pam- phlet issued by the CIO legal depart. ment. “The Wagner Act Threatened With Destruction!” is the title of the booklet, which will receive wide dis- tribution. In Massachusetts, the state's ClO Council, which met in Springfield the last week-end, withdrew its invi- tation to Senator Walsh to address the meeting, and invited in his place Sen- ator Robert Wagner of New York. The Council's president, Michael Wid- the U. S. Bureau of Mines, at a meet- | burg by the Joseph Holmes Safety | chairman appoint a patronage board to Council of District 10. More than 100 | which should be named the SHaiEmA members of the Council attended the | of the group that conducted the pri- meeting. Ira Bradley, Cresson, presi- | mary campaign of Governor Arthur H. dent of the organization, presided. Mr. | James. Forbes declared that great aid would Mr. Schwing was manager of Gov. be given the Safety movement if un- James’ primary campaign in this coun- its were organized at each mine to co- | ty, Mr. Luxenberg will represent the operate with the larger units. Mark | county executive committee and Mr. Ankeny, Pittsburgh, of the Federal | Anderson, Republican committeeman Mines Bureau, also spoke. from Munster township and secretary Motion pictures of the preliminary | of the county committee will represent mine aid meets held last summer in| he county committeemen. Spangler, Ernest, Uniontown, South| Members of the county committee Fork and New Kensington were shown | wil] pe contacted by Mr. Anderson to as were the pictures of the finals meet obtain their views on patronage af- at the Ebensburg fair last September. fairs. Other groups of Republicans ov- er the county will also be consulted. SORRY, PAL, IT’S AGAINST When the record is completed, the new THE LAW TO DO THIS! | patronage committee will forward it, en { together with its recommendations, to Washington, D. C.—Smoke O. P. | Harrisburg. : . cigarettes. Other People’s. It saves time | All applications already filed with and money — especially money. The | the county committee will be turned ena of this racket is ? Section 28-1023 | over by Mr. Englehart to the new pa- of the Compiled Statutes, passed | tronage board, together with the re- twenty years ago and recently brought | commendations which have been made. to public attention by the Legislature Henry L. Cannon and Herbert J. deals a death blow to the Nebraska | Davies, members of the county execu- chapter of the clan. It provides a fine | tive committee, were unable to attend of one hundred to two hundred dollars, | the meeting. or two months in jail, for any person who gives away cigarettes, cigars, to- FOR SALE—Household Goods. In- bacco, or cigarette material to any one | quire of Mrs. Frank Campbell, Fors- without first obtaining a license. berg building, Patton, Pa. | wood during a quarrel. The girl died | first degree murder in Cambria coun- | man, Jr., charged that Walsh had de- ty and now serving a life term in the | serted labor's camp for that of the re- Western Penitentiary, has made his | actionaries. 14th plea for clemency. Henderson's plea has been listed for hearing be- REPORTS HUGE SUM fore the State Pardon Board this week PAID IN UNEMPLOY.- according to word received in Ebens- MENT BENEFITS IN PA burg. In his latest aplication for clemency, Harrisburg—A total of $71,558,000 in unemployment compensation benefits, Henderson pointed out he was only 19 represented in 6,400,000 checks, was years old when he murdered Miss Fern Davis and that since his incar- raid to Pennsylvania's eligible jobless auring 1938. ceration 24 years ago he has been a model prisoner and a hard worker. 3 : Hendersou’s previous 13 pleas have 4 While a tabulation of employer con- ~ | iributions has not been completed, been opposed by Judge Charles Greer, Ernest Kelly, unemployment comrocn who was district attorney at the time ITT Ys | ploy, p T : | sation executive director, said em. Henderson was convicted on August | lover payments will “run between 15, 1913. Henderson was at first sen- | Poy, pay! ' : { $70,000,000 and $74,000,000.” Deadline tenced to be hanged, but was granted | f Bh wi : : | for contributions based on 1938 pay- a commutation of this sentence and Y ites . : ioc | 1011s fell at midnight January 31. was given life. Henderson struck Miss ; Davi ver the head with a block of The number of employer contribu- *avis ove i tions last year came in at “exactly the : same rate” as in 1937, but the amount a short time later. | of money in the fund will represent TS 2.0 | 2 one-third increase over the previous PORTAGE MAN HURT | year’s payments because rate of con- IN MINE ACCIDENT tributions increased that much in 1938 Benefits were paid for the first time John Olesh, 30, of Portage, has been |Iast year. admitted to the Memorial hospital in Kelly said he was unable at pre- Johnstown, suffering of a back injury | sent io compare the flow of contribu- in an accident in the Sonman mine or | tions so far this vear with the corres- the Koppers Coal. Co. His condition is ponding 1938 period, but explained reported as fair. ‘ payments are coming in like mad.” JOBLESSMENTO GET BENEFITS OF INSURANCE FUND Beaverdale Contract Terminated | in This Case Because of Un- paid Wages. | Because 600 employees of the Logan Coal Company, Beaverdale ,were not paid delinquent wages and refused to go to work until they did get them, they will be entitled to unemploy- ment compensation benefits available to workers who lose their jobs through no fault of their own, according to a ruling announced. Thomas V. Hayes, manager of the Johnstown State Employment Office | vision, said the miners are being in- terviewed and will receive weekly checks through the regular channels. While the laws governing UCD pay- j ments stipulate that benefits are not or. the Beaverdale case. The board de- cided, that inasmuch as the company Len, firm and the employees terminated, E. Prindible of Patton, is a member, UCD office to proceed with interviews preliminary to the payment of bene- | tits, Mr. Hayes said. Spokesmen for the Logan Coal Co., which was closed down Feb 3, when the men refused to work said earlier week that the firm is in difficult financial straits and will be unable tc meet its payroll unless an agreement can be negotiated with creditors. Employees of the company, met on Friday night and rejected a proposal of the Johnstown Coal and Coke Co., looking to resumption of the opera- tions and Local Union No. 2233, U. M. W. A, issued a formal statement giv- ing reasons for the rejection. The text ot the statement follows: “At a largely zttended meeting of the employees of the Logan Coal Com- pany Friday evening it was decided unanimously to reject the plan for the resumption of work as submitted to them by officials of the Johnstown Coal and Cake Company. The plan called for resumption of work at No. 4 mine only, leaving Nos. 2 and 6 mines closed down. “The resumption of work at No. 4 mine, as included in this plan, is on condition that employees at all three mines accept the refusal of the Johns- town Coal and Coke Company to pay | tc be granted men who quit work vol- | untarily, an order was issued by the! State Board of Review in Harrisburg was unable to pay back wages, the | 2mployee-employer contract was bro- | With the relationship between the | the Board of Review, of which George | ordered Mr. Hayes and the Johnstown | TONNAGE DROPS HEAVILY IN 1938 FOR DISTRICT 15 Northern Cambria and Indiana Area Shows Decrease of 913. 456 Tons Under 1937, The 1938 coal production in the 15th | Bituminous District was 3,409,456 tons, a tonnage decrease of 913,448 from the | 1937 total output of 4,322,904 tons. { This was disclosed in the annual I report of State Mine Inspector Den- | nis J. Keenan of the fifteenth district, | which embraces Northern Cambria County and Alverda and Heilwood in Indiana county, Of the 1938 total, Camria county’s and Unemployment Compensation Di. | tonnage was 3,100,208 while the two | areas of the district in Indiana county produced the remaining 309,251 tons, Keenan's report showed that 3,360,111 tons of coal were shipped out of the district by rail in 1938, while 19,093 tons were shipped by truck, A total of 13,808 tons were used locally for do- mestic purposes, and an additional 16,. 444 tons were used for heat and pow- { er at mines, | | i Cutting machines were employed in | the production of 2,651,658 tons of coal | In the district, while 469 tons were | mined by pneumatic pick hammers, A | total of 553,912 tons were mechanically loaded. Five Fatal Mishaps. According to Keenan's report there were five fatal accidents last Year. This was a decrease of one fwom the toll of six fatalities in 1937. Other | statistics compiled by the mine inspec- | tor follow: { Mines. in distriet enreiins SE | Mines working 52 | Mines idle otis 42 | Small mines, not under law, | tonnage not reported 41 | Gaseous mines Sa | Non-gaseous mines 90 | Men engaged in industry 5,607 { Fatal accidents ....._.. i 8) | Tons per fatal accident. 681,891 Accidents more than 60 days | disability 104 | Accidents less than 60 ays dis- ! ability. | Total accidents . Pumps underground Capacity of pumps, gallons per minute... 68,266 Gallons discharged per minute | to surface ..... aeveseséesaines | Electric dynamos al Total kilowaits of dynamos | Electric trolley locomotives - Electric battery locomitives sone | Ponies and mules | Steam boilers ! { Internal combustion engines .._._. them any of the wages due from De- | Ajr compressors . soiiiem— 1h cember 16, 1938, to February 2, 1939, | Pounds of permissible explosive inclusive ,which amounts to $90,000. ysed _ ermsnorsrmemensens | 351,565 Officials of the Johnstown Coal and | Pounds black powder used ..._._ 53,215 Coke Company intimated also that in | Pounds of dynamite used . - 9,u00 [ the event they take over these mines | Open lights . 2,417 { large reductions in yardage and cross- | Flame safety lamps . 257 bar rates will be made. | Electric cap lamps i 2,350 “Otticials of District No. 2, U. M | Conveyors = ia 01 W .of A. were present and commend- | Coal cutting machines missense. SUG ed tne miners on the stand which they | Pneumatic pick hammers or took. The Beaverdale mines have been | Mine foremen and assistants - 92 closed down since February 2, it Fire bosses ... ebm nn ./29 which time officials of the Logan Coal | Superintendents and clerks : . 60 back wages as well as the pay due at that time could not be made because of the poor financial condition of the company, whereupon the employees refused to work further.” | | | | | | Company notified its employees that | | | | | | PUTTING THE HEAT ON THE WILLIAM J. BURNS “DETECTIVE” OUTFIT | New York.—A demand that the pri- | vate detective license of the William | J. Burns Agency be denied renewal was filed with Abraham Wechsler, the state director of licenses, by the Wark- ers defense league this week. A similar plea, made by the League and the CIO a few months ago result- ed in the Railway Audit and Inspec- tion Co. being banned from further activity in the Empire State. The League charged that “under the guise and protection of a previously issued license,” the Burns outfit had engaged “in unlawful acts and prac- | Industrial Collieries Corp. tices and violated the rights of work. ers guaranteed by the state and feder- tal constitutions and state and federal law.” Lord and Taylor, big Fifth avenue de- | partment store, were listed as firms which have used the agency for strike- breaking or espionage work. {NEW INVESTIGATOR NAMED IN THE COUNTY Ebensburg—Dudley R. Lansberry, dog law investigator of the State De- pariment of Agriculture, is now In charge of Cambria County, succeeding J. A. Risconsin of Altoona. Mr. Lans- berry announced yesterday all com- piants of damages done to livestock by dogs should be forwarded to him at Woodland, Pa. Christmas seals have been helping to fight tuberculosis since 1907. Standard Oil, Remington Rand, and , McCombie Coal Mining Co. .... | The Ebensburg Coal Company led | Production in the district with an out- | put of 1,031,932 tons. Pennsylvania | Coal and Coke Corporation was sec- | end with a tonnage of 501,107, while | Barnes Coal Company with a tonnage (of 371,751 was third. The 1938 production for each com- | pany in the 15th district follows: | Company Tonnage | Barnes Cont Co. . ... . 371,751 | Barnes and Tucker Co. __ 45,026 | Bear Rock Mining Co. ..... 31,iu2 { Beunier Coal Mining Co. 340V | Butterworth Coal Co. ..___ 2885 | Carrolitown Codl Co. | Cherry Tree Coal Co. | Cymbria Valley €oal Co. - 9,123 | Deringer Bros. ...... - -. 17,046 Duncan Spangler Coal Co. 2 10,106 | Ebensburg Coal Co. . 1,031,932 | Hastings Fuel Co. . 80,512 Hilvitz Coal Co. 2,103 A; BHeliz ...... 2,130 Homestead Coal Co. — 1,199 . 262,754 Kreval and Williams ___ 1,372 Linglett and Lansberry 1,073 Lanark Coal Co, .. . 93,204 Mannion Coal Corp. 1,023 46,50 Frank MeCombie _ 1,603 Patton Clay Mfg. Co. 4,927 Penna. Coal and Coke Corp. 501,1 Red Top Coat Co., Inc, 13,479 Reed Coal Mining Co. __ a ; Joseph H. Reilly Coal ; Rich Hill Coal Co. Schwab Coal Co. Sterling Coal Co. Walnut Run Coal Co. F. B. Wood Coal Mining Co Total _. 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