Ee
A GENERAL NEWSPAPER DEVOTED TO THE INTERESTS
OF ORGANIZED LABOR IN CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA.
UNION
Union Press, Established May, 1935.
Recognized and Endors-
ed by More Than Fifty
Local Unions and Cen-
tral Bodies Over Cam-
bria County and Ad-
jacent Mining Areas.
Crea
Patton Courier, Established
AN ATTAINMENT OF THE LARGEST GENERAL WEEKLY
NEWSPAPER CIRCULATION IN CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA.
IAAT,
Our Shop Is Equipped
to Po Job Printing of
All Kinds. Nothing Too
Large or Too Small
We Cater Especially to
Local Union, Printing.
Oct., 1893,
VOL. 45. NO. 25.
“HER
CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA AREA.
THURSDAY, MARCH 30, 1939
723 South Fifth Ave.
PATTON. PA.
SUBSCRIPTION, $2.00 PER YEAR
MINE HOLIDAY
TO BE OBSERVED
BY NANTY-GLO
Nerth County Industrial Union
Council Asks Unions to At-
ted on John Lewis Day.
In the western part of the state,
steel, glass and aluminum workers
will join other union members next
Saturday in the bituminous coal
fields in the 1939 observance of John
L. Lewis Day—a traditional holiday
in the mines.
So far as we have een able to as-
certain no major observance in being
held in the north of the county— but
the Nanty-Glo Local Union is plan-
ning for a gala day, with a big par-
ade and prominent speakers, and they
have issued a cordial invitation to the
northern Cambria miners, as well as
all union men and women generally,
to come and assist in the observance.
The seven hour day was establish-
ed in the bituminous mines on April
1st, 1934. That date since has been
recognized in UMW contracts as a hol-
iday. Because it falls this year on Sat-
urday—a slack day in mill and factory
thousands of workers in other indus-
tries aside from mining will take part
with the miners in paying tributes to
Mr. Lewis. Especially will this be
the case among Congress of Industrial
Organization Unions.
The Northern Cambria Industrial
Union Council, at its regular meeting
last week in Moose Hall in Barnes-
boro, endorsed the Nanty-Glo observ- |
ance and urges its affiliates and all | urged by some
others to take part in that program.
In this connection, Joseph Jones, of
St. Benedict, secretary of the Industrial
Union Council, sends this paper the
following message of invitation to all
local unions:
“To organized labor:
“The Northern Cambria Industrial
Union Council, extends a cordial invi-
tation to all Loeal Unions, not having
any progra mof their own Saturday,
John L. Lewis Day, to spend April 1st
at a monster rally at Nanty-Glo. The
parade will start at 10 a. m., and very
gooa speakers will be present.
Joe Jones, Secretary.”
| 0CAL WPA AREA
SAID FACING BIG
CURTAILMENT
From Fifteen to Twenty-five
Per Cent of Pay Roll to Be
Lopped Off.
|Although the full extent of the
contemplated reduction in Pennsylva-
nia Works Progress Administration
rolls has not been fixed indications
point to the fact that four county
Area 11 faces a fifteen to twenty-five
per cent cut in its present force of ap-
proximately 13,000 workers.
Using 13,000 employes as a basis for
figuring, a 15 per cent slash would
mean the dismissal of 1,950 men and
women and a 25 per cent cut would
mean the lay off of 3,250 employes.
WPA Area 11 includes Cambria, Som-
erset, Bedford, and Blair counties.
During his visit to the Johnstown
WPA headquarters last week,
Saturday of this week.
Over the week end, however, Act-
ing WPA administrator E. C. Smith,
Jr., asserted that unless sponsoring ag-
encies pay up delinquent contributions
to the various work relief projects, the
retrenchment may hit as high as 50,-
000 project workers within the next
month.
Sources close to Smith said he was
considering scaling down the WPA
employment quota from its present
figure of approximately 239,000 to
204,000, and considered 175,000 workers
as the “most effective load for Penn-
sylvania,” unless new projects are
sponsored.
FIGHT WILL BE MADE
TO RETAIN MINE MEET
FOR EBENSBURG FAIR
Efforts to continue holding of the
state-wide first-aid meet at Ebensburg
State | succeed Paul Gardner, was announced
Director of Operations Joseph M. Nel- | by D. C. Stackpole, district engineer of
son indicated a 15 per cent cut, basing | District 9, which ]
his estimate on the 36,000 reduction or- | County. Mr. Altemus assuemd his du-
dered by Federal Administrator F. C.|ties on Wednesday. He will receive an
Harrington for the state by April 1st— | annual salary of $2,400. Mr. Gardner,
{ho has been in charge of the state
WCANN ENTERS
NAME FOR THE
SUPREME COURT
Will Seek Democratic Nomina-
tion in September Primaries—
Assured G.0.P. Help, Too.
President Judge John H. McCann of
Ebensburg, is a candidate for justice
of the State Supreme Court.
This definite announcement was |
made during the week by the Ebens-
burg jurist. He threw his hat in the
ring after consultation with scores of
friends—Democrats and Republicans |
throughout the state during the past |
few weeks.
“l have definitely decided to be a
candidate for the Democratic nomina- |
tion for Justice of the State Supreme |
Court in the September primaries,” |
Judge McCann said. “While the law
would permit me to run on as many |
tickets as I choose, I do not consider
it good sportsmanship to enter the Re-
publican primaries. It would not be
fair to the candidates of that party 10 |
enter its primary. I have been assured, |
however, by many Republican friends, |
ber election.
“I will conduct a clean campaign. at- |
tacking no one. I will stand on my rec- |
ord and expect to obtain the nomina- |
tion without any trouble although 1
will carry the campaign into every |
county in the state.” |
It is known that Judge McCann was |
of his Republican |
friends to enter their party's primaries.
They offered to circulate petitions for
him, but he rejected the proposals. Pe-
titions to have his name placed on the |
Democratic ballot, however., will be |
circulated in every county in the state |
the jurist said. |
The Ebensburg jurist, who seeks to
succeed Justice John W. Kephart. has |
been a vote getter. He was elected to |
the common pleas court in 1920. and |
again in 1930, being the only jurist |
ever reelected to succeed himself to |
the common pleas bench ‘in this coun- |
ty. He led the judicial tickets at both
clections. His present term would ex-|
pire in January, 1941. In the event of |
his election to the supreme court, his |
place on the county court would be |
filled by appointment of Gov. James. |
The appointment, however, would on- |
ly be until the election of next year.
Judge McCann is the first Democrat |
definitely to announce his candidacy |
for the Kephart place. It is believed |
however, that Judge M. A. Musmanno |
of Allegheny county, will also enter,
and Judge Sara M. Soffel also of Al-|
legheny county, will probably be a
candidate on both Republican and |
Democratic tickets at the primaries, |
while it is believed that Judge Marion |
D. Patterson of Blair county will be |
among the Republican entrants |
|
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| THOMAS L. ALTIMUS OF |
; COLVER IS NAMED AS |
COUNTY HIGHWAY HEAD
Thomas L. Altimus, of Colver, a su-
pervisor of Cambria township, was ap-
pointed Tuesday to be superintendent |
o fmaintenance for the State Highway
Department in Cambria Coanty. The
appointment of Mr. Altimus, who will
includes Cambria
highway office at Ebensburg since Au-
gust 17th, concluded his duties Tues-
day. : |
The new highway superintendent
has been engaged in road and con-
tracting work for the last seven years.
He had previously been employed as a
locomotive engineer by the New York
Central Railroad and as a fireman by
the Pennsylvania railroad.
Mr. Altimus was born in Buffington
Township, Indiana county, April 1st,
1890. He attended the public schools in
that township and later attended two
summer session of the old Ebensburg
Normal School. He is married and the
futher of three children. No changes
in the personnel of the department at
Ebensburg are contemplated immedia-
tely.
MEETING OF HOSPITAL
UNION COMMITTEE ON
will be made at a meeting to be held
on Saturday afternoon at 2 o'clock at
the U. . Bureau of Mines, Pittsburgh. |
For the past five years the annual|To All Local Unions in this area:
meet, which attracts hundreds of min-
ers from all sections of the state, has| ternoon, April 2, 1939, iat 2 o’clock p.
ben held on the concluding day of the m. ,in the St. Benedict Local Union
Cambria county fair. However, an at-| hall, to discuss the problems and in-
tempt is being made to have the meet | terests of the miners in the affairs of
staged this year in South Park, Alle-| the Miners’ Hospital of Northern Cam-
gheny county.
A determined fight will be made to
hold the affair in this county.
SUNDAY, ST. BENEDICT
St. Benedict, Pa., Mar. 27, 1939
A meeting is called for Sunday af-
bria, Spangler. Kindly arrange to
have representation preset.
Joe Jones, Secretary.
MINE PEACE
Neither Operators or United Mine Workers Representatives Have
Given Up Hope for Settlement
on Friday Night of the Presen
New York.—A committee of eight
assigned the task of negotiating a
wage and hour contract for the bi-
tuminous industry before the dead-
line on Friday night, had reached
no conclusions on Tuesday night. ’
Working to prevent any possibil-
ity of a shut-down in the industry
when the present contract expires
March 31st, the four representatives
of each of the Appalachian operators
and the United Mine Workers of
America, took up the job with which
the joint committee of 32 had strug-
gled for nine days.
James Dewey, commissioner of the
U. S. Department of Labor, sat in a
nearby room as the negotiators talk-
ed for two and one-half hours be-
fore adjourning until Wednesday.
He said he had been in touch with
both sides but there was no indica-
tion the conferees would ask his as-
sistance.
“No conclusions have been reach-
15 HOPEFUL
of Contract Before the Deadline
t Week.
( ed by the committee,” said John L.
Lewis, president of the miners. “The
committee continued its-diseussions,
probably in a more informal way
than was possible in the larger meet-
ings.” Charles O’Neill of New York,
the operators’ spokesman, nodded as-
sent.
Official spokesmen for the two
groups gave no hint of whether the
day’s developments had narrowed
the gulf which separated labor and
management at the start; but infor-
mally operators said they expected a
contract to cover wages, nours and
conditions of employment for the
338,000 miners in the Appalachian
area would be signed before Friday
night.
P. C. Thomas, of Pitisburgh, and
one of the eperators’ officials, speak-
ing of Dewey’s presence, said: “The
industry is quite able to settle its
own affairs, and does not need fed-
LABOR PARLEYS
YIELD LITTLE
WITH MEETINGS
Federation and CIO Continue
Debate on Proposals that Fail.
ed Two Years Ago.
Peace talks between the American
Federation of Labor and the Congress
of Industrial Organizations recessed
last Friday until March 30th after a
seven-hour conference in which it was
stated both factions showed sincere de-
sire to end their feud and make pro-
gress toward that end.
The conversations will be resumed
in New York where John L. Lewis,
head of the United Mine Workers and
| president of the C. I. O,, is negotiating
a new wage contract with the Ap-
palacian soft coal operators.
The two peace groups met and were
| joined by Secretary o fLabor Frances
Perkins. She spent three and one-
half hours with the conferees and on
emerging said that “some progress”
was being made. She cautioned re-
porters against forecasting an early
eral intervention.”
POSITION
that if I obtain the Democratic nom- |
ination—and I am confident that LEWIS S I A ; ES | HE i 10
will have their support in the Nc vem- |
Strikes Back Vigorously at Enemies of Congress of Industrial Or- |
ganizations Who Have Been Trying to Pin a “Red” Label on It.
Asks Peace on An Honorable Basis.
New York.—The CIO has accepted
the President's invitation without
qualification and will discuss any sug-
gestions for labor unity that may be
made at conferences with the AFL,
but its unions will not let themselves '
be chopped to pieces as the price of
unity, President John L. Lewis of the
CIO declared in a speech before the
Tri-District (Anthracite) convention
of the United Mine Workers of Am-
erica.
“The great industrial organizations
comprising the CIO, do not propose to |
dissolve themselves and cut themsel-
ves up into a multitude of pieces as
the quid pro quo of becoming associa-
ted with the AFL,” he said. }
The CIO unions, Lewis added “will
not swallow poison and go off and die
{| merely to please those advocates and
| supporters of craft unionism who re-
sent the fact that labor has organized
through the medium of industrial un-
ion philosophy and intends to contin-
ue its work of reorganization and the
attainment of its logical objectives.
| America needs these unions in the
mass production industry.”
The CIO leader struck back vigor-
ously at enemies of the CIO who have
been trying to pin a “red” label on It.
“It will not avail for the enemies of
labor,” he said, “to issue their fulmin-
ations against the CIO on the ground
that it is less respectable or less vir- |
tuous or less sanctimonius than the
previously organized AFL.
“For be it known that the man, who- |
ever he may be, on the street corners, |
in the counting houses, in the market
places, or in the Congress of the Uni- |
ted States, who makes the charge that |
the CIO is an un-American institution
that is composed of Communists and
has a leadership responsive to Com-
munist principles, that man is a
knave, a liar and a poltroon.
“And that statement is just as broad
as a barn door and just as high as a
| church steeple, so that it will take in|
anyone who may come
| scope.”
While emphasizing the sincere de-
| sire of the CIO for real labor unity,
Lewis warned that if the AFL leaders
reject unity and continue to harass
within its
change its present attitude. |
“If peace with the AFL comes. well |
and good,” he said. “Labor will be the
beneficiary and the country will have
reason to rejoice,
“If peace upon an honorable and |
reasonable basis fails to come from
these conferences, then the CIO will
change its policy. It policy has been
cne that has been merely defensive in
its attitude toward the AFL.
“The CIO did not start out to re- |
organize the organized. It started ou: |
to organize the unorganized. The CIO |
has not struck back from the foul
blows delivered to it by the AFL. It
has not organized unions to absorb ex-
isting unions of the AFL. But the AFL
now is organizing unions to absorb the
unions in the CIO.
“Even in our own industry the AFL
has chartered puny little sickly group
in the mining industry to try to de-
stroy the United Mine Workers of Am-
erica. {
“Well, the CIO will not long toler- |
ate that policy, because the CIO is ca- |
pable of doing more than merely de- |
fending itself. The CIO is capable of |
inflicting injury upon an adversary.
the CIO unions, the CIO may have to | ©! 0 the C. I O.s request for infor-
Kitchen scissors are more conven-
tent than a knife for trimming
edges of a pie crust.
—
JAN GARBER AND HIS ORCH
PATRONS OF THE
TRADITIONAL EASTER MONDAY
ESTRA WILL THRILL THE
DANCE AT SUNSET AUDITORIUM ON TENTH OF APRIL
The traditional Easter Monday Ball
at. Sunset, Pennsylvania's finest ball-
room, Route 219, near Carrolltown,
will bring Jan Garber, “Idol of the Air-
lanes” and his great band, marking
Te ——
: Void oY
JAN GARBER
Orchestra Leader—~Radio Artist
their first appearance in three years at |
this famous spot, Monday, April 10th.
For the past twenty odd years, Eas-
ter Monday and Sunset have been
synonymous with dance lovers thro-
ughout western Pennsylvania. Each
succeeding year brings new faces, al-
ong with those who have made the
popular ball room their rendezvous for
many years.
Garber brings with him for his en-
gagement here, his talented bevy of
radio stars, including Lee Bennett,
Lois Kaye, Fritz Heilbron, and Rudy
Rudisill, who have been featured with
the band from the Blackhawk Res-
taurant in Chicago, where they played
a record engagement last winter.
As usual, the beautiful ball room is
undergoing many improvements and
changes for the coming season. Addi-
tional tables have been installed, mak-
ing a seating capacity for several hun-
dred more people, Perhaps the biggest
improvement of all is the parking lot,
which has been completely covered
with shale, assuring dry parking under
any weather conditions. A crew of
men have been working on this pro-
ject for nearly a year. Adequate heat-
ing facilities are assured, should wea-
ther conditions warrant.
Beginning Friday, April 14th, the
regular wekly dance will continue, fea-
turing popular priced road bands, as
has been the Sunset policy in the past.
|
ml [2 a milion different problems—and
settlement in view of the multiple
problems involved.
“So far as I can make out, they are
getting along in some fashion,” she
said. “There have been certain fun-
damental problems defined — and that
means progress.”
Chairman Harry C. Bates of the A.
F. of L. negotiators and spokesman
| for the conferees, was not as optimis-
tic as was Mme. Perkins, but he in-
dicated that the meeting took place in
j an atmosphere of sincerity and that a
| real effort was being made to end the
| labor schism.
“We discussed at some length the
situation that confronts us and the pro-
| positions submitted,” he said. “Both
| sides have endeavored thoroughly and
the viepoint advanced by each side
| has been given consideration by the
others.”
Although he would not go beyond
that statement, it was understood that
| the conversations revolved abbout the
| reply of the A. F. L. Executive Coun-
|
{ mation on whether the 12 C. 1 0
the
readmitted as
unions which formerly were in
Federation would be
| as constituted or whether they would
be asked to drop new members re-
cruited in fields outside of their ori-
ginal jurisdiction.
The answer, it was said, was neither
‘yes’ nor “no.” The A. F. of L. group
1s reported to have pointed out that
the constitution of the Federation does
not give the peace committee or even
the A. F. of L. Executive Council the
right to sign away to one union cer-
tain jurisdiction previously granted to
another.
The position of the A. F. of L. nego-
tiators was that in cases where juris-
diction assumed by the C. I. O. unions
overlaps the field held by a Federa-
| tion union, the waiver of jurisdictional
rights would have to come from the
A. F. 'L. union ‘involved before ‘it
could be farmally approved by the
Federation.
A. F. L. Vice President Thomas Ric-
kert, a member of the negotiating com-
mittee, said that the committees’ task
“was far from hopeless.”
“But all we can do is just keep on
| talking,” he said. “There are seeming-
it might take two years or two days to
the | settle them. We might hit on the right
formula at any minute and peace then
would be easy.”
UNION IS PROTESTING
HIGHWAYS SHAKEUP
Harrisburg — Charges that the Ja-
raes Administration dismissed union
members employed by the state De-
partment of Highways were aired on
Sunday at a meeting of the executive
board of the State, County and Muni-
cipal Workers Union in Pittsburgh.
The purpose of the meeting was to
meet the threat of dismissals “hanging
over the heads of thousands of union
members.”
“When we asked for a meeting with
I. Lamont Hughes, secretary of high-
ways,” the union stated, “he replied
that the Republicans were firing Dem-
ccrats just as Democrats fired Repub-
licans.”
SHERIFF DAVIS NAMED
TRUSTEE FOR INDIANA
Governor James appointed Sheriff
Cyrus W. Davis, of Conemaugh, and
Mrs. Jennie S. Reed of Indiana, to
the board of trustees of Indiana State
Teachers’ College. Their names were
sent to the senate for confirmation on
Monday.
Appointment of Sheriff Davis and
Mrs. Reed gives the board a quorum
for the first time since the old board
was removed by Governor James ear-
ly in February.
———————————
Butter should be thoroughly crea-
med before it is used for sandwich
making.
GOVERNMENT'S
WORKERS NOW
ARE TAXABLES
Federal, State, County and Mu-
nicipal Employes’ Salaries
Can Be Tapped, Also.
Washington. — In a historic 6-to-2
decision, the Supreme Court Monday
wiped outwiped out the income tax
immunity of 3,800,000 persons employ-
ed by federal, state, municipal, county
and other governments.
Sharply reversing a trend of decis-
ions that extended far back into the
16th Century, the tribunal declared
that the federal government and sta-
tes would not hamper or burden each
other's activities unconstitutionally if
they taxed each other’s employes.
The decision, in effect, gave judicial
sanction to half of the Roosevelt pro-
gram calling for reciprocal taxation of
federal and state salaries and securi-
ties. Moreover, the broad language of
the decision buoyed hopes of adminis-
tration men that the way was cleared
for wiping out immunities on the in-
come from future issues of securities.
Federal revenue officials estimated
they could get $16,000,000 a year by
taxing the salaries of state and local
employes. There was no immediate es-
timates of the sums the states would
cellect because the rates in the 33
states which have income taxes vary
widely.
The federal government has about
1,200,000 employes, while the state and
local governments have 2,600,000. Al-
though the immunity of all has been
abolished, many of them will not, in
fact, have to pay income taxes, be-
cause their salaries fall below the
exemptions granted in income tax law,
In addition several state income tax
laws specifically exempt all federal
salaries, and it is assumed these laws
must be amended before the states can
proceed to tax the salaries.
175T0 TAKE MINE
EXAMINATIONS IN
INDIANA CHURCH
Tests Will Cover Men from the
North ef Cambria and Will be
Held April 3rd and 4th.
Among those taking the state mine
examinations at Indiana on April 3rd
and 4th, will be 175 applicants from
the fifteenth bituminous district of
which Dennis J. Keenan is inspector.
A large number from the 25th and the
20th districts also are planning to take
the tests scheduled to be given in the
First Methodist Church, in Indiana.
Applicants for chief mine electrici-
ans and second grade mine foreman
certificates will attend the examina-
tion on April 3rd, while applicants for
first grade mine foremen will appear
on both days. Fire boss applicants are
scheduled to take the tests April 4th.
The following number of applicants
have registered from the 19th district:
Chief mine electrician, 27; second
grade mine foreman, 52; first grade
mine foreman, 40; and fire boss, 56.
The examining board includes W. D.
Wardrop, inspector of the 25th dis-
trict, chairman; George J. Steinheiser,
inspector of the 15th district, secretary,
and Dennis Keenan, associate inspect-
or.
50 PER CENT DECLINE
IN STRIKES DURING 1938
‘The Labor Department at Washing-
ton reported Monday night that strikes
declined fifty per cent during 1938
and that American trade unions push-
ed their membership above 8,000,000
for the first time in history.
An article entitled “Industrial Re-
lations in 1938,” appearing in the mon-
thly labor review for March, said that
sit down strikes “greatly decreased” in
the year, and attributed the drop to
“unfavorable public opinion” and a
feeling on the part of unions that that
form of labor weapon is “inadvisable
and unneeessary.”
MINERS AND OPERATORS
BOTH WANT AN OIL TAX
New York.—Representatives of the
bituminous eoal operators and the Un-
ited Mine Workers of America went
on record en Monday with a request
that Congress enact an excise tax of 3
cents a gallon on fuel oil imports as
a means of protecting American oil
and coal from “exceedingly destruc-
tive competition.”
“Half the world is on the wrong
scent in the pursuit of happiness. They
think it comsists in having and get-
ting, and being served bv others, It
consists in giving amd + cerving
others”