The Butler County press. [volume], February 20, 1931, Image 1

About The Butler County press. [volume] (Hamilton, Ohio) 1900-1946

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VOL. XXX. No. 45
Washington, D. C. (ILNS)—The
embargo which has been long sought
by the lumbermen of. this country
against soviet importations of lum
ber and pulp wood has been virtually
placed in effect by an order of the
treasury department this week. The
tjrea mry's order was issued under its
new convict labor regulations which
place upon the importer the burden
of proving that convict labor is not
employed. "Upon the evidence which
has been presented to me," is the
Wording of the order, "I have ascer
tained and hereby find, in pursuance
Of treasury decision 44385, of Novem
ber 24, 1930, that convict labor is used
i& the production of lumber and pulp
Wood in the following localities in
European Russia:
"Kola peninsula (including Mur
inan coast) Karelian Autononomous
S.
S. R. Northern Area Zyrvan
(Komi) Autonomous Area.
"Therefore, on and after the date
of the publication of this finding, col
lectors of customs will require com
pliance with the regulations published
as treasury decision 44385 upon the
importation of lumber or pulp wood
originating in the -localities specified
ahove, or articles manufactured or
produced in other localities from_ such
lumber or pulp wood."
Mellon Approves Order
The finding was signed by P. X. A.
Eble and approved by Secretary Mel
lon. In connection with the order, it
was stated at the bureau of customs
that all of European Russia above the
60th parallel is included in the terms
of the order. This embraces the heart
LONG WORK
Schedule Prevails in Amer
ica, Says Women's Bu
reau Director
Washington.—'The long work day
And the long work night prevail in
many parts of our country," said Miss
Mary Anderson, director Federal
Women's Bureau, in a press state
ment.
"Numerous workshops and mills
still hold to the schedule of 10 hours
a day and 11 hours a night," said
Miss Anderson.
"Though some employers proved
long ago that the shorter workday
assures profits to the firm and greater
health and happiness to employes.
Other employers persistently cling to
the theory that the long day is more
productive and, therefore, must be
continued in order to bring higher
dividends at the expense of the
workers,
"The Shorter workday is, to be sure,
not the cure-all for economic ills that
beset us, but would prove an effica
cious remedy if universally resortea
to.
"If we established throughout the
world .a reasonable working schedule
and by reasonable I do not mean, a
nine or ten-hour day, but one of eight
hours or less, and perhaps a five-day
week as well, we would go a long way
towards the goal of satisfactory set
tlement of unemployment difficulties-."
"RICH GROW RICHER"
SAYS LAWMAKER
Washington.—The claim that "the
rich grow richer and the poor grow
poorer" was proven by Congressman
Rankin with federal statistics sub
mitted to the house committee on
Ways and means in urging payment of
the soldiers' adjusted compensation
certificates.
"There has neVer been in all the
times of written history such a con
centration of wealth in the hands of
the rich and powerful now represent
ed by the great bondholders of Amer
ica as in the last four or five years,"
said Mr. Rankin.
Look for'
the Number
Treasury Bars Soviet
Lumber and Pulp Wood
Umber From Northern Russia Ordered Kept Out of
United States, Unless Importers Can Prove Importa
tions Are Not Product of Convict Labor—Amt.org
to Fight Embargo.
ALL WOOL ALL $22.50
Richman's Clothes
Made in Our Own Factory
And Sold Direct to You
No Middleman's Profit
Richman Bros. Co.
Hamilton, Oh|»^
128 High Street
OPEN UNTIL 9 P. M. SATURDAY
of the pulp wood district, which is at
Archangel, on the White sea.
Department records also show that
this is the second finding in the mat
ter of Russian imports, there having
been a previous finding concerning
the "dumping" of matches made in
Soviet Russia, and an anti-dumpfng
order issued restricting such imports.
Assistant Secretary Lowman said
that the intention of the Amtorg Cor
poration, soviet trading agency in the
United States, to test the treasury's
convict labor regulations in the courts
had been announced. He said that
pending the court tests, the treasury
would withhold the evidence on which
its order was based.
Exclusion Bill Given O. K.
Similar in effect is the intention of
a compromise bill which was approved
by the w^ays and means committee of
the house of representatives. This
bill, while not placing the burden of
proof on the importer, does allow the
treasury to use reports of its officers
and their- depositions as evidence in
enforcing the provisions of the bill
calling for the exclusion of products
of "forced-labor."
The chairman of the committee,
Congressman Hawley, of Oregon, said
that the original bill would have been
more effective, but that this is "better
than none." The bill will bring for
ward the effective date of these pi*o
visions, and make them applicable
after April 1 of this year. The 1930
act on this subject left the enforce
ment of the provision against forced
labor to take effect after January 1,
1932.
'In 1924 there were 75 people in the
United States with an annual income
of $1,000,000 and over. In 1928, four
years later, there were 511 in that
class. In 1927 there were 290. The
number had gone from 75 to 290 in
three years, and from 1927 to 1928
it went from 290 to 511.
"Take incomes of $1,000 .and un
der. In 1924 there were 344,876 in
that class. In 1928 there were 111,123.
While those with incomes of a mil
lion dollars a year were growing in
number from 75 in 1924 to 511 in
1928, increasing approximately seven
fold, those with incomes from a thou
sand dollars down fell from the num
ber of 344,876 to 111,123."
Congressman Rankin presented
other figures which show that in 1927
there were 187 corporations with in
comes of $5,000,000 and over. In the
following year there were 229 corpor
ations in the same class. s
"The number went from 187 to 229,
while those under a thousand dollars
fell from 70,299 to 68,466 for the same
years," said Mr. Rankin.
DISCONTINUE SUIT
AGAINSTTYPOS
Niagara Falls, N. Y. (ILNS)—By
an agreement reached after several
days of conferences the action started
by the American Sales Book Company
of Niagara Falls against striking
compositors and stereotypers at the
plant and the officers of labor unions
with which the strikers are affiliated
has been discontinued with the ap
proval of Supreme Court Justice Clin
ton T. Horton.
Sitting in at the conferences by
which the agreement was i*eached to
discontiue the cotfrt action were
Wesley L. Kester, president of Local
No. 233, International Typographical
Union, Niagara Falls A. G. Kron
berg, Detroit, Mich., representative of
the International Stereotypers and
Electrotypers' Union of North Amer
ica, and others. A modified form of
the injunction sued out by the em
ployers was made permanent.
A 50-foot barge is being welded
by electricity at Jacksonville, Fla.
It will be one of the few welded
vessels ever made.
Opposite
Court House
(Oopyritftt. W. tt. V.)
Washington, D. C. (ILNS)—Warn
ing that a campaign to lower the
wages of organized workers is close
at hand, is given by Edward F. Mc
Grady, legislative committeeman of
the American Federation and chair
man of the federation's southern or
ganizing campaign committee, in a
statement scoring-leaders of the wage
cutting movement as "avaricious,
short-sighted, un-American money
grabbers and money changers" who
care nothing for the national wel
fare.
The wage slashing campaign, Mr.
McGrady declares, will be led by
bankers and financiers and will be
designed to lower the wage scales and
living conditions of organized work
ers to enable American manufactur
ers to compete in foreign trade with
the wretchedly-paid labor of China,
Japan, Russia and other foreign na
tions.
Mr. McGradyV statement follows:
By Edward F. McGrady
There has been a persistent defla
tion of labor going on in this country
for a considerable period. The ad
monition of the president of Un
united States and some of the indus
trial leaders "that the wage levels
and purchasing power of the workers
must be maintained has been flouted
and the pay envelopes of the Amer
ican workers have gotten progres
sively thinner and thinner. These un
fortunate workers were not able to
protect themselves. They are largely
the unorganized workers.
Second Offensive Near
The second offensive against the
best paid workers in the United States
is about to begin. This offensive is
designed to slash-the wage scales and
living conditions of the organized
workers who, despite every sort of
pressure, have up to the present time
maintained their tsandards.
The leaders in this second wage
slashing campaign are composed of
bankers and financiers. The most ac
tive in this group are Eugene R.
Black, governor of the Federal Re
serve Bank of Atlanta John W. Bar
ton, former president of the National
Bank division of the American Bank
ers' Association Rome C. Stevenson,
president of the American Bankers'
Association Thomas F. Wallace,
president of the National Association
of Mutual Savings Banks, and Albert
Wiggs, chairman of the govern
ng board of the Chase National Bank.
Say Living Standards Too High
They are persistently advocating
hat the living standards of the work
ers of the United States are too high
i.hat in order to bring about increased
American output of manufactured
£oods, they must be manufactured
:heap enough to enable them to com
pete with the cheaply made products
)f Europe and Asia, and to accom
plish this the American worker must
come down nearer to the standards of
living to bg. found in other parts of
che world.
In other trords they are saying
that the difference between good
times and hard times in America de
iJends upon the amount of- goods we
SAy W you 60V5
kNCW "tiHAT S
0IRTHPAV 0CAAES ON SUNtW
1ftiS
Financiers Lead Deflation Move,McGrady Asserts
Southern Organizing Committee Head Sees Drive to Meet
Competition of Low Paid Foreign Workers
HAMILTON, OHIO, FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 1931
What Are We Going to Do About It?
HAT mews WE
tiOSE H0OW/,
(SEE
ampaign to Cut Union Wages
Drawing Near, Labor Is Warnet
are able to export, and if we are to
successfully compete and sell on
equal terms with European and Asi
atic manufacturers, our production
costs must come down to the cost of
production in these foreign countries.
National Welfare Ignored
These avaricious, short-sighted and
un-American money grabbers and
money changers care nothing for the
national welfare care nothing for hu
man welfare, and, as has been well
stated, "are ready to commit suicide
to make a profit."
In order to hold and increase our
foreign markets, these bankers would
have the American workers and man
ufacturers meet the following com
petition:
In China and Japan the workers in
manufacturing industries receive from
10 cents per day to $20 per month for
a 10 to 13-hour work day, where farm
hands receive from $6 to $25 a year
with board.
In ^France where the workers in
manufacturing industries receive
from HVz to 22 cents per hour.
In Germany where they receive
from 17 cents to 39 cents per hour.
In Austria where they receive from
$3.50 to $13 per week.
In Italy from 5% cents to 18 cents
per hour.
In Belgium from 6M cents to 18
cents per hour.
In Russia where they have inden
tured, forced and convict labor work
ing in the forests, mines and indus
tries where there are at the present
moment 662,000 convicts in camps
cutting lumber, mining coal or man
ganese, and it is predicted that be
cause of this forced labor they will
take away our foreign markets in oil,
wheat, lumber and cotton in the next
four years.
Do the bankers and financiers want
American labor to have its woi'king
conditions destroyed and its stand
ards of living brought down to the
level of convicts, forced and inden
tured labor in order that we might
compete with this class of work to
hold our markets?
Plan Will Be Fought
I have every confidence in the cour
ageous and intelligent leadership of
the American trade union movement
to militantly fight against this plan
of deflation. If these bankers and in
dustrialists should be successful over
the vigorous protest of American la
bor in destroying our living stand
ards, I predict there will be an in
dustrial revolt.
The American workers have pa
tiently and silently stood by all
through the present period of depres
sion. They did so because many of
them felt that this situation was tem
porary that conditions had arisen
over which we had no control, but
that this situation would soon pass
away and our former prosperity and
living standards would be returned.
But once they appreciate the fact that
there is an organized group in this
country who are determined to make
"TP/ATS
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the present conditions of misery pe
manent, you may rest assured that
our leaders and our workers will be
heard from, not only in the industrial
fields of the nation, but at the ballot
boxes in the elections.
CLIMATE NO REMEDY
FOR WHITE PLAGUE
Washington. Medical men arc
abandoning the theory that certain
climates will cure tuberculosis, declar
ed the Federal Public Health Service.
'The home climate, even if it is the
worst in the world, is best if proper
medical and nursing care is available
there but lacking elsewhere."
Read the Press.
Y
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By STAFF CORRESPONDENT
Danville, Va. (ILNS)—Following
an investigation by Acting General
Waller, representing Gov. Pollard, and
a conference with the management
committee representing the local tex
tile union, the soldiers quartered in
the Danville strike area for four
months were ordered taken on. They
left Monday.
General Waller said he saw no fur
ther need of troops here, although he
admitted that when he came he
thought it would be better to keep
the soldiers on the job so that he
might be able to "help feed the desti
tute" by suppplying army rations. The
union officials told the general thert
was no need for troops since the
strike had been called off in conform
ity with an "understanding" between
neutral persons and the mills. Ap
proximately 250 troopers had been
doing strike deputy duty the last few
weeks, the force having been cut from
time to time from 900 men.
It was said that Gov. Pollard did
not wish to send troops into the strike
area, but that "he had to" when the
local peace authorities laid down on
the job and passed the buck to the
state. Under the Virginia law the
state's chief executive has no power
to remove incompetent county peace
officers, but it is mandatory for him
to "keep order," even if he has to
send in soldiers, Gen. Waller said.
Labor Backs Removal Bill
Officers and members of the Vir
ginia State Federation of Labor are
getting behind a bill to be presented
to the Virginia legislature whereby
the governor will be empowered to re
move any peace officer found derelict
in his duty and appoint a successor.
The status of the mill workers who
voted to call off the strike has im
proved but little, although some
strikers have been taken back into the
mills. Others have been told they
could return to work if they gave up
their union cards, which they have
refused to do. The union is still
standing pat on the proposed under
standing to the effect that the strik
ers would resume their jobs without
discrimination and without any ques
tion as to their unionism. "It is gen
erally understood that the matter is
OQOf\
./V\/
Y
Quality Bedroom Furniture Is
Bottom Prices NOW
Present values in bedroom furniture are the delight and amaze
ment of all who see them. You have no idea what really beautiful
bedroom furniture is available at prices that are almost unbelievably
low. We do not believe that you Will ever again see the equal of pres
ent values, so take immediate advantage of them.
Convenient Credit Terms Arranged
Practically everyone buys a major item like furniture on credit.
This plan gives you immediate possession, and you enjoy the beauty
and comfort of your purchase while taking care of the balance in
convenient amounts out of income!
See Our 4'Piece
Suite for
Soldiers Quit Danville
Aid Still Badly Needed
Necessity for Food and Medicine for Families of Mill
Employes is Growing More Apparent—Some Workers
Denied Jobs Unless They Give LTp Union Cards.
Better Furniture Values at Krebs y
ONE DOLLAR PER YEAR
still a subject of conference as to
why the proposal has not been put
into effect.
Meanwhile the necessity for still
providing food and medicine for the
workers is growing more apparent,
the epidemic of flu which swept Dan
ville has passed its peak, although
hundreds of cases are still reported.
Workers, organizers, strike officials
and plain citizens of Danville have all
been laid up because of the disease.
In many cases the disease was in
tensely severe and some deaths-from
complications reported.
SAY RAIL MERGERS
NOT FEASIBLE
Washington.—The chief counsel of
the senate interstate commerce com
mittee made an adverse report on the
railroad merger plan sponsored by
President Hoover.
The counsel contends that "there
exists no reasonable evidence that the
weak road problem will be solved by
a policy of consolidation" and that
"there is no definite evidence that con
solidations will result in substantial
economies."
The committee's counsel says a
complete grouping of railroads ^will
not be carried out under a voluntary
system because the strong, dividend
paying roads refuse to take over weak
roads unless the transactions are
commercially justifiable. A compul
sory system, he holds, "cannot be put
into effect because one carrier cannot
be compelled to acquire another.
"In view of the position of the
stronger roads as to the acquisition of
unprofitable weak roads, and in the
light of the history of the last ten
years, there exists no reasonable
ground for belief that the weak road
problem will be solved by a policy of
consolidation."
The counsel's report is along the
general lines held by Senator Couz
ens, chairman of the senate commit
tee, who is the author of a resolution
to halt railroad consolidations pend-^
ing regulation of holding companies.
The resolution has been held up in
the house.
Admittedly
$
THIRD AND COURT
155
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