The Butler County press. [volume], December 26, 1941, Image 1

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

Image provided by: Ohio History Connection, Columbus, OH

                
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Washington, D. C.—Far out in the
Pacific Ocean, on tiny island outposts
of America's vital defenses, hundreds
of courageous American Federation of
Labor members flung down the tools
of their trade, picked up whatever
weapons were at hand and fought
valiantly side by side with American
Marines and soldiers against the
treacherous and deadly attacks of
vastly superior Japanese forces!
This was the electrifying news con
veyed to the headquarters of the
American Federation of Labor by the
Navy Department!
"These civilian workers gave a very
good account of themselves," said the
terse Navy Department informant.
Although the news reports were
meager and details lacking, it was
learned that American Federation of
Labor building trades workers en
gaged in actual fighting on Guam, Mir
way and Wake Islands.
There were 700 workers stationed
at Midway, 400 at Guam and a small
number at Wake, according to infor
mation reaching the Building and Con
struction Trades Department here. In
addition, 10,000 A. F. of L. workers
were last reported at Honolulu and a
similar number in the Philippine
Islands. They were sent out to the
Pacific outposts to build fortifications
and airplane bases and were caught
in the middle of the war when Japan
launched its unheralded and treach
erous attacks.
The fate of the 400 workers at
Guam is considered especially desper
ate in view of the official Navy an
nouncement that this island "prob
ably" was captured by the Japanese
after severe fighting. However, at
the other islands, the workers, at last
report, were still fighting side-by-side
with the nation's armed forces in
heroic fashion.
Even as this news from the war
front was received, the Building and
Construction Trades Department in
the nation's capital took immediate
steps to throw in its entire resources
behind America's war effort.
President John P. Coyne summoned
a special meeting of the presidents
of all affiliated unions. At this meet
ing General Brehon Somervell and Ad
miral Ben Moreel outlined the Army
and Navy's construction needs and
the union officials pledged every effort
to more than meet all requirements.
A resolution was adopted both by
the meeting of general presidents and
by the department's executive council
providing:
1—That there shall be no strikes for
any reason whatever on defense con
struction projects and that all labor
disputes shall be settled by the con
ciliation and arbitration machinery set
up under the department's stabiliza
tion agreement with the government.
2—That rules and regulations with
reference to practice and custom be
waived when necessary to make pos
sible the employment of building
tradesmen with general construction
experience, rather than to take in in
experienced men and that regulations
—'Tie "The Banner of the
Free"—Now is the time to show
the world which Flag you stand
for. Display a Flag in your
home, office and store, every
day.
We Have a Large Stock
MADE IN AMERICA
Silk, Wool, Cotton and Paper
WiTTMAN TENT and
AWNING CO.
Phone 1611 Second & Sycamore
Hamilton, Ohio
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Heroic AFL Workers Fight Japs
At Side of Marines In Pacific
Join in Defense of Islands as Unions at Home Give Army
and Navy All-out Co-operation Navy Dept. Says
Workers "Gave Good Account of Themselves."
CHICAGO MARKET CO.
Front and High Sis. Phone 5000
CHUCK ROAST-CHOICE BEEF... 22c
STEAK-CHOICE SIRLOIN ». 25c
PURE PORK 17c
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regarding apprentice time serving be
suspended for the emergency to per
mit qualified apprentices to do jour
neymen's work.
3—That every effort be made to
supply adequate numbers of skilled
workers on all projects, even when two
or three-shift employment on a seven
day week basis is necessary.
"We dedicate ourselves to do every
thing possible to aid in the defense of
our country," said the resolution.
RED CROSS
CAMPAIGN
Hamilton has raised $8,000 toward
the $35,000 goal set for Hamilton
chapter, American Red Cross, in the
fifty-million-dollar war relief drive.
Contributions are received at head
quarters, 209 South Second Street.
Lucian L. Kahn, president of Ham
ilton chapter, and chairman of the
drive, thanking Hamiltonians for their
encouraging response, said that "it is
not enough to support the President
and our fighting men at the front, but
that every true American must assure
her wounded, homeless and suffering
fellow citizens in the Pacific islands
that America stands 100 per cent
ready to aid them through the Red
Cross.
"Our challenge to the dictator na
tions can be made through the sup
port of the Red Cross, in terms of
money, supplies, sacrifice, and hard
work.
CHRISTMAS SEAL
SALE INSURES AID
The early increase shown in the sale
of Christmas Seals is falling off, ac
cording to Mrs. Frank Suma, general
chairman of the campaign. "Although
the Tuberculosis Association's receipts
show an increase of over five hundred
dollars over the 1940 sale, late returns
are falling off rapidly," Mrs. Suma
said.
The Tuberculosis Association's ap
peal for funds is very important, es
pecially in this time of world crises,
Mrs. Suma pointed out, "as our pro
gram includes health for our own local
community. If our tuberculosis pro
gram is to be continued in the proper
manner in 1942, we will need addi
tional funds to set it on its way."
Conferring with chairmen of the
various committees, Mrs. Suma re
ported that the personal solicitation
is practically completed and that the
school sale of bangle pins, held last
Friday, will add to the receipts already
received.
Co-Chairmen Named
For Birthday Event
Middletown, Ohio. Carl Rossfeld
was appointed chairman of the Mid
dletown celebration of the President's
birthday and Miss Clara Mae Yorgen
was named co-chairman by Charles
Reuthe, Butler County chairman, this
week. Reuthe's appointment was pre
ceded by the announcement that he
had been certified as county chairman
by J. E. Trautman, state director of
the President's birthday ball celebra
tion. Reuthe will be in charge of set
ting up committees iii Hamilton and
Oxford.
Two Permits Total $8,200
Two permits for construction cost
ing $8,200 were issued this week by
Frank E. Weaver, city building in
spector. They went to Bell Burial
Vault Company, 804 Belle Avenue,
$3,700 factory building, and Ray
Dwelley, Princeton, $4,500 residence,
Campbell Drive and Shirley Avenue.
Advertise in The Press.
V
The issue is squarely and starkly set
before the American people, whether
the forces of Hitlerism and of des
potism, both in the east and the west,
or the forces of democracy and free
dom are to survive.
In this crisis the American Federa
tion of Labor representing more than
five million wage earners, with fed
erated branches in every state, with
hundreds of central labor bodies in
many of our cities and with thousands
upon thousands of local unions spread
throughout the land, hereby re-affirms
its loyalty to the principles underlying
our government and pledges to the
President of the United States, to the
Congress and to the people of America
its undivided support for the most vig
orous and rigorous prosecution of this
war until final victory is ours.
We declare that in this crisis the
one fundamental need is for unity of
action. Disunity means destruction.
The successful prosecution of the war
requires that all of the energies of all
our people, regardless of race, color
or creed be concentrated to a common
purpose. We, therefore, call upon man
agement of American industries and
the leaders of government to join in a
program of co-operative action to
make our nation not only the mighty
arsenal of world democracy, but as
well a source of hope, of encourage
ment and of assurance to the enslaved
peoples everywhere. We call upon in
dustry to share with us the added re
sponsibilities entailed in maintaining
peaceful and co-operative relations.
We regret sincerely and are deeply
concerned with the destructive rivalry
in organization that has beset the
labor field for the past few years. We
hold all such rivalries and jurisdic
tional conflicts have no place in an
emergency such as faces America and
the world today. We, therefore, renew
our offer for unity in the labor move
ment and for the common defense of
our nation against mortal danger. We
hope our call to this end may not be
in vain.
We, too, call upon the National La
bor Relations Board to desist from the
formulation or enforcement of any
policy, procedure or decision that may
create dissension or intensify existing
differences and conflicts in the house
hold of organized labor.
We likewise urge that those in gov
ernmental positions of authority in
this moment of national peril forego
their unjustified attacks upon trade
union organizations and their legiti
mate functions.
We declare that the right of wage
earners to collective bargaining and to
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i THE COUNTY PRESS
1
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VOL. XLI. No. 39. HAMILTON, OHIO, FRIDAY, DECEMBER 26, 1941. ONE DOLLAR PER YEAR
Officers of National and International Unions Affiliated
with A. F. of L. Hold Special Meeting in Washington—
Reaffirm Pledges of Loyalty to President Roosevelt.
Highlights of the momentous dec
laration on war labor policy adopted
by the officers of all national and in
ternational unions affiliated with the
American Federation of Labor at a
special meeting in Washington, D.-G.,
follow:
II
"We Pledge Our Lives
To America!"
function freely and fully in the legiti
mate sphere designed for them is a
fundamental condition which gives op
portunity for economic freedom and
social advancement. These rights and
opportunities must not be impaired.
While we reject repressive labor legis
lation and insist upon the preserva
tion of the essential democratic right
of workers to cease work collectively
as a last and final resort, we never
theless pledge ourselves to forego the
exercise of this right during the war
emergency and to prefer submission
of pending differences with employers
to approved facilities and processes
for voluntary mediation, conciliation
and arbitration. We most heartily en
dorse the "no-strike" policy volun
tarily assumed by all divisions and
character of labor as announced by the
Executive Council. Labor needs no re
strictions upon the right to strike,
when to cease production is to strike
at the very heart of the nation. Labor
will produce, and produce without in
terruption.
We commend the Executive Council
for its recommendation that there be
created a War Labor Board similar to
that which functioned so successfully
during the last World War. We be
lieve the general principles then enun
ciated for the guidance of this board
should be made the policy of this hour,
namely, that neither labor nor man
agement should take advantage of
such an agency to prosecute either's
advantages at the expense of the oth
er's, that industrial relations be pie
served and that every stoppage of
work essential to adequate national
defense be avoided and averted. In
this regard we hold that the work and
service of all our people are inextric
ably interwoven and involved whether
engaged directly in war or defense
work or whether applied to the neces
sities, safety, comfort or convenience
of our civilian population. Total war
today is no longer confined to the
military forces of the land but em
braces as well the civilian population
—young and old—men, women and
children alike.
Experience has demonstrated that
protective labor legislation and hour
standards are for the purpose of con
serving workers in order to make pos
sible sustained maximum producing
power. They are the safeguards to
national well being. In war emergen
cies there may be temporary need for
abolishing some standards or for mod
ifying special standards for special
industries. All such modifications and
changes, however, should be the result
of proven need and should be approved
in advance by representatives of the
workers. The same is true of protec
tive labor and employment standards
established through collective bargain
ing and trade union agreements.
To assure an uninterrupted flow of
production and the maximum of de­
wi"
4
An Industrious New Year to You
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fense effort, organized labor should
be accorded by government adequate
and effective representation of its own
choosing in all defense planning and
execution. The validity of such par
ticipation by labor in all our emergency
efforts and undertakings is fully jus
tified and its efficiency is demonstrated
beyond peradventure of doubt in the
experience of the British Government
policy. Then, too, our experience in
the last World War confirms the
soundness of this policy.
We declare ourselves fully and com
pletely in accord with the several rec
ommendations of the Executive Coun
cil and as embraced in its statement.
We pledge ourselves individually and
collectively, promptly and fully, to
enforce these policies and procedures
without hesitation or evasion and to
take such further actions as time and
experience indicate e^ential to our
nation's triumphant victory.
We are mindful that many of our
members, and members of their fam
ilies have been and will be called to
the military service of our land. We
pledge to them every possible aid and
a full measure of devotion. It shall
be our purpose not alone to sustain
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the military forces of our land but as
well to safeguard the interests of our
civilian population and hold secure the
liberties and freedom of all our people
in this greatest of all emergencies.
We further pledge ourselves to bring
these declarations of policies and pro
cedures to the attention of our re
spective local unions and general mem
bership with direction that the prin
ciples and practices herein declared
for and made imperative by the ne
cessities of the occasion, be fully and
immediately compiled with withdttt
hesitation or equivocation.
Inspired by these ideals of humanity,
of liberty and justice, we call upon the
working men and women of all Amer
ica—indeed upon all lovers of human
ity and of freedom to unite in unani
mous support of the President of our
nation and its allies for the prosecu
tion of total war and for the perpe
tuity and preservation of democracy
here and throughout the world.
The privilege of being rich iiiiplies
the ability to take care of yourself.
So far as her husband's misdeeds
are concerned, a woman's memory is
perfect.
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