Montana labor news. [volume], August 25, 1932, Image 1

About Montana labor news. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 19??-1951

Image provided by: Montana Historical Society; Helena, MT

                
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Published By the Silver Bow Trades and Labor Council—Weekly —In the Interests of Organized Labor
Montana Labor News
vvy
vvy
The American standard of
living must be maintained
in order that American in
stitutions may not be sub
ject to perils of discontent.
prosperity
without justly high wages.
Karnings of working people
are the basis and index of
inity.
There can be
progress
any
OFFICIAL ORGAN OF THE MONTANA STATE FEDERATION OF LABOR
vvy
vvy
Vol. VIII.
BUTTE, MONTANA, THURSDAY, AUGUST 25, 1932.
No. 24
RENT-DODGING CONTRACTORS
THOSE WATERED STOCKS
SENATOR NORRIS GIVES FACTS
ON WORKINGS OF POWER TRUST
Nutt, Treasurer of Republican National Committee, One
of the Managing Directors of the Parent Company of
Utah Power & Light; Property Values Go Up Over
Night in the Hands of the Trust Pirates.
On the floor of the United States senate, July 14, 1932,
Senator Norris of Nebraska said:
"It will be interesting to take up some of the public
utilities in Utah and see just how they are built up in
their superstructure.
"It is interesting not only because it shows that the
method which I have outlined as being followed in other
localities in the United States is being practiced in Utah
just the same, but it is likewise interesting to show that
those public utility corporations in Utah were making
more money than they ought to have been allowed to
make, or keep."
Utah Power & Light Company. (
Senator Norris continued; "Let ua j
see something about the public util
ity corporations in Utah.
"The Utah Power & Light is one
of them.
"Let us trace it just
"It is the Power Trust represen
tative in the state of Utah, or one
of them.
little.
G. O. P. Treasurer Has a Hand.
"The properties, or securities rep
resenting their control, that were
eventually consolidated for opera
tion as the Utah Power & Light
Company, came
Electric Bond & Share Co. about
June or July, 1912, as the managing
directors of a syndicate consisting of
Electric Bond & Share Co., Charles
Hayden of Hayden, Stone & Co.,
James Campbell of St. Louis, Mo.;
and Joseph R. Nutt of Cleveland,
Ohio.
sounds familiar.
do eontiol of the
That name
Let me see!
"WHO IS JOSEPH R. NUIT?
"He is the TREASURER of the
COM
REPUBLICAN NATIONAL
MITTEE, having for his principal
job the RE-ELECTION of HERBERT
HOOVER as PRESIDENT of the
United States.
"Nutt was one of the syndicate,
the investigation before the Fed
eral Trade Commission discloses.
"The properties involved are in
the states of Utah, Idaho, Colorado
so
and Wyoming.
"Electric Bond & Share Co., as the
director of the syndicate,
managing:
caused three new companies to be
organized in 1912 and one in 1913."
Under Foreign Charters.
Utah Power & Light Co. was in
corporated under the laws of the
state of Maine.
That is interesting—doing business
in Utah and incorporated in Maine.
The properties controlled by the
syndicate were being used as the
basis for financing two other com
panies, namely Utah Power
and Utah Securities Corporation.
Notice the similarity in names, but
not referring to the same corpora
tion.
Co.
Here is the Utah Power &
The Utah Power Co.
Light Co.
is a different corporation, and the
Utah Securities Corporation is still
a different one.
Excess Values.
The principal function performed
by the Utah Power Co. was to serve
as an intermediary through which
the properties and securities
transferred from the syndicate to
the Utah Power & Light Co. and at
prices far in excess of their cost to
the Electric Bond & Share Co. as
managng director of the syndicate.
Utah Power Co. was made sub
sidiary of Utah Power & Light Co.
Since the completion of the consoli
dation in 1912 the principal function
of the Utah Power Co. has been to
hold the contract under which the
Phoenix Utility Co.—there is an
other corporation coming in now—
formerly the Phoenix Construction
Co., an incorporated construction de
partment of the Electric Bond &
Share Co., another subsidiary from
(Continued on Page Two)
were
Labor Day Picnic, Columbia Gardens, Sept. 5th—Bring Your Lunch and Stay All Day
EMPLOYMENT
IN MONTANA
Surplus of Labor Shown ii
tically All Sections of State
During Month of July.
Prac
By STEPHEN ELY.
General—A surplus of labor con
tinued in practically all sections of
the state during July. Coal mine
activities were entirely suspended.
While most of the sawr.tlls and
logging camps operated on restrict
ed schedules, several remained closed.
Operations in the metalliferous
mines continued far below normal.
Meat-packing plants, flour mills, oil
refineries and other establishments
reported restricted operations. Tel
ephone construction in some sections
gave employment to a number of
men. Railroad shop and maintenance
forces that were increased in June
were maintained. Highway construc
tion continued to employ a consider
able force of laborers. No large
building projects were reported. The ,
recreational resorts provided work '
for a number of men and w'omen.
The harvesting of hay and small
grains, the canning of fruits and
vegetables, and other farming ac
tivities engaged many people.
Billings—Curtailed forces and re
stricted schedules continued in prac
tically all plants. The harvesting of
hay and small grains, irrigation
work, the picking of fruits and vege
tables, the canning of pork and
beans and vegetables engaged many
people. A surplus of labor was ap
parent, especially among building
craftsmen.
Missoula.—Sawmill and logging op
erations continued far below nor
mal. Harvesting of the hay crop,
irrigation work, the cultivation of
truck gardens and sugar beets, the
gathering of fruits and vegetables,
and other agricultural activities em
ployed a considerable force of la
borers. Building included the erec
tion of a school and repair work.
Many skilled and unskilled workers
were reported idle.
Butte—Metal mining and smelting
activities remained greatly restrict
ed. Railroad employment continued
dull. The meat-packing plants, oil
refineries, steel foundries, machine
shops and other manufacturing es
tablishments worked with reduced
forces on a part-time basis,
eral building in course of erection
provided employment to many crafts
men. A surplus of all classes of
labor remained.
Great Falls—Production and em
ployment in smelters and metal mines
continued below normal,
ing and the drilling of oil and gas
wells were practically suspended in
this section. The oil refineries, flour
mills, steel foundries and other es
tablishments reported part-time op
erations with reduced forces en
gaged. Ha- and grain harvesting,
irrigation work, and cultivation of
sugar beets absorbed many farm
(Continued on Page Four)
A fed
Coal min
THE EVIDENCE OF PROGRESS
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A million years ago when the
mastodon and wooly rhinoceros were
gambolling in vicinity of this shore,
the ancestors of the Gentleman
caught by our camera man in the
act of sweeping out his front yard,
settled hereabouts.
They were a very prmitive people
cf course. Their tools consisted of
the crudest sort of bone awls, stone
hammers and flint scrapers. Stone
ax, and bow and arrow were their
only weapons. How in the Sam Hill
they ever survived with such a
lousy lay-out is still a mystery. But
apparently they did, else how come
their twentieth century descendant
so feelingly portrayed above.
Of course the cost of living wasn't
nearly as high as it is now. There
was no income tax, dog license and
alimony to pay. Presumably there
were no landlords collecting rent for
the use of this landscape and the
rude dug-out back of it. A one
piece bathing suit cut out of the
hide of an inquisitive or perhaps
careless bear, sufficed to cover the
demands of bodily comfort and mod
esty. Shell-fish, bugs, worms, and
partly-hatched eggs of sea gulls sup
plied plain but wholesome food, while
the vitamins A, B, C, D, E. etc.,
were directly exacted from the rays
of the sun, which on account of the
absence of factory chimneys, exerted
considerably greater potency than
now. Anyhow, they managed to get
by and here is their modernistic off
spring.
Who is he? What is he: Where
We
did he come from and why ?
take it for granted that his name
does not appear in "Who's Who." or
Bradstreet & Du|nn's, although per
sons mentioned in these publications
From
occasionally get that way.
tiie cut of his hair, we deduce that
he is not a barber. The cut of his
garment, on the other hand, would
indicate that he is either a former
life guard or rubber in
bath-house.
Turkish
Did
But how about the broom—,
anyone ever see a life guard sweep
ing off the beach with a broom ?
Has any one of you ever observed
a rubber in a Turkish bath-house
going about his work with a broom?
Nay, the man is none of these. He
is, we affirm without fear of success
ful contradiction, one of the heroes
who helped to make the world safe
tor democracy, and having done so
returned to his former calling of
clerking in a small town drygoods
store.
Note the soldierly bearing
The well-developed
of the man.
muscles of his arms and legs that
only army drill can produce. Then
observe the light, almost gingerly
touch with which he wields the
broom. Only a drygoods clerk in a
small town, accustomed to sweeping
off the sidewalk in front of the store
every morning, combines that deli
cate hesitancy and yet subtle effi
ciency in the handling of a broom.
Stand, character, occupation and
previous condition of servitude being
established, the only question re
mains is, why did the man return
to the haunts of his primitive fore
bears? The answer to that is ob
vious. He lost his job on account of
the over-production of drygoods, re
sulting from the well-known applica
tion of science to industry. Unable
to find other employment or cash
in his bonus, the bird departed to
this peach of a beach, taking the
broom with him as a visible evi
dence of the progress made in a
million years since his primitive an
cestors lived here.
Report Arraigns
Lawless Police
NEW YORK—(F.P.)—Outstanding
among the events of the year was
the continued reign of. violence and
terrorism in the Kentucky coalfields
of Bell and Harlan counties, accord
ing to the American Civil Liberties
Union in its pamphlet, "Sweet Land
of Liberty, 1931-1932," which re
ports civil liberties cases up to
June, 1932. Los Angeles, "dom
inated by the Better America Fed
eration and police squad," was re
ported next to Kentucky coal fields
in civil liberty violations. Other
districts scored for official lawless
ness are Chicago, Pennsylvania, De
troit, New Jersey, New England tex
tile towns, Michigan and Texas.
The American Legion and lawless
police are characterized as the most
active violators of civil liberties.
Roosevelt Silent as
Farmers Tell Plight
NEW Y O R K—(F.P.)—Farmers
are being forced off the land through
foreclosures, Gov. Franklin D. Roose
velt, Democratic candidate for presi
dent of the United States, was told
by officers and members of the
National Co-operative Council, repre
senting co-operative farmers,
their return from a meeting at the
University of New Hampshire.
Something must be done to rescue
the farmer from his plight, they
said. The governor made no com
ment.
on
POSTOFFICE CONTRACTORS
ESCAPE RENTS; TURN FEDERAL
BUILDING INTO APARTMENTS
There are over a hundred apartments and houses for
rent in the city of Butte, besides innumerable rooms. One
large hotel is forced to close its doors because of a lack
of patronage. The owners of these buildings are tax
payers who must pay taxes on these buildings, whether
or not they are vacant. The taxes from these buildings
keep up our fire and police departments, pave streets,
keep Butte in a sanitary condition, keep our schools open,
and also erect public buildings for the use of the public.
The owners of these vacant houses and apartments must
pay taxes from their savings or have their properties con
fiscated for non-payment of taxes. The people of Butte
should be interested in seeing that these vacant houses
are occupied, for rents mean schools and all that we deem
necessary for a decent standard of living. In spite of the
number of vacant houses, apartments, flats, rooms and
hotels, a strange thing is happening in our city.
We are erecting an addition to
our post office. This piece of con
struction was undertaken at this time
to bring money to Butte workers
and Butte business houses,
what is happening? The contract
ors in charge of the construction of
this addition do not care to con
tribute to the welfare of Butte.
They have turned the post office
building into apartments and they
and their families live in the build
But
ing to escape paying rent in Butte.
We do not know how many are liv-1
ing there as those on the job are
very reluctant in giving informa
tion. We did notice that windows in
two sections were covered with lace
curtains and gave every evidence of
these sections being occupied. These
contractors are not here for only a
few months. The job is to take a
year and a half or more. This is
time enough to establish legal resi
dence in the city, and persons living
here for that length of time should
be contributing to the welfare of a
city whose protection and privileges
We doubt whether the contract
for the addition to the post office
calls for free housing of contractors
they enjoy.
in federal buildings. If not, what
right do these people have to live
in public buildings without the con
sent of the owners, the public ?
Landlords and owners of property
for rent should investigate this. The
bricklayers, ironworkers and others
have to pay rent and taxes from
their daily wage, so why not the
contractor ? What gives him rent
dodging privileges ?
ment wouldn't allow the unemployed
veterans to occupy vacant federal
buildings, yet men with juicy con
tracts occupy them without one word
of protest from our government. If
the post office is to be an apartment
house let the unemployed live there,
rent-free, and not well-paid contract
ors. Let the business men of Butte
Our govern
CENTRAL COUNCIL NOTES
Council Well Attended
Labor Day Speakers Announced
A goodly crowd attended the last
meeting of the Central Council. Due
to the absence of President Malloy,
Vice-President Peterson presided.
Routine matters were discussed and
the various committees reported.
Salt Lake Contractor UNFAIR.
The grievance committee reported
the case of Contractor Kingston
of Salt Lake City, and the Electrical
Workers, recommending that the
Council concur in the action of the
Electricians in
unfair.
recommendations of the committee.
The Teamsters reported that they
had settled their grievance with the
Featherly Transfer company and
asked that this concern be removed
from the unfair list. The request
was granted.
I i'
declaring Kingston
The Council adopted the
Maurer and Wilson to Speak.
The Labor Day committee reported
protest, and furthermore, the health
office should investigate and find
out whether or not the building is
arranged in such
itary conditions will allow permanent
occupancy.
manner that san
MAKE JOBS
BY SCRAPPING
MACHINERY
Here and there contractors on
public works are opposing the lim
itations on the use of labor-displac
ing machinery decreed by the offi
cials of certain states and local po
litical jurisdictions for the purpose
of providing more work for the
jobless,
ment Commission recently
Ushed the policy of having the
{mum amount of labor possible on
public works performed by hand
rather than machines. The Com
mission inserted the hand labor pro
visi °n in its contracts, including the
unloading by hand of stone, gravel
and sand used in concrete construe
In Wisconsin the State Employ
estab
max
tion.
In the state ol Wasnington the
Slate .Grange and 600 members of
the Masonic organizations in Tacoma
went on record as favoring hand
labor, and the county commissioners
of Cowlitz county were reported as
favoring hand labor instead of ma
chines in highway construction,
Tacoma Masons, and Cowlitz county
commissioners drew the emphatic
opposition of the Northwest Con
tractors'
contractors in
and Montana.
association, according to the Con
The action of the State Grange,
Association, an organiza
tion of highway and public works
Washington, Idaho
The object of the
(Continued on Page Four)
that they had secured two excellent
speakers for the Labor Day picnic.
Dr. Curtis Wilson of the School of
Mines will be the local speaker on
the program. James H. Maurer,
Socialist candidate for vice-president,
will be the visiting speaker. These
two men will make it worth while
attending the Labor Day picnic. The
committee guarantees a great day,
so come out and bring the family.
Following the regular order of
business, Sisters Mattausch and Shea
reported on their trip to Boston.
They gave splendid reports regard
ing their international convention.
They also reported favorably on the
quality of the beans, brown bread
and clams. The editor also reported
on his trip east.
Following a prolonged general dis
cussion of local problems, the
ing adjourned at 10 p. m.
eoc-