The Chicago star., August 09, 1947, Page 2, Image 2

About The Chicago star. (Chicago, Ill.) 1946-1948

Image provided by: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Library, Urbana, IL

                
2
Edison profits
make case for
city ownership
By BILL CARR
Profits of the Commonwealth Edison Co. reached a record
peak of $16,514,049 for the first six months of this year as
a result of the high light bills paid by Chicago consumers,
THE CHICAGO STAR, AUGUST 9. 1947
it was disclosed this week.
The enormous profits.—nearly a
million and a half above those
for the same period last year
were revealed as the City Coun
cil utilities committee made prep
arations to begin its inquiry into
the whole question of the power
monopoly's lucrative franchise.
Under the franchise, Common
wealth Edison for years has been
robbing users of electricity here
by charging rates far above those
in many other cities. The com
pany is one of many utilities con
trolled by thg Big Business group
headed by J. P. Morgan.
THE UTILITIES committee an
nounced that it would hold a pub
lic meeting Aug. 13 with John
Reid Turney, recently chosen
“technical adviser” and former
attorney for the rail and bus lob
bies of Washington, who was se
lected over Harry Booth, former
law partner of David Lilienthal
and for years one of the top utili
ties experts in the country.
The committee also has decided
to hire the services of an engi
neer because Turney is not quali
fied to handle the technical details
of the investigation. It was point
ed out by some observers that the
additional engineering advisers
would not have been necessary
had an expert cif Booth’s qualifi
cations been chosen as technical
adviser.
Aid. Robert Merriam 'sth) said
that the open committee hearing
would plan the “course of action”
to be taken by Turney and the
committee in its investigation of
the franchise.
* * *
CHARLES Y. Freeman, chair
man of the board of Common
wealth Edison, announced a 35
ceit dividend on the company’s
stock, after revealing the in
creased profits.
He said that the profits would
amount to $1.20 a share. Last year
they totalled $1.02 a share for the
first half-year.
The committee did not an
nounce whether it intended to dis
cuss the increased profits as part
, A.-. —J -JO -
* -1 '.
UV THE DOCUMENT room of the Library of Congress in Wash
inglon, Luther Evans, congressional librarian, is shown after open
ing a safe containing 20.000 secret papers that belonged to Abraham
Lincoln. The collection, gathered by Robert Lincoln, son of the Civil
War president, was presented to the library with the stipulation
that it be kept from the public “until 21 years after my death."
of the over-all picture oi a pri
vately-owned power monopoly
here.
In other cities, especially those
where power facilities are pub
licly owned, it was pointed out,
light bills are much lower than in
Chicago.
Taft and Hartley
differ on T-H law
PORTLAND. Or*. (FPI
Teamsters in Oregon believe in
going to the source when they
want . authentic. information.
So when there was a bit of
confusion over the Taft-Hartley
law, this telegram, published
on the front page of the Ore
gon Teamster, was sent to Ray
Smethurst of the NatL Assn,
of Manufacturers legal divi
sion:
"Rep. Fred Hartley says new
contract signed by Lewis and
mine operators violates Taft-
Hartley law. Rep. Hartley
should know. His name is on
the Mil. '
"Sen. Robert Taft says new
contract by Lewis does not
violate Taft-Hartley lew. Sen.
Taft should know. His name is
on the bilL
"We appeal to your of
fice for an interpretation. We
understand the bill was draft
ed by MAM lawyers.
"Maybe you know."
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FACED with the problem of replacing stained glass in Berlin's Twelve Apostles Church, Adolph Kuril,
pastor, used empty schnapps bottles in lieu of unobtainable window glass. Experts told him it wouldn't
work, but the pastor, shown at left holding one of the bottles in front of a finished window, went
ahead and cemented them into place like bricks. At right, the sun streams through finished schnapps
bottle windows.
All sections of labor
support Sept. 1 rally
Friends of labor—loo.ooo of them—will troop into Soldier’s Field on the lakefront on
Monday, September 1, Labor Day, to help the Chicago Federation of Labor celebrate its
50th birthday.
However, the Chicago Federa
tion of Labor was warned this
week that “we can’t afford mere
ly to celebrate—we’ve got a fight
on our hands against the Taft-
Hartley Act.”
This serious note was struck
at the CFL meeting Tuesday night
by delegate Nick De Pietro- o(f the
Typographical Union, who was
warmly applauded when he urged
that each person at the rally be
handed the voting record of Chi
cago legislators on the anti-labor
bill.
* * *
j "EACH person at that rally
i must be informed of the position
! taken by the AFL that it will not
rest until every congressman who
voted for the Taft-Hartley Bill
has been defeated,” De Pietro de
clared.
After some opposition, the pro
posal was referred to the commit
tee in charge of the rally.
From all wings of the labor
movement this week came support
Bof the giant La
bor Day rally.
The affair will
be both a cele
bration and a
warning to re
action that labor
will not return to
the dim era of a
half century ago
via the Taft*
GREEN Hartley Law.
* ♦ *
"THOUSANDS of our members
can remember when the work day
consisted of 12 hours, when they
had no vacations, no job security,
no workmen’s compensation, and
no organized protection,” Presi
dent William A. Lee of the Chi-
Report steel union ready to
act in defense of Hickman
Determined action to defend James W. Hickman. 44-year
old steelworker, who has been charged with the murder of
the men he held responsible for the death of his four small
children, appeared in sight this week.
It was reported that Harold Nonnensea, president of the
Progressive Steel Workers Union, which represents the workers
at the Wisconsin Steel Works of the International Harvester
Co., where Hickman worked, planned to organize a defense
council for the Negro worker at next Tuesday's meeting of
the union's board of regents.
John Gray, executive secretory of the National Negro
Congress, also was reportedly preparing to defend Hickman,
who killed his former landlord after the latter allegedly con
fessed that he set the fire in which Hickman's children were
burned to death.
How to get free tickets
for the Labor Day Rally
Free tickets for the giant Labor Day rally at Soldiers
Field on Monday. Sept. 1, may be secured from the Chicago
Star.
Merely send a stamped self-addressed envelope io the
Chicago Star. 166 W. Washington, and stale how many tickets
you want.
cago Federation of Labor, recalled j
this week.
William Green, AFL president,
will be the main speaker. How
eevr, a gala day of entertainment
is being planned as well, featur
ing stage and screen stars, circus
headliners, midget auto races, and
a new car as a door prize.
GOP 'economy'
evicts Texans
McALLEN, Tex. <FP) The
GOP economy drive made itself
felt here when i,OOO Texas fami
lies were notified they would
have to vacate their homes by
Sept. 30.
The families are those of farm I
laborers who have been living in
camp centers operated for 10 years
by the Dept. o»f Agriculture. Con
gress refused to appropriate funds
for their continued operation.
Average real
wage is $26.49
WASHINGTON (FP)
With « big hurrah, the Bureau
of Labor Statistics said Aug. S
that tbs average U.S, factory
worker's pay envelope in May,
1*47 reflected for the first time
the second round of wage
boosts won by their unions,
touching $49.46 per week.
But buried on an obscure
table in the same BLS report
was another set of federal fig
ures showing that the $49.46
represented only $26.49 in
terms of 1939 dollars (taking
into consideration taxes and
the present cost of living! for
a worker with no dependents.
T ■ * CIICICI
★
Is owned and published WEEKLY
by The Chicago Star Publishing
Co., Inc., 186 West Washington
Street, Chicago 2, IIL Phone RAN
dolph 0580.
Cable address: Chistar
Frank M. Davis. ..Executive Editor
Carl Hirsch Managing Editor
Ted Cox Labor Editor
William Sennelt. .General Manager
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