The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1917-06-29
STATE COUNCIL DEFENSE
IN BUSY SESSION
No MoneyYet to Carry On Work.
But Next Legislature Supposed
to Redeem Pledges.

ment of county chairman, with view
to organizing each of The counties Of
the state; the labor problem, affecting
the farms as we'll as urban comunl-
ties, brought about by the high wages
paid for cantonment and other gov
trnment constructions, with it's ten
dency to deplete the farms of labor
ers, as we'll as to embarass enter
| prises and INDUSTRIES in the cities If
not checked and the organization Of
| home guards which may now re-
ceive equipment under the act of con-
gress passed several days ago, were
among the most important matters
| taken up by the State Council of De-
.fense, which met at the Jefferson ho-
! tex here at 1:3O o'clock this after
1 noon
/ The state council is still without
funds for the work which it purposes
! to carry on, and pledges from a ma
jority of the members of both senate
and house to vote for an appropriation
| of $4,000, if so much be necessary, at
the next session of the legislature,
have not as yet been received. A ma
jor;ty of the members of the senate
have so pledged themselves, but ma
jority is lacking among the members
of the house. Governor Manning,
however, stated to the comission
that in his judgment there was no
doubt the legislature would make the
necessary appropriation, and he ad
vised that the work be proceeded
with on that assumption stating, that
he would again take the mater up
with the members VINO had not been
! heard from and if there should ge any
| disposition on the part of the a con?
siderable number of theE- to fight such
an appropriation, which he did not
apprehend that he would media tely
notify the council and it could shape
its course accordingly. It was brought
out that 81 Of the 45 senators have
pledged themselves to support the
appropriation one. was noncommittal
None of the senators heard from Is
opposed to the appropriation. The 81
senators in favor Of the appropriation
are more than two-thirds of the mem
bership of that body Of the 124
members of the house, 81 have pledg-
ed themselves to support the appro-
priation, lacking II Of being ma
jority; five were opposed, three nom
committal, though favorable to it, and
one non-committae, but unfavorable.
Labor Problem.
Cow nor Manning brought the La
! Dor problem to the attention of the
council. He had taken the matter
up with the authorities in Washing
ton and had been assured, he stated,
! that the government would do what
| it could to correct conditions He
had emphasized to the department Of
fcials, he stated, that under the plan
! of contract for cantonment and gov
ernment work, where the profits were
based on a percentage of the taotal
cost of construction, it would be to
the interest of the contractors to make
the cost as large as possible and the
result would be ruinous in it's effests
in regard to labor, especially having
tendency to deplete the farms Of
their labor The department officials
he said, had promised to give relief in
the matter by every means at their
command.
He also called attention to the
fact that when the South Carolina
troops are recalled from guard duty,
under the orders recently issued, the
transportation facilities of the state
will be without protection He mad
not seen any absolute necessity for
a great deal of guarding, he said, but
some railroads were asking for pro-
lection and were pointing out the dis
aster which would result if some
of their important trestles on the
main lines, particularly, were injur-
ed or destroyed. He referred to the
act in the interest of home guards
passed by congress only several days
ago, and said that he was receiving
great many letters from people in
different parts of the state desiring
permission to form these guards and
to receive such equipment as VIII be
furnished by the War Department.