The Connecticut labor news., 1924-01-19
Especial to The Labor News1

Bridgeport, Jan. I8-Wi1ling to drop it's charges of contempt brought against the striking printers recently enjoined for picketing, the Condo Mast Company of Greenwich, through its lawyers doesn't know just how to go about 1t after the hue and cry 1t raised and as a result the hearing on the cases IS going on before Judge Els in the Superior Court here and being brilliantly contested by Attor- ney Jacob B. Klein, counsel for the striking printers The case was or iginally assigned for Wednesday but was put. back to Thursday because of the courts closing in respect to de- ceased judge. It opened Thursday and from the start was marked with
 fireworks by MT. Klein which early caused recess by Judge Els to look up precedents in other cases. Thurs day afternoon the court decided to go ahead with the hearing and 1t is still on.
 Attacking as tnexplicit, the motion filed by the Condo Mast Publications asking that Richard Comerford and Walter Henry, striking printers, be adJudged in contempt of court on all legged violation of the provisions of temporary injunction signed by Judge John w. Banks, Attorney Klein ask ed Judge Arthur F. Els in Superior court to throw out the motion.
 Pointing out that neither Conner ford or Henry were cited in the origi- nal writ filed by Condo Mast in their S5o,ooo damage action against the strikers, Attorney Klein termed the entire procedure '1aughable."
 Judge Els, however, accepted the pleadings of Attorney Matthew Ke- nealy of Stamford, counsel for the company, and failed to act on the re- quest to absolve the strikers. Kenealy claimed the strikers named were par ties to the original action as members of defendant unions and governed therefore by the injunction signed by Judge Banks
 Attorney Klein when the case was taken up, entered motion, asking that the International Typographical Union and a long list of individual defendants be removed as parties to the suit He claimed no service in the majority of the requests. Judge Els overruled the motion with the statement that the case was still in its preliminary stages.
 There was long delay before the court opened. Attorney Klein con ferred in chambers with Judge Els and Attorney Kenealy with view to- ward settlement The Condo Mast company, it became known, was will ing to drop the contempt procedure provided the court would order linn itation of picketing in the vicinity of ther plant in Greenwich.
 Varous motions to drop the con- tempt of court proceedings were de- nied by Judge Els, and the case of are being heard before the largest crowd of spectators that a civil ses- sion of the court here has ever known. Judge Isaac Wolfe last week declined to hear the motions because he car ries an honorary membership card in the Typographical union as an old time printer.
 Jacob Klein, today again asked that the cases be dropped on the ground that the order to show cause why they should not be punished for con- tempt was not specific enough and did not show just what action had been taken by strikers in picketing the plant MT. Klein declared that no attempt had ever been made to unionize the plant by any member of the union.
 Judge Els adjourned court that he might study similar previous cases, and when he resumed his session MT. Klein again asked that the proceed ings be dropped, because the greater portion of the defendants had never been served with notice of the injnc- ton. He also declared that the only in connection nwith the Code Mast trouble had come from officials of the corporation
 Most of the time was spent in ar guments on these motions so that the actual taking of testimony did not start until late today. That the case will be bitterly fought out is assured and it is expected to occupy the court for several days at least unless some withdrawal. or compromise up suddenly and causes it to be