The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1931-02-26
employees BID
FOR new YORK
WORLD PAPERS
Entire Staff Makes Frantic
Effort to Raise Needed
Cash.
BLOCK OUT OF FIGHT
ScrippS- Howard Offer fol
Sale Is Favored by
Sons of Founder.
By United Press

! DU CUttCU fTeSS
NEW YORK, Feb 26.-The dra-
matte struggle for acquisition of the
New York World papers swung on
today, with one bidder dropping
from the race and others coming
forward.
Paul Block, publisher of a group
of papers, was the bidder who quit;
the Gannett papers entered the
fray, and the ScrippS- Howard in
terests, original applicants, re-
manned in.
Beyond these two groups was an
other, the World Employees Co
operative Association, which, after
rallying employees of the paper, an
nounced they were strongly in the
fight to keep the World Sin the FAM
ily," so to speak.
They claimed assurances Of f1nan-
cial backing which would bring sue
cess of their movement if they could
obtain the papers.
Judge May Rule Today
Meantime, indications were that
late today Judge James A. Foley Of
Surrogate's court would rule on the
petition of Ralph, Joseph and Her.
bert Pulitzer, trustees, for permits
sion to sell the papers.
This petition was rendered neces-
sary under provisions of the senior
Pulitzer's will which called upon his
SON. trustees to carry on the papers
as public institution"
GustavuS A. Rogers, counsel for
the employees group, issued a state
ment after the Block retirement
charging that Block and Roy w.
Howard of the Scripps- Howard in
terests had deal whereby they
would divide the properties, the aft
ernoon paper going to the Telegram,
Scripps- Howard paper, and the
morning through Block to William
Randolph Hearst
Employees Fight for Paper ~.
Both Block and Howard en-
phatically denied any suggestion OF
a deal and revealed they were not
interested in such a partitioning.
Conferences Of interested attor-
neys proceeded in various parts OF
the city and the struggle for the pa
per became subject of paramount
| interest in the metropolis.
The more than 1000 employees OF
the World were waging a dramatic
fight to keep the papers-and theil
jobs-going under the present man
agement.
The employees today had pledges
Of more than 100000, they report
ed, and were seeking outside f1nan-
cial assistance in the hope they
might, if sale is permitted, perpet-
uate the World papers and the
ideals of their founder.
Surrogate Foley has had under
consideration since Tuesday the
petition of the sons of Joseph
Pulitzer, to set aside a provision in
their fathers will that they might
dispose of the properties. The will
stipulated that my sons and de-
scendantS shall continue to publish
the world papers"
Decision Is Reserved
The Pulitzer brothers, had drawn
up a contract of sale to Roy W.
Howard, chairman of the board of
the Scripps-H Howard newspapers
which would have merged the
Evening World with the New York
Telegram.
Foley announced Wednesday
after the unexpected entrance of
World employees into the case, that
he would reserve decision.
World employees had asked for a
ten-day delay that they might OBJ
tain financial aid in the offer they
hoped to make.
Foley announced any offers for
the property should be made to
the owners, not to him, that he
was ruling merely on the legal right
of the Pulitzers to dispose of their
papers.
Union Offers Aid
The employees entrance as bid
der for the World papers terminated
twenty-four hours of frantic efforts
to obtain financing to enable them
to take over the properties on a mu-
tual basis, such as was done in the
cases of the Chicago Daily News anc
the Kansas City Star.
The working forces Of the pa
pers, numbering some 1890, stunned
Tuesday by the first announcement
the properties might be sold, re-
acted later in the day, and led by
the editorial department, began
marshaling their resources.
Office boys got permission from
parents to pledge $40; some execu-
tiveS set themselves down for 81 1000
Correspondents and staff men,
bers the world over wired and ca
| bled pledges