Evening star., 1933-09-23

portance to the men and women who
write the stories which appear in the
newspapers.
I'VE make the newspapers; the pub
fishers just get them out. / used to
be a newspaper man myself.
quite inadvertently, I'm sure. some
of the publishers have allowed the
feeling to grow and spread that news
paper men and women who join organ
iZations of their own creation will be
subject to penalties. The penalty may
not be dismissal. All newspaper men
know of an institution known as tt.c
Chinese Torture Room. A reporter
by organizing activity may find himself
writing obits for the rest of his life
Il was delighted to hear that every
circulation manager is the friend and
protector of the newsboy. but 1 would
like to see the same kindly attitude
extended by the publishers to writing
newspaper men and women.
You cannot have free press which
rests upon the fears and apprehensions
of reporters who are frightened and
who feel they have good reason to be
frightened. I may add that if writ
ing guild cannot obtain those things
which seem to us fair, then news
writing unions will
II have talked with at least 100 news
paper men, who expressed great fear
if they only talked organization
Reporter Testifies.
When Administrator Rogers asked
about a provision in the guilds amend
ment exempting columnists from the
40-hour-week limit, Broun explained:
"A columnist could do his weeks work
in one day, but probably averages about
five hours a week"
Doris Fleeson, Washington reporter
for the New York Daily News, testified
"40-hour week is successful and
accomplished fact" on her newspaper.
But we object to being classified as
professional men and women in order
to deprive us Of the benefits OF N. r. A.
she added.
Our classification as professionals
is one Of the greatest compliments we
have ever received" testified Edward
Anglv of the New York Herald Tribune.
we would much prefer to be classed
simply as craftsmen and be taken up
to the high nest of the Blue Eagle, in
stead of being left in the low valley OF
ragged individualism."
Joseph Lilly. New York World-Tele-
gram staff writer said the guild wanted
to prevent the arbitrary dismissal of
newspaper men who have worked years
for their papers.
"Often such men are dismissed mere
ly through caprice" Lilly said. The
merging of newspaper properties also
often works unnecessary hardshlpS.
Cases have occurred where reporters
have been stranded penniless abroad
because of such mergers. Many re-
porters feel they must and do leave
the profession because they have no
feeling Of security
James Kieran of the New York Times
argued for an employe representative
on the board administering the code,
and Morris Watson of the New York
staff of the Associated Press, said:
Press associations should be brought
in under this code" Both Kieran and
Watson are guild members.
Mote: Watson spoke for the guild
Of New York newspaper men and wom-
en- and not for the Associated Press
or its employees
Courtemay Dinwiddie of the National
Child Labor Committee aSsailed provi-
sions of the code that permit the en-
ployment of children to deliver news
papers.
1T nullifies the intent of the national
recovery act to eliminate child labor" 4"
he said.
His suggestion that distribution of
newspapers be limited to children from
IA to l6, who would work between Z
m. and pm, but not during school
hours, was indorsed by Judge James
H. Kicks Of the Juvenile Court at Rich
mond, Mrs. j. K. Pettengill of Lansing.
Mich. for the Congress of Parents and
Teachers; Miss Julia K. Jaffray, for the
General Federation of Women's Clubs;
Grace Abbott, for the Children's Bureau
of the Department of Labor. and Rev.
Russell Clinchy. representing the Fed
eral Council of Churches.
Frank Morrison Heard.
ut is not fair for newspapers to ask
for themselves what they are unwilling
for others to get" Dinwiddie testified
Newspaper delivery is not considered
a proper occupation for children IN
other countries"
After the newSpapermen had present.
ed their case, Frank Morrison, Secre-
tary of the American Federation of
Labor, spoke IN their behalf.
Despite the higher degree of educa-
ton required and the higher standards
of living expected of those engaged in
the gathering. the writing or the editing
of newspapers" Morrison said. those so
engaged, on the average. receive weekly
salaries far below the wages paid to the
skilled mechanical workers employed
in the production of the same publica-
tions."
He proposed the minimum weekly
salary for editorial workers be equal
to that paid the highest class of skilled
mechanical employees of the same paper.
Hanson answered with the statement
that the board of directors of the
A. N. P. A. had authorized him to say
that If the reporters would organize,
the publishers would be glad to deal
with them.
IF they avail themselves of the man.
datory provision of the law. we will be
glad to sit down and negotiate with
them." he said I'VE welcome this
declaration of their attitude. And
there will be no attempt to intimidate
them
Harvey j. Kelly chairman of Ameri-
can Newspaper Publishers Associations S
Special Standing Committee that han
dies labor difficulties, said that up until
the recovery program went into effect
newspaper printing tradesmen had
worked A to 48 hours a week. The
temporary newspaper code, he reminded.
cut the maximum to 40 hours. He said
the American Newspaper Publishers
Association would object to a further
reduction now
Kelly also criticized unionized print
ing trades for enforcing plan by
by which workers rotate in newspaper
jobs to spread employment.
Decreased composing room efficiency
and increased cost of production have
resulted" Kelly said. Many daily
newspapers face bankruptcy now unless
their revenues increase. A further and
stable increase in production costs
would hasten those failures"
Endorsements Of the newspapers code
were presented by the following repre-
sentatives Of the regional associations:
Charles r. Butler, Inland Daily Press
Association; Cranston williams. South
ern Newspaper Publishers Association:
William NJ Hardy. Pennsylvania News
PAPER Publishers Association; John B.