Evening star., 1933-09-17
ALABAMA STRIKES
RETARD RECOVERY
N. R. A. Code Applications
Bring Trouble to Lumber
and Coal Operators.
BY G. F. ROTHERMEL.


BIRMINGHAM, Ala, September Is.
back to industrial recovery There
have been indications that the marcher
is suffering some from blisters and
sore muscles, but the march is going
on and the hopes are that the progress
will not be stopped.
The recovery program Is being at
tended in Alabama as elsewhere by
industrial troubles. Strikes in the
textile centers have been frequent,
and a number of employers, especially
those in the coal and lumber pro-
ducing sections, have been extremely
dubious of whether they could oper-
ate under national codes proposed or
adopted.
The position of the Alabama coal
men has been one Of the obstacles in
the way of the adoption Of a general
coal code. Here in Alabama there is
considerable sentiment in support Of
the attitude taken by the Alabama
Commercial Operators in the N. r. A.
hearings that Alabama coal mines can
not operate without a considerable
dif1erential in wages and hours. The
firm stand taken by the operators in
Washington finds considerable SYM
pathy here.
On the other hand, coal output has
been at good pace for the last two
months as operators apparently sought
to accumulate good reserve stocks while
wages and expenses were down, and
there is some undercurrent of resent
ment on the part of miners at this
practice.
The lumber situation also is acute,
and resulted in sending into the State
this week from Washington an N. r. A.
investigator. The lumbermen are COM
planning that they cannot break even
if they operate under the national
lumber code About a thousand lum-
Der workers have been thrown out of
employment in the last month in the
forest areas along the Alabama River
in West Alabama, it is estimated. The
trouble centerS around Selma.
Three strikes broke out this week in
cotton mills of the State At Piedmont
700 workers Of the Standard Coosa
Thatcher textile plant walked out in
protest against discharge Of foreman
said to have been favorable to Hnioni-
zation of the employees. On the other
hand. w. P. Sloan, president of the
company, appealed to the Industrial
Relations Board Of the N. r. A., alleg-
ing his company had lived up to the
textile code in spirit and letter. A
strike at Jacksonville was attributed
to dispute over a minimum wage, and
one at Mobile to the influence Of radi-
cal agtators.
All the news in Alabama is not dis
quieting. however. The State finally
got around to its road building pro-
gram. and this week began advertising
for bids on the first projects to be I'M
dertaken with Federal funds. The first
contracts call for expenditure of ap-
$1,0l1 900, and provide for
paving 43.5 miles of main highways.
One of the projects contemplates paw
ing on the Atlanta Birmingham high
way and assured q paved road from
the East to the Gulf Coast.
An industrial contract of interest
during the week was that Of IL high
pressure air compressors to be built for
the Federal Government by the Hardie-
Tynes Manufacturing Company of Bir-
The compressors are used
in charging torpedoes.
Politics crept into the headlines some
during the week with the Democratic
primary in the eighth district to nomi-
nate successor to the late Repre-
sentative E. B. Almon. A. H. Car
michael. Tuscumbia, and B. L. Malone,
Decatur, will enter q run-off primary
October 3. They ran first and second
over r. H. Walker, Athens. and Clar-
ence Watts. Huntsville. in the first
primary.