The Omaha guide., 1933-08-26

out the country, read the Capital
carrying news stories and editorials
that are anything but complimentary
to the MIRA program, as it affects
the Negro.
1t appears to be the consensus Of
opinion, of the Negro press, that a
new and serious economic situation
confronts the masses Of the race
which situation will grow worse I'M
less there is a decided change in the
methods of applying certain specific
provisions Of the National Recovery
Act.
Evidences of apprehensions along
this line r furnished by the follow
ing headlines, picked at random,
from current issues of Negro news
papers, throughout the country.
"NRA-'No Recovery A. TALL"
New Kind of Slavery Turks In
The New Industrial Code"
OoutH oechS DuNi OtdiAudiu Az
New Code"
Industrial Code May Handicap
Southern Workers."
.-Connivery of White South De-
prives Negroes of NRA Benefits
North Carolina Workers Uneasy
Under NRA Displacemets."
Fight Against MIRA Job Discrim-
nation RACES"
"NRA Should Stand for Negro Re-
covery Also I"
Editorial comment points out that
the Negro is "The Forgotten Man"
in the NRA set up, and that black
labor is the forgotten element in the
make up of the codes of fair COM
petition, submitted by the indus
trialists.
| NRA-"No Recognition A. Tall"
In a leading editorial in the Black
Dispatch Of Oklahoma City, August
II, editor Roscoe Dungee says:
"The editor Of the Tulsa Eagle
rises to facetiously remark that MIRA
meas for the Negro, No Reception
A'tall.' At least. that Is the state
ment which the editor credits to a
Negro servant girl who works out in
the Southend among. Tulsa's white
millionaries.
Seriously speaking, it appears that
the National Recovery Act after
making the Negro The Forgotten
Man, proceeds to do many things
which seriously menace the economic
advancement Of black people, and in
a great many instances. will confis-
cate and destroy many small Negro
business establishments.
"Most Negro domesties in the
Southland work for a wage p~ittance
around from three to five dollars per
week. In addition. they work long
hours. The first move of the south
erner was to see to it that domestic
help and outside workers did not
come within the meaning Of the wage
raise and shorter hour provisions of
the Industrial Recovery Act.
Fundamentally, the Industrial Re
covery Act is supposed to put money
back into circulation through the
spending power Of people who have
jobs. Raise the wages; put on more
help and shorten the hours is the
slogan resounding everywhere. The
question naturally arises as to
whether the Negro artisan and lab
orer would not make the same con-
tribution to spending as any other
worker? Why has the Negro been
counted out of the New Deal?' Does
ne not put IS much human energy
into his task as anyone else? Why
should the Negro man and woman
work long hours for a p~ittance while
other citizens Of the American Re-
public enjoy greater leisure. while
being paid a premium for the few
hours which they work?
"Take, for instance. the laundry
industry in the South. where Negroes
are largely employed. The white en-
ployers are demanding that the code
provide that Negroes receive S. 81 for
this class Of labor, while in the North
the wage code for white laundry
workers is already set at $1,000. This
base injustice has bee agreed To nv
the authorities in Washington.
Without regard to the fact that
the buying power of Negro laborers
mas not been increased, the recovery
codlsts turns to Negro business men
and insist upon their abiding by the
general code which white merchants
are required to observe. Apparently
those VIII Questioned this new eco
nomlc circle cannot realize that when
they place the Negro masses in a
peculiar and denoted class. they at
the same time place Negro business
! a straight jacket.
Take for example, the Negro gro
Ger. Under the opening and closing
hours adopted generally in Oklahoma
City. groceries are Ia nnen at r