The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1934-03-03
WORKERS RUSH
TO NEWCASTLE
TO CRAB JOBS
New Deal Prosperity Brings
100000 Monthly to
Community.
Rv Times STAFF Writer

NE w OtAO L LIZ lllU-. MAUI o.
The goose that laid the golden egg
has built a 100000 hatchery in
Newcastle. but she's no goose-She's
a blue eagle.
Each month she matches this
S600OO0 pay roll. Yesterday she
cackled. to the tune of hammers in
the Chrysler Motor Company's
plant, to lay s28O.OOO in pay envel-
opes at the feet of Newcastle
merchants.
The city is so prosperous that a
tenant for a vacant house is selected
by the well-known "eeny-meeny-
miny
Try to find vacant bungalow"
was the quick retort of a rental
agency to the Indianapolis Times
representative.
Used cars can be had if you bid
for them. While you're looking over
the rear end, another buyer may
shift gears and drive the car right
away from you.
Two and three families are living
together in one home. Rooms are
as scarce as teeth in a stage come
dams comb
Hotel Business Thriving
The city'S leading hotel. the
Plaza, during the early part of this
month, was forced to turn transient
guests away. On one nigh it was
necessary to put cots in the parlor
to house overflow guests.
Daily approximately 1000 men
commute by trolley and used car
from Muncie to work on one of
three eight-hour shifts at Chrysler
or the Ingersol Steel Disc Company.
Neighboring towns like Spiceland,
Mt. Summit, Hagerstown, send
hundreds of men daily to the time
clocks Of the Chrysler, Steel Disc
Company. and Hoosier Cabinet
Company.
Workers living III boX-like rooms
in the city come from all sections
of Indiana, Kentucky and Ohio
Mayor Sidney E. Baker, county
CWA administrator merchants,
bankers, and the booming firms of
the town warn outsiders not to at
tempt to obtain employment in
Newcastle.
There is too many transients
here now" the mayor said.
He pointed out that it was
necessary to permit the roamers
and vag-ont workers to stay in Jail
for lodging
Pay Day Like Gold Rush
Nightly, almost, the courthouse
basement is crowded with fifty or
sixty men sleeping on the hard
floors.
They come thinking they've
struck a bonanza only to find that
early birds caught the "greenback
worm" in January, 1884 and are
holding on to the jobs provided
through MIRA and the soaring bal
loon of activity of the automotive
world.
Pay day is like a Yukon rush.
Jostling men jam the two banks,
First National and Citizens State,
md file up to four and five paying
tellers counting out money at the
rate of hundreds minute.
Every one wants to reach the
bank before closing time 1t is diff
cult for the men to put their money
in their pockets after caShing
checks. The milling mob permits,
on some days, only thin wedges to
slice through to get out Of the bank
and the pay must be held on high,
if it is to be held at all.
The lines extend, sometimes, for
one and two blocks Auto traffic is
blocked
1T is necessary" said Mayor
Baker, ito put extra policemen at
to split the pay line
and enable motor traffic to move
freely"
Capacity Theatcr Throngs
Four theaters hold matinees daily
to play to the night shifts at the
Chrysler and Steel Disc companies.
All hours of the day are overtime
periods for merchants, grocers,
and soft drink parlors.
But despite this activity, Henry
county has its jobless. Six hundred
men are employed on CWA work,
to H. S. Lancaster, en-
ployment manager. He estimates
l 200 unemployed in the county.
They are for the most part, I'M
skilled labor, aged men, and those
unable to stand the production
speed of the ChrySler plant
Chrysler has 5000 men at work on
three eight-hour shifts and some
weeks, seven days are worked The
Steel Disc Company works 500 men
sixty days on three eight-hour
shifts while the HooSier Cabinet
600 men on eight-hour
shifts daily for five days.
The Chrysler pay roll will average
$500 900 to S55O,0O0 monthly the
Steel Disc, $4,000 monthly, and the
HOoSier, 5000 coo monthly.