The tribune independent of Michigan. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1933-1935, 1934-03-10
SUFFERING OF
RACE TOLD BY
JOHN P. DAVIS
Administrators Are
Indifferent To
Races Plight
Reduced Wages Is
One Of Many Evils

Washington (ANP)-John p.
Davis executive secretary of the
Joint Committee for National Re-
covery lifted up the stone of MIRA
codes which lies in the grass of
Negro economic life Wednesday
at the public hearings conducted
for critics of the NRA and re-
vealed "a pale. sickly starving
Negro.
Flush before the eyes of the ad-
ministrators of the NRA. Mr.. Da-
Wis placed the picture which show
er how the administrators OF this
great federal agency. Indifferent
or occupied otherwise. had, in eff
feet, worked With the employing
interests I'm the South TO either
displace the Negro worker, keep
his salary scale at the same level
or reduce II and at the same tine
on such a reduced salary TO live in
a world OF rising prices. 1t was a.
sorry. mean picture OF the the fed
eral governments relation TO
Logo 0QQ.. ,AAneaTav-1Ur Eer nome -
49,. The =, q ~all, cared as
no ,a.llate critic" and that al
though his experience in investi-
eating the life of the Negro work
err under the codes had made him
bitter, he spoke without personal
malice" In the sincere desire that
something may come OF the sug-
gestions | shall make"
First. he turned his attention 70
three types OF differentiaI treat
ment in the south as between white
and black workers.
In the cotton textile industry"
asserted Mr. Davis, outside crews
and cleaners were exempted from
any maximum hours or minimum
wage provisions. Ten of the 10000
Negro workers in the industry were
In the exempted classes"
Nevertheless. in spite OF the fact
that his work was not increased, and
in many cases decreased. Mr.. Dav-
is found on a trip through the tex
tile region that a sack OF -four
which cost 60 cents before the code
went into effect cost 81 90 after
ward. the average increase being SIS
per cent. In like manner. the prices
OF other staples; such as clothing.
coal and wood. Kerosene, etc, rose
Il can never forget" he dramatic
ally commented. the baby of n Ne
gro textile worker in Clifton. s. g..
who died because milk was too ex-
pensive TO buy
Blame for this condition was
placed on the MIRA.
Mr. Davis next attacked the prac-
tice OF establishing regioni districts
in which TO set up differentials II
is assumed. he said. that these diff
ferenials are applied to the South
ern states, as they are generally
known, but. in order to snare and
impoverish Negro workers. the Ma
son and Dixon line was seriously
mangled in many instances.
For one differential only three
states were defined as southern.
For another Is states and the Dis
trict OF Columbia were included.
In some codes. the District OF Co
lumbia is south, in others, north
In the fertilizer code. Delaware is
placed In the south
Analysis will show" asserted
Mr.. Davis. that these definitions
have been made with an eye 70 in
GLIDING in the region called 'sonth'
and for which the lowest wage is
allowed that territory where the
bulk OF the labor supply in the in
dustry is Negro The effect OF this
has been TO continually single ont
Negro wage earners for discrimi-
natory treatment"
Another type of discrimination
the Joint Recovery executive des-
crihed as INT economic grand
father clause In many OF the
codes. he pointed out. there is
provision which sets up that IN.
minimum wage for those workers
who 0n July -. 1929. received
moro than 80 cents an hour shall
be not less than 80 cents an hour
and The minimum wage for these
workers who received less than 30
cents an hour on that date shall
not be less than 30 cents an hour"
"Inasmuch az the wages paid
Negro workers were usually less
than thirty cents an hour and that
paid white workers, usually more"
commented Mr.. Davis, lit is easy
to see at whom this differential Is
directed"
He also showed how Negro
on the South Allan
tic coast receive 81 Gets an hour
under the codes and white long
shoremen on the Pacific coast, re-
ceive 800 an hour.
Significant among the issues
treated by Mr.. Davis was the con
Iontlon OF southern employers
Continued on Page 81