Montana labor news., 1934-01-04

ministrative committee listed above is
and was the same committee admin
istering relief in Silver Bow county,
and by order of Harry L. Hopkins,
Federal Administrator of the Civil
Works program became the admins
trative committee Of the Civil Works
program, for the purpose of exped-
iting the work of the program and
placing men in gainful employment as
quickly as possible. The administra-
tive committee as well rs the subor-
dinate officers in charge admitted
that because of the necessity for speed
many mistakes were made, but your
committee could find no indication
where any attempt had been made to
rectify them in the number of weeks
that have passed since the inception
of the program, and in many instances
the mistakes made showed a system
attic purpose and intent, as many who
were already gainfully employed were
transferred to more lucrative posi-
lions under the CWA, many relatives
of politicians, and many relatives of
those friendly to the Anaconda Cop
per Mining Company OF holding SUI
pervising capacities with that COM
pany were placed on the payroll.
Those in charge of the hiring had
placed many from the same family
who were on the relief rolls, and at
the time of the investigation the ad-
m~inistrative officers were removing
from the payroll at least one or two
of those employed from the same fam
lily, so that there might be a more
equitable spread and distribution Of
the work, which the committee COM
mends, provided, however, that those
removed be replaced by those still
on relief rolls or at least someone
needy and deserving registered with
the National Unemployment Service,
and provided also that those who were
not on relief rolls but employed be
dropped Immediately.
Your committee found that 235 men
were given employment who were not
on relief rolls. We further found
that wholesale discrimination and IA
voritism in every imaginable form
was practiced in the distribution Of
the supervisory positions and those
paying the larger wages. The relief
rolls were almost completely cast
aside, and many who were already en-
ployed, aldermen, aldermen's sons,
friends of the Anaconda Copper Co.,
some from the payrolls of the Anacon-
da Company, some from the payroll
of the relief committee whose salar-
les were heretofore paid by the Ana
conda Company, some from the City
of Butte payroll, the Silver Bow
county payroll, and at least one from
the State Highway Commission pay
roll, were merely transferred to the
Civil Works Administration payroll.
The committee in charge of the adj
m~inistration told of the complaints
registered by those who were not on
relief rolls, but who were destitute
and unemployed for some time, which
cases are designated as borderline
cases, which was responsible for
much of the dissatisfaction, but which
the rules and regulations prevented
them from employing, yet they saw
enough loopholes in the said rules to
permit them to employ in the better
paying positions hundreds who were
not on the relief rolls, nor needy, nor
unemployed. All of these facts set
forth above are evidenced by the rec
ord and by the payroll of the admin
istration.
Inasmuch as the relief work and
the work under the Civil Works Ad-
ministration were so closely connect
ed, and eligibility for the relief rolls
meant eligibility for employment I'M
der the Civil Works program, this
committee condemns the practice Of
the relief committee in requesting
applicants for relief for their "rustl-
ing cards" which is in effect a per-
NIT issued to a working man to seek
employment in the Butte mines, and
demands that this pernicious practice
of a private corporation to prevent
those who disagree with its policies,
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