The producers news. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1918-1937, 1934-03-16
BLUE HEAVEN

When / walked INV SAAS
cold room on the third floor OF
2O2h North Tyron street there
were half a dozen elderly mem
beers of locals affiliated with the
Charlotte, N. C. Central LABOR
Union Four of them were killing
time PLAYING cards with dirty ola
decl ON a rusty, rickety table
While we talked some four OF 1lVs
others dropped in, carpenters, ana
bricklayers. The youngest was
about forty and the Oldest was
we'll on his way through the SIX
ties.
Except for occasional and rare
iobs most of them had not worked
for two years.
"No sir" one kindly old CAT
nenter explained. "It's not Just
us union men. There's about To-
600 workers in Charlotte's popuia-
tion and half of them are unem-
uloyed-12,OoO of them registered
down at the city hall. There USED
to be more but the NRA and the
CWA put almost 1000 of them
hack to work for the time beng
at least
Glow do you live?" asked.
CHARITY. Each family gets ~
a week-tha't for five people"
made some quick calculations
"That's about 6 cents day per
person, isn't it,"
Gust about" He dealt the ola
cards.
"There's only one thing that gets
me-" said a bricklayer with a very
faint note of Indignation, "and that
IS the government using the CWA
to supply cheap labor"
at amt the government" some
ono broke in. "It's them local or
ficials. You see," he explained pa
tientIy to me, "all of US gets CHAR
~ from the CWA or the Saliva
ton 10 Army or the Family Service
, TlH. won't even give school books
20 our kids. Well, when some one
~ u to hire us we ask the unior
scale and they laugh and call tn'
CWA or the Salvation Army an'
och for some one to be sent 70 az
the work. They say they can ON!
nav fifty cents day or a oolla
. dav and we have to take It. l
= we don't we don't get no more
charity sect"
"But your union"
ooh, we amt got no more. NO
= body pays no attention to US. w
- Just hang around, that's all"
| was sitting with my back t
:. the door. 1 became aware Of
:" dry, hacking cough mingled with
~ rasping noise. The door was ope
=. and l turned in time to see a thin
- scrawny Negro top the stairs. d
- chung to the bannister and stoo
- there, his mouth open in an agon
!" of pain while that weird, Taspin
VA sound issued from his mouth. b
reminded me of someone had
!. seen somewhere, and suddenly
- flash l remembered an assign
Il ment / once had In war veteran
~ hospital where those who had bee
gassed were being treated. Thel
IN was that same look. the san
m drawn face in this Negroes ey,
Ve, that those soldiers had whose lunS
'eu had been burned out of them
az poison gas.
Suddenly he began to cough. F
at bent forward and quickly pulled
rs soiled handkerchief out of his o
coat pocket. He held it to h
vas mouth. When he took it away
alb was filled with blood.
vas thought / was seeing a man
but the last stages Of tuberculosis b
one of the bricklayers said qui
casually:
ned Asbestos mill. They don't II
. long once they go to work there
ie.1 The Negro finally caught !
mus breath and with a weak smile
slumped into a chair one Of I
'm men pushed toward him.
''Thank you sir. It's getti
lor harder all the time maxim thel
ITO stairs" he said in that peculi
c rasping voice. 81 done come to
Mist Jackson. Y'all expect b
a. here ?"
l. Hell be here Directly" someC
I said.
=, wanted to ask what the bri
nc layer meant when he said they
-''' not live long when they go to w
in an asbestos mill but you ca
q a ask man who is dying how Ii
!. .aO- he thinks he will live; and Will
IOer- was trying to find out without
70 ing too brutal, one of the play
said between dealing the cards
"See this niger? Four mon
ago he was as husky as a tr
driver. Look at him now. Pr,
ably amt got more'n half v
i at to live now"
art The coughing Negro nodded
new agreement.
Issed "What do Won mean ?" I asl
islst- ''You get lent from the asbe1
lson, in your lungs an you're done
ana Amt nothin' nobody can do al
ways it. Gets you a hemorrhage, tn
10 what it gets you. Why, if you
n.y. a little splinter under your fin
lgest unless its cut out, it Just form
artin hard knot like a brick an 81
inne- there. l figger that's what !
lg to pens when it gets in your lu,
too. Strong white folks can
rson workin' in them mills for fiv'
their seven wears hut us niggers brt