The producers news. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1918-1937, 1936-12-18
Force Officials to Reinstate
Victims Dropped from
Relief Rolls
Results Gained after De-
rnonstrating Ii days
and nights

$4,000 WPA workers in Montana
Statewide Campaign to Re-
store Project Cuts by Launched
bv WORKERS. Alliance & Other
Groups-PicI1ets Vacate Prem
Uses Mid-afternOOn Thursday,
Dec. "a when Administration
officials agree to restore WPA
cuts to original status for 1887.
A "siter-downer" demonstration
of En0 discharged WPA workers
in Billings, which had endured for |
so hours, conducted by the WPA
Local No. 167, came to a flavor
able conclusion Thursday, Dec. "a
at 2:30 m. when Gene Burrfs,
regional co-ordinator Of the WPA
in Montana. chartered a private
nlane and flew from Helena to
Billings to attend joint confer
ence with L G DeNaver and joint
Emergency COMMITTEES OF the
WPA.
For ID consecutive days and
nights the Alliance has sponsored
and conducted open meetings,
Joint committee sessions, conclud-
ing the year with approximately
80 hours of actual occupancy OF
the WPA office on Montana Ave.
These demonstrations were
sponsored and conducted jointly
by, locals 167 Billings: 512 Laurel
and 455 Columbus. Two demon
strations were made at the yell
lowstone County Court House
within a week, but the foxey
Commissioners were unavailable
It such times. The group conf
emily moved to the Commercial
Tub. where they remained for
-wo hours. One Of the Secretaries
Of the club assured the group
that thew had already done all
thew nossiblv could TO aid the re-
storation of the WPA eash-for-
work program. Under pressure,
he pledged himself and the or
ganization which he represented
tn sustain the requests OF the
"Worl,ers Alliance" for the re
storation Of WPA. Individual
business men suffered most from
these WPA cuts. Credit has beer
suspended. 80 davs before Christ
r'as and hundreds IF merchants
found THEMSELVES With shelves ful
Of merchandise, which they eoulf
not move.
Uron his arrival in Billings, Nj
Burris assured the pickets tina
all Of The demands Of the Work
ere Alliance would bA met. lie. Il
Complete and immediate restora
ton Of al WPA TO it's orieiua
statrs. with improved workinI
conditions and personnel. q
Esne"iallv. the restoration an'
consideration Of all Class e. mer
(9l AdeouatA provision for re
s+cratior of "Women with depAu
dent children" who have been dis
charoed. (4l No discrimination
will he tolerated: as m race. colo
creed etc. (5l Additional prnvi
sion for al new applicants eHgi
HE Fer WPA who have not bee
on II 0Tev1 ouSiY.
All Of these general provision
were conceded to, under the cor
dition that the pickets vacate th
premises Of the WPA and Civ
the skeleton staff a chance
work effectively. The pickets re-
Oily agreed, but they had alread
planned tentatively to stage q pl
bic empty Stocking" Christms
Celebration. They proposed
send a 5-ton truck TO the mouH
tains accompanied by 100 men,
bring in a hundred-foot Ceds
tree for Christmas and erect
on the corner Of Montana Av
and Broadway; opposite the Bi
lings Gazette Building. The
further proposed to drape il
icicles and snow and to assemb
actual specimens of second-har
garments and re-conditioned toy
such as are handed out by Il
local philanthropists, on the n
torious South Side in Billing
annually.
The group selected their on
committee to solicit funds fro
the community and feed Their
selves twice daily at ~ o'cloc
30 lbs meat. 100 loaves Of bres
10 gallons of coffee together wi
sugar and milk were consumed
Tnesdav NIGHT an zYrerrIo1r