Montana labor news., 1936-02-13
LABOR DUBIOUS o
BANK A

@+E-E --N1N 49,
rector of the Federal Housing Admin
istration appealed to the unions to be-
come more familiar with the advant-
ages, offered by the government
agency which he represents, in a com
munication addressed to the Trades
and Labor Council and read by Secre-
tary Grimes.
He reminded the delegates that the
object Of the Better Housing move
ment was to put men back to work,
create labor in the building industry,
and also to stimulate employment in
other contingent lines. Mr.. Craighead
stated that a good showing had been
made in 1885 and that 1886 should show
a greater increase OF the facilities Of
fered by the Federal Housing Admins
t%ration.
The director reminded the union
members that the banks are anxious
to secure credit loans and have greatly
modified the requirements. He went
on to explain that the rate of interest
on these loans obtained from the banks
is equivalent to five dollars for evry
hundred dollars borrowed and that
loans may be made by anyone who is
permanently employed. The borrower
has considerable latitude in the man
ner in which the money may be spent
for instance; in some cases installation
OF equipment classified an improve
ments may be placed in the property.
To anyone interested, the banks will be
glad to furnish information regarding
loans,
The unions did not take any official
action on the request OF Mr.. Craighead.
The feeling in the trade union move
ment seems to be that the government
should handle these loans itself and not
turn them over to the banks. A sug-
gestion was made that before the unions
subscribe to any cooperation with the
Federal Housing Administration, that
an investigation be made as to how
many of the mortgages have been
foreclosed and how much has been
taken away from the working people.
+ + i
The secretary OF the Trades and La
Dor Council was instructed to commu-
nicate with Nels Anderson, Chairman
OF the Labor Policy Board at Wash
ington, D. c., in reference to the de-
mands Of the local General Laborers
Union for the payment Of Y cents an
hour on all Works Progress Admins
tration projects.
This matter Of the prevailing rate OF
pay for WPA has been in the hands OF
the Grievance Committee for several
weeks. This committee has been trying
to get the demands satisfied through
Roy Jacobson, a member OF the Region
al Labor Board. The conversations
with Mr.. jacobson doesn't seem to have
amounted to much, although it is
known that he has made a survey Of
wages paid in Silver Bow County in
order to determine what he considered
should be established as the prevailing
rate.
1t is hoped that the Labor Policy
Board will agree to the rate asked for
by the unions.
+ +
Every union affiliated with the Sill
yer Bow Trades and Labor Council
has been requested to discuss and
study the menace presented by the
growth Of war propaganda in the
United States and also the develop
ment Of Fascism in this country.
The Trades and Labor Council re-
Gently went on record to establish a
unit Of a league against war and
Fascism in Butte. The structure of the
local organization has not been deter
mined upon nor its eventual utilization
with any other group. It is proposed
to establish study classes in the local
unions as a means of informing the
membership OF the danger to them and
to their children of war. One of the
delegates remarked that after war is
declared it is too late then to protest
because such protests would only re-
suit in placing the protestor in jail
The time to protest against the extern
sion of the war spirit is now.