Montana labor news., 1937-03-04
ROOSEVELT COURT PLAN
ENDORSED BY GREAT
FALLS UNIONS
Continued from Page D

A&OHAilaN1 ~ A u.s.
ployment of the seamen which can
be used as a black list book.
Commissioner of Agriculture Spar
ling notified the Assembly that MI.
Edward O'Byrne would be given
careful consideration for the position
of Labor Commissioner.
That the Machinists Union is
making remarkable strides in or
ganization work was reported in a
letter that came into the Assembly.
Thirty-five local garages have signed
a closed shop agreement with the
local union. A copy of the wage
agreement was concurred in by the
Assembly. This communication was
considered one of the most note
worthy letters which has been sub
mitted to the Assembly for many
months, dealing as it did with the
tremendous growth and strength of
the Machinists organization.
The Power Committee which had
been appointed some time ago in re-
lation to the erection and establish
ment of a municipal power plant in
Great Falls, reported that they had
printed 10000 copies of a little news
paper called 1.-The Advocate" or
dered published by the Cascade
Trades and Labor Assembly. 1t was
reported that this paper had been
sent to Butte, Miles City, Billings,
Havre, and other places.
Secretary Whitmore reported that
he had arranged for Mr.. Frank Ed
wards of Helena to appear at the
public hearing at the Rainbow Hotel
in relation to a power plant. The
Assembly agreed to pay the expenses
of Mr.. Edwards to the hearing
should he consent to come. The dele
gates also reported that Mayor Fou-
SEX had contributed $500 for the
power hearing.
The committee appointed to inves-
tigate the working conditions at the
Fort Benton High School reported
that the contractors had anticipated
paying the Havre scale which is low
er than the Great Falls scale but
after taking the matter up with the
architect the contractors agreed that
the Great Falls scale should be paid.
The committee appointed to in
vestigate food prices, reported prog
ress and at the last Assembly meet
ing a request was made that the
secretary write to the Department
of Labor and have Great Falls placed
on the list of Montana cities listed
in the Government survey.
The secretary of the Assembly was
instructed to inform the Government
that the Home of the Good Shep-
herds in Helena was bidding on Gee
laundry contracts and that local
union laundries could not compete
with this class of penal labor.
The secretary was also instructed
to write Governor Ayers that re-
ports coming into the Cascade AS
sembly show that hayward girls in
most all cases were being sent to
the home of the Good Shepherds at
Helena instead of the state home for
this purpose and further that it APP
peared that there must be some
reason for this. The secretary was
instructed to write the Governor re-
garding alleged conditions of the
state home.
Chairman Steinmetz reported that
the Works Progress Administration
intended to conduct a training school
for foremen and that it was also
making a survey as to the public
attitude towards WPA wage scales
and hours.
The secretary of the Assembly sug-
gested that classse be formed if nee
essary under the Workers Adult Ed
ucation Program for the purpose of
training people in civic affairs and
suggested that such training may
be useful in coaching organized labor
become state representatives, SEN
.tors, city and county officials.
The secretary also suggested that
a campaign be waged in all counties
where senators are to be elected dur
ing the next two years in order to
make the election valuable to or
ganized labor and organized farmers
and to ecure defeat of all corpora
ton candidates. 1t was reported that
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