The times-news. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1927-current, 1937-04-05
Clio. Launches
Textile Drive In
Southern Mills
3 Governors Now Oppose
Sit-Downs; No Strike
Planned Now

ATLANTA, Ia, April .. (JP).
The Committee for Industrial Or
ponization last night launched a
hinge drive to unionize 100000
tcytilc workers IN the section
where the American Federation Of
/ abor lost a bitter strike two
years ago.
Forty-five agents for the tex
tile workers organizing committee
-T.W.O.C.-Scattered into eight
southern states last night With in
st,uCtions to bring one of the ma
TONS greatest industries into the
fold of the Clio.
As in the automobile and steel
drives, they were striking ut an
industry straining to meet de-
mands taxing its capacity. Mills
in the south are working 2l-hour
shifts to meet q flood Of orders.
Cotton prices are booming to
seven-year highs and mill demand
for cotton is acute.
Final plans for the drive in
Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee,
Mississippi. Florida, Louisiana and
both CarolinaS were drawn like a
battle chart yesterday by 4. Steve
Nance. southeastern chairman of
the T.W.O.C. and president of the
Georgia State Federation of La
Dor.
Plans for the drive in northern
areas of the south were completed
April / when John Peel, another
regional chairman, met with
about so organizers at Roanoke,
Va.
Nance read his organizers a
from Sidney Hillman.
president of the Amalgamated
Clothing Workers. one of the or
ganizcrs of CLIO. and national
hca dof the T.W.O.C.
Hillman said the object of the
drive is to "achievc union organ
ization and recognition for the
textile workers which will bring
higher wages and better working
conditions"
Nance emphasized, in transmit
ting Hillman's message, impor-
lance of peaceful methods. APP
parcntly T.W.O.C. is taking no
chances on precipitating a gen
eral strike such as ended unfavor-
ably two years ago for the United
Textile Workers-then an Amcri-
can Federation of Labor affiliate:
The T.W.O.C. chief, insisted
that strikes form no part of the
campaign strategy.
1--WE are not anticipating any
strikes" he said, so we are not
making any strike plans-at this
time"
Statements from southern gov
errors have Indicated a wave of
textile sit-down strikes would not
be tolerated in many sections OF
the south. =,
Shutdown strikes are unlawful
and vii mot be tolerated in North
Carolina" Governor Clyde Hocy
said recently. Workers havcno
right to SIT down in mill than an
employer has to tie up a union
hall"
Hugh White, millionaire gov
ernor of Mississippi which at pres
ent is IN the throeS of an indus
trial boom, warned that sit-downs
will not be tolerated and added ne
will use militia, if necessary, to
prevent such strikes. Governor
James V. Alfred of Texas, Satur-
day night termed sitdOwns "un-
lawful and unamerican' and sad
he will use "cvcry resource at my
command to enforce the law
should such strikes develop in his
state.
On the other hand, the Clio.
appeared unlikely to meet organ
lied resistance from the textile IN,
dustry, which indicated it would
go far to prevent stoppagc of OPP
crations in the midst of a cloth
boom. DR.. Claudius Murchlson,
president of the American Textile
Institute, said in an address at
Chapel Hill, n. c., that the indus
try will make no organized fight
against the unionization drive. In
stead, he said, it will seek to IN
crease pay, shorten working
hours and improve conditions as a
deterrent to discomfort.
In line with his announcement,
the trade made public statistics