Montana labor news., 1938-07-21
OPEN FORUM
Northern State Unions
Ask Modification of The
Welfare Regulations
CASCADE COUNTY TRADES AND
LABOR ASSEMBLY
Box 1893

Montana Labor News:
The Cascade County Trades and
Labor Assembly has been informed
that in Great Falls there r some
1856 unemployable single persons and
sic unemployable persons with fam
lilies who are on the public welfare
rolls, receiving as little as $3.50 BIZ
monthly or SO monthly for single
persons to provide food and shelter
and as little as $1.5O monthly for
clothing. Many Of these persons, al
though listed as unemployables,
could work at some job or another.
However, it has been called to our
attention that the local WPA office
does not accept these persons for
assignment because their listing in
"Class B." Nevertheless, we have
been advised that some unemploy-
ables r employed On some WPA
projects Clerical, professional, etc.,
and we car see no reason why some
of them, most certainly the most
seriously affected group in a period
of mass lay-offs and unemployment,
should be Disseminated against.
We wish to call your particular
attention to the case of one Ben
Durand, a t%elegrapher, who is a typi-
cal victim of the industrial machine.
Durand in the past rs or 30 years
has been employed as a %telegrapher
and manager by both Postal Tele-
graph and Western Union, various
railroads, press services and news
papers. However, the teletype has
virtually blocked all possible chances
of his obtaining unemployment. He
is not only handicapped because of
his inability to get a job, but also
because he has but one leg and must
get about on crutches,
During the war, even though a
cripple, he did not hesitate to volun-
teer and served as a t%elegrapher for
the government in an army camp
in Texas and later was employed as
a clerk in a government hospital in
New York. In the last few years
he, a person who has made every
effort to make an honest living, has
been forced on the relief rolls after
exhausting his savings in travelling
from place to place throughout the
country in search of work. He has
barely subsisted and has and will
suffer in body and mind. What
could one expect when a person has
to live on a macaroni, potato and
bacon diet? That's about all a bud
get of less than so cents a day, less
than II cents a meal, will provide.
In contrast, it might be stated, that
the sheriff is allowed rs cents a day
per prisoner. Apparently in this
country we think mor of our Grim
inals than of our unemployables and
unemployed.
Individual delegates and the as
sembly have made every effort to
get some hasty action which might
permit Durand and others in a like
classification as unemployables to
work. II hasn't been just a week, in
his case, but a couple Of months or
more. However, it has been a buck
passing proposition, so we are trying
to pass the word along to all con-
cerned in hopes that we might get
some immediate action from some
source for Durand and others.
Taking Durand and other so-called
unemployables off the relief rolls
would bolster their living standards,
believe the public welfare of this
group should be given every possible
consideration. Could not the Works
Progress Administration help these
people progress to a slightly higher
standard than their present direct
relief status? We sincerely urge
your immediate consideration.
Sincerely,
Cascade County Trades and La
Dor Assembly, by H. Whit
|