Evening star., 1939-07-19

.W.P.A.F Faces
u. 5. JuryQuiz
Murphy Directs
F. B. |. to Present
Strike Findings

BACKGROUND -
congress performed major op-
GRAFTON ON Federal Uork-relief
program by directing cut in COM
pensat1on, abandonment of nu-
merouS projects and lay-of OF
thousands OF relief workers. On
day nelD requirements beoan to
go into effect. thousands OF W.
+. A. 1Uorkers 1Uent on strike. Re-
thsal OF Congress to reuse la,D
has resulted in pirtual COLLAPSE
OF protest.
Attorney General Murphy today
ordered a Federal grand jury in
vestlgation of the Minneapolis w.
P. A. strike situation.
He ordered it following an in
vestigation by the Federal Bureau OF
Investigation.
Victor E. Anderson, United States
district attorney at st. Paul. MINI.
was directed to convene the grand
jury.
The F. B. T. will continue it's in
Vestigatlon and its findings will be
presented to this grand iurv," Mr..
Murphy's announcement said.
The grand jury will return in
dictments if, in its opinion. the
facts warrant. The F. B. l. infor-
nation will be disclosed only to the
grand jury
Justice Department officials have
persistently refused to disclose what
the F. B. I. investigation of the past
several days has uncovered in the
Minneapolis w. P. A. strike. which
last week resulted in two fatalities.
The new relief law forbids anv
person from keeping a man from
work on the W. P A. if he is eligible
and wants to work.
10000 Dropped From Rolls.
Meanwhile, outright dismissal OF
nearly 10000 persons from work re-
lief rolls appeared to be one of the
principal results of two weeks Of
protest strikes against new wage
and-nour requirements of the w.
P. A. law.
The actual count of such dis
charges for persons who were ab-
sent from their jobs without au-
thorlzation for five consecutive
working days was 32.582 on Mon
day night, w. P. A. Commissioner
r. &. Harrington announced yester-
day, with an estimated several thou
sand more being dropped yesterday.
At the same time the strikes were
fading rapidly from their official
high point of about $4,000 in the
middle of last week to 26.5l1 Mon
day. A temporary jump in the
number of idle workers is expected
tomorrow when the Workers Alli-
ance calls its members out for brief
demonstrations and parades. The
alliance announced last night that
this course would be followed. al
though 1t directed any of its mem
bers who have participated in the
strikes of the last two weeks to
return to their jobs.
u. q. E. Statement Issued.
Edgar G. Brown, president Of the
United Government Employees, a
colored group. issued this statement:
We are advising Negro w. P. A.
workers specifically to have nothing
whatever to do with any protest on
Thursday, demonstration or inter-
terence with their regular work,
called by the so-called Workers
Alliance or any other group out OF
sympathy with the law of the land,
the President of the United States
and the commissioner of relief, Col.
Harrington"
AS other retrenchments directed
by the new Relief Act were under
way. the w. P. A. today announced
considerable reduction in its field
information service.
Officials said press contacts would
be maintained in some form. but
that a number of services would be
discontinued and State publicity
staffS reduced in most instances to
one person. There previously had
been as many as four at work in
the more populous States. In COM
munities of comparatively few prof.
ects press relations likely will be
added to the duties of other persons
and the publicity staff eliminated.
Authorities had no immediate es-
innate of the possible saving. but
said the action was prompted by
the smaller appropriation for ad-
mlnlStratlve expenses under the new
Relief Act.
Minneapolis Opinion Divided.
President Roosevelt reiterated at
his press conference yesterday
the opinion that the only means
of changing the controverted re-
quirement that. relief workers put
in l30 hours monthly for the mini
mum security wage would be
through Congress. Claims had been
made that either the President or
Col. Harrington could waive this
rule under certain conditions.
AS the end of the strike move
rhent approached, Minneapolis and
Philadelphia were the only impor-
tant cities where settlement was not
virtually assured.
In Minneapolis there appeared to
be division of opinion among the
workers on the question of returning
to their jobs.
Chester Watson, State president
of the Workers Alliance, said, THE
strike will go on" White-collar
workers, however, appealed to Gov.
Harold Stassen of Minnesota to re-
open the projects closed last week
after Mayor George E. Leach said
police could not be responsible for
maintaining order at the projects.
Mayor Leach received word from
w. P. A. headquarters yesterday that
policing the projects was the city's
responsibility and that w. P. A. op-
erations would be suspended where
violence threatened.
In Philadelphia the A. F.. Of L.
Building Trades Council ordered an
extension of the walkout of union
employees to include those on all
Government-f1nanced jobs.
Frost in New EnoIund