Montana labor news., 1939-05-11
YELLOWSTONE COUNTY
ESTABLISHES A JOINT
RELIEF
Joe Bosone, Former District
President of Coal Miners,
Chosen President.
Letter Sent to Governor, Public
Welfare Commission AttOr-
ney General and Secre-
tary of State.

BILLINGS. "A joint committee,
representing all organized groups of
Billings and Yellowstone county, has
for some time discussed the relief
situation in this city and county. This
committee was selected by repre-
sentative groups of the Congress for
Industrial Organization, American
Federation of Labor, Workers Ali
ance of America, Billings Ministerial
Congregation, and fraternal organi-
cations of Billings with authority to
make an impartial survey of the
needs of people in Billings and
Yellowstone county.
Those appointed to the committee
are as follows: Joe Bosone, chair
man, representative of the Congress
for Industrial Organization; H. l..
Smith, secretary, representative of
the Yellowstone Trades and Labor
Assembly, American Federation of
Labor; John Massey, representative
of the Veterans of Foreign Wars;
Dan Behan, representative Of the
Fraternal Order of Eagles; ]. E.
Johnson, Joe Stachlowsky and Mac
Written, representing the Workers
Alliance of America; Ed c. Backus
and Albert Eichele, representing In
dustrial Local Union No. 808; c. A.
Wilson and the Reverend George
Jones, representing the ministerial
association.
This committee made a complete
survey of the situation existing in
Billings and Yellowstone county.
The investigation was free of parti-
sanship and without bias. We con-
tacted all responsible persons con-
nected with the various relief agen-
cies of Billings and Yellowstone
county, namely, the Works Progress
Administration, the Montana Re-
employment Service, Public Welfare
County Administrator and Field Su-
pervisor, and the Board of County
Commissioners of Yellowstone coun-
ty.
The work of this committee was
performed fully within the law, and
we are sure that all persons contact
ed are satisfied that a fair and i'm
partial hearing was given them.
Existing Conditions Found by the
Committee
After an exhausting investigation
of the relief situation we are of the
opinion that an EMERGENCY
EXISTS in the City of Billings and
Yellowstone county.
l. The Works Progress Admins
tration will not improve now Or in
the future. The fact of the matter
is that an order has been received
for a further reduction in the WPA
quota to take effect May 8, 1889.
2. Reductions in the WPA quota
since March l, 1889, have resulted
in placing more people on the rolls
of the Public Welfare Department.
3. The Montana Unemployment
Service did not and cannot take up
the slack caused by reductions in
WPA quotas. There are 1900 men
and women who are awaiting assign
ment by the Unemployment Service
"a staggering number of unem-
ployed people, willing and able, but
there is no work for them.
4. The relief organization in Bill
lings cannot take care of those now
on relief, except partially, to the ex-
tent that grants have been reduced
so per cent single men and women
receiving about SO, and families
averaging $18.
S. Old age assistance has also been
reduced so per cent, dependents re-
ceiving about $40 a month.
6. All officials contacted by the
committee expressed the belief that
present grants will not be increased,
and may be decreased because of
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