Montana labor news., 1939-04-13
Miners CONFERENCE
PLANS STATE WIDE
MEETING IN MAY

In a business-like session the sec.
ond meeting of the Silver Bow
County Conference for Jobs and Re-
lief worked out detailed plans for q
statewide conference to unite all
organizations in Montana, fraternal
religious and labor, to participate in
the move to solve the emergency
facing the men, women and children
in the state resulting from the cuts
in WPA and Public Welfare. The
State Wide Emergency Conference
for Jobs and Relief meeting will
take place on May 7 at 10 o'clock
a. M, in the legislative chambers OF
the state capitol in Helena.
All Groups Invited
The Silver Bow County Confer
ence instructed its permanent COM
mittee of IL, consisting of Ed Mason,
president of Butte Miners Union;
Bob Dunnaway, president of the
Workers Alliance; Philip O'Donnell
of Labor's Non-Partisan League; Pat
Deloughery of the Silver Bow Trades
and Labor Assembly; Mayme O'Con-
nell Of the Butte Clerks Union; Leslie
Levengood, Transfers; County Com
missioner Dan D. Sullivan; H.. J.
McCarron, Legislator Denis McCar-
thy, State Senator M. J. Mulholland,
Rev. Bert Powell, Ministerial Asso-
citation; Charles A. Hauswirth, mayor
of Butte, and Frank Finnegan, post
master of Anaconda, who represent
ed Deer Lodge county on the COM
mittee, to invite all central labor
bodies, A. F. of L. and CLIO unions;
railroad brotherhood lodges, Work
ers Alliance, Townsend clubs, Farm
ers Unions, ~fraternal organizations,
city councils, state senators, legisla-
tors and all others sincerely ready
to help in the present emergency to
attend the state conference.
Stop Hunger and Want
Philip O'Donnell, reporting for the
Committee of IL, described the
means through which the State Ad-
m%inistration Unanswered to keep
necessary funds away from the peo-
pie who were entitled to it under
the Welfare Act.
'There is a real crisis" he said,
real want is facing the people"
Herbert Wurst, secretary of the
Butte Workers Alliance, presented
the matter of unemployed being
forced to live in the county Jail. ut
is a disgrace to our city," he pointed
out, "that on the richest hill on
EARTH the unemployed are lodged
in the county jail" On his motion
the committee of IL recommended
that a special committee of five be
appointed to work together with the
Workers Alliance to get decent liv-
ing quarters for unemployed who
have no homes.
Although the state administration
has stated that relief will be cut 20
per cent and old age pensions not
at all, there are many cases in which
relief has been cut more than so per
cent and old age pensions IS per
cent. One widow who previously re-
ceived $48 a month in pensions, now
receives only $18. There has been
a general slash in all relief pay
ments. 'They have stopped paying
house rent for families and single
people on relief, food allowances
have been cut, payments for clothes
and medical supplies r banned
said the Alliance speakers.
Circulate Petitions
The final wording of the petitions
calling upon Gov. Ayers to call a
special session of the legislature was
unanimously adopted with all dele
gates present. It reads as follows:
eve, the undersigned, citizens of
Montana, do hereby petition his
e~xcellency, Governor Roy E. Ayers,
of Montana, to call a special session
of the legislature for the purpose of
meeting the emergency that has
arisen in regard to providing suffi-
Gent funds to properly conduct the
public welfare program of the state
on the basis of decency and health
as the law requires, and also to con
slider any other matters pertaining
to the activities of the public welfare
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