The Phoenix index., 1940-10-19
Win Fight Fo r Employment
Of Neqroes In Plane Plants
Training
Is Opened
To Negroes
By LAWRENCE F. LAMAR

The lid having been. successfully
blown off the program of secrecy
and of race, color and religious
rampant in the employment pro-
gram of many of the National De-
| tense program industries here on
the coast, this week witnessed vary
ing promises being made by in
dustry leaders to alter plans and
give Americans of color their just
due in the matter of employment.
The Eastside Chamber of Com
merce, which led the Investigations
that eventually uncovered the
plot, was informed last week by
officials of the local and state Ma
tional Youth Administration heads,
that the industries complained of
had given them the assurance that
they would accept youth of color
who were properly trained.
VIEWED AS VICTORY
This matter coming to the atten-
ton of Chamber heads was viewed
as a victory. The group had waged
an unrelenting war against any
sort of projudicial practice against
any American workman. In the
course of their investigation they
had pointed out to the public the
relationship of the practice of race,
color and religious prejudice
against American workmen, and
the program being waged by Nazis
and Fascist abroad
The chamber group several
weeks ago exposed contract ex-
listing between the State Relief Ad-
ministration and the NYA, by
which it was agreed that the NYA
would not certify any but white
youth, of the second generation
to aircraft mechanical training
schools. -
At the time the NYA officials
stated they would ask the SRA for
a revision of the contract be-
cause of the discriminatory clause.
The chamber group also learned
that back Of that contract, was an
other asking that mo Jews, Mexi-
cans, Portuguese or Negro youth be
benefited in the training schools"
On Friday, Oct. 4th, the COM
mittee was informed by telephone
message from Robert Burns, state
administrator of the National
Youth Administration, that four
| projects were in operation which
that body was taking steps to break
down any evidence of prejudice
against Negroes or any other
groups" Burns pointed out that
there was residence center at
Santa Barbarbara, California which
was taking Negro women.
Burns pointed out that they
were allocating selective young
men to the aviation construction
project at Bakersfield, where they
had already trained two classes.
Those graduates he said, had been
given jobs in Douglas, Lockheed
and Consolidated Aviation coopera-
tlonS. A new class is being started
and Negro youths will be includ-
| ed.
The residence center at Sher-
man Institute at Riverside, is also
including Negro youths, who will
live on the campus under the a.
hour guidance of the NYA and re-
ceived government pay.
Salient point of interest in Mr.
Burns conversation. however, was
the information that they dedicat-
ed Sunday, october 13 a new
dormitory on the campus of the
California Institute of Technology
where 100 youths out of 300 appH-
cants would be selected to live
there with the privilege of testing
themselves in the shops and equip
ment to determine the lines they
are best suited to follow. Out of
seven Negro applicant Burns point
ed out, or 4 would be selected for
the Cal.-Tech project
1t is believed most of the OBJ
lection to Negro youths enrolling
as trainee's in the aircraft voca-
tional schools, came from the
schools themselves. However, Burns
! still smarting under the bitter ef-
fects of the prejudicial contract
with SRA, informed the chamber
group that as soon as the $4,000
fund they received from the state
relief administration is depleted
that they would not ask for more
He stated, that the "NYA is going
to stop it's share in that sort ol
thing. In the future the NYA will
do it in its own way and with it,
own money.
Lieut.. White, informed Leon M
Giles, president of the Eastside
Chamber of Commerce, that his
committee had evidence, by the
way of a communication from
Major Reuben H. Fleet, president
of the Consolidated Aircraft Cor.
poration at San Diego, California
that two Negro youth had already
been put to work in his plant.