Evening star., 1940-12-10
Mrs. Roosevelt
Suggests Probe
OF Union Fees
Hears Testimony $500
Initiotion Charge Cost
Man Job at Meade
Pictures on Page AZ
BY JAMES E. CHINN.

suggested that the special House
Migration Committee investigate the
circumstances described by a pre-
vious witness who testified that her
husband was denied work at Fort
Meade, Md, because he could not
pay $500 union initiation fee.
While waiting to make her second
appearance this year as witness
before a congressional investigating
committee, Mrs. Roosevelt heard
Mrs. David Thomas testify that her
husband, a migratory worker, was
offered job as electrician at s1.65
an hour at Fort Meade, but could
not take it because he could not
raise the money to pay a union fee.
The Thomas family, which in
cludes six children, now lives in a
trailer truck at an Alexandria tourist
camp and the husband is employed
by Washington fuel company at a
salary of $50 a week, Mrs. Thomas
told the committee.
Mrs. Roosevelt's suggestion that
the Fort Meade union fee require
ment be investigated was made dur
ing questioning by Representative
Sparkman, Democrat, of Alabama,
after she had outlined to the COM
mittee some of her observations in
camps of migratory workers she had
visited.
Heavy Burden Feared.
Mrs. Roosevelt told the committee
that children of migratory workers
are going to be heavy burden" on
tuberculosis hospitals and prisons.
She deplored living conditions in the
camps of migrants, mentioning espe-
cially the lack of sanitation. proper
food and educational facilities.
One of the "deplorable' things
about families of interstate migrants
was that, in some cases, the chill
dren haven't any idea what it
means to be citizens of democ-
racy," Mrs. Roosevelt declared.
Every one ought to know what he
wants to defend" she said, in dis
cussing lack of educational op-
portunities among migrants.
Meade Issue Discussed.
Referring to Mrs. Thomas testi-
mony on her husbands inability to
paw the union fee at Fort Meade.
Mrs. Roosevelt said:
WAS that an A. F. of L. or c. l.
o. Union?"
Then, after discussing the Issue,
Mrs. Roosevelt said, Il think you
ought to get the local union head
here and have 1t out. I think 1t
would be very interesting"
| Mrs. Roosevelt also declared she
/ thought a good union" would make
an adjustment in such case.
| Representative Sparkman ex-
planned that Boris Shiskin, Ameri-
can Federation of Labor research
director. had informed the COM
nittee steps were taken in the re-
cent New Orleans convention to
restrict local unions seeking ex-
orbitant fees
"Of course" Mrs. Roosevelt said,
you'd have to go little further
back. Probably the beginning came
when there were too many people
to get work Now there is a division
in the electrical union.
Il suppose in certain groups there
may be rackets and this may be
one-I don't know"
Conditions in Camps Described.
Mrs. Roosevelt. dressed in a brown
dress and brown hat to match, spent
/
stand. She said she had no de-
tailed recommendations to make on
the problems of the migratory work.
ers because she did not consider her
self an expert. She agreed with
Chairman Tolan, however, that the
problems are national in scope.
The large caucus room in the old
House Office Building, where the
committee is holding its public hear
ings. was crowded with spectators
when Mrs. Roosevelt arrived. Most
Of them were women.
She began her testimony amid the
flashing of bulbs on the cameras of
newspaper photographers and in the
direct beam of kleig lights set UP by
movie news cameramen, by telling
the committee:
"I don't feel I have any informa-
ton which you do not already have" a"
Il will tell you what I've seen and
the impressions I've gathered in
talking to people in different parts
of the country" she added.
Camp Likened to Jungle.
Then, Mrs Roosevelt described
conditions in different types of work.
ers' camps in California. Some of
them had electricity, she said, but
most of them were "just plain squat
ters' camps"
One of the camps was ikened to
a jungle She said this camp
lacked sanitation and the conditions
in general were pretty bad" A few
moments later she said it is
strange" that the absence of sani-
tary facilities in some of these camps
had not resulted in disease epi-
demic.
Conditions in Other States.
Mrs. Roosevelt next discussed the
camps of migratory workers she had
observed in Texas and in the Flori-
da Everglades and remarked about
the bad food" the bad" condi-
tions and the bad" environment
in which these people live.
That condition" she emphasized,
"will be very serious to us In the
future"
In the Florida Everglades, Mrs.
Roosevelt said she found a sugar
cane plantation, operated by q
Quaker, where migratory workers
(See MIGRANTS, Page Aid