The potters herald. [volume] (East Liverpool, Ohio) 1899-1982, 1942-10-15
Labor Hunt Brings
Big Georgia Fine
Agent For Newark Scrap
Man Threatened With
Year Term

Newark, \. J. Fighting mad at
having been fined 81 600 for sending an
agent to Georgia to recruit Negro Ia
Samuel Il. Freedman sent telegrams
to President Roosevelt Donald Nelson,
chairman of the War Production
Board, and New Jersey members
of Congress charging that the South
was still fighting the Civil War.
Meanwhile, Harold G. Weston. 81
year-old personnel manager OF Mr..
Freedman's concern, the Special SteelS
COmpOunding Corporation of 40 stock
ton Street, was hOmeward bound after
three days of terror that he might be
tarred and feathered by indignant
Southerners, or sent TO prison for Il
year by an irate judge who gave nm
twenty-four hours to get out of the
State of Georgia after he paid his fine
Mr. Freedman explained that his
business had been hard hit recently by
an acute labor shortage and had fallen
behind on its deliveries Of scrap to the
Atha works Of the Crucible Steel Com
pany in Harrison This was confirmed
by A. G.. Van Clcve manager of the
Atha works, who said that the plant :
scrap reserve had consequently been
reduced to Il dangerous minimum.
FOremans Idea Starts Trouble
Floyd Weaver, Negro foreman IN
Mr. Freedman's employ, suggested thaJ
he be sent South to pick up some likely
workers. Mr.. Freedman agreed, accord
ing to the story he told reporters. and
authorized Mr.. Weaver to promise the
men $50 to S4O week, which he said
were the wages prevailing in Newark
for scrap SorterS.
\ few days later Mr.. Weaver mott
fed Mr.. Freedman that he had rounded
up about a dozen men in Cordele, Ga
Last Saturday night Mr.. Freedman
dispatched Mr.. Weston to Georgia to
look the men over and bring them back
if they seemed satisfactory. Mr.. Freed
man heard nothing more until Monday,
when he received a telephone call from
Mr. Weston who, he said, was almost
hySterical.
Unable to get coherent account of
his trouble from Mr.. Weston, Mr.
Freedman talked to Il Cordele lawyer,
who informed him that Mr.. WeS-
ton was under arrest on Il charge
of "decoying, enticing and Transporting
labor out of the State" He said that
Superior Court Justice q. II. Cover
had given Mr.. Weston the alternatives
of paying fine Of 81, 200 or spending
twelve months in the penitentiary.
WPB Executive lntercedes
Mr.. Freedman took the matter up
at once with George $. PfauS assistant
regianal labor representative of the
WPB, who wired Justice Cover that
Mr.. Weston was innOcently ignorant of
the Georgia law; that he represented
Il firm doing important war work, and
in the case until the WIPE could go
more fully into it.
Another telephone call from Mr.
Weston the next day Informed Mr..
Freedman that he was being shadowpd
wherever he Went and implOred him
to do something. Mr.. Freedman there
upon got Mayor Vincent J. Murphy of
Newark to telegraph Justice Cover
vouchng for the good standing of his
concern. Then he personally called
Justice Cover and asked him to do
nothing until the WPB could inycsti-
gate the case.
The WpB isn't running this court,
Justice Cover replied, according In
Freedman.
Although Mr.. pfaus had mcanWhii"
referred the matter to l.. B. Raycron
regional director of the WIB, With
offices in Philadelphia, Mr.. Freedman
was convinced by his telephone conver-
SatiOn with the Judge and by Il third
deSpairing telephone appeal from Mr.
Weston that there was nothing To DO
but pay the fine, which he did.
Mr.. Freedman said that he has
heard nothing from Mr.. Weaver, whose
suggestion started all the trouble, anH
is wondering what has become of him