The Michigan chronicle. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1936-current, 1943-08-21
Nv ERNEsr z. JOHNSON

WASHINGTON - tANP) - Cues
zion OF the week Is this: is the
Fair Employment Practice commit
tee stsiiing on the Capital Transit
company casc?"
There is in the capital an ineress-
ing feeling that the Presidents
committee Ito eliminate" diScrin-
instion. in It's anxiety 10 be safe
and sound in is approach, is rapidly
achieving the ultra Of vaci|.ston.
As matters now stand. both the
company and the Hnion the Anal
gsmatcd Association o! Street.
Electric and Motor Coach employees,
tAFL) are enjoying an indefinite
pos;ponement OF the day when they
will be publicly called upon 20 OK
PLAIN Why they have oecH d!.aiory
about hiring Negroes on the buses
and trollcys OF the d!s'-!ct
Last year citizens committee
began the fch; 20 have Negroes en-
rloyed BY the utility companies Of
Washington. and Capital Transit
was the hrst objective. The fight
was crysialized on Nov 3 when an
overflow mass meeting MAS held
here 20 demand action. Early IN
December the War Manpowcr COM
mission ruled that the transporta-
ton system o. the district is an es-
sentisl industry and thst its en-
p,oyes would enjoy certain advant-
ages against immediate drafting.
Pau! v. McNuti. VINO chairman.
then directed the Capital Transi;
company TO immediately employ
Negroes, and the company was
given 30 days IN which TO comply.
On Jan. the company reported
that they were in the process Of
complying with the directive. but
no Negroes had been hired up to
then, nor were any OF the main
tenance men being upgrsded.
One Negro had. been hired and
pu into training He is B. d SIM
mons. He got a degree OF prelim-
mary training, but when he was
sen, over TO the garage for practical
instructions, the whites refused to
take ham out on a trial run.
The matter dragged along until
April 10 when the committee-the
old one-decided TO get rough with
McNutt, and scheduled hearings in
Detroit and in Washington, the lat
ter one for May 10.
On May II, eve OF the hearing.
th. committee met and learned for
the first time. so il is reported. that
the company was preparing to coun-
ter FEPC charges with one that
when they reported to Lawrence
w. Craner. then secretary OF the
committee. that the employees had
presented an impasse, they were
told by Crsmer TO sit tight and
await instructions from the COM
mittee.
Being totally taken by surprise
and unprepsred to meet this argu-
ment, the committee was compelled
10 postpone the hearing for "a hours.
The same day. however, they were
hu~riedly reconvsned and were in
formed that Q new chairman hsc
been appointed, and given the re.
quest that the Capital Transit hear.
ing be postponed even longer. The
new date set was June 2.
About the same time. il was dis
closed that Cramer and the former
area director for VINO, RAINY
Dcschner. along with company OFF,
cisls. had been trying to negotiate
themselves out Of a tough situa-
ton. Dcschner tried to read FEPC
out Of the picture, but McNutt.
knowing that FEPC was going to
be restored 10 independent status,
told rim, in effect, to mind his own
business. He later hred Deschner.
The new executive order was re-
leased on May %. along with the
announcement that Msgr. Francis
J Haas would be its chairman, and
on June /, on the advice OF the
remaining members OF the old CON-
mittee. the June 2 hearing was
postponed indefinitely for the sec
ond time. The announcement said,
however. that jurisdiction over the
case would be retained.
A rough month later the new
Committee was appointed and
among its first acts was one 10 seek
additional information" with re-
gard 10 the dispute, and to make a