Evening star., 1944-01-11
Inquiry Into Legality
|0f FEPC Directives
Opens in House
~ the Associated Press.

~ ZIG AS0oSiAtSO Ifcees
Congress set out today to find
out what legal backing the Presi-
dents Fair Employment Prac-
tices Committee has for its d.
receives forbidding racial dis
elimination in the hiring and
promotion of workers.
Chairman Smith of the special
House Committee Investigating Ex-
ecutive Agencies said the hearings
would be confined solely to the issue
Of the FEPC's legal authority. He
declared spokesmen for minority
groups would not be permitted to
use them as a forum for social re-
form theories.
In the meantime, the publication,
Catholic Action, said In its January
issue that in the case of alleged dis
elimination against colored railroad
workers, Catholics should hope for
and work for solution which will
give the fullest measure Of justice to
our Negro brothers and to members
OF all minority groups"
FEPC Entitled" to Support.
An article by George Higgins dis
cusses the case, in which the FEPC
ordered southern railways to cease
alleged discrimination against Ne
groes aspiring to better jobs and
concludes:
"FEPC =. is entitled to whole
hearted support of Catholics, and it
is to be hoped that when and If
ful-length statute is enacted by
Congress outlawing the UNI Christian
practices of race discrimination in
employment, such legislation and
its enforcement will have the warm
backing of Catholics"
The Southern railroads have ig-
nored the FEPC on the grounds that
it has not legal standing and that it's
orders were impractical in the first
place. President Roosevelt has Or
dered another study of the situa-
ton.
viii Study Transit Case.
Specific case to be taken up by
the Senate Committee today is that
of the Philadelphia Rapid Transit
Co., which on November IS. l943,
was ordered by the FEPC to cease
discriminating against Negroes,
either as prospective workers or as
employees who might be upgraded
to jobs for which Negroes on the
company's rolls are not now, under
a contract with the PRT Employees
Union, eligible.
Frank P. Carney, president OF the
union, and Frank NJ Coburn, secre-
| tary treasurer, are expected to testi-
| fy at the initial hearings
The Philadelphia firm, which
operates street railway bus, elevated
and motor coach lines, has 10000
employees.
In a statement to the Smith Com
mittee, the union said it cannot ac-
cept responsibility for chaos and i'm
pairment to the transportation of
workers to and from war industries,
which we feel will surely follow any
attempt to force this (FEPC) direc-
tive at this time"
Directive Is Retroactive.
The directive was made retroac-
tive, requiring the company to con-
slider all applications for upgrading
and for hiring which had been filed
by Negroes since June Is, 194l.
Mr.. Carney, denying that the
union is guilty of race discrimina-
toin, said it has 400 colored transit
workers among its members, with
eight colored delegates, some of
whom represent both white and COL
ored employees. Any attempt to
change existing amicable employer
employe relations, he said, would be
unwise.
Mr.. Smith said the committee
would go into the West Coast ship
ping situation, where Negroes have
complained of discrimination against
them by boilermakers' union, and
into the Southern railroad situation
later 4