Detroit evening times., 1945-12-06
FAIR
ENOUGH
BY Westbrook
--
PegTer

lin Delano Roosevelt and mem
berS of the Delano family there
were and. as 10 some lndlvid-
ualS, there still are A coal nine
and company town called Vim
tondale, in Cambria County. Pa.
Frederic Dclano OF Washing
ton, an uncle OF the tate preSl-
dent. and numerous OF h cr
Delanos. still have financial IN
terests in the properties. Fred
eric Delano was chairman OF
the National Resources Plan
ming Board, with offices in the
state department from 1884 TO
1943, when he retired.
This board is a radical New
Deal agency.
Uncle FREDERIC was born
- in China, the son Of War
rem Delano, the old Canton
opium Smuggler, who founded
the Delano fortune in this trade,
and a brother of the late Sara
Delano Roosevelt. the mother OF
Franklin d. He IL one OF q
dozen relatives in whom Presi-
dent Roosevelt recognized abili-
ties OF value TO the public and
appointed 10 salaried positions.
Ironically, Uncle Frederic's biog-
raphy reveals that he served
for a time as chairman "of the
international commission OF tho
League OF Nations on inquiry
into the production OF opium in
Persia -
Thus far my inquiries have
not revealed the extent OF the
late presidents income from
the VIntondale coal properties.
That he was interested was es-
tabllshed. by a letter on White
-Hot!Se-Ststiehefy,-riatrd- Jurs
%, 1912, and signed by Mrs.
Eleanor Roosevelt.
MIR. Delano Is my husbands
uncle" the letter said. but my
husband sold all interest In
these holdings and, therefore,
he could do nothing"
This letter was reply 70
one from man claiming 10
hold $40 600 in mortgage bonds
on the property who believed
he was being treated unfairly
and that the conduct Of the
company toward It's obligations
violated some Of RooSeVeltS
professed principles.
The claimants bonds were 10
preciated 10 negligible value
while a sales company called
the Delano Coal Co, with Of.
fees in New York. was receive
Ing big income for acting as
agent 10 sell the coal TIE
mining company. itself, was
having serious financial diff
CultlcS.
CHARP complaint was made
y concerning the financial
practices employed but let
ter which the claimant says he
received from Frederic Delano.
from the address "220 State
Dept Bldg, Washington. de-
fcnded the commissions paid 20
the sales company 1t said that,
obviously. there can he no In
come from the property except
by sales, and see no obliga-
tlon on the part OF any one To
conduct such sales service with
out compensation. II u only nv
reason Of advances made nv the
Delano Coal Go. that the VIM
ton colliery has been able 10
operate NJ all
ON March 10 1910 tho Pitts
hurgh Sun-Telccraph published
story from Nln'ondale accom-
panied by a photograph showing
miners who woke mp this morn
ing to find Ninton CoIlierirs
Corp. had shut down the mines
and departed without paying
$50. 900 In wages. They can do
nothing except sit and hope the
company will come back. Behind
them Is the company store. In IL
IL locked 700 pounds of meat,
the main supply Of the town.
They are determined the COM
pany will not remove this food"
IN APRIL 19, the JohnStown
~ Der ocrat published six
photographs u n d CT the cap
tlon Apples on Easter Sunday
Meat Goes 20 Waste The
text below said
"Nintondale miners. ont ~
work since March IL, ate
raisins, apples and corn meal
Easter Sunday. thanks 10 the
Federal Surplus Commodities
Corp. while large quantities
Of food including beef. ham
and bacon. reposcd In the com
pany store, owned and operated
by the Ninton Colliery 90.
notwithstanding the fact that
Nintondale miners offered to
purchase the meat and pay out
of wages already earned. com
plny officials allow the meat In
rot. Wednesday, employees Of a
rendering company were called
Ia haul away the food. unfit for
consumption. Wives and chill
dren Of coal miners stood by"
On May |, 1913, when coal
strike elsewhere was threaten