The Wilmington morning star., 1945-11-11
New Move Throws Approx
imately 5000 Workers
Out OF Jobs Soon
BY BRYAN PUTNAM
rni+od Droee Staff Corresnondpnt

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NEW ORLEANS, Nov. 10-W.P-
A vast industrial empire was in
complete shambles tonight with the
disclosure that liquidation also
will apply to swamp-surrounded
plant some 20 miles from New Or
leans that had been known as
candy Higgins white elephant. -
The plant, a gigantic building
that hasn't a single window and
depends on air conditioning for
ventilation, houses the non-union
Higgins plastic, corp. It is govern
ment-owned, and consequently
does not bear at this time the
For Sale signs that now hang
on three closed plants of Higgins
Industries, Inc.
Some 5000 pIastics employees
worked through an AFL strike that
led to the closing of the other
plants, but today they were told
by Andrew J. Higgins, president
of the corporation, that their jobs
will not exist by next Thursday.
Higgins is shutting down the
works."
The plastics plant, now turning
out atomic bomb parts and air
borne lifeboats, started out as an
assembly line shipyard where
Higgins was to build 10000 liberty
ships for the maritime commission
with the same technique Henry
Ford applied to the automobile.
Before the shipyard was COM
pleted, however, his contract was
terminated by the maritime COM
mission because of a steel short
age. The untold dollars worth of
pilings and other materials strewn
over the reclaimed site were uti-
lized elsewhere, and Higgins soon
was off to Washington to ask that
he be allowed to build atwood
transport planes.
He got his contract, and huge
sums of money again were poured
into the swanpland plot to build a
plant that turned out only one air
plane before Higgins contract was
cancelled. Because. it was deemed
Necessary to national defense, the
plant was constructed windoWless
and both lighting and ventilation
were man-made.
Like some 500 '1oyal employees"
at the main plants, the 5000 plas-
tics workers will draw four weeks
pay, Higgins said.
For the time being, Higgins stat
ed, work will continue on the
atomic bomb parts and aerial life
boats. 1t was said, however, that
these contracts comprise only a
very small part OF activities at
the plant where a patented build
ing block was developed as one
of the products Higgins offered in
his postwar program that had
$4,00O,00O in orders before it was
halted.
In statement issued yesterday
after stockholders voted to liquid
ate, it was not plain whether the
industrialist intended to include
plastics, aircraft, Higgins engines
and Higgins corp. In the liquida'
ton.
Today he gave the answer, flat
ly. -
II am going to advertise every
thing for sale," he declared.
This, he did, applied to all pro
perties of Higgins industries whose
three closed plants are valued a
$40, 900, 600. They have been idle
since Oct. % when $500 member.
of the ALL New Orleans meta
trades council walked out because
of contract difficulties.
Higgins losed the plants "fo
keeps" three days later and an
nounced that they would be sold.
The stockholders, in disclosin,
their unanimous decision to lioui
date, said they were doing SO i,
accordance with recommendation
of the board of directors and eth
previously announced intentions
of the president of Higgins indus