The Daily Alaska empire., 1947-03-05
50L0NS PASS CLOSED SHOP
 REFERENDUM
Measure Is Holly Debated After Outside Wit-
 nesses Excluded

Thirteen Senators in the Alaska Legislature yesterday afternoon voted to put the burning question" of the closed shop" before the AL aska electorate in l948. Only Sen ators Engebreth. Rivers and Pera- troyich stood against passage of Senate Bill TT. which would submit the issue of outlawing the closed shop to referendum at the next General Election.
 Several Senators qualified their action by stating that they were voting. not on the merits of the closed shop, but for the fundamen tai right of the people to be heard On the other hand, Senators Enge- breth and Peratrovich had both expressed previous favor of the bill but reversed their standards be- cause of the unique action of the Senate to refuse to lend ear to outside advice.
 Non-member testimony was ex- cluded when an 8 to split de- feated a motion to hear the Com missioner of Labor and others who were on hand to state their views Only irrepressible demand by Sena- tor Joe Green allowed the Attorney General to be called for his opin- ion on legality of the measure.
 Cloture Asked
 Another move, practically un- heard of in the Alaska Legislature, came in Senator Victor Rivers motion to limit debate to five min utes per member. The "cloture" rule was overwhelmed However, when the last echoes of best-round- ed senatorial phrases had died away. only Senator Rivers had pulged his proposed cratorical boundary.
 s. B. 77 came before the body in second reading. middle bill on the days calendar, after high speed progress to the floor from introduction Saturday Section One of the measure was immediately brought under fire by Senators Walker, Engebrcth and Coffey who described that preamble as ac- tually being sales talk" against the closed shop. That section which had caused much irritation and concern in local circles of organized labor, and which Walker moved to strike as just argument" reads as follows.
 Section Ut is the sense of the Legislature that the public in- terest requires consideration of the proposition that no person shall be denied employment because of mem bership in or utilization with. or resignation or expulsion from la Dor organization or because of re- fusal to join or affiliate with la bor organization; nor be excluded from employment by virtue of any contract entered into by any per son, firm or corporation denying him employment because of mem bership in or non-membership in labor organization
 Wording Defended
 Senator O. D. Cochran, co-auth- or of s. B, 77, defended that word ing as having been extracted iron hill passed by the Senate of thf State of Oregon. He charged that striking it would "emasculate the bill" Cochran retreated, however, from an original position that the section would appear on the ballot tc be submitted to the voters.
 The motion to strike the offend ing section was supported by only Senators Coffey. Engebreth, Green, Peratrovich, Rivers and Walker. failing 6-l0.
 The bill was then advanced to passage stage without amendment, tACIPt tituif6C III AOAiAA pi the proposed ballot which was writ ten in by the Labor Committee,
 When Senator Frank Peratro- vich proposed to call number of witnesses, leading off with Com missioner Of Labor Henry Benson, Labor Committee Chairman John Butrovich Jr objected: Because they will argue the merits of the closed shop while the Senate is only concerned with whether or not to put out referendum. Cof- , fey's motion to call Benson and others wishing to be heard" then lost, to shut out the voices of all i but Senators. Voting with Coffey were: Brownell. Engebreth, Green, 1 Peratrovich. Rivers, Walker and | Nerland.
 Decision For Congress l Debate on passage opened with