Evening star., 1948-10-26
Ciiy's Picketing Ban
| y
Upheld in Decision
By Supreme Court

Mass picketing had another SET
back today as result Of Supreme
Court refusal to review the convic-
ton Of IS pickets for violating a
Los Angeles Municipal Court order
during 1916 strike at the Columbia
Studios in that city.
4 BY turning down the pickets' plea
for a hearing. the Supreme Court
Yesterday upheld, in effect, the Los
Angeles court restraining order that
banned mass picketing at the stu
dios. Five of the pickets received
jail sentences of six months to a
year, and the others were put on
probation and given fines totaling
$3.50.
Cite Constitutional Rights.
They appealed to the Supreme
Court on the ground the restraining
order violated their constitutional
rights Of free speech and assembly.
Less than "a hours earlier the Ma
tional Labor Relations Board ruled
that mass picketing which prevents
an individual from working in a
struck plant Is Illegal under the
Taft Hartley Act.
AS a result of a 4-to-4 ruling by
the Supreme Court the New York
ban on Edmund Wilson's book of
short stories, Memoirs of Hecate
County" remains in effect.
There were no written opinions
The ruling yesterday upheld State
court decisions assessing a 81 900 fine
against Doubleday & Co., Inc, for
publishing the book.
State authorities declared the book
violated a New York statute against
obscene, lewd, lascivicious, filthy
indecent or disgusting" publication
The company contended the ban
violated freedom of the press.
Publisher Cites Tie Vote.
1T is regrettable," Douglas M.
Black. president of the company said
IN New York, that because of the
even decision Of the justices of the
Supreme Court, there are no opin-
ions to throw light on the important
constitutional question which the
court considered.
However, it Is most satisfactory to
know that works of fiction, as well
as other literary works, are recog-
nized by the court as being subject
to the protection of the provisions
OF the Constitution of the United
States which preserves freedom of
speech and 1t is heartening to know
that four Of the justices believed
that the conviction in the lower
court violated the constitutional
rights Of the publisher"
Other Rulings Announced.
In other actions yesterday the Su-
perme Court:
Agreed to rule on validity of
South Carolina law prohibiting life
insurance companies from operating
an undertaking business. The law
was enacted last April and was de-
clared unconstitutional by the Fed
eral Court in Columbia, S. c.
Refused to review the complaint
of q group of independent motion
picture exhibitors in St. Louis
against four film distributors and
the American Arbitration Associa-
ton. The exhfbitqrs charged con-
spiracy in restraint of trade and
sued for $285 900 damages.
Refused to review protests Of a
group of Boston taxpayers against
the city's proposed building of an
automobile garage under historic
Boston Common.
SEC Case TO Be Heard.
Agreed to rule on q case brought
against the Securities and Exchange
Commission by two stockholders Of
the Engineers Public Service Co.,
New York holding company, which
L. being nquidated under the Public
Utility Holding Company Act. The
question Is whether SEC approved
a fair and equitable" plan for
paying. of stockholders in the
liquidation.
Refused to review a protest by the
Panhandle Eastern Pipe Line Co.
that the Federal Power Commission
enormously ordered it out of the
Detroit-Ann Arbor, Mich, market.
Refused to review a California
court order requiring Culver City
and Vernon, Calf, to pay $4,000, 600
or more toward construction Of new
sewage disposal facilities by Los An
geles.
Approved q special report submit-
ted on progress in settling a suit by
Illinois to stop pollution Of Lake
Michigan.
Refused to consider the constitu-
tionality Of o New Jersey statute re-
quiring political candidates to file
noyr1iS1 offora Y,anarc of least An davs