Evening star., 1949-06-02
House Unit 10 Open
Probe Of Berry Case
At Hearing Tonight
By james Y. Newton

BY JONES 7. Newton
A House Labor Subcommitte,
will begin investigation tonight o.
the financial affairs Of the AFT
International Printing Pressmeni
Union with emphasis on allegec
manipulation Of union funds b,
the late George l.. Berry. long
time union president and former
Senator from Tennessee.
Among the charges TO be airec
by the committee in open hear
ings will be q new one. it wal
learned, that the union paid more
than $26, 900 In back income taxes
last year for Mr.. Berry. who dice
In December. He was indicted or
three counts Of evasion OF Federal
taxes and sentenced on one aftel
pleading nolo contendere (no con-
test). Mr.. Berry was fined slo.-
900 in Federal Court in Nashville
6IlQ kltEu o. CAoktAAASA Js~A~ ~~~~
tence OF a year and a day.
One of the witnesses subpoenaec
by Representative Jacobs, Dem
ocrat, of Indiana, the committee
chairman, is A. B. Burton, an en-
ploye of the Government Printing
once, the last person to contest
the 41-year rule Of Mr.. Berry ovel
the union. Mr.. Burton ran against
Mr.. Berry for international pres
1dent in 1925.
Issue Over VIII.
All witnesses ordered to appea,
are members of Local No. !. com.
posed of pressmen at the GPO anc
commercial print shops here. which
first demanded investigation o1
charges that Mr.. Berry short
changed the international In hi
will by leaving union property te
relatives ana friends.
The witnesses include Louis
Lopez. Washington representative
of the international as well al
member of No. /; Archie France
Leo Lescure, c. r. Mcclure and
Cal Leek.
Mr.. France, also an employe OF
the GPO, Is chairman OF the local
committee setup to push investiga-
ton Of the Berry charges The
local here is dissatisfied with
probe and subsequent report made
by the international officers which
some Of union members describe
as "whitewash."
Estate Put at $750,000.
Some Of the officers Of the In.
ternational have been invited" tc
testify in the matter and 1t wa,
understood that ]. H. de la Rosa
the president, will be on hand FOL
the pm. hearing.
Mr.. Berry, who ruled the press
men as a virtual czar. left an
estate originally estimated al
-$750,o 900 when he died at Press
mems Home, Tenn, the union
headquarters. The bulk Of the
estate was willed to the widow and
a Mrs. Alva Berry, Mooresburg
Tenn. described variously as 9
relative Or friend" Also named
in the will were Miss Lillian M
Bailey, Mr.. Berry's secretary. ane
John s. Mcclellan, attorney FOL
Mr.. Berry and the union.
1t was reported that MIR. Nc
Le-lan recently renounced his In
terest in the estate.
Other Locals Involved. vs..
The House committed viii looA
! into the ownership Of the Inter
national Playing Card and Label
Co., million-dollar printing cen
Germ Of Rogersville. Tenn, near
Pressmen,s Home, which was
established by union funds and Is
owned by individuals, including
the Berry estate.
Local No. has been Joined by
other locals in the claim that the
printing concern rightfully be-
longs to the union. Mr.. Berry
willed 80 per cent interest in the
firm to the two Mrs. Berrys and
Miss Daley.
A report issued by Mr.. de Ia
Rosa, after No. l had asked in
vestigation Of Mr.. Berry's affair,
stated that nearly 100000 Of
union funds had been poured into
the company from 1929 to 1883.
About half of the sum had been
repaid by the company. and the
report said the company had
agreed to pay the balance.
Claim Is Filed.
A part of the amount the re-
port said was repaid" to the
union was challenged by No. /.
Mr.. Berry told the 1948 conven-
ton the existence Of the printing
concern had enabled the union to
organize private print shops and
the union was indebted to the
company for that. On his say
the convention set the indebted
ness at $4,000 a year, the cost OF
one organizer. The transaction
WIS made retroactive to the date
OF the founding Of the company
and $50, 10000 was knocked of the
&C any's indebtedness to the
ur n.
AS q result Of their investiga-
ton, the international officers
have filed a claim of SOL 900
arainst the Berry estate. repre-
s. ting union funds used to buy
etaipment for one Of MIR. Berry's
farms. A claim for $4,000 also
was filed against the estate OF
Joseph c. Orr, deceased secretary
treasurer, which was found to have
been Illegally" withdrawn from
TIE union treasury over a period