davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The potters herald. [volume] (East Liverpool, Ohio) 1899-1982, 1949-08-18
Mouse Votes 75c
Wage Rate But
SIashes Minimum

Washington (LPA)-After pro-
longed and complicated parliament
ary maneuvers, the House of Rep
resentatives voted overwhelmingly
to raise the statutory national min
imum wage from 40 cents to rs
cents. The vote was a whopping
361 to 35.
However, to obtain approval for
the 75-cent wage level, representa-
tives sympathetic to labor were
forced to accept severe cut in the
coverage afforded by the Fair
Labor Standards act in order to
defeat a strong group of pro-sweat
shop Republicans and southern
Bourbons.
The compromise was made in
anticipation that the Senate will
pass bill restoring the laws pro-
lection to the 100000 workers
not covered by the House bill and
that the Senate's version will pre-
vail in a final conference measure.
While nobody could actually do
more than guess how many work
ers would actually be exempted"
from the minimum wage if the
House bill became law, one esti-
mate was as follows: in the retail
and service trades, 255, 5,000; in log
ging, 10000; in irrigation, $4,000;
in small newspapers, 10000; and
by change of definition of the
word produced" 10000.
Compared to the above, the fact
that coverage would be extended
for the first time to 105,000 air
carriers and $4,000 fish cannery
workers is almost negligible save
to those workers themselves.
The bill the House passed was
not the Administrations original
bill, nor was it the substitute in
troduced by Congressman John
Lesinski, chairman Of the House
Labor Committee. The bill actually
approved was the one offered by
Congressman Wingate Lucas Of
Texas.
In its original form, this bill
called for a minimum of 65 cents
now, later to be adjusted accord
ing to the cost of living as calcu-
lated by the Labor Department but
not to drop below so cents an hour
But the sliding scale was knocked
out and the flat 75-cent minimum
was inserted the day before the
bill received final approval.
The potters herald. [volume] (East Liverpool, Ohio) 1899-1982, 1949-08-18
Monopoly Probers
Study Dangers OF
Corporate Bigness

Washington (LPA)-The House
Monopoly Committee has set, eX-
perts to work investigating wheth-
er the bigness of industrial units
is not, in and of itself, threat to
competitive enterprise.
Chairman Emanuel Celler Cd,
N.Y.) told a press conference last
week that his committee was re-
spending to the recommendations
Of witnesses who warned against
bigness, and was asking experts in
and outside of the government to
study the situation and make re-
concentrations.
Many Of the witnesses in the re-
cent hearings, Cellar pointed out,
had suggested that the very size
of big corporations today discour-
aged competition whether or not
the companies actually engaged in
monopolistic practices. There were
many suggestions for limiting the
size of industrial corporations, or
breaking up some of the big con-
centrations of economic power.
Celler said he hoped to have re
ports on this and many other
phases of the monopoly question
ready for hearings in the fall, with
a view to preparing legislation for
the beginning of the next session
of Congress.
He disclosed also that he has ar
ranged with Speaker Rayburn to
try to bring up in the House this
week his bill, already approved by
the committee, to plug the biggest
existing loop-hole in the antitrust
laws by prohibiting corporations
from buying the assets Of competi-
tors.
Since 1914 the anti itrust laws
have prohibited corporations from
buying the stock Of competitors,
but the courts have held this did
not apply when corporations
bought the assets Of another com
pany For many years the Federal
Trade Commission and the anti
trust division of the Justice De-
partment have recommended plug
ging this loop-hole, but Congress
has done nothing. This is the first
time the House has had a chance
to act on remedial legislation.
The potters herald. [volume] (East Liverpool, Ohio) 1899-1982, 1949-08-18

Buy Union Made goods from
others as you would have them
paw Union wages unto youi
The potters herald. [volume] (East Liverpool, Ohio) 1899-1982, 1949-08-18

agreement are the identical bills
before the House and Senate which
already have been cleared through
committee and can be voted upon
at any time. They are worse be-
cause, as Mitchell points out, they
will dignity as law very foul
back-door practice. Mitchell, you
can be sure, will fight against their
passage to the very end, and Harry
MitchelPs disarming smile and
Tennessee drawl are very persua-
sive weapons.
Specifically, the bills-HR 5828
and S 272-set aside long estab-
lished immigration rules, permit
cheap foreign workmen to enter
the country as allegedly necessary
agricultural workers, let the Dept
of Agriculture determine the num-
Der to be permitted, exempt the
agricultural workers from the I'M
migration Act of 1917, from liter
acy requirements, from the head
tax and from other requirements.
The bills are the handiwork' of the
Associated Farmers Of California
and similar groups.
Mitchell says the real truth of
the matter is that the Finance
farmers" want two men for every
Job. The NFLU has nothing against
Mexican nationals or against the
workers of any foreign nation, and
many Mexican-Americans belong to
the NFLU. Moreover the NFLU
is on record in favor Of bringing in
displaced persons as agricultural
workers so long as they can be
located where they won't shove
Americans out of jobs by working
for low wages. But the NFLU
wants a job for every man, not two
men or more for every job.
Mitchell is going to Havana in
September as a member of the
AFL's delegation to the first con-
stitutional convention of the Inter
American Confederation Of Work
ers. Point four on the convention
agenda is "Organization of farm
labor, with particular reference to
migratory workers" Mitchell hopes
that some sort Of a working agree
ment with the Mexican affiliate of
the CIT can be worked out which
will keep the American farm labor
market from being flooded. How
ever, he admits that such an agree
ment was obtained last year and
did not accomplish anything-pos-
sibly because the Mexican migrants
are beyond the present reach Of
organized labor below the border
Meanwhile Mitchell and other
NFLU officials are fighting the
finance farmers" tooth and nail
in Washington, in California, in
the deep south and wherever else
cheap foreign labor is being used
to smash the gains that frequently
forgotten American, the farm lab
orer, has won for himself.
The potters herald. [volume] (East Liverpool, Ohio) 1899-1982, 1949-08-18
Natural Cos Bill Gould Cost
Consumers Billions; Passes House

Washington (LPA)-A measure
so bad it was defeated even by the
infamous 80th Congress was pass
ed by the House side of the 81st
Congress last week.
The bill so passed is the Harris
Act which would free natural gas
companies from regulation by the
federal government. 1t was defeat
ed last year as the Moore-Rizley
bill.
Several Congressman have pre-
dicted that if the Senate, too,
passes the measure it will be Veto
ed by President Truman but that
if it finally becomes law it will
cost consumers billions of dollars,
doubling or tripling gas rates in
many localities.
In floor debate before voting on
the bill Rep. Sidney r. Yates Cd,
Ill.) unequivocally termed the
measure "a bad bill"
"This BILL" he said, sis a sleep
er-few of the members know it's
implications. If | were given to in
temperate language, | would say
that this is one of the worst bills
which has come before US this ses-
sion. 1t hangs over the heads Of
the unsuspecting American people
like the sword of Damocles and
we are being asked here to cut the
thread.
This bill proposes to destroy
realistic regulation of a public
utility, the gas business, by depriv-
ing the Federal Power Commission
of its power to fix reasonable rates
for producers of natural gas who
serve the public.
"If this bill goes thru it will take
The potters herald. [volume] (East Liverpool, Ohio) 1899-1982, 1949-08-18
Widespread
(COntiHucd From Page One)

left-wing witnesses at this hear
ing. Thomas j. Fitzpatrick, Frank
PanZino and Robert Whisner, stew
ards in local Col, and Thomas
Quinn, national field organizer, all
declined to answer the Communist
question, referring to their consti-
tutional rights.
'It's no affair Of the Committee
what organizations | belong tor
Fitzpatrick told committee chair
man John Wood Cd, Ga).
In testimony the day before,
business agent Copeland had told
of signing a Communist party APP
plication at the UE convention in
1943. He said the application was
given to him by Frank Nessler,
editor Of the LOCALS publication,
"The Generator" Copeland said
that Fitzpatrick was present at
party meetings he had attended.
He estimated that there were 2C0
or 900 Communists in the 1880
local.
Another witness, William Henry
Peeler, never joined the CP but
said that he had been approached
a number of time while active in
the union. He said that many APP
peals were made to him on the
basis Of his being a,Negro.
Still another witness, Blaire
Seese, told how he had signed an
card when he was told
that if he signed it would advance
him politically in the local. Seese
never paid any dues or attended
any meetings but he said that Fitz-
patrick, trying to interest him in
the party, told him that he himself
was a Communist party member.
The potters herald. [volume] (East Liverpool, Ohio) 1899-1982, 1949-08-18
SEEK NYC RENT CEILING

New York (LPA)-ln a desper-
ate attempt to protect tenants from
the kind of rent boosts allowed
under terms of the federal rent
control law, Mayor O'Dwyer and
City Councilman Joseph Sharkey
have urged a city law setting a
ceiling of 1871 on rent increases.
In Manhattan, boosts as high as
49fc have been reported where
landlords claimed they've spent a
lot of money improving services
to tenants, or improving the pre-
misses.
The potters herald. [volume] (East Liverpool, Ohio) 1899-1982, 1949-08-18
Bill Encouraging
Housing Co-ops Is
Before Congress

Wa hington (LPA) - Both
Houses of Congress are expected
to have before them, by the end
of this week, the labor-supported
bill to encourage more housing CO.
operatives organized by middle
income" families.
The bill already has the okay of
the Senate Banking Committee, by
a seven to five vote. The House
Banking Committee is expected to
act favorably, too.
Intended to aid co-ops organized
by families in the $2500 to $4,000 a
year bracket, the bill provides for
technical assistance to co-ops by
trained staff of specialists, and
direct federal loans to co-ops with
interest at 3% for up to so years.
Loans up to one billion dollars are
authorized if the President okayS
the plans, under the provisions of
the bill.
With applications for loans under
the public housing bill-for famil-
les with incomes under $1,000
year-already being filled out,
labor and veterans leaders are
very hopeful that they can push
thru this measure before the ses-
sion ends, thus insuring a we'll
rounded program to house all ex-
cept high-income families. These
people are offered plenty of houses
at $4,000 and more by private
profit builders, housing experts
assert.
The potters herald. [volume] (East Liverpool, Ohio) 1899-1982, 1949-08-18
New Press
(Confinued From Page One)

MEA Bulletin was clear.
The Bulletin made the meaning
even palmer by quoting the medi-
cal association as saying:
"This resolution, we believe, is
an important step in building up
better relations with the press Of
our state. At our medical-press
conference April 8, country editors
particularly stressed the import
ance they attach to what they
term a reciprocal arrangement
with the medical profession that
would benefit both. They are per-
fectly willing to carry the story
of medicine as a private enterprise,
in which they for the most part,
are firm believers, but they feel
physicians, as leading citizens in
their home communities, have
responsibility to alleviate the fin
ancial burden connected with pub-
fishing local newspapers. =. Many
Of our country medical societies
have carried on splendid programs
in this respect for some time"
The MEA sent to editors, along
with the Bulletin, a suggested ad
vertisement for newspapers to
solicit from county medical Soc
ieties opposing the Truman health
insurance program. 1t told editors
"this will help you move, we hope
with circumspect caution and gen
uine gratitude for the open gate,
into this new era of medical-press
relations"
This is organized medicines
third and most brazen effort to
bribe the nations press on health
insurance.
The first was an offer to car
toonists of thousands Of dollars in
prizes by the Physicians Commit
tee, an adjunct of the ANA, year
or two ago for the best published"
cartoon against national health in
surance. This was denounced as an
attempted bribe by Editor & Pub
Usher, trade journal of the news
paper industry.
The second, disclosed only a few
months ago, was the program Of
the California Medical Assn to buy
the press by taking advertisements
in every newspaper in the state
during the campaign against Gov.
Earl Warren's health insurance
program. A spokesman later re-
ported that the response from
editors in publicity has been far
beyond anything we expected"
The similarity between this tee
Unique and the technique now be-
ing employed in Minnesota is ines
capable. In view Of the fact that
the ANA campaign against nation
al health insurance is being con-
Quoted by the same publicity firm
that conducted the California bat
tie against Gov. Warren's plan
Whitaker and Baxter-the deal
which has been exposed in Mime
sofa may only be a sample of what
is going on all over the country to-
day.
Organized medicine would not be
constantly trying to buy the press
if it were not having some success.
An honest press not only would re-
ject such efforts to purchase its
good will, but would backfre so
viciously that the doctors would
never dare to try again. Obviously
this didn't happen in California. 1t
hasn't happened yet in Minnesota.
This repeated effort to buy the
press is also a tip-oT ON the merits
of the health insurance issue. If
the doctors are right why is it so
necessary to buy the press, which
already is overwhelmingly on their
side?
The potters herald. [volume] (East Liverpool, Ohio) 1899-1982, 1949-08-18

millions of dollars from the pockets
of American gas-rate payers for
the special privilege, in the main,
of few oil and gas corporations" :"
Rep. Foster Furculo Cd, Mass.)
added that "the time has come for
this body to go on record as show
ing we feel there should be some
regulation to protect the ultimate
consumer"
"If this bill goes thru" he pre-
dicted, sit will probably cost the
consumer anywhere from $780,
100000 to $500,0O0,000 in a year in
increased consumer rates. The
states have shown that they will
not do it, and | think the House of
Representatives should show that
it feels the Federal Power Com
mission should have the power to
do it."
Despite these arguments, the bill
was passed 1873 to 131. A similar
measure is being sponsored in the
Senate by Sen. Robert S. Kerr Cd,
Okla.), who is himself a wealthy
oil producer. The bill has already
been approved by a majority of
the Senate Interstate Commerce
Committee.
Kerr is also opposing the reap
pointment of Federal Power Com
missioner Leland Olds who is op-
posed to his bill.
The potters herald. [volume] (East Liverpool, Ohio) 1899-1982, 1949-08-18
PAY HIKE FOR lam

st. Louis (LPA) = Machinists
District No. 8 spokesmen announc-
ed the signing of new contracts
here with the General Motors
Truck and Coach Division and the
Mack International Motor Truck
Corporation calling for seven-cent
an hour increases for all classified
tions.
The potters herald. [volume] (East Liverpool, Ohio) 1899-1982, 1949-08-18
Finance Farmers Behind Drive To
Brine Checp Lobor Across Border

The Associated Farmers of Cal
ifornia and other big-money farm
interests such as the Delta Cotton
Council in the deep south are con-
ducting an all-out campaign to
bring foreign agricultural workers
across the border and use them to
drive farm wages down.
What's more the campaign is
now embodied in identical bills be-
fore the House and Senate and in
a recent agreement the State Dept
concluded with the Mexican gov
ernment. Unless these bills can be
blocked, thousands of workers will
be thrown out of jobs in an indus
try where unemployment is already
rife, and those still employed will
find themselves doing back-break-
ing toll for wages that will keep
getting lower
According to H. L. Mitchell, the
soft-spoken but hard-hitting pres
ident of the Natl Farm Labor
Union-AFL, the drive has been go
ing on since the war years when
the big-time farmers took advant-
age of the manpower shortage to
bring in Mexicans and others whose
wage demands were far below Am
erican standards.
"This is part of an overall cam
paign by big agricultural interests
to bring in foreign labor to break
farm wage rates." Mitchell says.
"I've been saying this for five
years and I'll keep on saying it as
long as it goes on"
What brings matters to a head
is the new State Dept deal with
Mexico and the bills the big farm
ers are trying to get enacted into
law. Under the Mexican agree
ment $4,000 Mexican farm workers
will be brought in. Mitchell and
other officials of the NFLU have
charged that it is a carefully
timed back-room deal to break
down labor standards and wages
in California"
Hank Hasiwar and Ernesto Gal
arzo, western director of organ
ization and director of research for
the NFLU, respectively, said the
other day that the deal was made
ain spite of thousands of sigma
lures on petitions by Mexican,
White, Negro and Filipino farm
workers asking that negotiations
for the agreement be suspended"
The two NFLU officials added
that California was extremely hard
hit by unemployment and under
employment" Thousands of Cal
ifornia farm workers, they said,
"are already looking ahead with
fear to the next winter"
The NFLU has protested to the
State Dept, to Congress, to Gov
ernor Warren Of California and TO
the Mexican Consul in Los Angeles
whose offices the union has picket
ed. So far the only result has been
a counter protest from the Consul
against the use of the Mexican ma
tional colors on NFLU letter heads
and handbills, a use which was a
pure coincidence. Meanwhile, the
big farms in Mississippi have ask
ed for 5000 Mexicans to pick cot
ton, although thousands of work
ers in Mississippi and Arkansas
are out of work.
Even worse than the Mexican
The potters herald. [volume] (East Liverpool, Ohio) 1899-1982, 1949-08-18
STEREOS WIN RAISE

Chicago (LPA) - The Chicago
Stereotypers Union-AFL, gained
an extra six dollars a week for its
members in its new two-year con-
tract with the Chicago Newspaper
Publishers Association. Stereotyp-
ers on day work will get $93 for a
371a hour week, and those on night
work will get $9S.S0 for 364 hours,
and the contract can be opened on
the wage question next June 10.
New England bulletin., 1949-05-14
Pete's Tavern Now Bars Negro T rade
By J. EDWARD BURKE Waterbury Correspondent

WATERBURY, whole lot o1 things have happened since it was revealed in this newspaper that North Main and North Elm Streets had instituted a policy of charging whites ten cents and Negroes twenty cents for a glass of beer with the obvious purpose of dis couraging Negro trade.
 In the first place, many people were amazed and dumbfounded to find that such Dixie-type condi- tions prevailed in our heavily-Ne- gro-populated North Square.
 In the second place, angered by the expose to which this newspaper subjected his anti-Negro attitude, Proprietor Peter Maisan, has gone even further than his discrimina- tory price policy.
 He is now refusing to serve Ne groes.
 The situation has aroused various clements in the community. The Waterbury NAACP has joined the BULLETIN in declaring war on Pete's Tavern and the un-Ameri- can principles it now represents
 The Connecticut Inter-racia1 Committee, with which this writer has filed a formal and official com plaint, will proceed against the tav- ern owner.
 At least one patron, who was re- fused service because of his color, is contemplating lawsuit, filing an injunction against Pete's. Others are planning to take the matter up with the Police Commis- sioner.
 As the last step, preparatory to proceedings by the Inter-racial Commission, the writer, on Satur- day, forwarded to the Commission an affidavit signed by Walter John son, our white friend who was pres ent at the time the writer was charged twenty cents for ten cent glass of beer. Johnson, him. self, a matter of minutes later, was charged ten cents for glass of beer of the same size and brand.
 In his affidavit, Johnson stated that he is willing to testify against Pete at any time.
New England bulletin., 1949-05-14

The meeting was enlived by the vigorous opposition to MT. Golfers defense of the recent State Board recommendation that Washington trips scheduled by high schools should not be discouraged merely because Negro students are jim crowed. This opposition was spear headed by Ethel Hale, NAACP vice-president and a program direc- tor at the Union Settlement Com munity Center.
 Collier, who recently conducted, a survey for the Board on situations arising when high schools with Ne gro students scheduled Washing ton trips, made a report to the branch on this survey.
 Most of the states high school principals - even those whose schools do not visit Washington or have no Negro students - feel something ought to be done about the problem, Collier said. He ex- pressed it as his feeling, however, that there is so much educational value in the Washington trips that it would be amiss for Connecticut schools to discourage them, even in spite of segregation.
 @ NAACP Official Disagrees
 This theory was spiritedly att tackled by Mrs. Hale.
 eff the state of Connecticut is going to advance in it's search for thorough integration of minority groups into a democratic scheme of things, it seems an utter con- tradiction for the state to place school students in a position which the state knows in advance will cause segregation and humiliation to any students, simply because of their color" Mrs. Hale said.
New England bulletin., 1949-05-14

Pointing out that the State of New Jersey has forbidden the scheduling of Washington trips un- less segregation is eliminated, Mrs. Hale observed that, in contrast, Connecticut has left the decision up to it's schools, which in turn have left it up to the students.
 'I do not feel that the burden of proof should be left on high school students," she declared. "In some instances, we in Connecticut have even been so unfair as to put the decision up to the Negro stu dents who have solved the prob lem by saying they will stay home or accept segregation. Morally, this solves nothing. feel it is a school responsibility to ensure our school children that in trips where our school system has any say whatsoever, they will not see in justice done to any of their class makes"
 Under close questioning MT. Col Her admitted that the State Board could deny schools permission to take the trips, but pointed out that, as in the case of the Inter-racial Commission, Connecticut attempts to solve problems by mediation and conference, rather than yielding authority unless absolutely neces- sary. He added that if enough com munity pressure were exerted, the Board would probably take more definite stand.
 NAACP officials said that a committee comprised of NAACP members, parents, Board of Edu- cation members and prominent citizens would be formed to thoroughly investigate the situa- tion and seek means of solving the problems involved.
New England bulletin., 1949-05-14
Break Down Bias At HeubIein Bar

Another antdscrminaon victory has been chalked right Hartford and be added the positive side of the relations ledger.
 Following charges of Harding Norton 27 of s1 Walbrdge Road that he had the victim of discrimination at the bar Hotel the nter-racial recently held hearing which the Hotel warned of the antbas laws places of public accommodation, violation of fine and