St. Paul recorder., 1950-12-01
EAGER TELLS OF
RECENT NJ AFRO
CONEAB IN NJ. Y.

tional Conference of the National
Association of Intergroup Rela-
tions Officials (NAIRO) in New
York City. MARIO is an organiza-
ton composed of human relations
workers from all parts of the
United States.
The purpose of NAIRO's an
nual meeting is to advance hu-
man relations work by sharing
experiences on common problems,
studying and planning together.
Eager said that there were
three main benefits which were
derived from the conference this
year. First, it brought people with
a rich background in human rela-
tons work together so that they
could share their experience. Sec
ond, it provided an opportunity
for insight into the problems of
other cities and the attempts be-
ing made there to solve them.
Third, 1t developed a determine
ton on the part of the delegates
to bind their scattered agencies
more closely together.
Minneapolis Ahead
1T seemed to me-" Eager said,
that Minneapolis was well ahead
of many other cities in the pro-
cess of community organization.
For example, human relation
agencies in no other city have de-
veloped the type of working re-
lationship we have here with our
local board of REALTORS.
Many representatives complain
ed about the difficulty of getting
employers to cooperate in human
relation ventures.
Minneapolis has been FORUM
ate to have a considerable amount
of cooperation from individual
employers and a growing partici-
patton by at least the most i'm
portant employer associations.
The cooperativeness of the Min
neapolis public school and the ac-
tivity of the Human Relations
Committees of the PTA was not
surpassed by any groups about
which information was obtained"
was the opinion of Eager.
Minneapolis, however, is far be-
hind many other cities is estab-
fishing human relations training
for its police officers. Even some
southern towns have gone ahead
of us on this count, Eager said.
Other Cities Finance Council
Most of the cities represented
have Mayors Councils that are
supported out of tax funds. Rep
resentatives of some of these
agencies said that they felt they
secured support only because the
politicians wanted to avoid being
blamed for a race riot, or for
some other reason felt it was
more trouble not to vote for the
appropriation than to vote for it.
This feeling was probably re-
sponsible for the attitude on the
part of some representatives that
a "Machiavellian power politics
approach" was the only way to
get things done in their communi-
ties.
Eager said he felt this under
tone was never really success
fully challenged at the confer
ence and was In his opinion a
serious shortcOmlng, both on
the part Of the delegates and Of
the conference, itself.
Mr.. Eager said that the hu-
man relations work in Minneapo-
has been carried out on the basis
of a straightforward recognition
of this community's problems by
all the groups concerned; that the
basic assumptions have always
been that theSpeople of Minneapo-
lis wanted a real solution to these
problems; that every care has
been taken to use the most
thoroughly democratic means
available to help the community
itself change its patterns of con-
duct. These are the only trust
worthy means by which we can
reach our hoped-for ends. This
may well explain why Minneapo-
lis has progressed where others
have floundered, Eager said.
This year there were over 200
representatives registered at the
conference. For the first time this
year there was a liberal sprink-
ling of representatives from the
South; reports of the work they
are carrying on were truly re-
markable, the Minneapolis man
said.
The MARIO faces a new year
without any paid secretariat and
in order for the human relation
agencies scattered across the
country TO hold themselves to-
gether. they have proposed to in
stitute a reporting service among
its various members and a series
of regional conferences which viii
make it easier for the human re-
lations executives to meet to-
gether.
MARIO 10 an organization
which Is very much needed in the
human relations field today. Fa-
ger said.