Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1962-02-01
7 Lay Injuries
To Radiation
BY LEE Nj. COIN
Star Staff Writer

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A widow and a worker charged
today that they have been
cheated out of workmen's COM
pensation benefits in radiation
accidents, and tearfully de-
manded a chance to tell their
stories to Congress or to some
Government agency.
Complaining that they have
been denied a hearing by a
House Labor subcommittee the
two claimants talked to re-
porters at a news conference
called by James B. Carey,
secretary treasurer of the ALL
CLOS Industrial Union De-
partment.
Mr.. Carey, who also is presi-
dent of the International Union
of Electrical Workers, charged
that workers in the atomic field
are being victimized by the
Atomic Energy Commission,
insurance companies and such
corporations as the General
Electric Co.
He said the IUD is acting to
combat "high-handed" tactics
by these interests and to pre-
vent a "WhiteWaSh."
Agrees to See Two
Mr.. Carey said Labor Secre-
tary Goldberg has agreed to
meet with the two claimants
Harold T. Mahoney of Oliver
Springs, Tenn, who said he
has Emphatic leukemia, and
Mrs. Ruby Smith of Tampa,
Fla, who said her husband,
Herbert L. Smith, jr., died of
the same disease five years
ago.
Mrs. Smith and Mr.. Mahoney
said the diseases resulted from
radiation accide nts-Mr.
Smiths in 1856 at a plant in
Portsmouth, Ohio, and Mr..
Mahoney'S in 1857 at Oak
Ridge, Tenn.
Claims for workmen's COM
pensation have been denied in
both cases. The Smith claim
was rejected on grounds that
it was not filed within the
legal time limit, and the Ma
honey claim on grounds that
there was no proof that his
disease resulted from on-the-
job radiation.
Mrs. Smith and Mr.. Ma
honey tried this week to testify
under IUD auspices before the
House Labor Subcommittee now
holding hearings on a bill to
liberalize radiation coverage
under workmen's compensation.
Asked to Testify
The subcommittee invited
Mrs. Smith, Mr.. Mahoney and
two other witnesses to come to
Washington to testify. Mr..
Carey said, but then Chairman
Zelenko, Democrat of New York.
refused to hear them.
Mr.. Carey said Mr.. zelenko,
who is sponsor of the pending
bill, maintained it would be
improper to hear these wit
nesses because they have claims
pending on appeal. An official
of the Acc urged Mr.. zelenko
to refuse their testimony. Mr..
Carey said, in an effort to Sup
press essential facts"
Union officials are testifying,
Mr.. Carey said, but the subcom-
mittee refuses to let them talk
about specific radiation cases.
A witness today was Andrew j.
Biemiller, AFL-CIO legislative
director, who Endorsed the
Zelenko bill with notifications.
A spokesman for Mr.. Zelenko
said the chairman thought it
would be improper for the sub
committee to "sit as a second
tribunal" on cases still in litiga-
ton. He said he thought the
IUD would bring forth wit
nesSes whose claims had been
finally denied.
The ZeIenko bill would relax
time limits for claims and would
create legal Prescriptions of
cause and effect when workers
in the atomic field suffer such
diseases as leukemia. Experts
have said it is difficult to prove
that radiation causes a specific
illness. Furthermore, they have
said, illnesses often do not show
up until long after exposure to
"a djation