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About The Omaha guide. (Omaha, Neb.) 1927-19?? | View Entire Issue (March 11, 1939)
Cents . . City Per Edition BP Weather C^ODV BXI ^^B ^ Weather outlook for the B 9mB period Mar. to Mar. EVERYWHERE | J | ^ ^ , Upper Miss, an 1 lower Mo.j WORLD WIDE L ^ Valley? and Northern and} NEWS SERVICE i ‘ . ZTTT-'A " --1 siderab,e *now north and, FREE PUBLICATION :JI/JUSTICE/EQUALITY near normal n rth and j W ALL LOCAL NEWS. -fc^. i ■■■. I near or above normal I MATTER . ft V>*4 ■" - south portion. FLASH PHOTO || _ _SERVICE ^ LARGEST ACCREDITED NEGRO NEWSPAPER WEST nr CHICAGO AND NORTH OF KANSAS CITY_ ... - ▼ Entered as Second-Clasg Matter at Postoffic^ Omaha, Omaha, Nebr. Saturday, March 11, 1939 Number 48 o * Nebraska, under Act of March 8, 1874. • > ____ ___ - - - - - _• Seven Hundred Attend Mass Meeting ' —__ __3 -:— A. Philip Randolph Calls for Red Caps Inclusion In Wages and Hours Law I Mr. Elmer Andrews Wage® and Hours Administration Department of Labor Washington, D. C. My Dear Mr. Andrews: Concerning the question of the ■ applicability of the wages of the Red Caps to the Fair Labor Stan dards Act of 1938, may I say that justice and fair play demand that this group of workers come within the scope of this law. In your efforts to discover data upon which to base a ruling on the right of the Red Caps to the status of a wage-earning section of rail way employees, may I say that the data available must necessarily be fragmentary and nondescript be cause of the mass of workers could not be expected to be adept in the systematic accounting of a number of details such as tips that they may receive from day to day. A sudden request upon them to ac count for this data would not change their long habit of casual action in recording their tips and them to handle these details with any measure of accuracy or constancy. In the first piace u. — an unsound policy to attempt to determine the wages of this class of workers upon the basis of tips received by them because tips are uncertain and generally irregular. Besides, the .Red Caps do not dven possess the right to request tips for services rendered whatever tips may amount to as a form of in come, In other words, Red Caps are in the unfortunate predicament where they have no legal right to a compensation reward for work per formed, since the terminal comp any places the burden of making up the income of this class of wor kers, such as it is, upon the public —a burden which the public has no legal or moral obligation to assume because the traveling public’s right to all forms of transportation ser vices. including that of Re.l Caps, is assured and secured when their railroad ticket is purchased. Moreover, until the Red Caps are placed under the Wages and Hours Law, there is no sound basis for the computation of their income in terms of time units, and, hence no good reason for the establishment of any definite work day for them. This, naturally, renders possible the unlimited exploitation of this class of employees. Nevertheless, Red Caps nifty be fired if they lose baggage or cause a passenger to be late In catching a train, or by misdirecting passen gers or for insubordination to their superior officers. In other words, Red Caps have definite duties and responsibilities to perform and beat. r Carriers are setting up the con tention that they own the tips Red Caps receive, and that they should be considered as wages. In other words, Red Caps’ jobs are regarded as concessionaires granted by the carriers. This is a strange and un sound interpretation of tips and the jobs of the Red Caps. It harks back to the worst form of feudal ism, and is a plan to convert the Red Caps into a compound of in gg dustrial sharecroppers and peons In with not the slightest shred of eco gg 'irornic rights as workers. This pol Icy will not militate against the k I Economic and social interest and well-being of the Red Caps, but i3 .fundamentally anti-social in con ception, and constitutes a danger Bn ous threat; to the whole wage s‘ruc |BH ture of the American workers. It seems beyond a question of a doubt that Red Caps should prop ?■ ■—n eily come within the field of the Wage? and Hours Law for c def inite minimum of compensaii?i* for work within a definite range of time. As railway employees, it is hardly possible for them to get the benefit of the Railroad Retirement Act unless they have some basis fcr wages as pension computation. Again, Red Caps—assuming that they do receive some nominal tips upon which they barely manage to exist—should not be required to take upon themselves the manager ial duties of the term nal company in maintaining bookkeeping of tips in order that the management may escape logical and proper manager ial responsibility. To impose such a condition and obligation upon tho Red Caps is an unfair labor practice and tends to make for lax ity and inefficiency in management on the part of the terminal comp any or carrier. At tne present time, neci t aps in a few terminals receive wages, but the large majority of Red Caps do ncri. reserve wages; thus the appli cation of the Wages and Hours Law of this group of railway em ployees will tend to uniformalize their compensation and conditions of work, and remove the important business of the Red Caps’ balanc ing their budget of life and living in their homes beyond the realm of accident and the whim and caprice of a traveler. Since the work of tho Red Caps is a definite and re cognized necessity to the public as well as to the terminal companies or carriers, who realize profits out of servicing the public through the responsible and efficient work of this class of workers, it would seem sdBQ p»n aqj jo uoijsanb oq; 3«i|3 coming within the limitations of Wages and Hours Law would not I bo a subjeit of prolonged controv | ersy. And to deny them the right of access to the benefits and pro , tection of this law is in definite negation to the principles upon which this piece of far-reaching social legislation is founded. very truly yours, A, Philip Randolph, . - . - _ Wins $400 in $20,000 Suit Against Officer Walter Hampton, 2865 Ohio St., * was awarded four hundred dollars damages against Patrolman Her man Westovei- and the officer’s bondsman, Lloyd of London, by a Jury in District Judge Leslie’s court late Friday. Hampton sued for 20 thousand dollars for assault and battery and false arrest. He claimed the officer hit him with a night stick, causing a dis figured nose. The alleged assault ctcured, Hampton claimed, whale he was on a WPA job near West over’s home. The officer said he only slapped Hampton while he was arresting him on a drunken ness charge. In police court, Hamp ton was discharged —-o0o 25 Years On the R. R. Mr. Henderson Calhoun, the r.ew chef cook and manager of the Little Dixie Lunch room, 2210 N. 24th St., put just that many years on the U. P., Burlington, and Nor thwestern Railroads or chef cook, and is now inviting the railroad men and their friends, in fact all Omaha to just give him a chance to prove to you that he can do the job. Mrs. Roselee Jenning, 24th St.'s most popular waitress, will be | there to serve you. Omaha's Municipal BANK SYSTEM i .: • • ■ We again call the attention of the voters in the city of Omaha that they too, can have a Municipal Bank, if the electors in the community will sign a petition to place this question before the voters of this city, May 9, 1939. There must be some way to save the taxpayers of Omaha from the heavy relief burdens and yet find a way to solve Omaha’s first economic problems, “How to find jobs in private industry with a sufficient an nual w age to meet the demands of a standard w'age for a decent living for the average Omaha citizen, re gardless of race or creed,—The Omaha Municipal Bank System w ill do it! It has been said that we must find a way or method wTiich will permit Omahan’s working indus try to buy back a portion of w hat thc<y can produce. Thousands upon thousands of our workers cannot do j so, because the banks of the city of Omaha have plac ed their credit jams in the price structure, in the debt structure, and in the distribution of income and into the flow of savings into a part of the chain store sys tem which has their offices .and headquarters in other cities and is quickly taking the money olut of this com munity and destroying the opportunities for labor to be employed. Omaha’s problems are like the nation’s problems,! and some proposals of reforms may make your hairj raise, but if they don’t suit you, yqu are at liberty to j find better methods. The one thing you cannot do if j you want to avoid being left without the means of providing food, clothing and shelter, and the common necessities of life, is to keep on doing nothing to rem-' edy existing conditions. Under an Omaha Muncipal Bank System, indus try and business in the city would be furnished with the necessary credit from the bank to provide jobs for the jobless and the consumers economic needs. This would keep the wheels of industry moving in this community, and business conditions would be made better, because business would be given the necessary credit to expand. With a Municipal Bank in Omaha, this community would keep the wheels of productive industry active and the community would enjoy a prosperity that it had never before known. The profits of the Omaha Municipal Bank Sys tem would provide pensions for the aged, blind and dependent mothers and children, and with more jobs for the unemployed, there would be fewer people on relief, and th taxpayers burdens would be greatly lightened, and the home owners mortgages would be refinanced at a lower rate of interest. With the establishment of an Omaha Municipal Bank System, the youth in this community, who have graduated from the schools and the colleges, would have an opportunity to enter industry and the busi ness world and use the knowledge that they have se cured from their education and technological exper iences. And thru the employment of their initiative effort, they would be given an opportunity to suc ceed and help provide economic security for the mass es. The question is, “Will the qualified voters sup port a movement to establish a Municipal Bank Sys tem in this city and give it their moral and financial support?” Will you join an organzation in your pre cinct to heln circulate initiative petitions to establish an Omaha Municipal Bank System, then do your part I to get the votes out at the election? If you will, all the OUTLINE OF PROGRAM DUR ING VISIT OF WILLIAM A. PINCKENS IN OMAHA Arrive late Thursday March 16lh. Friday morning Radio Stations. (Hours and stations to be announc ed) Friday after—2 p. m.—Sympo sium on “The Problems of the Race as A Minority in the Ameri can Social Order.” At the Urban League Community Center—Free Open to the public. Saturday—Luncheon and after noon Meeting in Lincoln, Nebr. Center—Free Admission —Open to tho public. Friday night—Bingo party at the Sunday—3 P. M—Big MWss Meeting—Z(>n Baptist Church— Open to Everybody. Wesley Jones, president. -0O0--—■ FIGHT ALL GAS TAX DIVERSION BILLS IS PLEA — HEARING ON TWO BILLS FRI DAY Opponents of I>. B. No. 235 Urge Nebraskans to Contact Their legislator* and ask them to opose measures Passage will mean loss of labor, highways and Feneral Aid Funds Lincoln, Nebr. March 9 (Special) —With L. B. N. 236 and N. 377 set for hearing before the public works oommittee of the Nebraska Legislature Friday (March 10,) op ponets of these gasoline tax di version bills today voiced a fervent plea to Nebraskans to “please help defeat these measures so that Nebraska can have good and safe roads.’ George M. Johnson of Beatrice, president of the Nebraska Good Roads Association, called upon Ne braskans to do their share in the fight against gasoline tax diver sion bills by writing, wiring, or calling their representatives in the state legislature TODAY and urg ing them to vote AGAINST these bills. “If these bills are not defeated, Nebraska will lose millions of dol lars in federal aid, money, thou sands of persons will be thrown out of employment and forced to go on Nebraska’s already-overload ed relief rolls adn several hun dreds of miles of highway will be lost,” Mr. Johnston said. “The cost of contacting ygur legislator lit small-bllt the losses will be great unless full cooperation is received,” he warned. Mr. Johnson pointed out that Ihe public works committee will meet at 2 P. M. Friday in Com mittee Room No. 350 of the State Capitol Lincoln, to hear arguments on these bills, and that wires and calls should be directed to the com mittee members and other legisla tors as much before that hour as possible. Members of the public works committee are Senators R. M. Ho ward, Chairman; A. C Van Diest vice-chairman; Tom Lambert, secre-1 tary: and Ernest Adams, aMrtin J. Mischke, Leland R. Hall, E. M. Neubauer, A. M. Johntson, and M.: E. Westley, Messages sent to these j and other members of the legisla-j Tho meeting which was held un-| del’ the auspices of the Elks at the Elks newly decorated hall, to pres-1 ent Officer Gustin with nn elgin ] watch, which was awarded him by tho Data Omaha Welfare League i for his heroic act of bravery in1 capturing 1 of the 2 burglars, bur-1 glarizing a local store, single hand-1 ed, was attended by approximately 700 of Omaha’s distinguished citiz ens The following were some of the outstanding guests who graced the stage. Thie¥ chairman of tho meeting the Honorable Exalted Ruler of the Elks, Attorney Char les F. Davis, the honored guest of- j ficer Ray Gustin and his immediate family, his wife, Mrs. Gustin and hi”, mother and father Mr. and Mrs. Jasper S. Gustin; Honorable Police Commissioner Richard W. Jepsen; chief of Police, John J. Pzanowski; the following brother pobce officers were present: P. H. Jenkins, C. C. Dudley, Papa Birch, Baby Jones, Harry Lewis, Chief of Police made excuses for officer Harry Buford on account of ill ness, and officer Fox head because of not being informed in time for the meeting. Another distinguish ed guest was Senator John Adams, Jr. Thg following is a letter that aeompanied the award to offic er Ray Gusitin for his heroic act, in capturing a 3-time bur glar single handed. DATA” OMAHA WALFARE LEAGUE This is the seventh award that has been made by the Omaha wel fare Iveague. known as THE DATA CLUD. Wo call ourselves the Data club because wo deal only in FACTS. These awards are made without ceremony by any member of our organization because of the fact that we do not want to impress tho people that we are political, or seeking publicity. Our awards are made according to our own findings, and do not como as either a rose or thorn for or against the opinion, or ideas of any other group or organization. Wo believe that it is more worth turo will reach them if directed to ;he Nebraska Legislature, State Capitol, Lincoln, Nebraska. Mi*. Johnston’s plea added that: “Nebraska roads are built on the aay-as-you-go basis. They remain 'reo of bonded indebtedness, it is iccessary that the state have avail able gasoline tax revenue in order ,o biuld and properly maintain •oads which provide: 1. Transportation to the farm er and traveler. 2. Employment to the laborer. 3. Business to the business -man.” He warned that "diversion of ’unds will mean lack of properly naintained highways, and poor *oads resulting in the loss of lives. Cooperation of the various civic ind commercial groups of the state is being received in this campaign. Mr. Johnson said, pointing out that resolutions adopted by these various organizations are being sent to the Legislature for the at tention of the senators. Copies are also being received by Harry S. Byrne, secretary of the Good Roads Association, and M. T. Cas ter of Lincoln, treasurer. bankers in the city won’t be able to prevent it from be coming a part of our great municipal undertaking, which will provide economic security for the people in this community. We are calling for volunteers; are you ready? Will you help get the petitions signed up! Then what are we waiting for! It can be done, let’s do it now! while to show appreciaten of a man’s worth while he lives, than after he is dead, and that such ap preciation should come readily from those who benefit most. OFFICER GUSTI.V was award, cd the seventh gold watch bcvauM he displayed the qualit'es nece»* sary in an emergency, and whore he knew his life was as stake. He did his job single handed, and hg asked for no credit marks, and that he is one of the many fing officers of The Omaha Police Do« partment that has w t' out question kept crime at a low < bb in Omaha. We believe that officer Gustin’s act clearly shows th -t he is fear less, that he is a faithful servant. Respectfully Yours, Omaha Welfare League Thomas Kuaff Georg*) L. Poe* % The following h the letter of regret of not being able to * attend the presentation award to officer Gustin. EXECUTIVE OFFICE CITY OF OMAHA Dan B, Butler. Mayor March 3, 1939 Dr. Price Terrell, Secretary, I. B. P.’O. Elks of W. 2501'4 North 24th Street Omaha, Nebraska Dear Dr. Terrell: Your letter of recent date receiv ed, extending an invitation to me to be present on the date of the presentation of an award by the Data Club to Leu ray Gustin, Police Officer, for meritorious service. I appreciate this invitation but will be out of the city on that date so regret that I can not attend. However, 1 wish to extend to your organization as well as to the Data Club, my sincere congratulations on the selection of the award and at the same time, I want to publicly commend the officer, Lueray Gus tin, for the bravery shown at the time of the arrest of the holdup men. Yours ven-y truly, Dan B, Butler Mayor Lauds Kalteaibprn, For — Americanism Omaha, Nebr., March 11— The Omaha Post No. 1, of the Americ an Legion last week received a let ter congratulating them upon ob taining H. V. Kaltenborn, dean of radio news commentators, who will lecture here on World ■ affairs at the Omaha Technical High school auditorium March 20 under the le gion's sponsorship. ' “Any legion post will do well to book Mr. Kaltenborn," wrote Wil liam Young, service officer of the Youngstown, Ohio, legion post. Mr. Kaltenborn recently lectured in Youngstown under the sponsor ship of the legion of that city. “I discovered during Mr Kalten bom’s visit here that he has no use for any ISM except American ism” said Mr. Young. Legion officials indicated yester day that sale of the tickets for Mr. Kaltenbom’s Omaha lecture appearance has been brisk during the past week. They pointed out that only 2,100 tickets will be sold for the lecture as the seating at tho Tech auditorium is limited to that number. Tickets for the lecture are being sold at the Legion headquarters in tho Omaha City Hall, the Nebras ka Power Co., Matthews Bor and the Unitt-Docekal Drug store. All seats are $1. There will be no reserved seats.
