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About The Omaha guide. (Omaha, Neb.) 1927-19?? | View Entire Issue (Feb. 19, 1944)
LARGEST ACCREDITED NEGRO NEWSPAPER WEST OE CHICAGO AND NORTH OF KANSAS CITY Entered as Second-Class Matter at Under Act of March 8, 1874— _CITY EDITION the Post Office, Omaha, Nebraska, Business Phone: HA-0800. HA-0801 Saturday, Fsb. 19, 1944 O U R 17th YEAR—No. 2 price five cents First Negro Navigators on Final Cadet Long-Distance Flight Fet€d by Negro Press and Organizations .. .. Along Flight Route HONDO ARMY AIR FIELD, Ho" do, Texas*—The Nation’s first class of Negro navigation cadets, sched uled to be graduated on February’ 26. 1944 .with commissions in tile Army Air Forces, will navigate eight C-60 Lockheed Lodestar plan es from Hondo Army Air Field to New York City the week of Febr uary 14. the War Department re ported Constituting the final combat training phase of the cadets as AAF students, the tlight will in clude landings at Chicago. Illinois and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The tentative itinerary calls for rendez vous at Chicago on Monday, Febr uary 14, at Pittsburgh on February 15. and at New York City on Feb ruary 16, with one night lay-over in each city. The return trip to Hon do Army Air Field was made on February 17. ' Colonel George B. Dany, Air Corps, commanding officer of Hondo Army Air Field, where the navigation cadets have already completed 16 weeks of an 18 week strenuous training program, ann ounced that the unit of cadets, known as squadron 10, were the guests at colorful receptions given by two Negro newspapers, the Pittsburgh Courier and the New York Amsterdam News and the New York City Defense Recreation Committee, Inc. 24 navigation cadets participated in the flight. Other personnel eon sisted of 18 pilots under the Com mand of Major G. B. Price. Air FI. .»•, /Minn nil t nnrl nAmmonil. l~» • - w~ - —— x-' - er of Group III at Hondo Field; 13 navigation officers (instructors), headed by First Lieutenant George F. Mclnemey, Air Corps, who has guided Squadron 10 as flight com mander during its tour of training, and eight enlisted crew chiefs. Lieutenant Colonel Cecil H. Childre. Air Corps, director of the training at the huge Texas airbase, piloted one of the training ships on the combat flight and served a® commander of troops Details Of planning and directing the flight were the responsibility of Major Price until the destinations wee reached. Although the combat flight per mitted participation by flight per sonnel in prepared celebrations, the training cement involved was the first consideration, Colonel Day emphasized. He further pointed out that the fulfillment of all the flights depended oa prevailing eon ditions aong the routes flown. Aviation Student Walter A. Ar rington. of Washington, D. C. serv ed as group marcher for the unit. He is a graduate of Michigan State College (BS.. 1941), where he was an outstanding athlete. He also was & member of the All-American Track Teem and recipient of the Illinois Relays All-Around Track Award in 1940. Severn of the navigation cadets are from the state of New York. Other states represented by the group included Michigan. Californ ia, West Virginia. Iowa, Illinois, Idaho. Pennsylvania New Jersey, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Wyo ming and North Carolina. Before entering the AAF navig ation school, these cadets had many vocations, among them be ing th^i following: optical instru ment assembler, photographer, air craft riveter, radio engineer, assist ant medical technician, bacteriolo gist and junior statistician. w xuit* iraiimi^ nuuau x ic.u, the class has ‘‘logged” 15,000 miles on training flights. Their training ships were C-60 Lockheed Lode stars and the AT-7 Navigator. During the course the cadets gained proficiency in four phases of aerial combat navigation: dead reckoning (instrument flying); pil otage (familiar landmarks); radio (beaim flying), and celestial (plott ing a course by reference to Celes tial bodies.) Following graduation the Negio navigators will receive advance training as bombardiers. COMPLETES TWIN-ENGINE TRAINING AT MATHERS FIELD Pilot J. L. Harrison of Omaha, Nebraska was among the second contingent of Negro pilots to fin ish their courses at Mathers field in Calif., on twin-engine planes. He has been ordered to Selfridge Field. Michigan, where he will join a medium bombardment group. He received his wings at the field at graduation exercises. Thursday, February 10th. HAMPTON CHOIR TO GO ON MR FEBRUARY 20TH Hampton Institute. Va., ‘‘Songs for Soldiers,” a program dedicated by the student choir of H amp tor Institute to army personnel in the Tidewater Virginia area, will b< bradcast over station WGH nex1 Surday (Feb. 20) evening at 10 o c’ock on the Hampton Institut* Forum of the Air. THE OMAHA GUIDE IS YOUR PAPER— READ IT WEEKLY. Subscribe Today! FIRST ACCREDITED NEGRO NEWSPAPER CORRESPONDENT Confusion Hampers Repubr ns 1st Session “Negroes Only Hope in Republican Party” Says Wm. E. King (BY Ll'THER A. TOW NS LEY) CHICAGO, Feb. 18, (ANP) Sect ional clashes, politics within polit ics, resulted in the confusion that greeted Republican leaders from various parts of the nation who as sembled here last Friday for the opening se°sion of a scheduled two day conference a* the Pershing | hotel. Although the objective of the i conference was to utHne a coti j structjve program to be presented ! in behalf of the Negro at the Re | publican National convention here I in June, the formation of such an | organization for that purpose re sulted in chaos, confusion and clashes from the floor to the ap parent embarrassment of Judge Edward W. Henry of Philadelphia, who was chosen to serve as tem I porary chairman. Even an effort to forpi the body into a permanent organization by the selection of temporary offic ers met with opposition, and hints of suspicion, which included charg j es that the selection was made in i "railroad” style, were voiced. More than once the chair was given the 1 task of determine who among five ; or six. had the floor. Mrs. Grace | W. Evans, a delegate from Indiana ] opposed the move to make the ' ; temporary officers permanent of | ficers as against the best interest i of the organization. She branded j | the move as unfair, inasmuch as it | did not give the delegates the ben efit of democratic selection of offic ; I ers of their own choice. Probably the most tranquil mo- j j ments of the opening session was during the fiery speech of Atty. I j William E. King, frmer Illinois 1 j state senator, who demanded jus ; tice, equality and freedom for the j J Negro while tracing the history of the Republican party back to the days of Abraham Lincoln. “There will be no. peace in this world until the rejected 13 million Negroes have been accorded their proper place," King prophesied. During the first world’s war and present world’s war both Presid ■ ents have been democratic. he pointed out, as he demanded equal ity in the sacrifices and the winn ing of the peace. While less than 10 percent of the Negroes voted for Woodrow Wilson, more than 50 percent of the Negro votes were i cast for Franklin Delano Roose velt, he said, reminding his listen ers that colored soldiers are still being treated unjustly, are still be ing beaten and assaulted while wearing the uniform of their coun try. King went on to attack the pres ent administration, charging that It suffered from mal-administra tion. ‘‘The gov .ment is distinct from the administration.” he said. "A man may be loyal to his govern ment but may oppose the adminis tration." While the FEPC has been set up to protect the rights of minorities, including the Negro. King express ed doubt if it was really meant to work in behalf of Our people. Wherever the FEPC has run into southern interest, the administra tion has backed up the solid south. He brought attention to the fact ' that the three-man committee sel ■ eeted by the President to invest - gate the wrangle between the sou them railroads and the FEPC 1 as made a report and now another committee has been selected to re port on the three-tnan committee. The Negro’s only salvation is in the Republican party, he declared, stating that although Negro valor Randolph, Webster Speak Here Sunday To Speak of Many Things_• • Official OW1 photo by Roger Smith FEPC MEMBER Milton P. Webster, International Vice President of the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters, and labor representative of the President’s Committee on Fair Employment Practice. ttfhoisJones? Who is Jones? If police couid learn the true identity of the per son who called and advised them -tv investigate the watch and «-Vck repair shop murder at 1843 North 24th street, they might be able to obtain better clues in regards to the possible slayer of Thomas Douglass, found there Saturday afternoon, dead before his work bench with a cheap watch clutched in hjs hand. This anan, who gave cc police no other information concerning him self other than that he was '.Tones’ living at an address on Blohdo, Which proved to be false—might not have in anyway been concern ed with the actual murder; but 'his just telling the police how he came to call them would be of great help in solving the mystery. lias been shown On every battle field. from Crjspus Attucks to Dorie Mjller. his race is "the most unpop lar in America. “There isn’t a single group that does not enjoy more privileges than our group,” he asserted. The conference declared itself in favor of pushing: 1. Integration of the Negro into American democracy. 2. Colored Americans in policy forming positions of the govern ment. 3. The Negro in nost-war poli tics. 4. Rep. esentation of the Negro at the peace conference as part of the American delegation. 5. Compulsory federal voting law, anti-lynching law. 6. Further extension of the soC iaol security and the old age pen sion benefits. 7. The stand of the Republican oarty: on universal franchise; on lynching; on poll tax and their at titude toward injustices. 8. Creation by congress of a statutory committee on fair em ] plyoment practices. 9. Federal funds for public ed ucation. 10. Election of president and vice 1 president by direct vote. 11. Jim crow law in all its phas i es. 12. The effect of a national serv ice act on Negro labor. The officers who guided the con ! ference were Judge Edward W | Henry. Philadelphia. chairman; | Charles W. Anderson, Jr„ Louis ville. 1st vice chairman; Mrs. Fan nie M. Shanks. Minneapolis. 2nd vice chairman; Atty. George V. Lawrence. Chicago, executive sec retary: Atty. Eunice H. Carter of New Tork. recording secretary and Charles H. Mahoney. IV trOit, treas urer. Local Brotherhood Sponsor Treat For Community at Zion Baptist Church, Sun., Feb. 20—3 P.M. The Omaha Division of the Bro therhood of Sleeping Car Porters, local No. 32, invites the members of organized labor, workers and friends to a public meeting, held under its auspices at Zion Baptist Church, 2215 Grant St., Sunday, February 20, at 3 pm. Speakers at this meeting will be >Ir. A .Philip Randolph, Interna tional President of the Brotherhoc>d of Sleeping Car Porters and Mr. M. P. Webster, International First Vice President of the Brotherhooi. This meeting is a series of meet ings being held in the middle w^st under the auspices of the Brother hood for the purpose of bringing workers and organized labor up to date on the various economic prol lems that confront Negroes today. In this meeting Mr. Randolph will discu'ss the broader aspects of the economic problems mat con front Negro workers of today with particular reference to the effect of the War situation on the prob lems that will confront the Negro es in the orientation of the World wide economic condition. Mr. Webster, in addition to be ing Vice President of the Brother hood of Sleeping Car Porters, is a member of the Post War Plann ing Committee of the American Federation of Labor, as well as a member of the President’s Comm ittee on Fair Employment Pract ice. In addition to discussing the immediate problems of the Broth erhood and Negroes in Organized Labor in general ,he is expected to give some account of the Post-war Planning program of the American Federation Of Labor with particul ar reference to the part that the Negro workers must play in devel oping the post war plan He is al so expected to discuss some of the recent developments of the Presi dnt's committee on Fair Employ ment Practice, with particular icf erence to the Railroad hearing in Washington. D. C. last Septem ber. This is the first time in several years that Mr. Randolph has visit ed Omaha, and the Brotherlu od invites and urges the Citizens of this community to take advantage of the opportunity to hear these two outstanding leaders of organ ized labor. SOME DANCE! VB e]l. they came around and got us in a taxi honey, and took us to | the Valentine Dance at Dreamland. ] Hall, Monday evening, February | 14th. and what a time we had. \ We knew it was going to be some } blowout but never imagined it | vvOu'ld be as great as it turned out j to be. Talk about orchestras get ting hot; talk about dancers being I sent out of this world', yes talk ' about it, and when you stop talk ing you’ll find “you ain’t said noth ing yet’’. How so much fun and amuse ment Could get jammed in on. place even as large as Dreamland HaU is. just doesn’t make sense . But they were there and stayed there until the last toot of the trumpets and moans of the 'salty' <axaphones. Tes, it was a mighty nice affair and much prais? is due those responsible for it. But now we are wondering when a dance IS a dance. For all the four hundred or more folks we saw in Dreamland Hall. Monday night were suppose to have come to a dance. But when v*e stepped in they were having them selves a BALL. Well of court-", maybe that only means an except ionally good time. We hope there wi'4 be more such affairs. « CANDIDATE Dr. J. B. Martin, one of the fa mous "Martin Bros, of Memphis, Tenn." and at present President of the Negro American Baseball Lea gue was chosen as a candidate tor a member of the Sanitary District Ik H tard in the coming election by the Republican nominating Committee of Cook County. (Press Photo Serv) ONLY 70,000 DRAFT AGE NEGROES ARE ‘SAFE” WASHINGTON, Feb. 12 (ANP)~ Something of a jolt is contained in the figures collected by the Assoc iated Negro Frees which show how the Negro is stacking up in the face of the selective service system. Of the physically fit and draft eligible men, not more than 70.000 of them out of the total registia tion of those between the ages of 18 and 37 military liable, are going to be around here to buy war bonds and salvage fat when the armed forces shall have met its full quota. Paul V. McNutt, chairman of War Manpower commission, dis cussed manpower needs for the na tion for the first half of 1944 On Monday last. He disclosed that the requirements of the military establishment have been hiked >00,000 and therefore will stand at 11.3 million in June. This dots not take into consideration the •u-ed arising out of replacements cor casualties. On the basis of Mr. McNutts .'■gare and the proportion of 10 per cent which Negroes are expected to provide, this means that the armed forces are looking for 1,130 000 men sound of body. The num ber of Negroes now in the services is rapidly approaching 800,000. According to the selective serv ice system there were 2.4 million Negroes registrants between the ages of 18 and 37 militarily Fable for duty. Experience to date is that rejections based upon physic al and educational deficiencies have represented "more than" 50 percent of these men called. It is reasonable to conclude, then that with the reservoir of physic ally and mentally fit Negro men numbering less than 1.2 million, there is going to be ess than 70,000 eligible men left outside of the draft when the full Negro propor tion is deducted. Further, according to the 1941 12 report of selective service, ‘ the number of Negroes inducted le a iittle higher than the proportion >f the population and of the regis trations.” which means they are going fast Those Negroes who are c .unting an w ar“essential” jobs t > win them deferments can find little comfort in figures given out in this same report and dealing with iceupationa! deferments. Negroes TO WHITE HOUSE Attends First Press Conference Feb. 8th Following rapidly on the visit of a Committee from the Negro Newspaper Publishers Association with President Roosevelt, the first Negro Cor respondent to be accredited to the White House, at tended the Presi dent's Press Con ference, Tuesday, February S. Harry S. Me McALPIN Alpin, former chief of the Chicago Defender Washington Bureau, is the accred ited correspondent of the Atlanta. Daily World, a Dally NegTo News paper published at Atlanta. Geor gia. McApin will serve also as Chief of the Washington Bureau of member papers of the Negro Newspaper Pubishers Association. Final arrangements for the ac credidation of Mr. McAlpin were completed Monday, February 7, by John H. Sengestacke, President, Negro Newspaper Publishers As sociation and C. A. Scott. Atlanta Daily World. The Association White House Correspondent’s Com mittee in aldition to Sengestacke and Scott includes Louis Martin. Michigan Chronicle; William O. Walker, Cleveland CaH Post and C. B. Powell. Amsterdam News. Already the Association has two correspondents covering Negro units in the South Pacific and Tar eastern war theatres. Harry S. McApin lives at 2304 Place, N. W„ Washington. D. O.. telephone Taylor 2158. Mr. McAl 1 pin has lived in Washington for the past seventeen years, is married and has a daughter eleven years, of age He studied Journalism and Ad vertising. University of Wisconsin, X922-26. Worked three years as reporter, city editor and office; manager for the Washington Trib une. Washington, D. C., 1926-29. Handled all publicity and adver tising for the National Benefit Life Insurance Company, for four years 1929-33. Worked in a supervisory capac ity in the federal government for seven years, the last 1 1-2 years of which served as a chief of public relations—1935-42. Since August, 1942, until the pres ent has served as chief of the Wash ington Bureau of the Chicago De fender-1942. were only three percent of the registrants deferred in Class Il-A, which represents deferments of those in essential civilian occunat | ions. Class II-B. jobs essential to ! The war effort, showed there to be (continued /-m paga 2) Fellow Bomber Workers! Within the next few days you are to determine your future in your plant quote: Glenn L. Martin, Nebraska Company to bargain as individuals and not accomplish anything or as to bargain collectively with a support of the great organization such as a (UAW-CIO) that has 1,250,000 paying members with an additional 300,000 members in the armed forces. Today you are in a position to enjoy better working conditions, job security, and higher wages that are enjoyed by the members of hundreds of oth er locals that are under the banner of the (UAW CIO). You have in several instances been enlight ened of what has been accomplished in the World’s largest local, the Ford, River Rouge plant having a membership of 140,000. With you joining the (UAW-CIO) they secured $2,600,500 in back wages and also received $52,000,000 in wage increase which was equivalent to an average of $406 per employee per year. As you know that the (UAW-CIO) stands for no discrimination between color, creed, race or religion or political affiliations, something that no other organizations believe in, including the Industrial Manufacturing Associations which is the richest organization in the world and of which Glenn L. Martin is a member. We plead for the benefit of you Bomber Workers, who so long have been dis criminated against—to do away with such tactics as used by the latter, by voting (UAW-CIO) in your next election, which will he held in your plant, Wednesday, February 23, 1944. A GENERAL, A BISHOP AND A “SARG” At Fifth Army Field Headquarters, General Mark Clark greets Bishop A. Gregg, representing the Fed erated Council of Negro Churches of Christ in America. At the Bishop’s left is T-Sgt. William C. Chaney of Williamsburg, Va., personal aide to Com manding General of the Fifth Army. Absenteeism Tops Complaints Among Negro Workers In 300 War Plants Urban League Finds NEW YORK, Feb. 18 (ANP) j 'Absenteeism" was listed as chief among the difficulties encountered by defense industries, in a recent report of the National Urban lea gue’s industrial relations laborat ory. Three hundred plants furn ished information which served as a basis for a project relating u> the performance of Negro workers. The league has passed on the fol lowing findings. In June, 1943. the WMC reported S.7 percent of the 14,673,000 work ers employed by industries report ing through the USES were Negro es. This report would include ap proximately 1.000,000 Negro work ers. More recent figures, however place the percentage at 3.3 pcrcent due to the increased employm* nt of Negroes. According -o still more recent figures, the Urban league estimates tne number of Negro workers currently engaged in war production and other es sential war employn,en: at 1 500 - 000. Of the 300 plants from which in CIO to Distribute ? I ‘Races - Mankind9 The National CIO War Relief Committee announced that it will mail copies of the pamphlet “Rac es of Mankind”, to a’! servicemen on its mailing .ists w i,, are sta tioned in this country; and that it "ill request permission from the War and Navv Departments to send copies of the pamphlet to men and women in the armed fore es serving overseas. The announcement was made jointly by Chairman Irving Abra mson and National Director Lt.i Perl is (of the National CIO War Relief Committee) in reply to the recent action by the USO Board upholding its President's decision in banning the distribution .if this publication in USO centers. The Committee’s officers said their action "’as postponed to give the USO Board an opportunity fo : reverse President Chester I. Bari; - ard’s decision. “However.” they said, “Mr. Bern ard’s decision was upheld; and we feel it is our duty to state our de cision in emphatic terms! W'i lie lieve this pamphlet is one of the best weapons in the hands of on soldiers. l|t certainly is one Of the best answers to Hitler’s Aryan creed....It promotes tolerance by showing the brotherhood of man kind, the likeness and the funda mental unity of the races. It shit es that the cure for race prejudice lies in freedom from fear. It cm phase* one of the fundaments! principles for which our men onf women in the armed forces fighting!” The National CIO War K lie1 Committee is one of the larg contributors to USO activite through the National War Fund. ^ formation was obtained, 288 re | ported that they had increased the number of Negro worker-; in their employ during the present emerg ency. The estimated total N<»gro employment of the 300 industries js 150,006. The total has not been broken down by sex although Ne gro women are known to be em ployed in a number of the plants. Generally speaking, however, it is a known fact that the employm nt of Negro women has not kept pace with the employment of white women or of Negro men, it is re ported that less than 4 percent of the 7,000,000 women workers in war production and essential war employment are Negroes. Negroes are employed in skilled operations by 154 of the 300 plants, while semi-skilled workers were reported in 247 of the 300 plants, and all of them reported the use of Negroes for unskilled jobs. The majority of the plants employing skilled workers were located in the easteorn seaboard and midw- s— | tern cities. Of the plants In the Chicago area. 15 out of 35 listed skilled workers. In the New York area, including Connecticut. 51 out of 80 industries included in the >ab oratory reported the employment of skilled Negro workers, wlijic in the Cleveland-Detroit area, 24 c-ut of 45 industries reported the em ployment of Negroes in skilled jobs Over 50 percent of the plants in this category reported that they had used the services of the Urb an leag-ue in the selection and in troduction of their first Negro workers and had sought the assist ance of league officials when minor difficulties arose. In 253 of the 300 industries, man agement declared that on the bas is of current experience with Ne gro labor, they would continue to employ them after the war. No decision was reported from 12 plants, and the remaining .35 de clined to make commitments. In the 142 plants which listed dif fieulties, the following complaints appeared most frequently; higher rate of absenteeism in 67 plants; race friction in 21 plants; over ag gressiveness and “chip on should er attitude" in 11 plants; high tarn over among Negroes in 13 plants No answer to this inquiry c.une (Continued on page|3gr’4i
