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Collection: Newspapers > Nevada City Nugget

May 5, 1941 (4 pages)

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The Nugget is delivered to your home twice a week . for only 30 cent . elt ak de oe friends, your neighbors, read a COVERS RICHEST GOLD AREA IN CALIFORNIA The Nugget. ST = — — eee ees —_ ae Nevada City Nugget EN This papers gives you complete coverage of all local happenings. If you want to read about your PGE 15, No. 36. The Catnty Sent Papel NEVADA CITY, CALIFORNIA, The Goll Center MONDAY, MAY 5, 1941. Thinking Out Loud By H. M. L. Again racketeers, acting under orders from distant labor dictators have invaded this peaceful and prosperous community. Three years ago it was the CIO, who sent . an oily barber from Idaho here to organize the miners. Now another band of so-called organizers is here with a gold brick slicker talk to bamboozle the miners. On April 17, according to a survey made ‘by the Nugget:each month, there were 2,622 men employed in the mining industry in Nevada County, earning an average of $150 per i : month. Last week over 1,000 of i these were thrown out of employment directly and indirectly by a strike called by those who pose as ~ saviors of the working people. . ! —— iy As a matter of fact this little . band of hate inciters from the cen* i tral organizations of labor in the East, are costing the miners here about $6,000 for every day they 1 are in this community. No one can i compute what they cost the community. We wont say. that those who have lately invaded this community are red-rag communists, but it has been proven time and again that when they get into trouble they immediately call to cre Saran their defense -shyster lawyers whose only business is defending communists, “How Long O Cataline,” do the American people have to stand for these rabble rousers whose _ interest in ‘‘organizing labor’ is to fleece the poor suckers that swallow their line of hog-wash? How much must communities across this broad land of ours endure before Congress and _ legislatures everywhere will not only protect ‘by appropriate laws, the gullible workers against their golden promises and noxious propaganda, but also that great third party to all labor disputes, the public? We pray that the day may speedily come when throughout the United States the same law which controls disputes between railroad workers and their employers, will be enacted to control all other controversies between workers and their employers. It is high time that a nation such as ours, with its high assumption of possessing the greatest civilization of all time, called a halt to labor sharks that destroy both industry and the homes of the workers. For how can a man who has been reluctantly forced to quit work because of a so-called strike, or has been forced from his employment through the machinations of rapacious labor sharks, continue the payments on his home, his car and even the furniture in his home. Even though the _employers were to grant the extortionate demands, the worker in the long run is the inevitable loser. Often at long last when he resumes his job his creditors have stripped him as clean of possessions as new born babe. Who are the gainers? The organizer and the big chief in the Hast who receives whatever money screwed out of the new members the organizer chooses to send back to the big treasure chest of the “central organization.” Here in Nevada City and Grass Valley where for a generation both stock holders in the mines and the mine workers have prospered as in no other mining district in the United States, where more miners own their own homes, take part Expert’s Report to Grand! Jury Criticizes Operation Of Three County Offices Certified Accountant Raps Sheriff, District Attorney And Coroner Sheriff Carl J. Tobiassen, Coroner A.M. Holmes and District Attorney Vernon Stoll. are subjected to criticism in the annual certified accountant’s report of Nevada County, filed jointly late yesterday with the partial report of the Nevada County Grand Jury."The certified accountants report, made by Peterson Company of San. Francisco, deals at length with the’ activities of each county office and makes, recommendations instances for what it efficient operation. Reports On Sheriff Regarding the sheriff’s office the report reads: “The fees of record collected by the sheriff are very negligible and the records in. which they are reterms more . corded are of very temporary char‘acter. In our check of this office we noted deficiencies totaling -$6.590. Report On Coroner The following report was on Coroner Holmes’ office: “The records of the coroner, A. M. Holmes, establishment in Nevada City. given almost every case. “At the time of our-audit, there were no funds or property of record, in the hands of the coroner belonging to indigents, etc. In addition to, mileage fees and other coroner’s expenses we noted a number of claims Submitted by Mr. Holmes to the county and allowed and paid by the County of Nevada for burial of indigents, The total of such claims amounted to $705. These were all made by Mr, Holmes, who is the owner of the Holmes Funeral’ Home. “This procedure places this official, in our opinion, of being directly interested in a contract with the county, which is definitely contrary to law. We refer you to Political Code Section 4005 which provides for suits to recover moneys illegally paid.” Comment. On Prosecutor Comment on the district attorney’s office was as follows: “Under Political Code Section 4308, the district attorney of your county has maintained a special fund of $2,500. This section of the code provides that the district attorney shall file vouchers with the auditor at the end of each fiscal year, showing what disposition he has made of any moneys received from such funds. We found that the district attorney had not filed such vouchers with the auditor for over three years. “Before completion of our audit, however, the vouchers were filed for each year, up to and including June 30, 1940. In many instances. the vouchers consisted only of a check to, we presume, an operative in criminal matters. We are not sure that these meet the requirements under the law. Vouchers for these ‘expenditures should ‘be sufficiently itemized to conform to legal requirements; showing dates, rates, purpose ets. We also found that the district attorney special fund moneys were commingled in a bank account with the trust moneys of other clients of the official. We recommend this fund (Continued on Page Two) (Continued on Page Four) Jury Recommends Increased Efficiency In Some Offices The Nevada County Grand Jury, of which R. J. Bennetts is foreman, submitted a partial report to Super+ ior Judge George L. Jones Friday afternoon, The report showed the jury — inspected the activities of all the county officers. Recommendations for inin; several are kept at his mortuary . We reviewed the claims for mileage, fees and other expenses filed by the cor-. oner with detail records kept by him. ° We noted that an inquest or inves-. tigation fee of $10 was charged in’ creased efficiency were made in some instances. ' The report complimented County Clerk and Atiditor R. N. McCormack and praised Custodian Dennis Coughlan and Mrs, Guenther for the clean. liness of the: courthouse. The report stated the practice of chance games such as . “Bingo” and other chance devices have been referred to the district attorney for his attention and enforcement when illegal. “We are greatly concerned about the huge total welfare expenditures” th report read, “and we do not believe there is any likelihood of a reduction, unless. more strenuous efforts are made along certain lines. We therefore, strongly urge our representative in the state senate, the Hon. Jerrold L. Seawell, and our representative in the state assembly, ‘Hon. Allan G. Thurman to work for the passage of a bill or bills that would accomplish the following objectives: increasing . ‘“1—-A complete consolidation of the state board of public welfare and the state relief administration on a . non-political and thoroughly modern
welfare basis. “9__ That there should’ be no division between the unemployable and the employable, but: that all those requiring relief should be put under one category and such relief to be administered by counties under state supervision on the same basis as other categorical aids, with the state bearing the larger portion of this expense, which we feel under the present conditions should be seventy (Continued on Page Three) . UNCHANGED. days and Sundays, DEATH COMES TO FATHER OF MRS. CLYDE GWIN the accidental death of Wm. McBrat-! day for that city to attend the funeral services. No details of the accident which caused Mr. McBratney’s death were received. He was a retired employe of the Southern Pacific Company, aged 72 years, and had often visited his daughter here in Nevada City. He made several warm friends in this city, who will learn of his untimely passing with deep regret. Local Scholarship Delegates Attend Grass Valley Conclave Five delegates from the local chapter of the California Scholarship Federation attended the annual convention held Saturday in Grass Valley, The delegates are Miss Anne Yuen, who is president of the Nevada City chapter, Ruth Mitchell, Betty Lou Krough, Marie Manley and James McCraney. % ney, in Ogden, Utah, father of Mrs.; Clyde Gwin of this city, Mr. and Mrs. } Gwin left hurriedly by motor yester-! ‘Efforts To Induce Return To Work Fail — 1200 AFL Miners Firm In Decision To Remain On Strike Against Four Mines WEEKEND EFFORTS OF THE MINE WORKERS PROTECTIVE LEAGUE TO INDUCE 1,030 MINERS AT THE IDAHO-MARYLAND, AND BULLION MINES TO RETURN TO WORK AT 7 A.M. TODAY FAILED AND THE STRIKE SITUATION AT THE FOUR GOLD MINING PROPERTIES REMAINS TWELVE HUNDRED AMERICAN FEDERATION OF LABOR MINERS ATTENDED A MASS MEETING LAST NIGHT AND REAFFIRMED THEIR STRIKE STAND AND TO BACK UP THE STRIKE COMMITTEE’S DEMAND OF A FIVE DAY WEEK WITH A $1.25 PER DAY PAY BOOST. The Mine Workers Protective League at its mass meeting yesterday, which was attended by an estimated 250, accepted the mine operator’s agreement, advanced by a league committee, for the return to work under a six dayweek plan, with time and one half ror SaturIdaho-Maryland. General Manager Otto Schiffner of the Lava Cap Mines is to meet late today with a committee, named at a meeting of Lava Cap ‘workers yesterday, regarding a demand for time and a half Saturday, which was voted upon favorably by the miners yesterday. The Lava Cap miners who, favored a five day week, $1.24 per day raise were ‘in a small minority. % Several hundred strikers were on TO ILLUSTRATE TALK ON HIGH SIERRAS THURS. Robert Treat Smith, vice-principal of the Munsing School for Private Secretaries of San Francisco, will be the guest speaker at Rotary next Tipursday at luncheon in the National Hotel. Smith, in his leisure hours has a large hobby; he takes hikes in the Sierras.) Every where he goes, his camera goes with him, and some of his colored photography is tops. He will display slides of Sierra landscapes, and give a running commentary on scenes thrown on the screen. Schiffner Says Shutdown Necessary If Demands Unreasonable So that his employees and the public as well, may know the conditions existing at the Lava Cap mining properties, General ‘Manager Otto Schiffner has issued the following statement: “The relations between the Lava Cap Gold Mining Corporation and its employees have been amicable and cooperative for eight years, This company has honestly and faithfully endeavored to do everything possible for the comfort and happiness of its employees. We have met with our employees at regular intervals and have discussed with them many problems involving their wellbeing and it has been a great source of pleasure to me to see our employees express their views in their own way without fear or favor. This has been a great help to us in bettering their conditions. An effort is being made at this time by outside influences to disrupt this satisfactory relationship, This is a matter concerning all of our employees and should be given serious thought. “Tt is my understanding that a petition has been circulated among our employees and signed by a great many of them under intimidation, demanding a 40-hour week with a raise of $1.24 per day. “This Corporation is not on a position at this time to grant any increase in wages, and should such a demand be made, there would be no other alternative than to suspend operation until such a time that this is possible. “T met with the present day shift of our employees on Monday, April 28, and after a full discussion of the 40-hour week for nearly two hours, wherein many of our employees took part, they voiced a definite preference for continuing under the present status without change, by a vote of 82 to 12. “It is my plan to meet with the other shift of our employees on Monday, May 5, and discuss this matter in detail and get an expression from them. Whatever their wishes may be, this Corporation shall do its very best to comply with them. “Gold mining is not enhanced during the period of advancing prices of. basic commodities as now exists; in fact, the contrary is the case and it is very questionable if those properties working on a narrow margin will continue to operate, even at the present scale of wages if commodity prices continue to advance. The obvious reason is that the price of gold*is fixed regardless of the rise in the cost of supplies. In this, gold mining differs from all other industries in our Country, where, when Lava Cap Mines Manager Explains Position Will Will Hold Meeting With Men At Mine Today the cost of raw products, labor, and supplies rise, the selling price of the] commodities rise upward proportionately. This must be obvious to everyone. “In the present national emergency, regardless of whether we subscribe to the activities of the Washington Administration to, bring us into the European conflict or not, there can be no division of opinion as to our wholehearted support in the preparedness program which has for its objective the defense of our Nation. Patriotism finds its greatest support always from the basic principle that men will fight in defense of their homes and in this emergency, we are faced with this—the most sacred obligation to our families and ourselves. “Gold mining contributes very little, if anything at all, toward this program and for that reason, is not an essential industry in our preparedness program. The men who are now employed in the gold mines of this country could be used to much better advantage in those industries necessary for our defense. If it were not for the fact that in suspending NEW BRUNSWICK, SCOTIA The league, however, could not induce any men to go. through the Scotia or New Brunswick picket lines and only a few passed through the pickets at the Idaho-Maryland. The Idaho-Maryland Mines Corporation, which operates the Idaho-Maryland and New Brunswick, said by the showing today, the deadline for the return to work of its employees under the six day week, time and one half for Saturdays offer, i has been extended. Even though limited, Idaho officials an~ Following a telegram, announcing! nounced operations are continuing and will continue at the *& Fa the picket line at the Idaho-Maryland thi msorning but the picketing was orderly. Nothing was said to the men who did pass through the line but it was noted the names were written down by some of the strikers. Sheriff Carl J. Tobiassen was on hand. Ten California Highway Ptarolmen directed traffic and kept the continual stream of automobiles mov-. ing. i The AFL strike committee, of which Edward Hamilton is chairman, announced hundreds have reported for picket duty and the men will be put on four hour picket duty shifts. President Olmey Donnelly of the Protective League regards the present situation as “‘serious.” “We are facing a shutdown of the mines and a serious setback to the communities of Grass Valley and Nevada City.” Donnelly said. “The league still has the contract with themines where the strikes are in effact. The contract is legal. Irregardless if the AML had the camp organized 190 per cent, the operators could not deal with them. We are standing firm.” Donnelly said the league’s committee which secured the time and one half on Saturdays concession from the operators has the full power to act in the present crisis. In the meanwhile Organizer Charles Daley of the AFL, said the AML committee, as jn accordance with previous statements, are willing to sit down with the mine operators at any hour of the day or night to come to a “successful understanding” for the return of the men to work. Daley said the charter for the AFL local in Grass Valley is due to arrive by special delivery tonight or tomorrow. “At last night’s meeting,” the AFL strike committee, “it was unanimously decided that any contract signed with any other organization other than the new AFL miners local will not be recognized by the group.” The offer made by the operators, with Robert M. Searls of the EmpireStar Mines, Ltd., acting as spokes= man, for the return to work of the . men at the mines under a six day, time and one half for Saturdays and ‘Sundays setup, contained the follow: ing provisions: _“1—The league” immediately (Continued on Page Four) (Continued On Page Four)