ACCION Page June 1, 1949 Lovelady Talks Senate Committee Into Housing Cut Rufus Lovelady, the peerless of representative, talked so well last month before the Senate Appropriations Committee that the Committee refused to grant any additional funds for Canal Zone housing.
Lovelady accomplished this neat trick by pointing out that the Army had constructed houses for its employees at a much cheaper rate than the Panama Canal. He said that the reason for the difference was that the Army housing was constructed by private contractors while Panama Canal housing was constructed by the Building Division.
no Following is the discussion hy Lovelady before the Senate Committee: Mrs. Lovelady: As late as years ago the Army put up 45 beautiful concrete block and concrete poured houses in an Army city on the Pacific side.
That was done at a cost of 13, 500 for a two bedroom unit, and 15, 000 for a three bed room unit. understand that the difference in the cost between their contruction and ours is that they let theirs on contract while ours were built by our own Division.
Senator Ellender: If that is so, it is another reason why pe had better have a provision against force account.
Mr. Lovelady: If those houses can be built there for the Army, at 15, 000 per unite, we see reason why the similar houses cannot be built for us.
Where we want the houses built now would never be more than 50 miles away from that project to which have referred.
Lovelady testimony was completely misleading, as Mr.
Burdick, Head of the Washington office of the Panama Canal, tried to point out. Burdick Richardson Senate (Continued from page Continued from page 1)
the subject of much discussion McCarran amendment would be in the press of Latin America.
those who have given most in have here three newspaper terms of sacrifice to the deveclippings dealing with the ob lopment of the Panama Canal.
ject misery of Silver work No possible explanation crs who have devoted the most could be given for the displafruitful years of their lives to cement of these employees after the United States Government such a long period of employcnly to spend the remaining ment. We urge most strongly years of their lives scrambling that the Senate go along with for a few pieces of bread for the House action in deleting themselves and their families. the McCarran amendment as In view of the conditions des it heretofore applied to this lecribed in this testimony, we gislation.
submit that the present system of Makes of disability relief now cover liy pocritical Appeal ing retired Silver workers is Jones, the of reprecompletely inadequate and a sentative, stated that the reasource of great human suffer son the of wanted the ing. Further, that no system McCarran Amendment was to of disability relief will meet protect the rights of Panamantne problem of adequate retire jan citizens. He told the Comment benefits for persons who inittee: have labored in the interest In the McCarran amendof the United States Government the Panamanian is given ment.
equal pay and equal working We therefore urge that conditions. can think of no 3445 be amended to include better way of assuring citinot only those employees on zens of Panama equality of the Canal Zone formerly known opporunity and treatment than as Gold workers but also the McCarran amendment.
those employees formerly The idea of the of known as Silver workers who serving as the protector of Pamust now rely upon the disabi namanian rights is so ridiculous lity relief plan. Such an amend that it should be laughed off ment has already been made to were it not for the fact that 1358 in the Senate by Sen this ruse apparently deceived ator Langer and has been greet some members of the Approed enthusiastically both in this piiations Committee.
country and Latin America. If Later on in discussion with the Senate acts favorably upon Senator Cordon of the ComMr. Langer amendment, am mittee, Jones déserts the treasure, that thousands of new cherous appeal and exposes the friends will be made for our naked motives of the of country. Similar action by this Following is the discussion Committee and by the House between Senator Cordon and of Representatives could do Walter Jones during his tesuntold good in terms of detimony: monstrating to the entire world Senator Cordon: What reacur Nation sincerity with re son is there for that? Why gard to the freedom from hu should an individual who has inen misery and also our sin been long on the job and able cerity with regard to the to hold the indicated position, freedom from human misery either a skilled or administraand also our sincerity concer tive or supervisory position, ning our Good Neighbor policy and capable of doing that towards Latin America.
work, be paid just as much There are approximately as if he were a citizen?
000 of these employees now liv Walter Jones: Senator, that ing on present disability relief grants from 10 to 25 a month.
In addition to coverage of the cessary steps to increase the present employees under the Ci disability relief payments of vil Service Retirement Act, we those now receiving these propose that Congress take ne grants.
told the Committee that the BURNHAM QUOTES (Continued from page 1)
reason for the higher construction costs were not, as clearer become the hands of Dr. Wirt, the Liberty League, the Lovelady said, the fact that Chamber of Commerce and the National Association of Mathey were built by the Panama nufactures as the manipulators of the strings that make the Canal instead of private conpuppets of the Dies Committee live and move and have their tractors, but because there was being.
a large expense in preparing At its November, 1946 Convention, the CIO said in a unaniland sites in laying in water mous resolution: and sewage facilities and the The Wood Rankin Committee continues in the shameful trafact that only a few units were dition of Martin Dies. This committee has indicated that every built on an experimental basis.
democratic and every progressive movement in American life is The Army houses were built vicious smears. On the other hand, it ignores and even actually in large numbers and thus encourages the activities of native fascists. RESOLVED that were less expensive per unit.
this Un American committee must be stopped.
Brodie Burnham who quotes the Committee reports so freDespite Mr. Burdick clarify quently and who apparently is in love with its Un American ing statements, Lovelady had work is joined by other admirers who form an unbelievable group clone enough damage so that of gangsters, fifth columnists, and native fascists. Here are a the Committee refused to ap few of the comments of other friends of the committee: ropriate any additional funds George Sylvester Viereck, sentenced to prison in 1942 as a for either silver or gold Nazi agent: have the highest respect for the Committee and housing sympathize with its program.
Not only was Lovelady in William Dudley Pelley, former head of the pro Nazi Silver strumental in preventing ad Shirts, sentenced on August 13, 1942 to 15 years imprisonment citional housing appropriations for sedition: founded the Silver Legion in 1933 to propagandize but he has raised questions in exactly the same principles.
the Committee minds over James Colescott, Imperial Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan: The the advisability of using PanaCommittee program so closely paralles the program of the Klan ma Canal Divisions for the con that there is no distinguishable difference between them.
struction work. As a result of From the September 1946 issue of The Defender, published this he has possibly endanger by Gerald Winrod, pro Nazi propagandist named in a Federal ed the jobs of many employees, both silver and gold in indictment in 1942 as having participated in a plot to undermine ine Building and Municipal EnAmerican morale: There is no way of estimating the value of the public service being these day rendered by the Committee gineering Divisions.
011 Un American Activities of the United States Congress.
As a result of Lovelady These are the men Brodie Burnham joins in praise of the testimony, the committee made work of the Un American Committee.
the following report on housYou can always tell birds of a feather, because they flock ing funds: together. On Feb. 11, 1942, The Federal Communications Com Attention is directed to tesmission of the Government stated that the un American comtimony given at the commit mittee and Dies were found to be the American most frequenttee hearing as to the wide ly and approvingly quoted on the Axis radio. Who else quotes discrepancy in the cost of the un American Committee most frequently and approvingly?
houses built by the GovernThe record of the members of the un American committee ment in the Canal Zone. is pretty ciearly anti union and undemocratic to the core. The record of the investigators they have hired is even worse. Here It was stated that some are a few of them: three bedroom unit experimenStephen Birmingham, chief investigator: This man brought tai concrete houses have been two anti union goons wanted for murder of union men to the Luilt at a cost of from 25, 000 un American committee to testify on communism in CIO unions.
to 30, 000 each. Other testiThe two men wanted for murder were Jerome Kin (alias Mamony was to the effect that the Army several years ago dieros) and William McCuiston, both shipowner spies in the National Maritime Union and both wanted for killing rank and file built some 45 concrete block union members.
and concrete poured houses at Edward Banta, investigator: Banta denounced reds in a cost of 13, 500 per houses for the WPA in New York, was promptly hired by the Chairman the two bedroom units and of the Committee. Later he went to work for the Nazi Bund. 15, 000 for the three bedroom Edward Sullivan, chief investigator Sullivan served six units. Other testimony was to nionths on a robbery charge in Boston, was charged with inthe effect that the funds remoral practices against a 12 year old boy.
quested for the construction of Earl Best, star witness before the Un American committee: additipnal housing for employees in the fiscal year 1950 Best got into headlines when he testified against the New Deal are for experimental housing.
during the war. But the headlines told police where to find him. The Committee directs that and Best was arrested and did time on a forgery charge.
the Panama Canal officials man named Halpern came to the committee and offered niake a careful study as to to testify. woman recognized him as the man who had stolen the wide discrepancy in cost her jewels some time before. Halpern did one to two years on the charge.
between housing units constructed in the Canal Zone and An ex United Auto Worker member named Ralph Knox tesadvise the committee as to the tified on reds in the UAW CIO. Knox was reported to have reasons for this wide variation been expelled from the union for immoral practices against in cost. It would appear to the four year old child.
committe that by this time The New World, official paper of the Chicago diocese of construction of houses for emthe Catholic Church stated: If it is really a committee to inployees in the Canal Zone vestigation of itself.
should be beyond the experiThis is the best advice that this newspaper can give to Brodie mental stage.
Burnham, and we wish he start off by telling us the circumstances under which he left the employment of the Panama American.
Next month ACTION will feature more interesting informais in my statement here. tion about the Committee which Brodie Burnham and the imEgree 100 per cent, if that man perial Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan find helpful in their noble is capable and is doing my work.
work, he is entitled to my money. The reason for the Mc Carran amendment is to put Union Conducts The employee should be a limitation on the number of given a copy of his rating and them employed. If it carries (Continued from page 1) advised in writing what score in the way it is now, there posals submitted the Union: he has made.
will come a day when there The rating should be dis3. procedure should be will be no American citizens cussed with the employe beall the Panama Canal except Tore it is finally adopted. At adopted providing for the right the top supervisory force. It present this is not being done.
of appeal from the rating given will be all local rate employees. Failure to discuss the rating by the employee superior in order to afford the necessary This statement by Jones fully with the employee will protection against errors or armakes it amply clear that what negate one of the basic purthe of is really in poses of a good rating system, bitrary actions.
terested is not to champion the namely, affording the employee The union suggested, in this rights of Panamanians but to an opportunity to learn and connection, the establishment take as many jobs as possible understand what his weak and of a body comparable to the for their own members. One strong points are. This is ne Efficiency Rating Board of Recan excuse selfprotection, but cessary if the employee is to view as described by Circular what can one think in the face iniprove his efficiency on the 445 inssued December 21, of such hypocrisy?
job.
1948. BIBLIOTECA NACIONAL ERNESTO CASTILLERO