Indianapolis Times, Volume 45, Number 78, Indianapolis, Marion County, 10 August 1933 — Page 9

Second Section

CITY PLANTS DENY BAN ON OLD WORKERS

No Age Limit Established in Favor of Younger Men, They Declare. DEPENDS ON ABILITY Right to Work Is Conceded: Fair Policy Claimed by All. Repor’s that older men are barred from jobs a.s employment in- j rreases in Indianapolis were denied today by officials m a survey of a| cross .sect ion of outstanding firms. In ail instances, heads of city companies said there are no age linn’s a> winch a man must surrender his job. or when an employer will refuse to consider him for a berth. Majority of the companies admitted that young men with experience are valuable. Firm officials said they also found room for older , men, with the entire question hinging on each individuals ability and efficiency. I James S. Yuncker, president of the Coca-Cola Bottling Works, declared: t I ■ \Ve pay no attention to a mans age Some men have to work, and work hard, whether they are 50 or . 2ft If we had a maximum age limit, I Ynight have to quit myself. Have Right to Work "A man has no right to throw out an efficient worker just because he has turned 50." S. A. Sullivan of L S Ayres A- Cos. said that "the Greeks had a word for it.” Old men for counsel, young men for war.’" is what they said. Sullivan said. "The job often determines the mans value. Youth does make tor efficiency in most cases.” John R Kinghan of Kingan Cos, Ltd., declared that the matter of age limits would be difficult to explain in lus company, asserting that many men. long past middle age, are retained on the staff. He said the company would not .set. a limit, because these instances would be distinct exceptions to any rule. No Age Limit Set J. Townsend, factory manager of Van Camp's, asserted the firm never had established age limits. This also was the assertion of officials of the Stut 7. Motor Car Company, the Kroger Grocery Company, and other firms. Ai the American Central Life Insurance Company, J. H Alltop. personnel manager, said a "man's worth deiiends entirely on the individual.'' "Efficiency is very important." he added. It sometimes is the position which will determine whether an older or younger man would be more efficient." A similar answer was given by Ray Price, personnel manager of Bonctila Laboratories. Experience and youth count for much, but it is impossible to determine when they balance. Henry Ros- Danner, president of the Burford Printing Company, said. Hard to Decide - in many cases older men are 100 per cent efficient." he said. "It is a hard question to decide. When they are incapacitated, young or old. how much are they worth?" Policy of the Crown Laundry Company is not to hit a man when he's down," Kenneth Badger, superintendent. said. Experience is important, of course." he added, "and youth plays an important part and is worth considering The position, itself, has a grer>. deal to do with the age of an employe. Pension retirement at 65 is the rule of the Indiana Bell Telephone Company. F. A. Montrose, general manager, told The Times. "Ail our employes retire at 65 on pensions.' he said. To be entitled to a pension, an employe must be in the service for at least twenty years. If any employe leaves the service for any reason, say. for instance, after fi\e year's employment, and ther. returns he must work ten consecutive years so the first will apply." Depends on Ability C E Stalnaker. offire manager of the Udell Works, said an employe is retained as "long as we need him to handle his job There is no set law on our books " Ernest Pflumrn, of the Indianapolis Railways. Inc, declared that, in the street car business, youth if. am asset, in getting over the road faster. "We hav no age limit." he said. "We have a man working for us who is 79. While we would not take on anew man at that age. we feel that this worker is entitled to consideration from us A man's value lies in his ability to serve well." NABBED STEALING GUN Youth Is Arrested After Theft of Weapon From Store. Robert Hubbard. 17. of 865 Bradshaw street, was arrested by police Wednesday, charged with theft of a 38-caliber revolver from the Gus Habieh sporting goods store. 136 East Washington street. The revolver was valued at $4 50. Hubbard was seized by A. C Byrelv. manager of the store, and held for police. He was turned over to detectives. f.irl 1. Kitten bv Dog E\a Baver. 4. daughter of Arthur Baver, 416 West Abbott street, was bitten on th? left forearm Wednesday night by a dog reported as owned by Marvin Johnson. 429 West Norwood street. The child was taken to city hospital and the dog ordered penned up lor six days. ,

Foil Leaned Wire Serti*. of the Inlted f’rena Anerwtatlo*

NIRA,_ VILLAGE OF TWENTY. AWAITS NEW DEAL Inhabitants, in Lull Since ‘Boom 9 of. 1892, Expecting Recovery

BY NEA SERVICE NIRA. Ia , Aug. 10—To at least twenty people in the country the magic term NIKA that everybody is learning to say is an old story. Those twenty are the population of this lowa village of nine houses which was ncmed Nira fifty-five years ago. when its first house was built. Nira doesn't mean national industrial recovery act to them, or at least it didn't until a few xeeks ago. It just meant home, the only town in the United States of that name, according to the postal guide. This town, with its grass-grown railroad track, its general store and postoffice at the intersection of two dirt roads in Lime Creek township. Washington county, is normally Republican But it expects to gain by the New Deal just the same. a a a AND it's about time," observes John Whetstine. 84-year-old whiltler. Nira s oldest inhabitant. The President talked sense the night he explained his plan." went on Whetstine. the shavings falling rhythmically from a softwood stick. Everybody in Nira—all twenty of us—is for him " Nira looks forward to something like its boom days of 1892. When that boom collapsed, the little hamlet fell asleep, and it hRs been quietly disintegrating ever since. Two of its three stores closed in 1925. The front of the other fell in recently, exposing shelves of canned goods, a candy counter, and the postmaster, E. j. Yoder. a a a BY' long tradition Republican, Nira turned Democratic in the landslide of last March. Or did it? Residents are divided on the point, and as the Nira voting is pooled with the Lime Creek township tabulations, no one can be sure But the new deal has alrpady brought better feeling to Nira, both Postmaster Y'oder and farmer Doss Miller agree. "Conditions around here aren't really any better than they were six months ago.” appraises Miller. "but people feel better. They feel good times are on the wav, and and that, well share in ’em.

DEATH BATE HIGH IN TWO CENSUS TRACTS Mortality Figure Reaches 20 for 1.000. Death rates in the city were higher in the areas of greatest economic drain for the fiscal year 193031. Two census tracts within this area show a rate of more than twenty for earn thousand population while the general death rate for the city as a whole was only 12.9 for each thousand population. Eight of the eleven census tracts in the areas of greatest economic drain show a death rate higher than 15 for each thousand population. These facts are based on statistics compiled in a survey of economic and social conditions in Indianapolis by the Indianapolis community plan committee of the Indianapolis Chamber of Commerce. The age distribution of the population. of course, affects the death rates because both rates relatively are high in any population among infants and persons of old age. When corrections are made in the difference of aRe distribution in various parts of the city some of the census tracts in the areas of greatest economic drain show a death rate almost twice as high as is found in the better residential areas of the city. There was no epidemic of any kind during this year and these death rates may be taken as fairly representative of those in any normal year. BOY, 15. HURT IN DIVE Youth Suffers Head Injuries in Plunge in Ellenberger Pool. Joe OBrien. 15. of 5012 1 2 East Washington street, today is suffering from head cuts incurred Wednesday afternoon when he struck another youth while diving at the Ellenberger park swimming pool. OBrien was treated at city haspital. The other youth. Robeyt Vogle. 15. of 702 North Linwood avenue, was uninjured. State Firemen Fleet By 1 ttilrit Prrt* GARY’. Ind.. Aug. 10. —William Steinmetz. Evansville, was elected president of the Indiana Firemens Association at closing sessions of the organizations annual convention here. Harry H. Fulmer. Indianapolis. was elected treasurer.

THE NEW DEAL IN PICTURES-No. 13 . JA T * Text hi) John M. Glcissner—Sketches by Don Lavin x jL OIICIGS

* *~* ***f !* to addreos flfte-four nations, warning that President Roosevelt approved allocation of 113* * f "\ ' / 4 w When the Fconomie Conference met in London. world chaos awaited anlesa thee signed non-are. ***’••• frft * the public works appropriations of th* Though hit dome,.*, ,r.,..m ... .( " TJ ° f ,i# " *•*'* *•*■ **•• bd -.- Ur,,. N.Uon.l Rerover* Admin,tlr.t,on ~ a.,id tn.rt,>n im port* nre .-re-.dm, R„ f *vr ~. and rented' t'emporlr* "oT Xr'rSnT. wA P . r ¥. Tut* iZ "Z ZZ "V"' ‘ n ■">•■ to rld affair*. He invited nation* of the wUSIS re, " , ' n * ~* r " l ■**- dial* between the Marbado t"nmrnt and re*”u- , ... h * ? * "*"**" announce! • wrld ta vend .potman to Ma.hinflon to rotifer on l'SS_f* l,l ° _*?!* rd .j> r " e reeowy at home. bat *a, lioniata. Friend!* rnturn toward Ruaaia Indirated baildin* a na* ‘teeond to none in eonfornitr with Ihr forttaromm, London Cronoaaie Conference and plate econoi action" SlT'TlZl “r!t*eL” if •Hi.'?* recognition of (he Soviet (overnment waa under *■••? proritlono.'* and planned to trend W.Wt.Ono ..her prow.. tionall,. '*“* . Loan, were made to China f.r p,r- additional for new nara! pi..,. .„ d VTt.M.M' *r • •** " o,' nedermiai bnttlaahipa. JUZ LSD , ,

The Indianapolis Times

Nira, la., had been squatting in Washington county for fifty-five years before any one dreamed of the National Industrial Recovery Vet. Odpha > oder, upper left, daughter of Postmaster E. .1. Yoder, sorts the mail . . . that comes in at the one-room station, renter . . . while John Whrstine, 84, right, the oldest settler, just whit ties ... At the lower left, you see all of Nira.

We ought to, with the name we got." Postmaster Yoder, who also operates the store, is awaiting word from the other NIRA in Washington as to what is expected of him in the way of salary increases and increased employment. Two daughters and a son help him with the store, he says, and one daughter, Orpha, serves as assistant past master. But Yoder face a real dilemma when it comes to increasing employment. "I don't see how I can very well put any one else at work at the store," Yoder laments, "because

Beer Booms Sale of Soft Drinks in City; Decided Gain Is Revealed Here

Sale of beer actually has boomed the sale of soft drinks in many instances. a survey of Indianapolis dealers disclased today. Owners of drug stores, proprietors of restaurants, managers of country clubs, bellhops, soda jerkers, waiters —nearly all gave the same answer—when asked about the soft drink sales since beer was legalized. "Beer has helped us to sell more soft drinks," they said. Whether or not they handle beer in their stores, dealers claim that the brew has served to help the sale of fountain drinks, soda pop. and coca cola.

TEN ARE INDICTED IN O’CONNELLJGDN APING Secrrt True Bill Names Alleged Aids in Albany Abduction. By l nitert Prrtt ALBANY'. N. Y., Aug. 10.—While Manny Strewl, Albany beer runner, languished in jail pending trial on charges of kidnaping John J. O'Connell Jr., police intensified their search today for other suspected participants. Strewl, arraigned in county court, pleaded not guilty. A sealed indictment opened in court named ten "John Doe s" and “Richard Roe's" in addition to Strewl as thase who allegedly abducted the 24-year-old youth —a member of the politically prominent family—on July 7. Y'oung O'Connell was liberated July 30 after Strewl. supposedly acting as an intermediary, and Louis Snyder, Albany attorney, paid the kidnapers $40,000 ransom. BABY BUGGY IS STOLEN "Ruthless" Thief in Action as Children Play in City Park. Police today, had a weather eye open for a cream-colored vehicle with blue wheels—a baby buggy, which a ruthless thief pilfered late Wednesday afternoon at Municipal gardens John Henderson. 929 Olive street, rolled his two children to the gardens in the buggy. H took the children out of the buggy and led them into the gardens. W’hen he returned the buggy was gone. It was valued at $3.

INDIANAPOLIS, THURSDAY, AUGUST 10, 1933

there is nobody else on hand to be put to work. But I want to do whatever I can." ana /"'YNCE there was a cheese factorv at Nira- Those were the days! And there was the great coal rush of '92. Workmen digging a well struck what they thought was a six-foot vein of coal. It was a second Klondike! But the boom collapsed when they found that whatever that six-foot vein might have been, it wasn't coal. The promoters, the praspectors, the settlers, vanished,

"People are becoming liquidminded," the manager of a club stated. "It is considered good fellowship to sit down and sip at something with your friends this summer. If you never have cultivated the taste for beer, you will order a soft drink instead." People ran t change their drinking habits overnight, was the explanation a restaurant owner offered for beer not displacing the sale of soft drinks in his establishment. Mast of his customers who ordered soft drinks last summer have continued to do so, he asserted. "W'here we used to sell about three cases of a bottled soft drink a week.

FIVE BODIES HUNTED IN NAVAL DISASTER

Plane Carries Crew to Death in Pacific Plunge. By Cuffed Prrm HONOLULU, T. H„ Aug. 10.— Navy divers hunted in the sea off of Fort Wheeler for wreckage of a plane that carried five navy aviators to death. The wreckage held four victims, it was believed. The body of one. thrown clear of the plane as it struck the ocean surface, was recovered. Machinist's Mate M. A. Tuft was the sole survivor. He was taken from the water by a speedboat which put out from Fort Wheeler, a mile distant, when the big seaplane fell. Victims were Lieutenant C. P. Hill, chief pilot. Washington. D. C.; Lieutenant T. G. Marshall of Long Beach. Cal.; C. C. Stewart, aviation machinists mate of Dallas. Tex.; V. C. Hovey, radio operator, of Kingman. Kan.; Seaman S. B Pitt of Athens. Ohio. Marshall's body was recovered by the speedboat that rescued Tuft. Lieutenant Hill lost control of the plane when a section of fabric was torn from the tail. Tuft said. Asbestos and mica are unsual minerals, in that they can be bent without breaking.

and then the cheese factory vanished, too. Nira. disillusioned, sank back to the condition that President Cleveland described as inocuous desuetude. Since 1892, then, Nira quietly resigned itself to watching its walls sag. its siding warp, its paint flake off. forgetting the outside world, and by that world forgotten. a a a EIGHT families, twenty inhabitants, five of them children. That is the town whose name is more often in the papers today than that of any other.

we now sell that much in a day.” a fountain manager at Illinois and Washington streets said. "At the same time, our fountain drinks have doubled over last summer. The popularity of soft drinks lies in the price. People will buy at that price." That the public is not drinking as much hard liquor this summer is indicated by assertions of dealers that ginger ale sales have decreased. In explaining this one drug store ow ner stated: "I am selling a good deal of prescription whisky. But the customers are drinking it straight. Consequently, my ginger aie sale has taken it on the nose.”

3 ARE ARRESTED ON CAR LOOTING CHARGE Two Women. Man as Suspects as Goods Are Recovered. Three persons charged with looting a parked automobile are under arrest today and articles from one of three cars recovered, police reported. Fred Patterson. 25 West Twentysecond street, informed police that his automobile had been entered, and a metal box containing SIOO in cash stolen. E. E. Phillips, Crawfordsville. Ind.. an employe of the state highwaycommission. reported a tan suitcase, containing handbooks and surveyor's notes, valued at S3O. stolen from his parked automobile. The car had been parked in front of the Y. M. C. A , Illinois and New York streets. Those under arrest arp two Negro women and a man, Mrs. Leona Watson. 709 West St. Clair street; Mrs. Carrie Hicks. 23. of 438'.- Toledo street: and Marshall Edmunds, 26. of 804 Camp street. They are charged with looting the parked car of Julius Witoff. 271 North Talbot street. Salesmans samples of socks, ties, and razor blades were recovered, said police. Story Errs in Stockholder Vote In a story carried under Goshen. Ind.. date line Saturday night. Aug. 5, the United Press erred in reporting that stockholders voted 2 to 1 against the recent merger of the Goshen Democrat with the Goshen News-Times. The actual vote was 499 to 1 in favor of the merger.

John Whetstine reflectively watched a white shaving curl up under his knife and drop to the ground. He recalled how- he came to Nira and helped build the first house there, fifty-five years ago. He came from Indiana in a wagon train. "We stopped here because land w’as cheap," lie said. "It's still cheap.” Nira was named for Nira Mofflt, the first white child born in the neighborhood. Whetstine seems to recall. Or was it the other way—was Nira Mofflt named for the town? Nobody remembers.

TOBIN DECLINES JOB; MODERWELL NAMED

Chicago Republican Will Be Works Director. By I Httrti Prrtt WASHINGTON, Aug. 10,-Charlcs M. Moderwell of Chicago was appointed today by the public works administration to be regional adviser for the Third district, with headquarters in Chicago. Moderwell succeeds Daniel J. Tobin of Indianapolis, who advised the administration that he could not accept the post. Moderwell, described by the public works board as a "progressive Republican." will take charge of public works projects submitted by organizations in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio and Wisconsin. His appointment completes the list of ten regional advisers. ROBS FILLING STATION Bandit Gets 525 but Fails in Effort to Steal Pay Telephone. A bandit who failed in an attempt to pull a pay telephone from the wall escaped Wednesday night with $25 from the Shell Petroleum Corporation filling station at Fortysixth and North Illinois streets. James Tolin, 29. of 2431 North Delaware street, station attendant, reported the gunman ordered him to keep his hands down and to hand over what he had. The bandit took sls in cash and a money changer containing Sio. RATE HEARING ENDED Final Briefs Are Ordered Filed in Water Company Case. Evidence in the Indianapolis Water Company rate battle in federal court ended today, and Albert L. Ward, special master in chancery granted six weeks for attorneys to file briefs. After briefs have been received. Ward will file his findings with Federal Judge Robert C Baitzell. 'sloo BABY’ RETURNED Owner Welcomes Home Valuable Pedigreed Persian Cat. The kidnaped SIOO "baby," a pedigreed Persian cat. owned by Gertrude Green. 1109 North Holmes street, has been recovered, police reported today. The valuable feline was reported found at Tenth and Mount streets.

Second Section

Fnterrd is S*H-ooil Oa* Uatter ■ t Poto(T|r*. Indianapolis

COAL OPERATORS BATTLE TO SAVE COMPANY ONION; RESIST GOVERNMENT PLAN Drastic Action by Recovery Administration May Be Necessary in Framing - Code for Industry. LABOR IDEA BITTERLY OPPOSED Increase in Cost of Production May Bring* About Closing- of Mines, Owners Say at Hearing:. B'j Srrippt.HnirarH Xr irtpaprr AUlnnrt ASHING lON. Aujt. 10.—King Coal, on the ropes after the longest and worst heating any industry has taken in recent history, still resisted today with imperious disdain Ihe medicine that has been prescribed for the last thirty-five years. A group of former mine workers, now turned operators, still are refusing to eliminate front their code provisions that foibid am organization of labor except in company unions. The recovery administration may be forced to take peremptory action for the first time in code proceedings.

RANGE PRACTICE BEGUN AT KNOX

Aerial Sguadron Reports Results of Firing by Radio. By I ni/rif Prrts FT. KNOX. Ky.. Aug. 10.—Range practice was started today by the One hundred thirty-ninth field artillery. commanded by Colonel John S Fishback, following combat tests Wednesday. The practice provided experience not only for the regimental radio communication detail, but also for members of the Thirty-eighth division air squadron, who reported results of the firing by radio from the air. As as economy measure, big guns of the division are not being fired thus year. However, the troops receive practice by firing small caliber guns mounted on the large guns, which have (he same range as the larger weapons. Dance for enlisted men of the One hundred thirty-ninth field artillery regiment will be held tonight. Committee arranging the dance includes Captain Philip Rowe, Captain Richard G. Stewart. Master Sergeant William H. Griswold. First Sergeant J. A. Niehaus, and Staff Sergeant B. C. Hall. 3 JUDGES THREATENED IN CHICAGO CRIME WAR "Killer" Warns of Death for Jurists in Anti-Crime Drive. By t nilrrl Prrtt CHICAGO, Aug. 10.—An anonymous writer who boasted of fourteen murders has threatened to kill three jurists enl'sfed in the campaign to crush crime and racketeering in Chicago. Warning them not to "think this is a letter from a crank.” the writer declared that he would shoot or bomb in their homes Judges Joseph B. David, Harry B. Miller and Rudolph Desort. Judge David, recipient of the joint threat, handed it over to federal pastoffice authorities, and shortly afterward sentenced to three months in jail Jerry Ford, suspect in the kidnaping of John 'Jake the Barber) Factor. State's Attorney Thomas J Courtney, meanwhile, announced that the v.ar on crime would continue until "we can try a criminal promptly after his indictment." The three threatened jurists had taken a prominent part in the move to clear the criminal court docket of murder and armed 10bbery cases, sentencing more than a score of defendants to prison with the maximum sentences allowed. ANNUAL RACE ~IS~SET Gridlev and Culver Boat Crews to Contest Sunday Afternoon. Oridlev naval school crew will meet Culver Military academy midshipmen Sunday afternoon at 2:30 in the annual cutter race on Lake Maxinkuckee. Indianapolis bovs. members of the Gridlev crew, taking part in the race will be Robert Conner. Edward Dirks. Frank Welton, Richard Millard, Robert Scrogin. William Hall Jr.. Sam Miller Henry Amt. Richard Corriden, and Charles Francks.

lhirty-five years ago. Senator Mark Hanna made up his mind that nothing but unionization of mine workers, resulting in a general level of wages throughout the industry, could save coal from chaotic conditions that prevailed. Hus efforts in this direction were successful for a time only. Bitter Internal Competition Today the bituminous coal industry has more bitter internal competition. and more serious over-pro-duct ion. than any industry the recovery administration has studied. Paitly because of this condition, competing fuels, oil, gas. and hvdroelectricity, have made heavy inroads into its business. Coal men argue, with convincing -sincerity, at the hearings, that further increases in cost of production will close all or mast of the mines. Labor leaders argue, just as coni meingly, that wage scales must improve, if workers are to exist at all. and that this can be done if the industry is planned and disciplined. In 1898. Mark Hanna brought opeiators and labor leaders together , ln a working agreement, coveting coal fields ln Ohio. Indiana. Illinois ; and western Pennsylvania, and. lor a time, uniform labor costs brought about stabili7ing conditions out of a chaos almast as bad as that of today. New Mines Cause Chaos However, shortly after new mining areas were developed in West Virginia and Kentucky, and operators wishing to undersell the esj ,ab| ishcd mines refused to admit the i union in this territory. John L. Lewis, president of the United Mine Workers, telling the story of this period to a senate committee, said: These conditions were a challenge to the stability and profitable- ; ness of the industry as it previously j had existed Unless the newly opened areas could be unionized and their labor costs made uniform with those of the older fields, it was evident that the entire soft roal industry would revert to chaotic conditions of the nineties. Ihe responsibility of preserving ar.d stabilizing the industry thus was placed upon the United Mine Workers and was met squarely. At least $30,000,000 was expended and incalculable human sacrifices were made in an attempt to carry the right of collective bargaining and of decent wages and working conditions to the exploited workers of the new fields.” Try to Destroy Union To some extent the union was successful. It was making marked progress in unionization of the Kentucky and West Virginia fields when Tie strike of 1922 occurred, precipitated. according to Lewis, by reactionary operators in the older fields, who though they saw in the post-war period a chance of destroying the strength of the union The government intervened after the 1922 strike in an attempt to stabilize the industry, and with the help of liberal coal operators temporary wage agreements were signed with the union, and later the Jacksonville agreement was formulated, designed to stabilize the industry over a long period by fixing wage agreements effective until 1927. However, in 1925. coal operators began abrogating the Jacksonville agreement. Operators in Kentucky I ant * Wpst Virginia were first to do so. Bethlehem Mines Corporation, operating both in West Virginia and Pennsylvania, followed suit. Then followed the Rochester and Pittsburgh Coal Companv, and, finally, the Pittsburgh Coal Company. NRA Unlikely to Y’ield In 1927. with the government again an interested party, anew I conference was held in Florida, and anew attempt was made to bring about long-time wage agreements. This was no* successful. Since 1928, wages constantly have been cut on a competitive basis. The NRA shows no sign of yielding on its insistence that the strict leUer of the law. giving workers tne right to organize and bargain collectively. will be followed :n whatever code or codes are finally approved. This means that unless the coal men recede. President Roosevelt probably will overrule them on this point. Auto Injuries Cause Death By t mt*ft Prr*9 SHELBYVTLLE. Ind. Aug. 10 Injuries suffered by Miss Virginia Carney. 27. Omaha. Neb., when her automobile turned over near her® Monday, caused her death Wednesday night.