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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 1945

CITY OF NEW YORK OFFICE OF THE MAYOR

TEXT OF MAYOR F. H. LA GUARDIA'S SUNDAY BROADCAST TO THE PEOPLE OF NEW YORK FROM HIS OFFICE AT CITY HALL, FEBRUARY 25, 1945, BROADCAST OVER WNYC AT 1.00 P.M. FOLLOWS:


Patience and fortitude.


ATLANTIC CHARTER REAFFIRMED

All Americans were extremely happy in hearing again the reaffirmance and reassurance concerning the Atlantic Charter. That gave us all hope. But I have a personal message this morning for my friend, Winston Churchill - I am sure he is not listening in. Mr. Churchill, over here, we believe that the Atlantic Charter is a rule and not a guide. We do not agree that it should be a handmaid for special cases or selfish interests or exploitation or oppression. In fact, that rule, we believe, applies to all. And so, Winston, if I may use the language of say, Shakespeare or Browning or Shelly, or Dante Gabriele Rossetti or other British classicists, please don't louse it up.


COAL AND KEROSENE

Well, thanks to Commissioners Sun and Temperature, it looks as if we had a bit of relief in our fuel difficulties. But may I again ask consumers for their continued cooperation. Use fuel very sparingly and be very careful because our trouble is not over yet by any means. True, we are going into March but very often we get some very disagreeable weather in March. We have not yet caught up and it continues to be my unpleasant duty to disapprove applications for certain kind of coal almost every day.

The kerosene situation is just a little bit better, thanks to the splendid cooperation which the City received from Washington. Emergency deliveries were made, which alleviated a great deal of hardship. Although we are still in trouble with kerosene, we have slight hope of a better condition during the coming week.

Consumers of the kind of coal that can be used in dwellings and apartment houses can receive only certain kinds of coal. That will, I believe, clear up the situation to people who write in and say that they have seen so much coal at the yard of their dealers. That coal is not any good to the complainers. We are watching the priorities which we have classified in accordance with the kind of coal consumed. So I want to appeal for continued cooperation and take this opportunity to say thanks to the dealers who have cooperated so well under most trying and difficult conditions.


MEAT

Well I hope it will not be necessary for me to convince even the New York Times that meat is short. Long lines of consumers are formed to get meat and the situation will become increasingly worse. So please adjust your menus so as to conserve as much meat as possible.

Again I want to thank the hotels and restaurants and the public eating places for their fine cooperation in observing meatless Tuesdays and Fridays and resorting to their ingenuity on Mondays to conserve as much as possible.


FISH

There was a little disappointment about porgies. You know I told you that stores that bought large supplies of porgies last week should sell at 21 cents and they did. Thank you, chain stores, for doing that. But some other stores took advantage of the plug for porgies and went as high as 36 cents. Now that will not do. You might as well know it. That is not playing the game. That is just downright cheating. I know what price was paid for those porgies and they should not have sold at 36 cents. Look here, housewives, when I announce the price of a fish or the price of a given commodity, won't you please stick to it. Just refuse to buy. If you had not paid 36 cents, those porgies, in a couple of days, would have smelt and they could not have sold them as "smelts", if you get what I mean. Now, watch it, won't you please.

Fish will not be as plentiful next week, - that is fresh fish -but do not forget about frozen fish. Frozen fish is available and there is a big supply right here in New York City now. Take my word for it, it is just as good as if it had just come out of the water. It is scientifically prepared - you know, quick frozen - and all you have to do is to put it in water and thaw it out and it is just as tasty and just as good.


POTATOES

Potatoes continue to be scarce. If that continues I believe, but I am not sure, that I have located a substitute for potatoes. I will watch the situation next week and if necessary, I will tell you all about it. Yes sir, it is something just as good and just as inexpensive and if necessary, I will tell you about it.


POULTRY

Now, poultry. I am talking very seriously now, I am not fooling. I will ask the poultry dealers to cooperate. You know, I can put the gears in reverse. I do not know if you know it, Mr. Dealers, but we are getting poultry up here. Unless there is cooperation and the consumer gets a break we will let the poultry go elsewhere. I am not going to permit the consumer, the People of this City, to be chiseled. Poultry has been selling at profiteering prices. I am talking about fresh killed poultry. I am not talking about the cold storage or frozen poultry. I have not had much trouble with that. The ceiling price for broilers, fryers, and roasters, dressed is 47 cents, live 40 cents; kosher killed with feathers 46 cents; kosher killed dressed 49 cents. Do not forgot the old chicken soup, you know, fricasseed chicken, 42 cents dressed, 35 cents live. That 42 cents is a good buy. You can make soup and many many nutritious tasty dishes and it is a good buy.

Do you know what has been happening? Some of the dealers have gone to the farms themselves, bought the chickens and brought them in. Then, they bring them to our terminal for inspection. We are compelled under the law to inspect them. Then they take them to their own slaughter houses where they are killed. Some are supposed to be killed kosher. Then they are brought to the dealers and sold at 60 cents a pound and the dealer in turn has been selling to retailors at $1 per pound. That is simply disgraceful. Any dealer who would do that is not a businessman, he is just a plain ordinary swine.

The Consumers Committees in the Consumer organizations have had difficulty because they are now known by the local dealers and when they go in they get the poultry at ceiling prices. We have stationed some inspectors in places and it works out very well. Commissioner Brundage informs me that he is going to place more inspectors in poultry stores during the coming week. We have had cases where, during the time that the inspector was there, the poultry was sold at ceiling prices, 46 cents or 47 cents as the case may be. At the end of the day, the dealer frankly said, "Look hero, I did this because you were here, but I paid 60 cents a pound for this poultry and sold at a loss all day long." Mr. Dealer, if you are such a fool - I could put something in front of that word fool, but you know rules of the radio do not permit me to say if you are such a darn fool, without the r - to pay 60 cents for poultry when you know your City will protect you, then you deserve to lose. If the retailers will tell us when they buy, we will be very happy to have an inspector right there, just as we do when they sell, and put an end to this chiseling. Consumers, please do not pay more than ceiling prices for poultry and we will not have any trouble. I can not say any more than that.


RED CROSS DRIVE

Well, pretty soon we will have to start asking you again for money for the Red Cross. I do not believe an appeal is necessary. You know there are two kinds of Americans, the American who knows all about the Red Cross and who will contribute generously, and the American who does not know about the American Red Cross, and who ought to contribute just doubly for not knowing. The American Red Cross is the American people's agency of mercy. It operates very closely with the United States Government, in peace and in war tine. The Red Cross in this war is really doing a great job. Every day you hear stories or read of cases where lives are saved by the transfusion of blood. The Red Cross is providing that blood and has a splendid organization for the collection of blood and for the preparation of plasma and its shipment overseas to the Armed Forces where it is needed

Recently, we have had occasion to read about prisoners of war. Have you seen some of those pictures of the hunger suffered by our men and women, who were prisoners of war. Well, the Red Cross is able to get a package a week for every prisoner of war. They do that through the International Organization. It really is worth your while to see these packages. If you are interested write to the REd Cross and go to one of their packing places in the City, of which there are several. You will see there splendid volunteer women packing these boxes. They contain just little things that a prisoner of war needs, such as soap and shaving cream, and the kind of food that contains the vitamins to keep those boys healthy because of the monotony of the war prisoner's food. Do not get the idea that Germany and Japan treat our prisoners the way we treat theirs. Oh no. You see we give the prisoners of war the same rations that we give our own soldiers and we provide for them in sanitary barracks and look after their comfort and welfare and even recreation. But the monotony of prisoner of war camps in Germany and Japan is just maddening and the food is barely subsistence food. In fact it is just sufficient to keep the men alive. These Red Cross packages get there and are delivered to the individual and a card comes back from the individual that he has received the food and it is really wonderful. So that in and of itself is sufficient to make you open up and send in your contribution.

This year, the Chairman of the New York City drive is Red Barber. You know him, he is a commentator too. He is good. He has put all of his enthusiasm and his pep into this drive. New York City's share is $21,000,000. That is a lot of money for one City, but we can do it. We always go over the top. In fact the rest of the country is not startled any more when we do contribute more than our quota. But this time, New York City wants to be the first to announce that it has met its quota. So we want all of the money in if possible before March 1st. So send in your contribution. You can do it through your employees group or through your social or fraternal organization or club. There are several ways that you can make contributions. If you want to make a contribution in honor of a man in the service, or any friend and you send the contribution here, I will be glad to write to the person in whose honor you make the contribution, telling him of what you have done. I will write him a personal letter and send you a copy of it. But if you have other places to contribute make sure you do it. As I have said, you can do it through your employer or through your union or through your club. There are so many ways to contribute. We must get $21,000,000. I have been bragging to the rest of the Mayors that we always do things better and bigger in New York City and since Red Barber is determined for us to be the first to have the quota completed, won't you help us? So send in your contributions before March 1st. Do not forget, if you want to send it through this office and have it acknowledged directly by the Mayor to the person, we will be only too happy to do so.


CURFEW ORDER

Well, I have to tell you that last week I used up all of my weekly allowance of ration stamps in patience and fortitude. I do not have a stamp left but I will got a now supply for next week, so do not worry. A great deal of interest has been aroused because of the announcement made by Mr. Byrnes of what is called the curfew order. Well, that is interesting. I wish we could get as much interest and support when we try to get food for families to better their conditions, but you know how the newspapers are. Well, anyhow, we have to take the order now as it is - discussing my views of it will not help. We are all soldiers in this war. I have tried to do what I could to adjust this order to meet conditions in a large city. The order has finally been announced and I received it midday yesterday. It was released yesterday in Washington at 5:30 P.M. The establishments affected by the order are, and I quote:

"Places of entertainment affected by the midnight curfew include the following types of establishments, whether public or private: night clubs, sport arenas, theatres, dance halls, road houses, saloons, bars, shooting galleries, bowling, billiard and pool establishments, amusement parks, carnivals, circuses, coin-operated amusement device parlors, ice skating and roller skating rinks, entertainment activities of yacht, country and other clubs, dance studios and 'schools', gambling establishments [how did you get that in, Jimmy?] Restaurants customarily open all night for the purpose of serving food are not affected by the curfew in so far as serving food is concerned. Entertainment supplied for military personnel, especially in parts of embarkation, which is sponsored by responsible agencies conducted on a non-profit basis, after the approval of military authorities, and in camps and stations, may be exempted from the curfew order. No exemption of any other character may be made."

So you see, that according to the order almost everything in amusements and in places serving alcoholic beverages must close at 12 o'clock midnight, starting Monday. Let us take this order and analyze it. I want you to understand that it is an order coming from the highest source of our government in time of war and you and I have to comply with it. I think that if a little more time had been taken it might have been drawn somewhat differently and made easier of enforcement much more certain of enforcement. There are a sort of four parties to this order; it starts off with the Director of War Mobilization, we can call him the Requester (he makes the request) and the Requester is the particular establishment involved. The Requester sends an order to the Director of Manpower, Governor McNutt, and he becomes a Director and the local authorities become the Directees in this situation. The plan starts off with a request and then is transformed into an order by the War Manpower Commission, which really has put some teeth into it. As Mayor, it is my responsibility to look after the interests of my City. I must do that in a manner which will not destroy discipline in our Country nor the morale of our Armed forces. I have done just that. I have received the order and shall enforce it. We cannot question it. I am very much in the position of the Commander of an Army Corps who receives his orders from the Commander-in-Chief of that particular theatre-of-war, who might have received his orders from the Commander-ln-Chief of all Armed forces You do not question an order, you just carry it out. I shall endeavor to carry out this order sensibly and fairly and in the spirit and with the purpose it intends to serve.

I want to read a joint statement that Mrs. Anna Rosenberg, the Regional Director of the War Manpower Commission, and I have just issued to the press. It reads as follows:

"The order, as indicated in its contents, takes effect tomorrow, Monday, February 26th at Midnight. The many complications involved in the operation of so many establishments in a city the size of New York necessarily requires various adjustments to meet individual cases and local, conditions. Reasonableness will be exercised during the week for such adjustment, but full and complete compliance without any excuses whatsoever will be expected by Monday.
March 5th, 1945.

"The directives contained in the order of Governor McNutt are so clear as to require no amplification. Violations will be reported as provided for in the order.

"Mrs. Rosenberg and the Mayor call particular attention to the provisions in the order for appeal, but warn also that the order itself clearly states that sanctions will be invoked immediately upon determination of violation and continue pending any appeal. Defenses based upon technicalities will be of no avail.

"Mrs. Rosenberg announced the appointment of a Board to determine cases seeking to qualify as having been in business serving food during the entire night. The order does not imply that places that have been licensed to serve up to 4 a.m. can qualify under this exception. The Board will also handle these cases for servicemen exemptions as provided in the order, and all eases of exemptions under the order, and will cooperate with the industries concerned. The Board consists of Mr. Edward Mulrooney, Chairman, General David Sarnoff, and First Deputy Police Commissioner Louis Costuma. The Mayor joined with Mrs. Rosenberg in requesting the gentlemen of the Board to serve, and express their appreciation for a difficult and trying job. The address of the office will be announced tomorrow by Mrs. Rosenberg.

"Mayor La Guardia announced that bowling alleys, billiard and pool establishments, and places licensed by the Department of License will be referred directly to that Department for non-compliance. Dance Halls and cabarets will be referred directly to the Police Department, under whose license they operate. Attention is called to the provision in the order which requires all complaints to clear through the Office of the Mayor. The Mayor, in turn, will refer these complaints to the Police Commissioner, to whom he has delegated the authority vested in him in this order.

"Attention is called to the statement in the order that all federal agencies are required to cooperate. Mrs. Rosenberg and the Mayor also announce that after consultation this morning with Mr. Bruce Smith, Deputy Director of the Manpower Commission in Washington, in charge of the enforcement of this order, that the requirements of the order provide a defense against all contractual obligations. This information, Mr. Bruce Smith stated, is given after consultation with Judge James F. Byrnes, Director of War Mobilization.

"Both the Mayor and Mrs. Rosenberg appeal to the public for its Cooperation."

I had a conference yesterday with Commissioner Valentine and the heads of his Divisions. We will first make an inventory of all of the places that have been conducting a food business during the entire night. This list will be available to the Board appointed by the Regional Director of the War Manpower Commission. Given the opportunity of adjusting themselves to this new order, all places enumerated in the order will be observed after the time fixed in the order, in this regard, deliberate violations will be reported. It my be necessary to take the names of patrons in the place in order to establish that the place was open after the time fixed in the order. All places licensed by the Department of License received their licenses on condition that federal, state and local laws and regulations will be obeyed. Therefore, such places that disregard this order will have forfeited their right to be licensed for the reasons I have just stated.

It seems to me that in our country the easiest way to bring about any changed condition is through the medium of law. I have called a special meeting of the City Council for this Tuesday at 10 A. M. I could not call it for Monday because the Charter requires that notice be printed at least 24 hours in advance in the City Record and we have no Sunday edition of the City Record. So the notice will be there tomorrow and the meeting will be held Tuesday at 10 o'clock. I am asking the Council to amend the provisions of the Administrative Code pertaining to the hours of dance halls and cabarets. Don't you think that is the right way to do it? I do. The City Council knows conditions in this City and this is under their control. The hours of business for cabarets and dance halls are fixed in the Administrative Code. So the logical thing to do to effect this order is to change the law which would, of course, simplify enforcement. I do not anticipate difficulty in the Council. I see by the papers that the enthusiastic President of the Borough of the Bronx, Jimmy Lyons, is strongly in favor of the Byrnes order. That should help to got the Administrative Code amended so as to make enforcement easier.

As to the hours fixed in the State law for the sale of alcoholic beverages, it seems to me that the best procedure would be for the Local Boards to change the hours in counties. Of course in Now York City, our Local Board cannot do that because of a specific provision in the State law that takes that power from our City Local Board. I do not know if I make myself clear. In the State Liquor Law, Local County Boards are empowered to reduce the hours fixed, in the law itself, but the City Local Board has not been given that power. I shall ask the Governor and the State Legislature to either change the hours in the law itself or to give our Local Board the same powers as the County Local Boards have to reduce the hours below those fixed in the law for the sale of alcoholic beverages. That would simplify the whole thing and would avoid a very cumbersome machinery for the enforcement of this order.


APPEAL FOR COOPERATION

I just want to have a heart-to-heart talk with you. This is our City. It is your City, it is my City, it is our City. We like it and it is a good City. We do everything well here in New York City. What we do in City government, what we do locally in the municipal government is a pattern for the rest of the country. I am very proud of the contributions we have made to the progress of municipal government. I have been asked by Washington to give this matter my personal interest, attention and cooperation. Mayors have phoned to me and asked what we are going to do. I want your cooperation. That part is easy. But here is something I want to talk over with you today. We want to do everything we can to prevent vicious conditions again existing in our City. You know how it is, places close at 12 o'clock or there-abouts, and the mere fact that there is no place to go to makes people think they want a drink. It seems to me that all the drinking one wants to do can be done between sundown and midnight. One can do a lot in that time. However, they will be looking for places - bottle clubs or apartment parties or speakeasies. We just cannot stand for that. Remember the days of prohibition? Pretty bad, weren't they? We do not want to go back to that. I am issuing orders to Commissioner Valentine to keep under close observation any place that may look like a clip-joint or speakeasy or any place unlawfully selling liquor or engaged in any other unlawful activity. We are going to treat these places pretty rough and I know that I will have the cooperation of every honest judge. We have to nip it right in the bud. Racketeers and gamblers will take advantage of this situation - they always live on crime and unlawful activity - and they ought to be jailed. Of course, there will be some who will sound off under the protection of a gown and a gavel, but those men will not sleep nights. Their conscience will bother them because they are doing it for a reason. An honest judge who thinks something of the oath that he has taken to enforce the law will cooperate with the police in this instance. We do not want dives in our town and the campaign is on now. The Police Department will devote their attention to clip-joints, speakeasies, dives and places of immoral practices. They must not get a start. Where a place is found selling untaxed liquor, they all do, the case will be brought to the State Court and at the same time to the Federal Court. I hope to get the cooperation of the Treasury Department. You see, these people who sell liquor, these dives and clip-joints and speakeasies, have no State license and as a rule they sell untaxed liquor. So we will get them in the Federal Courts as well as in the State Courts.

Now look, my friends, this is war and please do not think that this is tough. After all, you and I and most of us are in bed at midnight. We have to work for a living, we do not got out after midnight. I do not think that 10% of the people of this City would know the difference. Of course, we have three or four hundred thousand transients here every day and they are entitled to legitimate amusement and recreation. I want to say this, too. I have knocked the night clubs that do not pay taxes - you know I am not going to let them get away with it, I do not care if they do have friends up north or in the City. I do not care about that, they have to pay taxes the same as everybody else and I will continue to got after them for that - but they are always willing to comply, and during the war, I have had no trouble with them. Anytime I have asked them to cooperate they have responded cheerfully. And this is tough on them, this is very tough on them and yet I know they will cooperate. As I have said, there is going to be a sensible, reasonable, understanding observation and compliance, and you can rely upon me on that. There will be no racketeering and no one will be able to buy protection.

I just want to have a little talk now with my friend, Governor McNutt, and then I will sign off.

Look here, Governor, you have given me a tough job and you have a tough job, and I can assure you of my 100% cooperation but I expect 100% cooperation in return. What do I mean by that? I mean just this. If we report a case and then there is a procedure of long lengthy hearings and then we are badgered and then somebody gets on the telephone in Washington and says suspend action until the review and then there is a long review, it will not do. Yes, I will tell you of such a case in OPA -Gallagher's Restaurant. It took several weeks to find a stamp violation that everybody knew existed and then it was given 30 days time before the suspension started and then - lo and behold, it was appealed to Washington - Chester Bowles told me this himself, Paul, so I am telling it to you - and then a telephone call from someone who said it will ruin his business if suspended. well, what is there to do, give him a Congressional Medal of Honor because of violating the law? What I want to say is this, Paul, when a case is reported and if the order means what it says, it should be applied. If there is any consideration, if there is any political fussing, I will drop this thing like a hot potato right back into your lap. Let us have no more talk about that because I know you are O.K. and your Regional Director is just splendid and you two are all right. But I know my New York City and I know my Washington - I lived there for 14 years - and I know what is going on now. So you can depend upon me as long as I can depend upon you and listen Paul, have plenty of

patience and fortitude.