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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE SUNDAY, JUNE 18, 1944


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, JUNE 18, 1944, BROADCAST OVER WNYC AT 1:00 P.M. FOLLOWS:


Patience and fortitude.


WAR NEWS

We are on the offensive on all fronts now and are pushing forward. We have the Marianas and our bombers are pasting Japanese territory - hitting their industries. In Italy our troops have established their own tempo in advancing to the north. We have good news this morning from the Cherbourg peninsula. It seems that we have out all means of communications and rail between the mainland and that port. That is very important. If we do that, we will soon get the port of Cherbourg and that will be a great help, because then it will not be necessary to land on the beaches and we can establish a port of embarkation right there.


BUY WAR BONDS

So the news is all good, which means, of course, that we must buy bonds now - not just talk about them. We have to buy bonds and hold them. You know I have said that anybody who buys bonds and then disposes of them is just giving our soldiers blank cartridges. It makes a noise but does not kill any enemies. That is what we are out to do, kill them, kill all of them and kill them fast and win the war. You can buy a bond anywhere, stamps anywhere, around the corner or where you work, at your bank or at your club - they are for sale every where. If you can not find any place, send the money here and we will buy them for you. By the way, if you want to make a birthday present or a wedding present, or an anniversary present, of a bond, and you would like to have it sent direct from the Mayor's office, we will be very glad to do that for you. If you will send the money we will buy the bond, and we will send the bond in your name, with any message you want. Or, if you buy a bond in honor of any man in the service and you would like to have us inform the soldier or the sailor or the marine, we will be glad to do so. We will write him a letter and say you have purchased a bond in his honor, and that either you are keeping it for him as a tribute to his service or anything else you wish to say. We will send the message direct.


POLICE AND FIRE BASEBALL GAME

I want to announce that today is the annual baseball game between the Police Department and the Fire Department up at the Polo Grounds. It starts at 2:30. I have some work to do after I am through here, but if I can finish in time, I will go up. It is going to be a fine game and I know each team is very keen to win this year. So start now, you will, perhaps, have more fun looking at the ball game than you would have listening to me.


STADIUM CONCERTS

Tomorrow night, June 19th, we start the Stadium Concerts at 8:30 P.M. These stadium concerts are under the auspices of the Stadium Concert Corporation, of which Mrs. Charles (Minnie) Guggenheimer is President. It really is a city institution. This year the arrangements have been improved making it more convenient for the audience. I will see you there tomorrow night.


FOOD SUBSIDIES; EGGS

Today I want to talk about food subsidies. Congress, I believe, will continue them for another year, but something has
happened that I think illustrates the point I have been trying to make for two years. You must be tired of hearing about eggs. You know I have tried to bring down the price of eggs, because the supply was so great. The supply was so great, my friends, that they were sold a few days ago at five cents a box of thirty dozens. Now mark you, these eggs wore not sold at that price by the farmer, oh, no, and not by the dealer, but by the government, and the government bought them at twenty-seven to thirty-four cents a dozen, the greater amount at twenty-seven cents a dozen. They had so many eggs, and no place to store them, yet they kept up the price to the consumers and then sold them at five cents for thirty dozens for feed. Well, I submit, could they not have been sold at five cents a dozen so the folks could eat them, or ten cents a dozen so the folks could eat them? You see it is just the administration of the subsidies. I have always maintained that the government must support the price to the farmer, because if the farmer can not get enough for his eggs so as to pay him to raise chickens, well he just will not raise them. Everybody agrees to that. But once this farmer has had the supporting price, then I say that the consumer should share in the abundance of the supply of any given commodity.
I talked to Leo Marshall of the War Food Administration about that. Leo Marshall is one of the outstanding business men and merchandise men of this country and he agrees with me, I am quite sure. I just do not see why, as it is only a matter of administration, the consumer cannot get the benefit.

I have a clipping right here before me which shows that the price of eggs has gone up in Philadelphia, gone up in Boston, and has gone up 2 1/2 - 4 cents here in New York. Yet a few days ago they were selling for 8 cents for 30 dozens but, of course, not for human consumption. These eggs had been on hand for some time, and are being used for feed. The government is buying eggs now to support the price, which illustrates what I mean.


LOW-COST SHOES

You will remember I have been very much interested in low cost clothing and children's shoes. I have received a communication from Mr, Donald Nelson and also one from Mr. Chester Bowles. Mr. Nelson says that 'last fall it was noticeable that production of infants', misses' and children's shoes was considerably below our requirements.' Now this is the encouraging part, 'in order to correct this unsatisfactory situation, price line quotas under which all shoe factories operate, were adjusted in the lower levels to permit a greater production of better quality shoes and in addition, increased quotas were granted. The most important action that was taken was to direct tanners to reserve specifically for infants', misses' and children's shoes a percentage of leather which was sufficient to meet the programmed need. This direction is considered to be a better method of assuring the funnelling of leather to an end use, than the using of priorities.' That is very satisfactory. Mr. Nelson adds 'there are definite indications that additional shoes are beginning to flow into the merchandising system and we feel quite hopeful that by the end of the summer the stocks of shoes will be in substantially satisfactory shape.' Let us hope so. We will see.


FRUIT CROP

The War Food Administration informed me yesterday that we may expect a pretty good crop of peaches, apricots, cherries and apples -much more than last year.


HEAVY CREAM

You people who have to have heavy cream will note that the ban on the distribution of it has been tightened up. The amended order requires that all prescriptions for heavy cream must be approved by a local public health officer or secretary of a county medical society. I think this is going to stop some healthy chiselling that has been going on.


MEAT

You will remember that a few days ago we had a scare that there was a shortage of meat. That was from the trade reports. I got busy right away and I was able to get some seven or eight million pounds of beef to relieve the situation for the week. I later learned that it was not that meat was short, but that it was choice meat that was short. Well, choice meat is going to continue to be short for some time. There is plenty of what is known as commercial beef - that is, animals who have been grazing on the plain and sent direct to the stockyards. What we have been accustomed to or spoiled to is the choice beef - that is, fed cattle. There will not be any of that on the market for a long time. So go to your dentist and get your tooth fixed and be ready to just chew on commercial meat for some time to come, and thank God that we have it.


CEILING PRICE ENFORCEMENT

Talking about low cost clothing. Well, United States Attorney, James B. H. McNally has been on the job again. Mr. Philip Rothman of the Mercury Textile Mills, 478 Broadway, pleaded guilty to twenty-nine counts, was fined $23,200 and was put in the clinic for sixty days. This was for selling at over-ceiling prices, cotton goods for inexpensive dresses. Good work, Mr. McNally. Al Siegel of 450 Seventh Avenue was charged on nine counts, was fined $2500, and was given thirty days in jail, and Mr. Edward H. Moss of 19 West 34 Street was charged with a $2500 over-ceiling charge for cotton goods. He was fined $2500 was given thirty days in jail. If we just keep that up, Chester Bowles, and if other people do as we are doing here in New York, maybe you will not need those thousands of additional inspectors that you are asking for. It is all a matter of enforcement.


VETERAN INQUIRY

A veteran phoned in the other day and asked if I would inform him about getting into City College. He said he had inquired and he was told that a fee was necessary. I do not see that a fee is necessary if he is a resident of the City of New York and can matriculate and can qualify for entrance as a regular student. In such a case tuition is free. I will tell you what to do, I think you had better call here and see Miss Truda Weil, the Mayor's Educational Aide, and we will look into it thoroughly for you. So just come in, and we will help you.


DUAL EMPLOYMENT

Today I want to talk about dual employment on the part of city employees. This is a matter that concerns everyone, because after all, city employees including myself, are all working for you, are we not? You are paying our wages and expect us to do our work for the pay that you give to us.

There are many implications in this dual employment situation that are not generally known. What we are striving to do, of course, is to maintain wage standards and working condition standards and not permit them to be lowered because of the war emergency. That is the policy of our government; that is the policy of our state, and that is the policy of our city. Now the cases I am referring to have no direct bearing to war production at all, because wherever there is a need, arrangements may be made for city employees -not employed in essential functions of the city government - to get leaves of absence. Many of these industries that are exploiting city employees are not engaged in essential war industries.


SANITATION

The Department of Sanitation reported that some 356 city employees wore found to have taken outside work. I want to illustrate to you today the abuses in this system of dual employment and the exploitation on the part of employers and also the bad labor practice that is developing. The Department of Sanitation, as you all know, is charged with the responsibility of protecting the health of the people of this city through proper street cleaning and garbage removal. If this department does not function efficiently, it is reflected in the health of the city. You all know how sometimes during a snow storm the collection of garbage is delayed for perhaps two days and the inconvenience it causes. If the removal of garbage was stopped for a series of days it would be a menace to health. The city spends millions of dollars in hiring extra trucks and personnel during a snow spell in the winter, in order to protect the health of the people of this city. In the summer, the danger of inefficient sanitation is even greater. Here are some of the cases and many of the men in other departments are employed likewise. Now you take the Oceanic Service Corporation. That company has a rather unsavory past and by the way, PM, you were just telling me of your fourth anniversary, look up your files on the Oceanic Service Corporation. You have quite a file on that company, and on your fourth birthday you can bring out their past. It would be very interesting. They employ men in Sanitation and other departments.

Here is a case, and there are many like it, where the city employee worked for that company from twelve midnight to 8 A.M. He was supposed to be working eight hours for the city, and he worked eight hours in the same day for the Oceanic. That is sixteen hours a day. How can he do it? The human body cannot stand it. He stated that sometimes the time would run concurrently. Therefore the employee must have cheated either his private employer or the city in getting to work or leaving work. His pay from the City was $2220.

Here is another example of a Sanitation man employed by the Bayridge Operating Company. He worked there from 7 P.M. to 4:14 A.M. He, too, worked sixteen hours a day. Here is one who worked from 7 A.M. to 4 P.M. and worked from 7 P.M. to 7 A.M. That is very much like the tour of the other one that I have given you. When he was asked how he did it, where did he get his rest, he answered: 'On a truck in a parking lot.' This is what the men call a 'blow.' One man takes a 'blow' and eight men continue to do the work. I asked Mr. Joseph Ryan, President of the International Longshoremen's Association, about that, and he said it is true that these men take a 'blow' but that the union does not recognize it and therefore any city employee who works in a crew or a gang as it is called is not counted as one of the required number of that crew. This Oceanic Service Company does not load its guard services only and Mr. Joseph Ryan tells me he does not anticipate any trouble in getting men and women who will be glad to take these jobs who are not permanently employed.

Commissioner Carey has informed me that he has assurances from all of his men that they have given up their outside employment when permanently employed by the city.

There were some twelve men employed by the Aero Processing Company, 900 Broadway. They are supposed to have received the prevailing rate of wages. Officials of that company refused to cooperate with the city and gave no assistance. The men are reported as having left the employ of this company but there are some other peculiar things and we are going to check up on that company.

Some of the men who are employed in the Sanitation Department were foremen getting $3750 to $4350 a year, some were assistant foremen, getting from $3000 a year to $4250; some were machinists, getting $2700 a year, and some were auto mechanics receiving $9.75 a day. Now the city is entitled to a full day's work out of them.


BOARD OF TRANSPORTATION

Lets take a typical case of the Board of Transportation. It requires skill and good coordination and good physical
condition to operate a subway train with ten cars at a high rate of speed, one minute headway. Conductors, signalmen and carmen have the lives of hundreds of thousands of people in their hands. Take a towerman. He is one of the keymen in the movement of the entire subway system. He has control of switches at various points throughout the system. He must have a keen eye and be alert for a mistake in switches may cause a serious, fatal and yes, perhaps a catastrophic accident. The entire interlocking safety devices are controlled by switches which in turn are under the control of the towerman. Here is a case of a towerman whose tour of duty was from 6 A. M. to 2 P. M. We found him employed by the American Railway Express Company from 4 P. M. to 12 P. M. Allowing time for his travel after midnight to his home, and then time to travel from his home to his 6 A. M. job, I submit whether such delicate important and responsible work does not require full rest and recreation. After it was explained to the towerman of the great danger and jeopardy of lives, he consented to give up the work with the American Express Company, and now he is employed as a mechanic in a garage from 4 to 10 P.M. Again I submit that this man does not get the rest and relaxation that he requires to perform the responsible duties on which the lives of thousands of people depend. First he was working 16 hours a day and now he is working 14 hours a day. If these men in the Board of Transportation should be dropped, I suppose the Board would be criticized. On the other hand if men are incapacitated from doing their work properly on our subway system because of outside work, and an accident happens, costing a great number of lives, I wonder how many who are now criticizing will come forward and say 'it was all our fault, we did not cooperate.' The worst offender in the city, I would say, is the American Railway Express Company. The American Railway Express is actually recruiting from among Board of Transportation employees, as well as other departments of the city. The American Railway Express is not an essential industry. It is in competition with United States Parcel Post Service. Of course, the American Railway Express will give service where there is a strike or labor dispute and will transport articles forbidden the use of the mails.

You know that is something that is one of their main selling points, I wonder how organized labor feels about that? I am telling you all this because the people of this City must know the reasons if service becomes defective and inefficient. You all know that we have provided about eighteen to twenty million dollars for cost of living bonuses and that this was done to beat the increased cost of living for our city employees during the war. I submit that in turn it would entitle a full day's work for a full day's pay.


CONGRESS INTERESTED

Of course, this is becoming a sort of political foot ball. Politicians, who are taking this up as an issue against the Mayor, will live to rue the day. Now that the war is going on we will do all we can to convince our city employees and to set them right. Some may be discharged. The time is coming when this will be an issue. It might be this year or another year. Congress is going to be informed. Congress is interested in cost plus contracts and in the cost of the war. Congress wants to know of values given in the employment of these men. Heads of families are being deprived of work by city employees who have full time jobs, steady work, tenure of work, pension rights, vacation and sick leave. Just as sure as I am talking to you this moment the time will come when this will be entirely stopped - not only by practice but perhaps by law itself.


UNFAIR TO LABOR

This is something that the enemies of labor have been seeking to do for a long time - to undermine wages, to lower the standards of working conditions, to create this competition by men who have regular jobs and therefore can work for less. There is something that sincere labor leaders have been fighting against for a long time. That day is coming back and all will be called to account who have participated in this vicious practice. The war is only an excuse.


CHILD LABOR

The same kind of employers who are in the market for city employees on part-time, are in the market for children, little children, in violation of law. Our City Department of Education and the State Department of Labor are constantly watching this. Let me repeat that the same kind of employer who will employ a city employee will take a child from the classroom. The able State Commissioner of Labor, Edward Corsi, and his department are cooperating with the City Department of Education and we are on a campaign to thwart and stop this vicious practice of employing children.

A few illustrations sent in by Commissioner Corsi, indicates that boys of 5 and 6 years are out in the early hours of the morning delivering milk. (I want to make it clear that I do not believe they are from the milk companies, I think they are from stores.) Girls of 17, waitresses, on the job 84 hours a week. Twelve-year-oId girls employed 21 hours a week as maids; girls of 13 as waitresses; a 7-year-old and a 12-year-old boy employed in a delivery department of a laundry. Under-age children were found operating laundry machinery and elevators in hotels. You know about the bowling alleys. I wish you knew the abuse I am getting for taking little boys out of bowling alleys, working all hours of the night. A 15-year-old boy, Commissioner Corsi tells me, is now in a cast in a hospital with a broken back, as a result of having been struck by a flying pin. Do you know that the bowling alleys complained to Washington that the Mayor was interfering with the war effort in taking little boys out of the bowling alleys, working at night. Well, of course, that is the law of the State of New York. But did Mr. Donald NeIson come through fine? He squelched that complaint and we will not hear any more of that kind of monkey business. The violations of the employment of children has increased 240 percent in one year and, I repeat, the same kind of employer in both cases.


FIRE DEPARTMENT

Here is another beautiful instance which shows the hypocrisy of the cry that employment is for the war effort. A fireman was found to have been employed near his station house, by an outside employer and his time checks indicate he was working in the Fire Department and in private employment at one and the same time during hours of the same day.
Surely he did not contribute anything to the war effort, because the office of the Fire Department and the testimony shows that he was actually at the fire house. Here is something which shows that the books of that firm will have to be thoroughly investigated to find where the chiselling comes in. If this man loses his job, it will not be for dual employment, it certainly will be for using fraudulent methods to obtain money.

An unemployed veteran of this war, complained to this office that he could not get a taxicab drivers job because city firemen were employed and we had to invoke the power of this city to get the firemen out and to get those veterans a job.


BORO PRESIDENTS

Here is another type of working. I have received complaints from the Society of Architects about competition of city employees. This is a hard time for architects, for you all know there is not much work outside of government work. Some flagrant cases have been submitted, one has been completed and I have submitted it to the Borough President of Richmond. Here is an architect who since January 4, 1944, has filed no less than eleven complete plans for construction of work in that borough, and fourteen in the year 1943. Just when he did this work has to be ascertained. The fact remains that the plans involve various bureaus in his own department, such as sewer connections, gradings, subways and elevations over which the same city department from which he is paid has jurisdiction. Yet he takes private work from private architects who must pay office rent and personnel, and competes with them. Is that fair? The city pays this architect $4000 a year.


DEPARTMENT OF MARKETS

There is still another type of employment. You know this extra work is sometimes just a subterfuge for graft. Here are some four or five weighmasters, employed by the City of New York to protect consumers in the weight of poultry, who were found taking extra private employment from five poultry dealers whom they are paid by the city to supervise and control. These poultry weighmasters got $2520 a year. Is this a question of essential employment? Not at all. Just a subterfuge. Can anyone doubt for a moment that these city employees were under obligations to their private employers? How could they possibly and conscientiously and honestly do their work for which the city pays them under these conditions ? Thus, if your weighmaster is under obligation to the dealer and they overweigh to the retailer it is the consumer who pays the bill. These men have already been tried or are under trial by Commissioner Brundage.


DUAL JOBS TO DATE

To date the Commissioner of Investigation has found about 750 cases. There are more than that - not many more. As I said, Commissioner Carey has assured me that over 300 men in his department have given up their outside work. Many of the men have already given up their employment and have acknowledged the impropriety. However, the tendency is here. Our city employees are solicited and enticed and cajoled by the low type of employers I have been telling you about. Let them kick and complain. I suppose they will and will take exception to this description. But the books will tell the story. We may not get at them today but the time will come when there will be a complete accounting. Whether the government got value, if they are working for the government, or, if it is a private employer, whether the laws have all been complied with in relation to the State Labor Laws, whether the taxes have been paid, or whether they have social security cards, will come out sooner or later.

I do not want this condition to grow. I have just heard a day or so ago that city employees who happen to know some music are forming groups and are about to take outside work. I wonder what Local #802, of which I am an honorary member, will say to that. Do not come down and ask me to stop it because if this other employment is allowed to continue, then the boys can earn money and play music after hours.


CITY ACCOUNTANT

I have a case before me of an accountant practicing on the outside. We are investigating whether he is taking cases involving the very department of the city in which he is employed. It looks like another poultry inspector case to me.


SIX DAY WEEK PROTESTS

You know it was not very long ago, I am sure you will remember, in the early days of the war when the first contingent of our men were called into the service, that we found it necessary to work on Saturdays. Do you remember the protests about needing rest and doing better work if not working so long and of being overworked and how good it was for the morale to get rest and relaxation. That is just what I am trying to do now. I wonder what those people who are playing politics or who have some other kind of motives will say when the time comes to create work for the returning veterans. I solemnly pledge that the returned veterans from our fighting fronts will got jobs and will get preference and plenty of preference when they come back. City employees, think of that. They will not like this system when they hear about it.


WILLIAM FOX, B.S., M.A., Ph. D.

Here is a kind of dual employment that I do approve of. I heartily approve of it. That is the ease of Patrolman William Fox, who has just received his degree of Doctor of Philosophy, His thesis was 'Equilibrium Relationships Between Fluid Interfaces: System Methylene Iodide-Water-Air' (I am sure you all know what that means). This is a splendid example of a fine city employee who earned his B.S. at City College and his M.A. at Columbia. He received his doctorate degree the other day at Columbia. True he worked hard. He must have worked very hard, but his work was quite different from his duties. Hr utilized his free time advantageously and usefully. When he brings home his degree and his added knowledge, he has brought home something to his family with the knowledge that he did not take the bread out of the mouths of children of other families whose daddies have not got a job.


EXISTING UNEMPLOYMENT

In addition to all of the reasons I have given you, do you realize that we have many unemployed people in our city? At this very moment there are thousands of people unemployed. Last Wednesday I testified before a Senate Committee, calling attention to the sudden stoppage of war contracts and the unemployment of some ten thousand workers who had been discharged in New York City. There were over 6,000 from the Brewster plant, and over 3,000 from the Aluminum plant. Some of these men could fill the jobs - would be glad to get the jobs now taken by city employees who are on full time pay. In addition to this, it was not so long ago that the building trades were down to see me because thousands of their men are unemployed - unemployed today. On Friday, the day before yesterday, I spent the whole day at the War Production Board in Washington with the Advisory Council on Government Work, of which I am a member. Among the subjects I took up was to see if it would be possible to amend existing regulations, where material is available and the building trades have unemployed, so as to do something about needed construction.

Betty, get me the folder, I think I can read the recommendation. It is in my Washington folder which I brought back. I will read the specific recommendation as soon as it comes here.

They were surprised in Washington to hear that we had thousands of building tradesmen unemployed in New York City, for they had read of this condition of employing city employees by private employers. I was embarrassed. Here is something that I am trying to stop and I practically was charged with saying I had unemployed here and then faced with the situation that statements are made that the employment situation was so tight that thousands of city employees are taking outside work. Here is the recommendation that was made. We asked that recognition by W.P.B, in areas where unemployment had developed 'in spite of the fact that war contracts are being met and manpower and materials can be made available, government agencies should be allowed to develop and prosecute public construction programs within limits set by W.P.B.', subject always to availability of equipment and material.

I want to call the building trades attention to the fact that we are trying to do this and that there is a great deal of sympathy for the building trades skills. Yet when we are confronted with a situation that city employees are employed "" and remember that the city has painters, carpenters, machinists, blacksmiths, sheet metal workers, bricklayers and masons, some of whom are doing odd jobs now - unless this whole system is stopped you will see them on the outside working after city hours, and that is not good for the building trades.

It will not be long before this will be a definite system unless it is stopped now. We have considerable information concerning the pay of these city employees from their outside employers, we have no legal evidence yet but we are on our way to get it concerning kickbacks and chiseling of every kind, nature and description on the part of employers. You see, the employees knowing that they are not acting properly, are in a tight fix and not in a position to give the evidence, but when the situation changes we will get it, I think we will get it before long.


CONSEQUENCES OF DUAL EMPLOYMENT

A veteran went to the Railway Express Company and asked for work. He was told that there was no work that they can get plenty of city employees and they are easy to handle. A man with a college education, with knowledge of Spanish, reported to an establishment and asked for work and was also refused while city employees were being employed.

Here is a good one - transportation workers are sought by delivery companies - I do not know whether it is the telegraph company or not, but we are checking on that- because they are allowed ten cents if a message has to be delivered a distance of over eight blocks. The transportation workers like that because they travel on their passes. That is a hot one -isn't it. So the City in this, and in other cases, is really subsidizing employers who utilize sub-standard condition.


VISITING NEGRO PUBLISHERS

I have some distinguished visitors here. I have a delegation of the Negro Newspaper Publishers Association who are holding a convention in our city. I am very happy to welcome these gentlemen to New York City. I hope to have a little chat with them as soon as I sign off.


BUY WAR BONDS

Again let me remind you of the responsibility of buying war stamps and war bonds, not only what you can afford, but more too. You may have to give up something if you want your purchase to do any good -something that you think you need but can got along without. Remember, everything is going fine just now, but the war is not over yet. There is a great deal of fighting to be done and there is a great deal of suffering, hardship and death yet to be met. If you are not convinced, may I suggest that you read the last three articles of Ernest Pylo. They tell the story. There is a great deal of information in those articles if you will read them carefully - perhaps more information than we get in bulletins. If you happen to wear reading glasses as I do, your glasses may be blurred. The narrative is so complete and it is treated so tenderly, so sweetly.

Patience and Fortitude.