Fraternity-Testvériség, 1952 (30. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
1952-11-01 / 11. szám
TESTVÉRISÉG 5 IN PLAIN AMERICAN A monthly page conducted by Edmund Vasvary The President’s Commission on Immigration and Naturalization was set up because in the President’s opinion the McCarran act is “defective in many important provisions.” The Commission is holding hearings in many large cities, inviting civic, labor, religious and other leaders to express their opinions on the new law, hoping that Congress will agree to a careful re-examination of the entire matter. The result so far is a well-nigh unanimous denouncing of the law. Here are a few remarks made by the invited people: “It is a bad law, both technically and in the light of American principles.” “The law is deficient and dangerous in many of its provisions.” “It discriminates against people on grounds of color, race and sex.” “The act is contrary to the Christian principles on which our country is founded.” In opposition to those well-considered opinions, the aristocratic ladies of the Daughters of American Revolution find the law “eminently fair and generous”, and predict that the Commission’s coming report will be “superficial, partial, inadequate and biased.” Nobody knows how the worthy ladies (who would be more appropriately named as Grandmothers of American Revolution) gained this remarkable insight into the future through their gold-rimmed lorgnettes. * Hi * Victory for the miners. — The new contract signed with the Northern and Southern mine operators, calling for a pay increase of $1.90 a day as well as an addition of 10 cents a ton to the 30-cent royalty the Union has been receiving from the operators (which, of course, will be paid by the consumers), is a remarkable victory for John L. Lewis, in spite of the fact that the Wage Stabilization Board chopped 40 cents off the amount agreed upon, thereby inviting a new general strike of the miners. Immediately following this victory, the convention of the Union held in Cincinnati, O., voted an extra assessment of $20.00 on each Union miner. As Lewis neatly explained: "Those who dance must pay the fiddlers." This amount will be collected in four monthly installments. Lewis assured the almost 3,000 delegates that this assessment is "limelly and necessary", and if could be paid out of the new earnings. The yield is estimated as over 8 million dollars yearly. The Union had 34 million dollars in its treasury June 30, 1952, which is a gain of 21 millions over the amount reported four years ago. None of the funds could or would be used for political purposes, although the Union endorsed the Democratic candidate for president. (The Tafi- Hartley law prohibits unions from taking money out of their treasuries for use in national elections.) ^ $ To soothe the probably ruffled feelings of the Union members, the convention voted to drop the $2.00 per member monthly extra assessment, which was in effect from January this year to help out the hard coal pension and welfare fund, the troubles of which were eased by an agreement that raised the welfare royalty from 30 to 50 cents. The regular Union dues of $4.00 monthly remain unchanged. Lewis and his two principal aides, Vice President Thomas Kennedy and Secretary-Treasurer John Owens, showed their unselfish loyalty to the Union’s cause by protesting against the proposal that their salaries be raised. So the old salaries remain in effect. Lewis gets $50,000.00 and the two others each $40,000.00 a year. ❖ ❖ ❖ A little information about the inner workings of the miners' pension and welfare fund might be of interest to some of our readers. Unquestionably, this fund is the greatest achievement in the long career of John L. Lewis. In the six years of its existence, the fund has paid out the enormous sum of 412 million dollars in benefits to miners and members of their families. In the treasury of the fund (which is, of course, separate from the Union's treasury), there was a balance of a hundred milllion dollars at the middle of this year. At the end of June there were 257,949 beneficiaries who receive aid in the form of pensions, hospital and medical care, death and disaster benefits. The number of retired miners receiving pension is 45,339 who receive $100.00 a month in addition to Federal old-age insurance. With the newly secured increase in royally, the estimated income of the fund will be around 150 million dollars a year. $ V Would-be blood donors, who must have heard the untrue remark that blood-giving is harmful, will be interested to know that a New Jersey man appeared recently at one of the centers to donate a pint of his blood for the 96th time. He is going to make it 100 pints. After that, he says, he won’t stop, only slow down a little. He is 51-year-old Otto W. Weber, father of five children. (We don’t know whether his richness in blood is the result of the fact that he is working in a brewery, or not.) Hs Hs Hs The Kossuth year is nearing its end. Recently two outstanding events helped to make the approaching finish worthy of the proceeding commemorative occasions — one in Bridgeport, Conn., and the other in Detroit, Mich. Gov. John D. Lodge's unforgettable speech made a lasting impression on the large audience (we are informed that he himself is the author of all his speeches), while in Detroit the large crowd which filled the spacious hall of the First Hungarian Reformed Church to overflowing, gratifyingly testified to the awakening spirit of cooperation among our local Protestant churches. He H< Hi It is comforting to know that the American- Hungarians have at least two really good friends among the present governors of the 48 states — Gov. Frank J. Lausche, of Ohio, the one-time poor immigrant boy of Cleveland, O., and Gov. John D. Lodge, of Connecticut, scion of one of the most famous aristocratic families in the New England States, who don’t just suddenly remember the American-Hungarians only at elections, but who are with us in good times and bad, and try to share our joys and sorrows.
