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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 8, 1973)
PortUnd/O beerver Nikoa supports woge minimum Blahop Stephen G. Spottswood, chairman oí the national board of directora of the NAACP. con gratulates Richard A .M e y e r, pre a aient of Anheuser-Busch, |nc„ upon his election to the national hoard of the NAACP, M r . M eyer Is the firs t husmeas representative elected to the NAACP board west of tie M is sissippi In the history of the civil rights organization. The notification of M r . M eyer's election took place at the NAACP Fourth Annual Pounders pay Awards Luncheon In St. Louis recently. M r . M eyer also received an award from tie St. Louis Chapter of the NAACP for his outstanding contr tuitions to tie chapter In obtaining tie largest number of life memberships In a crash two- week program (oi tie chapter. A strong recommendation for passage by the Legisla ture of a bill introduced by Representative V e r a Katz (Dem. Portland) that would raise the amount of the state minimum wage and that would extend coverage under the Oregon Minimum Wage I j iw to agricultural piece workers was made by Norman 0 . Nilsen, the State Labor Commissioner. Nilson testified before the House Ijib o r Committee on HB 2079 in Salem. This measure calls for raising the Oregon minimum wage from $1.25 an hour to $1.60 an hour. He called the present $1.25 “unrealistic, something which belongs in the past and indefensible". He said that exemption of agricultural workers f r o m minimum wage coverage is “an idea of the past." He said that this is clearly demonstrated in that two nearby states, Montana and California, have enacted legislation to provide that agricultural workers h a v e equal protection under mini mum wage statutes. Nilsen said he felt “disap pointment when I realize that a fellow Oregonian who earns the established legal wage of $1.25 has to work three minutes longer than a Russian worker in order to buy a pound of roast and that he has to work about as long as his Kussian counter part to earn enough for a pound of potatoes." The Commissioner said he was speaking not only as la b o r Commissioner “whose sworn duty is to assure and to protect the right of Ore gon s working men and wo men to a living wage but also as a citizen whose social conscience is deeply troubled by a situation wh h is un healthy econorr a lly , so cially and morally. He said that he derives little comfort and assurance that a majority of the people covered by the Oregon law earn "little more than that pitiful, substandard wage.” He emphasized. “In t h i s case, even a relatively few is too many. I f the legal minimum of $1.25 constitutes an u n h e a l t h y condition, which indeed it does, then I don’t think we can ignore it because there is not an epidemic yet." Nilson said that in respect to those who work in agri culture and a r e not pre sently covered by minimum Fish bills progress “Ih i W e Really W an t Holiday lor K in g -?" a A few weeks ago we ob served the birthday of the late Dr. M artin Luther King, J r„ and again we heard the clamor for a holiday in honor "t I >r. King There is no doubt that Dr. King's birthday should be a national American holiday. There is also little doubt that such a reality will even tually come, but when? A lot will depend upon the sense of reality and the determination exercised by Black |*eople in pursuit of this goal. As Black people we must begin this discussion by re aiming that we an- as far away from a King holiday as we are because of our mis« r DR JEFFREY BRADY M OOEPN DENTAL PLATES PARTIAL PLATES AND EXTRACTIONS Immediate Restorations ars tree lad • Partial Plates • Dental Plates able support of the pro grams and dream that Dr. King lived and died for. We give glorified lip ser vice to tne world about our love for D r. King, but the world watches and our ene mies snicker as they see us k-tting D r. King's organize tion. SCLC. die. The world watches as the King me mortal and other tributes to the life and testaments of Dr. King stumble along on white graces with little or no Black support. The world w a t c h e s as thoae who rose to the center of the national stage, with the blood of D r. King's elimination forever tarnish ing their robes c o m p e t e , ego-trip and take rule or ruin attitudes a b o u t the movement he gave so much to build. Black America sits idly by as the whole King movement splinters accord ing to the whims and de signs of King's disciples. The first step for us to get the King holiday is to support the programs for which Dr. King died. It is difficult to get in sulated white folks to sup port a King holiday when we I Blacks) don't get out and work for i t Talking alone will not take us to victory. The point is that Black is no longer "in" in America. We must scratch, claw and struggle for everything we get. We will not get this holiday through half hearted effort. We've got to k-t this country know that we want this day and we want it now. It's awfully discouraging to realize how often we forget. Our commitment to Dr. King doesn't seem to go any further than mementos and keepsakes on the wall. We identify with his me mory, but we don't support it. It is time to do something or get off the pot. That means SCLC should not be allowei. to die. That means that B icks should s e n d their ni« ties, dimes and dol lars to support the King Memorial and the King Cen ter in At.«nta. Support the Ellis H. C an o n M LK program here at Port land State. Yet. if we continue to show more reverence for the weekend Scotch than we do for the King programs, we can forget it. Currently, it is not poli tically expedient to do any thing for Blacks no matter how justified. A King holi day is not one of the most popular possibilities avail able right now. There is a touchy poli tical question involved. Dr. King was not popular with the conservatives and right wingers of t h i s country. That is the opposition that some are afraid to buck with the holiday thing. I have said may times and I say again, America is not a democracy, it n e v e r has been and it never will be. America is a pluralistic so ciety within which all in terests must fight it out to gel their piece of the action. Black America can get that King holiday - and all it needs to do is to prove it wants it b a d enough. This must be proved by action and not by words. A fter all, if Blacks won't support D r. K i n g , why should expedient white poli ticians risk the votes of the districts to support him? Charity begins a home and s p re a d s abroad. The N A A C P supports the pas sage of a bill in Salem now asking for a holiday on January 15th to pay honor to M artin Luther King, Jr. This State must act and act NO W . \b iir ticket to the big game: SLEEP DURING EXTRACTIONS I tOOIVM MNY0YNAI «IVIN BV SIBIf YIBIO ANIJTNfTIST SABI FBII ANY SABS K m o r to r HOUBSi W ook4ey> 1 :2 0 l e SiBB S e to r 4 e y B : 2 0 t * IM O I NO «FFOINTMINT NICIHABY DR. JEFFREY T7T DENTIST S tM ltR BUILDING S A 3rd A M o rm o n P or lln n d v0rpgon Phone: 228 7545 ^..including transportation You want lo see the big game. So whal do you do? Just switch on your T V set And see more of the action than most of the men on Ihe field. You've got the best seal in Ihe house - for about 2« worth of electricity per game Sound like a pretty good deal? Il is. Electricity. Il's a bargain. And we know that bargains are hard lo find todpy. Almost as hard to find as enough leg room in the grandstand. Pacific I ' m »■Acre w* mat, the rlrrtricirjr that makrs things merr for rvrrykodjt Senator M ike Thorne of Pendleton announced t h a t hearings on a series of fish bills, including the measure to dose the Columbia River to Salmon fishing from Feb ruary 1 to June 1 and the bill to prohibit the incidental catch of steelhead by com merical fishermen, will be held on Wednesday, Feb ruary 21 at 3:00 p.m. in the State Capital Building in Salem. Senator Vern Cook (Dem. Portland), a strong prop» nant of tighter restrictions on commercial fishing in the Columbia River, said, I com mend Senator Thorne for this prompt action in sche duling the hearings on these very important bills. The Washington N a t u r a l Re sources Committee, the equi valent of Senator Thorne's Natural Resources Commit tee held its first hearings on January 25. I understand that the Washington House Natural Resources Commit tee will also hear the bills in the near future. The Ore gon House also has the same bills before it and should set hearings not too long after the Senate hearings. The combination of all of these hearings and the facts that will be developed should provide the factual basis for rapid action by both the Oregon and the Washington legislatures. "When I attended the hearings held by the Wash ington Senate Natural Re sources Committee I was advised by its Chairman. Senator Lowell Peterson, that the Washington law makers would welcome a meeting with their corres ponding Oregon counter parts. I hope very much that by March I this can be accomplished and identical legislation adopted by both legislatures before the final adjournment of either." wage legislation, they are involved in a n industry which is rapidly being mech anized and which, in turn, needs fewer and f e w e r people. He said that the number of farms of less than 50 acres declined by 68 per cent between 1950 and 1969 while farms of more than 1.000 acres increased by al most 25 per cent in the same period. “As we observe this pro cess, similar to historical trends in other industries w h e r e structural changes and mechanization have tak en place, we must ask our selves: Where does it leave individual workers; w hat does it do to their individual rights and safeguards? “We find that in 1971 slightly less than half of the nation's hired farm workers had Federal minimum wage protection. Also, of all the farms which in 1970 employs one or two hired workers, 97 per cent were not cov ered by Federal minimum wage provisions. “Again we ask: Where The 1973 Legislative ses sion is now concluding the fourth week. We have got ten off to a rapid start with a number of important pro grams and bills. Probably of greatest interest and con cern among both the legisla tun- and the public is the question of property tax re lief for home owners and renters. The committee on revenue is presently consid ering the Governor's plan for property Lax relief, which is contained in two House Bills, No. 2005 and No. 2040 and one Senate Bill. No. 43. These plans would remove the funding of school opera tions f r o m property tax. The State would then pro vide direct aid to local school districts. allow the state to sell 200 million dollars in revenue bonds which would be used to finance construction of low and medium income housing. It is well known that Ore gon has a severe housing shortage in this area and the enactment of the bonding program would be beneficial from two standpoints. It would h e l p alleviate the housing shortages which ex ist and would also create jobs in the construction industry. The Transportation Com mittee is considering a pro posal that would divert 6 million dollars from the dedi cated highway fund for the planning and construction of mass transit systems. Many legislators feel that this is a concept which is very much needed. This is es pecially true in light of the A bill aimed at eliminating railroad crossing hazards in Oregon has been introduced in the House bv Represent ative Les AuCoin. Demo crat of Washington County. Under the provisions of the bill, local jurisdictions or groups of concerned citizens would be able to petition the Public Utilities Commission er for new crossings, recon struction or alteration of ex isting crossings, or installs tion of protective devices such as gates and warning lights. “This measure is more than a vehicle for reducing the alarming number of acci dents that occur each year at ra ilro a d crossings,” AuCoin said. “I t is a long overdue redefinition of the public's right to free and unobstructed use of streets and highways, and of the railroad industry’s obligation to share the moral and fin ancial burden of protecting the public." increasing citizens resistence to additional freeway con struction and the environ mental impart of the auto mobile. The Oregon Legislature has always been considered to be one which is open to the public and has sought public input. I f you have any questions or comments, please contact your senator or representative. A new feature of this legislative session is that you can call, toll free, for information re g a r d i n g legislation. The number is 1 800 472 - 0290. During the coming weeks the session. I will be writing about other activities of the legislature. Please feel free to contact my office if you have any questions. 306 State Capitol. Salem. Oregon 97310. 8. 1973 Pag* 3 “The idea of keeping one part of Oregon's work force isolated in no-man’s land where the rule is exemption from the rule is art idea of the past." SHOP ■ E N O W 'S FOR -B R A N D S you kn o w - V A R IE T IE S y o u lik e - S IZE S y o u w a n t • M fw h lfc O I U’.iT fD o s o c ik . Binyon O ptical Dispensers of Fashion Eyew ear 6 3 0 SW B ro ad w ay 2 2 6 -6 6 8 8 Jantzen Beach 2 8 3 -3 1 9 5 S ID N E Y THO M AS D ISP EN S IN G O P T IC IA N D r. L. W e s l e y A p la n a lp O p to m e tr is t Soft and R eg u lar contact lenses Associate Optometrists: BRIGGS, HATTEN, M ILL E R 4 STENGER r i i ♦ i i ♦ ♦ i i i ♦ ♦ L n DAY CARE MOTHERS CARE FOR INFANTS IN YOUR HOME. $3.50 a child per day AMA F a m ily D a y / N i g h t C a r o 4635 N.E. 9th 288-5091 TOO M A N Y BARGAINS TO LIST! Naturally, the money for state aid would have to come from other sources of revenue. This would come from three sources. First, a state wide property tax on income producing property with a constitutional limita tion of $10 per $1000 of assessed valuation. Second, the personal and corporate inrome tax levels would be inrreased especially in upper inrome tax brackets. The third and final source of the new revenue, is that taxes on businesses would be im poaed. Local school control by boards of eduration would still apply to all other oper ations. Boards of education would be permitted to levy local property taxes for school operations for onlv a total amount of $2 per $1000 of true rash value. Such taxes could only be levied subject to a vote of the people in the school district. I t is strongly felt that some form of property tax relief is not only required but will quickly pass the legislature and be referred to a vote of the people. Several other bills and pro grams have come up which are of great importance to Multnomah County resi dents. F irst is a proposal to does this leave the indivi dual worker? Thoee scat tered ones must not be for gotten ones. Like human freedom, social progress and social justice are indivisable. Crossing bill introduced Report from the Senate BY Senator Keith Burns Thurutay. February THOUSANDS N O K i! IF YOU CAN'T FIND it nene, coau in ano akowss ; STOVES, DISHWASHERS, ELEC. SUPPLIES 12 T a p p .. 5TO VI3 i« S SfFSIGfSATOSS WSMWASH ia A w c a d . •» 1 * 1 » talo n , $ 1 4 4 w $ 1 4 4 74 SA N G f HOOOS. in Cappor S lo p 20- M .M 24- 112JB » - $ 1 4 All c o , and colon. (la c n c a l CONDUIT. 14- , io- $34 y ,- , 10- $ 4 » TABU LAMPS AND HANGING LIGHT FIXTURES T h a t b w he n lo w e r L o n g D is ta n c e rates b e g in o n weekdays. T h e best time to share the good times in the northwest is after 5 P M on weekdays. T h a t’ s when lower Long Distance rates begin. And that’s when you’re likely io find friends and fam ily at home So go ahead and spread the good word. Long Distance calls get people together. •w'. 0" cow|»CM »,r .noo««, aw, w „„«w LM< diroct '•>•« ,K. not apply fo COin i"»adtl card COdaci paraon lo-paratys p . . . . Oiracf Oatenca Dm ad ‘ « to coda , riargad i----- —----- — afae apply anywrwa w»th»n $«■•$ tit , any IU .» J S IM O O M LAMS « its . UOHTS 2- SOLS M G S3 »3 now S I . 4 4 3 UOMT CHAN M U M , n g S44 30. •ow$,4.4i. »ATM V A N fT IIS g o ld o n tf-M » M AAStl TY»t VANITY TOYS wHS boun«, 1 4 ' la T2" <Hda. daaW a or anp la bawl $21 la $ 4 0 « U K S A T H 4 O O N CASINfTS ANO VANI TIIS $ 1 4 to $ 2 4 14 oaty T IM A GLASS VANITY TOTS - I * boon, -a» S44 naw S1A.2B 12 TIM S GLASS S H O W « ST AILS, -a» SI IS , naw $ 2 4 3 « m il TIMSGLASS SH OW fS STALLS. >daal tor cabim . bcn . i . n b a llo n , naw $ 2 4 23 only CH IN A WASH BASINS rap S I4 S3 naw ball-pHca 2 bawl M A SB lf VANITY TOSS S' O' M 4 .J 4 110 SATH TUS3 mho . a . •«. 4 r i la S', pool or cad iraa. roar cbaKa wbito a» coiorod S 4 .M op. FLUORESCENT LIGHTFIXTURES M aaw n ao S' ■ S'. wHfc 4 Hvaroacoat liflm , $ 4 SB a«Kb SHOR RAM.Y SOW B O Y SB. ICT IO N THIS W I K I Building Supply Discount Centers Inc. PNctftc NorthwMt B b N 0.1 « w .w i Tap p a a lit,. S3 «. $324 0 ,w a « n lW J 0 H or wora Sat m a p l a Croo raw CHandolio« n g 334 «0 naw $ 1 » SATH ANO COACH UOHTS. NOBODY HAS VANITIES AT THESE PRKES1 I4 B 5 H. Veweever Baa. « r a t i fra « Cl J e « Cafe 2 1 5 -»544 1 $122 $1 M d iw g M a i M . « r a t i fra « RkBeeeMt CME »$4-5444 Both lo c p h p n i ppp n a to 4 M y » to J S p nd pyi. U f yowr a « T k A fliw rie « -4 * r M e • to r C h erg e. t i i i i i ♦ ♦ i ♦ i
