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About Medford mail tribune. (Medford, Or.) 1909-1989 | View Entire Issue (March 5, 1963)
I Technological Advances Are Involved in SP, Union Dispute By WILEY S. MALONEY Uniltd Press International San Francisco - IUPD - The dispute between the South ern Pacific Railroad and the Brotherhood of Rail way Clerks involves a bitter fruit of technological progress, the displacement of man by ma chine. Southern Pacific has under gone sweeping modernization in the past few years with innovations in technology and organization covered loosely by the term "automation." Roughly 5,000 clerks, (meaning a wide variety .of office and station employees) have been displaced in the Pacific Division of the rail road since 1957. Many of their jobs were made unnecessary by instal lation of computers and such office equipment as high "9"'J-fi -V -' ' Mh Editor's note: Sylvia Porter it on vacation. During her absence a column by Ralph McGill ii being subitituied. McGill it currently on a tour of African nationt, about which he it writing. Accra, Ghana: Here on what was the old Gold Coast one finds time to cast up experiences. Before leaving for the West Coast of Africa the Westerner receives considerable advice. He is warned that the ancient coast is not really much subdued as a killer of men (it once was called "the white man's graveyard") and to be careful about the sun, water , and the food. Reminders that only mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the noonday sun were frequent. - The truth is another thine. Europeans all seem to go bareheaded. The newcomer picks up sunburn, but no heat 6trokes. It is hot in the noonday sun, and also under the midnight moon. But it is no worse than, say, Little Rock, St. Louis, or Washington, D.C., in August. There are humid areas, but on the coast there are breezes and even a few air-conditioned spots. Now and then, however, one is reminded that the forces of the old graveyard, while tamed, are not all gone. The tables of most Europeans and educated Africans include bot tles or small canisters of malarial-depressant pills. One of the minor conversation subjects concerns the relative merits of taking a small pill daily or a larger pill once a week. The every-day advocates seem in the majority because of their argument that one is unlikely to be exact with a weekly schedule. To forget is almost sure to bring one down with malaria. One young man I encountered, pale and shaken, had been three days late with a pill and spent one week in bed, ravaged with fever and shaken with chills. Africans in the back country, or buth, have developed ' a tort of immunity in an imprettive tubttantiation of Dr. Darwin't theory of the turvival of the fittett. But a mosquito, biting tuch a perton, can nonethelett irantmit ' a full-tcale case of malaria to one newly coma to the " coast. When one does encounter mosquitoes, which is frequently, they are apt to be ferocious and skillful in attack. Also, they have no sense of fair play. They do not hum. They come silently. One night, while sitting journalists, each with a section of bare shank showing above the short socks men wear newadays, we were troubled by a swarm of mosquitoes. The Ghanaians pointed out the dis advantages of a white skin, saying the winged monsters could see it much better. Whatever the merit of the state ment, there was no doubt but ouite easily indeed. - The old days, before the pills and the injections against ' yellow fever, must really have been ghastly. The death rates ' confirm it. At this writing, looking out in the adjacent garden, this reporter tees a number of litards, each about tix inches long, but with an overall length of at least a foot because of a tail, dutifully tcultling about the grass and up and down trees. They eat Insects. The male of this tpeciet it quite attractive. He hat a red head, a brown body, and hit tail, tave for the very end, alto brown, it a brilliant orange. The females, poor wretchet, are a dull, mottled beige. Small litaxdt in the house are prised. They are, for the most part, rather charming, being relatively liny and yellow. It it my studied opinion that while these creaturet in garden or houte do well with flies, spiders, and beetles, they have yet to lick up a mosquito. Accra is a cheerful city, pleasant and happy in aspect The visitor may find too many is because of the hand grenades thrown some months ago The people are gracious, naturally courageous, and good natured. The women have a times the sight of one of them carrying a burden on her head, with the torso muscles at work maintaining tne Daiance, produces a picture of fluid grace as stirring as that attained in some carefully contrived dance cnoreograpny. There are suburbs, slum sections, modern buildings, really fine hotel, and houses of the English. Dutch, Lebanese, and North African. The un, the seething vitality of crowded streets give the city and picturesque. Counsel With . . . Mr. Insurance Fred Brennan F. R. Brer.nen, C.I.A. MEDFORD INSURANCE Agency PHONE 773-7343 27 North Holly Street speed calculators, photo copy machines and electric type writers. But others lost their jobs in more subtle ways, through technological advances which did not affect them directly, but which reduced their work load. Electronics, for example, has made possible installa tion of central traffic system which permit a single dis patcher to control all trains on lines as long as 300 miles. This indirectly contributed to the loss of clerk jobs. Gig Telephone System Electronics also has made it possible to classify freight cars automatically. And elec tronics have been used in automatic mail sorting facili ties which handle up to 3, 600 sacks an hour. Even installation of a pri- Your Money's Worth By SYLVIA PORTER Copyright, Hall Syndicate, Inc. talking with some Ghanaian .that they found the target police to be about, but thai very definite grace, and some. which reflect the architecture the markets, and the more a flavor which is attractive FOR ALL YOUR INSURANCE NEEDS, SELECT A CERTIFIED INSURANCE AGENT. QUALIFIED ALL LINES WRITTEN vate direct dialing telephone system has reduced the hu man work load. Southern Pa cific has the largest private telephone system of any sin gle company, enabling many executives to avoid letter writing by making phone calls. Such is the cause of the problem, as both union and management agree on it. Dis agreement sets in when they try to find a solution. The union s primary con cern is to put a stop to the job losses. In a notice to the railroad Sept. 28, 1958, the union de manded employment stabili ty. Unsuccessful negotiations followed during the next four years until President Kenne dy created an emergency board to hear both sides and make recommendations to him. The union, meantime, has voted to strike, but the Pres ident's action prevented this until Jan. 31 this year. 30 days after submission of the emergency board s report. That report recommended "stairstep" plan under which the railroad would aug- m e n t railroad unemploy ment insurance benefits for clerks displaced by automa tion. Furloughed employees would get 70 per cent of their earnings for up to one year, based on length of service, and then 60 per cent up to four years. The board suggested that a retraining program be set up, but left the details to the parties involved. It also pre sented a complex set of fur ther recommendations relat ing to such matters as mainte nance of fringe benefits, mov ing expenses and protection against real estate losses in job moves. Areas of Disagreement Because labor bargaining is give and take process conducted largely in secret, there's no way of telling pre cisely where each side stands at this point on specific is sues in the tremendously com plicated dispute. But here, based on past statements by representatives of both sides, are the basic positions of un ion and management on some of the key issues: The union wants a pro gram of "controlled attrition" of jobs, meaning guarantees in the number of positions to be kept in existence. The rail road says this amounts to featherbedding and a limita tion on layoffs might hurt the company's competitive posiltion economically. In its original notice the union asked that- displaced employees be given the op tion of five years' income pro tection or severance pay of up to 1,800 days depending on the seniority. The compa ny regards this as excessive, but agrees to the emergency board's "stairstep" plan. In any retraining program, the union demanded that a specific number of employ ees be continuously assigned on a straight seniority basis to non working but paid train ing positions, regardless of the need for the training or the ability of the individuals to qualify for the work. Tne company indicated it would be willing to negotiate a re training program based on actual requirements, taking into consideration the talents and abilities of individuals involved. Convict Labor Suit Dismissed by Judges Salem-flIPD-A suit seeking to halt the use of convict la bor at the new women's pris on here was dismissed today by a three-judge Circuit Court panel. Judges George R. Duncan, Vale D. Sloper and George A. Jones ruled that the state constitution prevents such suits. The suit was brought by James E. Marr. executive sec retary of the Oregon AFL- CIO. and Charles westcrgara, secretary of the Salem Build ing and Construction Trades council. It charged that tne use of convict labor was in violation of state law. The suit was filed against the three members of the Oregon Board of Control. The judges' action allowed a state motion to dismiss the charge on the basis of the state's sovereign immunity against suit. Walters Appointed Dam Administrator Portland - l:Pl - Appoint ment of Robert P. Waltcrt as Portland area manager of Bonneville Power administra tion was announced today Walters hat been actin manager since reassignment last fall of Jack N. O'Neal. i The Portland area includes Western Oregon and south west Washington. Walter! has been with BPA for 22 years. f MEDFORD Try and -By BENNETT CERF- ATTNY PLANET broke out of orbit, zoomed a few mil lion miles into space, and ended orbiting around the moon. There the mother planet eventually spotted her child and cried, "Junior, what in the world are you do ing down there?" "Wheee," axulted the tiny planet. "Look, mom no gravities." Cartoonist AI Capp was sauntering down the Place Pigalle in Paris when a dis reputable character stepped out of a doorway and whis pered, "Hey, mister, you want to see a dirty movie?" "How much?" demanded Capp. "Fifty francs," ven tured the character. 3S "Hmm," mused Capp. "Who'a in it?" QUOTES: "Only a mediocre, person is always at his best" Somerset Maugham. "A baby is God's opinion that the world should go on." Carl Sandburg. "If you want to keep respect for your government, like sausage, you should not look into its making." Disraeli. "A child bride of It is entitled to alimony; she is too young to go to "work." A judge in South Carolina. C 1963, by Bennett Cert. Distributed by Kins Features Syndicate GOP Issues Report On 1962 Election; Lists Nine Lessons Washington -IUPD- The Re publican National committee has issued a report on the 1962 election campaign that lists nine "lessons" for study by GOP strategy planners. The review pf the party's showing in the 1962 congres sional and state elections was contained in a 55-page docu ment released by the com mittee's research division. GOP National Chairman William E. Miller said 'the report provided "a detailed, factual basis for satisfaction with the results of last fall's election and optimism as Re publicans prepare for the campaign of 1964." In line with these prepara tions, GOP officials opened two days of closed meetings Monday to hear bids for their 1964 national convention. Representatives of Philadel phia, Detroit, Chicago, Miami Beach, San Fracnisco and Dal las and possibly others planned to make a pitch for the convention. Raise New Warning The report raised a new warning signal about Demo, cralic big city strongholds, which the GOP had blamed for its loss of the 1960 presi dential race. - The GOP said "the big city problem of the Repub 8Tj' " ' feiSs triyL l ?4 vB ...... ", '-.::::.-:. vmmmiuHW iuiijjiim i ijji hi Air conditioning, fully equipped restroom, picture windows and fully reclining seats. They're all part of exclusive Greyhound Scenicruiser Service! Next trip don't settle for second best. For comfort. GO GREYHOUND... AND LEAVE THE DRIVING TO US. Exclusive Scenicruiser Service'at no extra (are. For example: Buaea I Buiee, Dally One way tnrl1nH . ft S7 45, RcrfrflnK. nr. A S Seattle. Weih"T. tl I Vancouver. B C .6 $16 Save 10". extra each GREYHOUND TERMINAL MAIL TRIBUNE, MEDFORD. Stop Me lican party remains." With rare exceptions, it said the Republican vote for the House of Representatives showed lit' tie change from 1958, a black year for the GOP. Other lessons included: The GOP is firmly estab lished in the South "as a go ing business with a substan tial growth potential." The big city suburbs are increasingly crucial" to Re publicans in pivotal states to offset Democratic majorities in the cities. Young voters are moving toward the GOP and encour agement of this swing should be emphasized. Older voters are sticking with the Democrats, indicat ing "need for greater atten tion to senior citizens. Ticket-splitting in 1962 showed that candidate selec tion is becoming more im portant, that the party label and "coat-tail" candidates are weaker than in past years. - Over-all, the GOP is hurt more than helped by the way congressional districts now are drawn by the state legis latures. Salem - (UPD - Dr. Eleanor B. Gutman, a member of the Oregon hospital staff, died Saturday at her home. She was 58. O GREYHOUNDS! .y 7 Dally One Way Cel.. H 80 ni San Franelicn 3 $fl 83 W Sacramento, Cal. 3 M IS 25 Loa Angelea 3 I OS way with a round trip ticket.' 212 NO. BARTLETT 772-2202 tilHrtilktiilM'llHi -7T I OREGON Former U. S. Steel xecutive Dies New York IUPD Irving S. Olds, 76, who guided U.S. Steel Corp. in the mighty task of helping to arm the nation during world War II, died Monday following a long ill ness. The soft-spoken champion of free enterprise, whose steel trap mind" enabled him to win price increases without a public uproar was $200,000-a-ycar board chair man of the nation's largest steel company for 12 years. Olds retired in 1952, just as former President Harry S. Truman's famous seizure was ushering in the era of U.S. Steel's trouble with govern ment. Often looked upon as a business liberal, he raised wages along with prices in 1948, thus preventing a col lision like the one between President Kennedy and Big Steel. But he was a stock holder's man and a Yale man of 1660 Puritan American stock, and labor once called him a Scrooge. Olds, born in Erie, Pa., reached the heights not only in business, but also in legal, academic and cultural fields. PROLIFIC NEWSMAN Manila - OJPD - The Philip pines National Press Club Monday cited Angel F. Bolton as the "most prolific news paperman of the year" for having 16 children. LUXURY LIKE You're looking at our Impala Super Sport Convert ible which, along with its cousin the Sport Coupe, absolutely embarrasses higher priced cars. That special trim and those front bucket seats merely hint at the comforts you find in every Impala SS. Performance? It's remarkable, an understatement we can afford when there are 7 engines to choose from. One of which is the popular 340-hp Turbo-Fire 409, a wizard in traffic and a joy on the open road. And others all the way up to 425 hp. If you want an extra flourish or two, mull over extra-cost options like floor-shift four-speed manual or Powerglide transmission, Posi traction rear axle for I " ! ' NOW SEE WHAT5 NEW AT YOUR CHEVROLET DEALER'S COURTESY CHEVROLET 9TH & BARTLETT MEDFORD PHONE 772-6115 Congressional Press Releases Appear to Be on Upgrade in Style and Content By DICK WEST United Press International Washington - (UPU - The U.S. Congress has been catch ing a lot of criticism this year, but there is one area in which 1 personally would give our lawmak ers very high marks. I re fer to congres- mu releases which seem to me to be on the upgrade both in style and content. I can t recall another session with so much literary merit. Consider, for example, the fine work of Sen. Herman E. Talmadge (D-Ga.) in the field of interlocking and overlap ping cliches. Trims Opponenti Within a single sentence of a recent press release, Tal madge accused certain groups of "grinding political axes and honing in the heat of a political passion a double- edged blade which poses dangerous threat to the very tap roots of our republican form of government." I don't know enough about the timber business to affirm that a two-bladed axe is the best tool to use on tap roots, but I'll certainly give Tal madge credit for a bit of viv id writing. if CAR: RIDES, RESPONDS AND LOOKS IT OUGHT TO COST A RANSOM TUESDAY. MARCH Even so, it did not fire my imagination quite as much as a press release In which Rep. Robert T. Stafford (R-Vt.) de scribed a certain bill as "an unrealistic potpourri which will never get off the ground." I have spent a good bit of time trying to picture to myself just what an airborne potpourri would look like, but I haven t been able to visu alize anything very realistic. What I mamly got is a vi sion of flying hash, so as far as I'm concerned the potpour ri can stay earthbound. In fact, I hope it develops tap rools. Gets Committee Postt Another press release that Intrigued me was distributed by Rep. K. W. (Bill) Stinson (R-Wash.) upon the occasion of his being appoined to membership on the govern ment activities subcommit tee and the intergovernment al relations subcommittee of the government operations committee. "With typical fervor," It said, "Stinson commented that he felt his two subcom mittee assignments will pro vide a real challenge." I have always admired fervent comment and I am equally impressed by eye ball bravery, an example of which can be found in a press release from Rep. Carl El liott (D-Ala.) describing an inspection tour he made of better road adhesion, fade-resistant sintered-metallie brake linings, and a tachometer to relay what'i cooking up front. Just before you rush off to your Chevrolet dealer, may we remind you that both Impala Super Sporta offer the new Comfortilt steering wheel. You adjust it to suit your driving style, flick it out of the way for easy entry and exit. All three Chevrolet series Biscayne, Bel Air and Impala deserve a long look. Super Sports almost demand it. Super Sport equipment available on both Impala Convertible and Sport Coupe. . 'Optional at ejlra coat. 5. 1963 A 5 the U.S. naval base at Guan- tanamo, Cuba. "Elliott advanced to within 50 feet of the Cuban guards on duty at one Communist outpost," it related. "The Red soldiers glared at him. He glared back." That is what is known as "instant retaliation." TO VISIT U.S. Washington- (UPD -Dr. Sarve Palli Radhakrishnan, presi dent of India, will visit the United States sometime this summer, the White House an nounced Monday. The date has not been set. 217 E. Main Medrord 1
