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' " '
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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
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-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
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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