Document gbzrddbwErGN4kbqzMyj4d3aG

* PHILADELPHIA RECORD Equipment Guards 'Against Dust Malady, Executive Asserts--Insurance Report Quoted in . Reply by Spivak. EDITOR'S NOTE: John L. Spivak, noted liberal writer, in a Berks of articles entitled, *7 Interring America," completed in yesterday's Record, told of the suffering of workers in Southern asbestos mills. Today The Record prints a defense of the mills by George S. Fabrl, president of the Southern Asbestos Company, and a rebuttal by Spivok. w By GKORGB S. FARM, By JOHN L. SPTVAK Edilor at Tlic Record: Editor of The Record: Dear Sir: Sir:--I am very grateful for your I have ia my hands a copy of : courtesy in sending me George S. your August ifi edition and re- i Fahel's letter and granting me the ier to an article by John Ij. Spi privilege of answering it. vak. To say that we are surprised Mr. Fahel's assertion that "in re that a paper with your reputation cent Insurance examinations and published such obviously uncon court trials it has been testified firmed dramatized tommy rot by competent doctors that no one yvould be putting' It mildly. It has been known to contract as- each one of Air. Spivak'.1* articles bestoxis, or what Is known ns the is a* far from the facts as Article dust malady, in textile mills within JMiT'iT on the asbestos mill evils, 38 months, as is alleged by Mr. then you should not lend your Spivak," is quite impoilant. columns and certainly not place I do not know' where Mr. Fabel the editor's note preceding his ar got the 38-monlh period. What I ticle which morally approves the said was, quoting Dr. Key, the city facts to your reading public. health officer: "They (asbestos miil . Getting to the facts, the only workers) can't last more than five asbestos mill he can refer to In to seven years If they're white." Charlotte, N. C., Is ours. YVe are Obviously, if such testimony was affiliated with the Thennoid Com given at court trials, then persons pany in Trenton, X. J., which also suffering from asbestosis were seek has a textile mill and undoubtedly ing compensation which had been the oriicle referred to has come denied them, for injuries they to the attention of their employes claimed resulted from their work. as well--unrest will be a conse It is to be regretted that Mr. Fabel quence. did not see fit to tell for which side Taking his article in sequence the competent doctors he mentions and trying to answer it without gave their testimony'. Were they' emotion ^although that tear jerk not doctors paid by' the asbestos ing style of Spivak's increases our milt to defend the claims against fury), in recent insurance exam it? inations and court trials it has been testified by competent doc Insurance Taper. tors that no one has been known S. G. Hopkins and I* 13. Ludwig, to contract asbestosis, or what is of the Penn Mutual Life Insurance known as the dust malady, In Company, prepared a paper on "As textile mills within 33 months, as bestos Mills" covering conditions in is alleged by Mr. Spivak. the United Slates. The paper was Bared by X-ray. read at the. Fifth Informal Inter In one or two isolated Instances company Occupational Fating Con it was found that asbestosis had ference at the home office of the been contracted by- employes after John Hancock Mutual Life Insur l\yo years' employment, but then ance Company, Boston, on May 23 there was no certainty ns to the and 21, ISC'S. In this paper they condition of their health before quoted from three papers dealing employment and even then It was with Pulmoiiury Absesiosis which r.ot apt arenc from coughing or appeared in the British Medical any outward signs but was only Journal of December 3. 1P2T. pre ihsetneicd in a primary stage by pared by Dr. Cook. Dr. McDonald the use of X-rays and tbe ffuoro- and Sir Thomas Oliver as follows: scope. "The modern conditions in t lie This court testimony (If Spivak United Stairs under which the aver were the reporter you claim lie age employe works, along with such would have found this available prob'di\e devices as dint elimina or (ilherwi-cl el-o icxealed that tion ay.sieni1*. tuoisl m e-lnden atmos employes removed from tins nx- phere.' well-lighted, well-ventilated j-iltl c\po* wro after con buildings, present a deeUledlv more . /meting it were not further nf- favorable picture than in former fecic.l. lir other words ttie disease years. Is not progressive. We have employe* In our mill 'who sintl'-d with us over l.'i years "We do, however, feel that until w have the benefit of our experlenrn wllli th'ri clnr,s of worl.ois we ago and have worked Under the. rtiildiioois They l ave that pu-i>ed Spivak the most M_ iarUs. c.;i Mill | I'liouM continue to look upon those who ninv I-1 exposed to large quan,j||,,, 0f dil'd, ;,urh ns rmploves oxeiriln-itlo'ii to which tt w.n pox-1 |in,| ifin opening, piekini'. whU to d> Cl til.' 1 '`..up ` ..... , . t -- f / . ... (, v . .. ' - , r - . iii > i ik)( liii'irions to ivorkfr.V h''.il!li. [in these towns bear out. to mjiiir Competent inodlml authorities [extent the unfavorable, findings of nrr on record Hint workers will not our honored investigators Abroad." ronirart nsbestosls from lint and Dr. Key's denial that he said can only become afllirlcii when they precisely what I quoted strikes me have n weakened Jung condition to as rather sad. I can account for it Virgin with, nnd then after exposure, only as an Incident in the liic of over Ion" periods of lime to dust a city official who recants what he ront-iining particles lcs3 than ten said 'because ot the influence, tt not microns in size. control, of mill manufacturers over With respect to his statements the city's political life. It is par about the stretch-out system, that ticularly sad to me because Dr. is pure unadulterated holtttm since Bey's letters regarding masks for the article refers largely to colored workers are on file at the United workers or at least rrdie3 on their States Department of Health in testimony. Mo stretch-out system Washington. Jn our asbestos mill has ever been Mow, as to Mr. Babel's vehement attempted in any sense of the word denial of the stretch-out system. with respect to coloredN workers. Of course he would deny ii; em Approximately a year ago in our ployers always do. But, possibly twisting department, where white Mr. Babel can give us a statement help is employed, due to lack of experienced twister help, we did give operators more spindles to get from A. B. ot L. headquarters in Charlotte, or from Mr. Jackson, whom. I quoted and who was a greater production but in so doing the operators earned more money and not less money. Clean is ill of Health. In 1929 a twister made SIS per Week for 60 hours. After the code twisters earned S15.7t per week for `40 hours. It is true that M. It. A. investigators, because of such agi tators as Spivak, did make an in vestigation of the complaint ngainst our company known as the stretch-out system and the re sult of their investigation is a mat ter of public record. It gave the member of the N. R. A. board, that there was no stretch-out system? I am afraid a simple denial from a manufacturer is not enough. Work ers told me otherwise and though Mr. Babel casts aspersions on the pathetic tales told by Negro workers, I, who have seen them coming from the mills after a day on the stretch-out, believe them. Mr. Babel might also look up the complaints in the local M. It. A. compliance board in Charlotte against his company. I saw several of them. Southern Asbestos Company a Free Respirator*. Clean bill of health. The statements made by Mr. Mr. Babel says that he supplies Spivak involving Doctor G. T. Rev all his workers with respirators are absolutely denied by Doctor free of charge. Granted that that Key. We are receiving a letter to is true, It would be interesting to that effect both as to any knowl know since when these respirators edge in connection with the in formation given in the article or have been supplied and how many compensation actions have been that he knows of the colored fel low referred to by Mr. Spivak. We supply each and every work er in our plant with a respirator free of charge, including a mask which is approved by the Govern"pent Bureau of Standards. No 'employe ran start work with us unless he has signed up and agrees to use the respirator and every one of our employes has received one. brought against' the company for injuries to health as a result of the absence of these masks or with the use of these masks. ' It is very significant that Mr. Babel's company compels each worker to sign to use the respirator. Mr. Babel knows as well as I that you make a worker sign to use n certain object only for the legal defense of "the employer. It' is of Mo Railroad Mcar. ; As further evidence of the lack of truth or understanding in these alleged reportorial qualities of Spivnk, please he advised that the section of Charlotte called "Blue Heaven'1 is far away from any railroad, although lie talks about "We sat for a long time talking and a freight train load with tex tiles and asbestos rattled past." As to the help being colored to no value to the worker except to make it difficult or impossible to collect compensation should he be come ill despite the respirator. Lastly, Mr. Babel denies that there is a railroad running near Blue Heaven- as I described it. Un fortunately, I do not have a picture in my possession, but if Mr. Babe! will visit Blue Heaven, he will be short-sighted indeed if he docs not see the railroad. the extent of 99 per cent, only 22 Agitation Denied. per cent of our employes today are colored and they are used as un Mr. Babel harps on the belief that skilled laborers in receiving, snip my report of what I saw and heard ping and power house departments, will "cause unrest," that "because You undoubtedly have, heard of r.tich agitators as Spivak, NT. R. from the Charlotte Chamber of A. investigators did make an inves Commerce, who have taken ex tigation of the complaint against ception to the .article. Mow, out of our company about the stretch-out fairness, we .ask you to reprint system" and that I am "a walking this in reasonahlv prominent space. delegate agitating and instilling un Called Misleading. founded fear in the poor Negroes' ' We have felt certain heretofore minds." that tin' Philadelphia Record was No, Mr. Babel, I am not the agi one of the finest journals. How can tator. Tiio agitator is the mill yon print such misleading propa owner who forces his workers to ganda? We have had incalculable labor under conditions which arc a expense this first half (evidence shame to this country nnd to hu our statement) lu>p.vie ot "walk manity. All Iho. agitation in the in'.; deleg.it>- " like Spivak as.Hat world onnnni take root where work ing amt in titling unfounded fear ers are contented. When mill own in tin; poor Nrgroi s' minds, fair ers xvill eliminate the conditions play and vour obligation to eon- that 1 saw nnd which the workers Mfurtive industry m your vicinity so tragically described to me, then h"'ilil rti|".ite you to print tins. ' yon will have no fear of such re .Veiy truly > ports a-, mine causing unrest. G1C0. S. KAHIli,. j .Very truly vours, .* ___ President. .A.L- JOHN 1a fiPIVAIC. I ! | . Case_______$ A good-looking, strongly sewn brief case 15x8 inches. Three pockets with full inch gussets between. Straps all 'round. Three-way lock fastening. Tan only. ' Mail and phone orders, call RITtrnhouxe 1000, DOWN STAIRS STORE--GALLERY---CENTRAL KBatfla price ' -Regular 10c, September price 5c cake. Seven popular scents. Can be assorted if desired, in these special boxes. .- 2 cakes EER kox_:1 JIG`cakes eei kws:'......................... Cold cream--white. Rose--pink. ' Carnation--blue.Verbena--yellow. Almond--white. Violet--orchid. Palm--green. 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