McLaughlin Glass Company, Los Angeles, CA

LOS ANGELES, CALIF.

By J. M. Price

Tear off another month from the calendar and figure that old man time is always on the job. You may think you can keep ahead of the old fellow but at night when you are asleep is the time when he slips up on you.

I am very glad to report that our last regular meeting, May 3rd, was well attended and it was one of those unusual days we have out here as it rained and how. So Brothers, accept my congratulations and keep up your interest. Sorry to report that conditions are nothing to brag about. The Mission Glass Company tried to make a start but so far has not been very successful and I understand has decided to call it quits. About twenty of our members have been waiting for this plant to get started since the middle of last December. The most of these brothers were brought out with the expectation of having work and now they are here and nothing to do. I understand that some of them are in pretty bad shape.

I think glass workers before coming out here if they expect to work at the trade, might find it in their interest to get in touch with the officials of Local Union No. 141 before accepting jobs out here and find out what the conditions are. Now brothers, I have no objection to you coming out here, come right along, and join the crowd and enjoy that great sport of hunting a job in Los Angeles. Some of us can certainly give you all the points you need.

The Crystalite is working good. The Technical has been dividing time and the McLaughlin plant has not been doing much and the future looks dark. The Brock Glass Company has reduced their force to two shops. They have been getting pretty good time. The mould makers are all working very steady at the Southern Glass Company. Latchford's at Long Beach and the Sam Wood's shop. The factory that I wrote about that is located in Glendale and was granted a privilege of working Saturdays and Sundays by the Greens has closed again.

I was glad to know that someone was reading the articles that I send in. I can assure the brother in old Pittsburgh that what he writes is read at least by one and that we are taking good care of Brother Sen and will do our best to keep him from going Hollywood.

All right Dan Rock, come right along, as a welcome awaits you. Drop in after breakfast, bring your own dinner and blow before supper and we will show you a hellofa good time. The only difference now Dan, and when you were here is there are more of us on the bum. The writer enjoyed a visit with Joker McKenzie a few evenings ago. This is the second time I have seen Joker since the Marietta convention. We went back to the days in Rochester when a dollar bought a four gallon keg of beer and for a dime you could buy a shot that would make you look at the world through rose colored glasses. Joker is employed at present by the Illinois Pacific Glass Company here. Billy Parsons, another Rochester boy, is located here and Nig Cheney.

Quite a few of the members here were surprised and sorry to hear of the deaths of the Hill brothers, having worked with them when their father was the manager at the Lancaster Glass Company, Lancaster, Ohio. One of our members, Frank Abrahamson, met with a very sad loss on April 18th. His daughter, 22 years old, passed away with heart trouble. The members of Local Union No. 141 sent a floral offering and extended their sympathy to the parents and a brother. It seems we feel the loss so much more when we have guided our children's footsteps to manhood or womanhood and then they are taken away, we wonder why, bow our heads and grieve, and yet it may be all for the best, for the Lord, our God, He doeth all things well.

I hope that all the members throughout the trade by the time this is read will all be making the old eleven turns a week and getting ready for the old Fourth of July. Of course it is pretty hard to celebrate on the stuff you get nowadays for a couple of shots will put you on your back.

Sorry that our local union cannot send a delegate this year as we used up most of our funds taking care of some sick members which perhaps was a better use for the money. I suppose you brothers in the east are digging yourselves out after being holed up all winter and after a few warm days will forget all about what a tough winter it was and as usual the hotter it gets the more work you will have as it seems the summer time is the busy time in the glass house.