Things Looking Brighter at the McLaughlin Glass Plant

LOS ANGELES, CALIF.

By J. M. Price

A great month February, let's see, Ground Hog Day, Lincoln's Birthday, Valentine Day, George Washington's birthday, all in 28 days and all bills due that much quicker. The land of milk and honey flowing with crys (sic) of hunger and despair. We are told the banks have greater deposits than ever before. Then we read that in one state 500,000 are starving, something wrong somewhere. Here we are a nation that has always been first to assist any of the nation in times of distress but when old man calamity sits down on our own door step, we don't know what to do. We sure need a Moses to get us out of the wilderness.

No doubt the old timers will be sorry to hear of the death of Dan Burke which occurred on February 3rd. Reports from the different factories are encouraging with the exception of the Brock Glass Company, Santa Ana. The two shops working there have been dividing time. The Crystalite at Glendale is working full time, the Technical Glass Company has five shops and all doing pretty good. At the McLaughlin Company things are looking brighter and we are looking forward to plenty of work. The Forger Company is working two and three turns a week. Our mould makers at Long Beach are working steady. The Maywood Glass Company is having a good run, two mould makers working there. The W. J. Latchford Company at 7441 Roseberry Avenue, has been working very steady and I understand is going to build another tank. They have two in operation at present. Also at Compton they have a factory where they make their five gallon water bottles. This company started about six years ago and has grown to be quite a plant. They produce all kinds of bottles and all their machines are maned (sic) by members of the G. B. B. A. Bert Pugh is the manager in the furnace room. In the mould shop which employs only members of Local Union No. 141, Frank Simpson is the foreman. I understand at present they have eight mould makers working in the shop with plenty of work in sight.

I met Danny Rock the other day. He said the second hand store is going good. Danny also has a side line of razor strops so if any of our members need a strop, get in touch with him. Bert Anderson so far has failed to pass the cigars. S. Carlson is still on the sick list. Steve and Jim Shulick drew their cards but I do not know whether they went east or not.

I have been informed that Brother Stagney is expecting to make a trip to Sweden this summer. If you do go, Brother Stagney, bring back some fresh Copenhagen for Joe Bloomgreen. The last I got from him seemed a little stale. Fred Glassen had a good crop of grapes on his ranch this year but I have not seen any of the juice yet.

Labor conditions are about the same here. One thing that helps this country quite a bit is that there is lots of people arriving here daily and they all have a few dollars to spend. They have to eat and if they stay until they are broke and then join the army of job hunters and get acquainted with that sign on the front door, "No Help Wanted." The Wickersham committee spent $500,000 but no one seemed to understand what they did. Senator Nye and his investigations cost $96,000 for what? But we cannot give a dollar to a starving family. That would make the head of the family less dependent on his own labors, and they try to make us believe every time a man gets a bad break he will expect the government to assist him. Well, I am asking why not the government, is not our government by the people and for the people? Some forty years ago one of our presidents said the people support the government but the government cannot support the people. That is all right but just the same the government makes a hell of a good stagger at supporting a lot of the people and I don't hear of any of them feeling hurt when they get their done on pay day. Oh well, it's a great old world but we all like to be here.

Each morning we take up the battle and retire at night always with the hope that tomorrow will be a better day. Hope, how it guides, when we lose it it is the end.