New York Amsterdam News — 1963-00-00006

K • N- Y. AMSTERDAM NEWS, Sat., JfUL' AmgtgrUmVntoH C. B. POWELL —, President It Editor P. M. H. Savobv, Secy-Trees. * J. L. Hkxs, Executive Editor W. B. bmu c smawi K. A. itlon at 2940 Published weekly by the Powell-8avory Corporation at 234 Eighth Ave., N. Y. Telephone ACademy 2-7800. Brooklyn office, 1291 Bedford Avenue. Telephone ULeter 7-2500. I year |7 M - « mo«. Whose Idea ? HM A national magazine says that Adlai Steven­ son and President Kennedy, ih a recent White * House meeting with Negro leaders, sought to in ‘ duce them to shift their strategy from one of boy cotts and sit-ins to one stressing the responsibility ot Negroes to measure up to their new role in the United States and the world. We don’t know if this report is true or not. The Negro leaders who met with the presi- 1 dent are rightfully remaining silent. But we don’t believe that if such a suggestion was made that it came from President Kennedy. Adlai Stevenson may be thoroughly capable of such an unrealistic proposition, but we think the President is too wise, and too mature to have suggested such an idea. '" For one only has to reflect for a few minutes on events of the past two years to realize that the Negro leaders who met with the President are a far cry from the young students who first gave the nation the sit-in movements, or the grass-root people from St. Louis to Atlanta who are calling for, demanding, and participating in the boycotts 1 against those who continue to oppress them. It is to the eternal credit of the Negro lead- •• ers who met with the President that they are ac- :■ tively_ engaged in successfully providing the lead­ ership for these programs. But it’s folly to say that they started such programs, and it’s even greater folly to think that they can stop them.. So far as responsibility is concerned, it is a good thing for Negroes to be forever aware of the responsibilities which they owe as citizens of this great country of-ours. But included in this awareness of the indi­ vidual’s responsibility to the state must also be an awareness of the state’s responsibility to the individual. xn j ’ And so long as this state relegates any group - r Of Americans to the role of second class citizens, it is the responsibility of those citizens to fight for its correction, not only in their own interests, but ' ■‘ in the interests of a better America. Little Men (See Story Page 2) f.TA Clifford Alexander, one of our finer young men in Harlem, is now firmly seated as program and executive director of Harlem Youth Opportunities ' ~ Unlimited, and all reports indicate that he is not ' •’ only eminently qualified for the position, but that * ’ he is already doing an unusual and excellent job in this key program in our community. But the word is out that young Alexander has already been beset by petty conflicts of long stand­ ing between the do-nothings and hangers-on that continue to align themselves with Such programs. We’d like young Alexander to know that we stand firmly with him in his efforts to aid this community. And we urge those who are yapping at his. heels to step aside and let him do his job. SI— ■' Let Boxing Live ° As this is being written, a seven-man, by-par- * - tisan legislative committee is preparing to submit <'- to the New York legislature a bill recommending ■ a that boxing be outlawed in the State of New York. , This newspaper is squarely opposed to such c- legislation, and hereby urges members of the State r‘‘ Legislature to reject it and kill it. ^1 h boxing. ■-« There are simply too many hoodlums being •^permitted to run the sport the way they want it : to be run, rather than the way the rules of boxing - call for it to be run. . There is nothing wrong with the sport of The sport of boxing is an industry — an old Industry in New York State which affords a live- lihood to hundreds of people. *• - - And to outlaw boxing because there are some hoodlums connected with this industry would be about the same as outlawing the trucking industry in New. York State simply because some truck drivers happen to be drunkards who happen to *’ own licenses to drive trucks. * In the case of the truck drivers, or any auto- \ mobile drivers. *e take the license away from f the drunken drivers. And if they violate the laws too flagrantly, we throw them in Jail. The wra* thing could and should happen in boxing, if men of honor and good will decided to ‘clean it up by enforcing the law. ‘ The untimely death last March of boxer Benny - Paret left most boxing fans in New York State and i'Z in the nation in a state of shock. • ' But the questionable conditions which permit- ted Paret to enter the ring were equally as shock- • Jng, though certainly not as dramatic. • • ’ • And it is these conditions that the legislative -•'.committee or any other agency that would aid ..•boxing must address itself to. Cleaning up boxing can be a successful op­ eration. And the patient does not have to die! > Cool New Year’s Gift! Another Angle < The Numbers Game By JAMES L. HICKS It was Christmas time and I decided to call my mother, who lives in Akron, Ohio. I picked up the phone, and dialed “O”, which I’ve been doing a good many years in getting a long distance call put through. u __ I know I shouldn’t admit this, but I wasn’t, quite sure of the number. I’ve never been too good on telephone numbers. When the operator came on, I told her that I wanted to call Akron, Ohio, and gave her the name and address, like in the good old days be­ fore automation. She said that I could get that information very quickly by dialing 555-216-1212. “What was that?”, I said, stunned by the stream' of num­ bers. ■icm “I said, 555-216-1212,” said the operator in her operator’s voice. - “Can’t you get it for me?”, I answered. “I’m sorry, sir,” she countered, a small edge creeping into her dulcet tones, “but I can’t do that. You get'Akron information directly by dialing 555- 216-1212.” “Alright,’.’ I replied, reluctant to let her off the wire, but not able td find a way to make her call 555-216-1212. - So I hung up, and started again. “555-er 2-1-6- 1-2-1-2.” That wasn’t so bad. “Information,” came the voice over the phone. I patiently gave Mom’s name and address, and strummed through the pause while she looked it up. ., No Listing “I’m sorry, sir, but there’s no listing for such a person at such an address,” came the disembodied information voice. “Well, there is such a person at such an ad­ dress,” I said in a rather loud voice, “who raised me at that address and she still lives there.” “I’m sorry, sir,” she replied, rising a note or two above the scale of tones approved by the tele­ phone company, but this is Philadelphia, Pennsyl­ vania information, area code 215 It Works I hung up without even saying I was sorry- sorry for myself. I dialed again, slower—5-5-5-2-1-6- 1-2-1-2. Now if that wouldn’t do it, nothing would! It worked, and I did get my mother’s telephone number with some dispatch then. It was another long stream of numbers, but I was getting quick like a fox in getting those on paper. - I dialed it, and that’s right, you guessed it, I got the wrong number. A nice enough sounding person answered the phone, but it wasn’t my moth­ er. It was a lady out in Alhambra, California. I didn’t ask her what her area code was. I It was now almost twenty-five minutes later, and I was miffed, put out, put upon and disgusted, all of which I think got across to the operator when I dialed again and told her that if she didn’t get my number for me, I-would give my business to another telephone company. Hah! She did get it, and she said that the Alhambra call would be deducted from my bill, like she was giving me a Christmas present herself. She didn’t offer to pay me for the twenty-five minutes I’d been working for the telephone company, though. Now I* understand that there’s a committee being organized to save us from the numbers which are taking the place of people and I want to be one of the first to join. r P- (Additional Editorials) ‘ f Congratulations We extend heartiest congratulations to newly- elected NAACP Presidents Warren Bunn, Brooklyn Chapter; Rev. Robert Sherard, Corona-East Elm­ hurst Branch; Attorney Lovevine Freeman, Rocka­ way-Inwood Chapter and Attorney William H. Booth, Jamaica Branch. We followed with more than passing Interest their vigorous campaigns and solemn pledges. The victorious are expected to produce substantial and lasting results jo in that connection we shall speak our minds: • Leadership of any Organization, particularly the NAACP is an immense and unending responsi­ bility. Acceptance of the presidency is a declara­ tion of ability, capability and competency. Manhattan And Beyond What does a chap do when the year-end gong rings and there he is, holding a bunch of rough­ ly-sketched ideas for columns that kept being crowded out by items of more current interest? Sometimes — as in this case — he slips a couple into the new year and hopes that nobody notices it. And if anybody does, there are ex­ cuses available such as, “The New York newspaper strike GRANGER a •• Y • Back on the 13th of December the Newark Star Ledger offered a headline that read,, “Wirtz Admits Using- ‘Invalid’ Statis­ tics.” I clipped the article and scrawled a commentary of my own, “Figures can’t lie but liars can figure — and so can politi­ cians.” " If this was a nasty thought to apply to a Cabinet member, so was the Wirtz misuse of statis­ tics offered by his highly ethical Bureau of Labor Statistics. One of the fine things about our Fed­ eral government operation is the way in which dedicated civil ser­ vants go on, administration after administration, doing the jobs they are supposed to do regard­ less of political changes in the presidency and the cabinet. This By LESTER GRANGER is good for the departments in­ volved, it’s good for the general public, and it’s even good for the politicians that their hot little hands are smacked now and then when they try to subvert govern­ mental honesty for cheap politi­ cal ends. It’s only fair to say that it was hardly Secretary of Labor Wirtz, himself, who forged the “invalid” statistics that he used in the past congressional and guberna­ torial elections, just prior to Election Day. It was more apt to have been one of the numer­ ous speech writers such as a cabinet member calls upon as the closing campaign weeks be­ gin to heat up. Whoever it was, he was not only dishonest, he was stupid as well—for the last word in stupidity is to be dis­ honest in so sloven a fashion that detection is inevitable, as in this case when every partisan utterance of Secretary Wirtz was under immediate and intelligent scrutiny. What he did was to claim that employment rolls in October 1962 were up by 4,500,000 Jobs over the figure when the ad­ ministration took office in Jan­ uary. 1961. He made the state­ ment just before Election Day, too late to be controverted. Sev­ eral weeks afterward Wirtz ad-, mitted that his figures were “in- valid” because they were statis­ tically untrue. You can’t com­ pare October figures of one year with January figures of anoth­ er year without making seasonal adjustments—and the Bureau of Labor Statistics, whose figures were used, did have the adjust­ ments ready for anyone who wanted them. It was sheer dis­ honesty to use the one without the other—and it did the repu­ tation of the Secretary of Labor no good to have him involved in this kind of sleaziness. The valid figure, seasonally ad­ justed, would have been not 4,500,000 but 1,224,000 — a dif­ ference of 3,276,000. One can imagine the speech writer com­ paring the larger and the small­ er figure and then, like any cheap huckster, deciding that the stupid public wouldn’t no­ tice the difference if the season-- al adjustment were left out. May­ be he was right; maybe even now the public will never realize that it has been insulted. But EWan Clague’s Bureau of Labor Statistics knows the difference and is sore about it—deep down sore. How do I know? Because I know those people. They are dedicated public servants who put the truth of their reports over vulgar political cheating. And I imagine that the Secre­ tary knows this now, if he didn’t before. z Pulse Of New York’s Public The Amsterdam Newt welcomes letters on either side of any subject. It to preferred that letters not exceed 2S0 words and thee assist he signed. Names vfU be withheld on request. No letters can be returned. AU must be addressed to the editor. the ad in the Amsterdam News two weeks ago, but also in plac­ ing it so advantageously for us. We must have had at least two dozen answers. And some of these applicants i even though not eligible fpr the co-op) can be helped by us ia ether ways. artists commenting on culture In America. The treatment of the so called minister to appalling. Has Mr. Granger been so en­ gulfed in the middle class mis conception that he honestly be­ lieves that “he didn't Just do that to us because we’re color- I also want to express our ap-!ed” as in the case of Mr. W preciatioo for the notice which Worthy Smith told us you asked Mrs. I have called the above to thelMrs. Norford to place In her column. It told oui* story most succinctly and clsarly. Beatrice L. Williams 482 E. 74th Street New York 21, N Wild About Horry w - Sir: Pleaae inform your read­ ers that the Harry Gaines (which is me) 211 East 51 street is not the Harry Gaines that about a dozen people have been calling here about. I hope we will not have to There are many persona'who do not make enough on their regu lar job to get by and work ex­ tra hours on a straight time basis. At the end of the year when the money Is combined, they are horrified to find they must pay additional tax Just as though they had earned the extra money change our telephone number He must be a very important!on. an over time basis, man, as a lot of people wish to get in contact with him. Thank you very much. Harry Gaines East 51 Street New York, N.Y. attention of a number of promin­ ent persons including Governor Rockefeller. A congressman ad­ mitted that this was the case but said nothing could be done about It. Artist Approval Perhaps this situation has changed since I first called at­ tention to it. However, if any Sir: 1 wish 40 express my sin­ provision has been made for cere thanks to you for the ex­ w *”* CA‘ this most disgraceful display of cellent art.cle in the Amsterdam jn<qulty gnd |nju#tic€ L., hard News regarding my concert. workhg people I am’hot'aware I livin« in lhi« »re» havin« houJ' teena?e dau*hter« Renewed thanks and a Happy New Year to you and yours. Naw Readers End a A. Merson Committee on Civil Righto In Metropolitan New York, Inc. Sir: It will interest you to know that one of my Jewish colleagues told me this morning "out, of desperation” he bought a copy of the Amsterdam News the other day and carried Although these branches are situated in Brooklyn, Queens and Nassau Counties, discrim­ ination of the worst kind still exists in housing, education and employment. You will, therefore, be expected to direct a united effort towards correct­ ing these gross inequalities in your respective communities. A Good Number Sir: Did you know that people home to New Jeraey. One of his it to a civic type class (current events from the newspapers had ap­ parently been the customary or­ der of the day) ng and landlord trouble can get quicker results by reporting it to the Morningside Neighborhood Conservation Program at 360 W. when the reported «n one of Perpetual membership campaigns, effective 122nd Street. The phone number the newr stories (he didn't re- fund-raising drives and full community particlpa- is MO. 4-7190. Pleaae print this la the Weal vehicleg on member which one) the teacher your paper and instruct your asked to aee the paper, then readers with complaints to make use of this service. They inspect proceeded to literally devour It complaints immediately and usu-IHedtad never seen or heard of .he paper and — worse yet — was not aware of the extoteoce of newspapers printed by and about Negroes predominantly. You know the saying, "It’s an ill wind, etc, etc,” Geologists To Ghana which such a program could be achieved. Between 20 to 30 United Sts tea of the two Governments to make Chicken Holmes New York, N. Y. Peace Corps geologists will go ..........._ Uon our oplnion Puxzling u:.. , , , It is certainly gratifying to of h know that one has allies in any crusade and particularly in myj small effort to improve our im­ age, not only lor ourselves but for the world in general by pre­ senting our religious folk music with the dignity and reverqpce it so richly deserves. George E. Fox East 128th St. * New York 35, NAY. Unaware? Sir: HdW Jcan you be so un­ aware of facts as to bypass Thanks ag^in snd don't heai- AlainHocke Negro Rhodes schol- tate to qaH me if 1 can be of ar from Pennsylvania 1007 to 1010 ally get regu,ts ‘"tany service* to you Merritt Hedgeman 2l0 West 195th St New York 37, N. Y Tax Money and report in your Dec. „22nd issue that the present appoint­ ees are the first Negro Rhodes J scholar. Your error requires cor- - rectioa. Pearl Fisher New York Sir: It to certainly disgraceful in s land aa abundant as ours that -our government must re­ ____ _______ _ Sir- You will be glad to know, -sort to numerous subterfuges •to obtain tax money For exam-I am certain, how much the ad Bell Ringer Sir- What's with Mr. Lester Merry Christman to the whole Granger? How can he state such Amsterdam News family. My a flagrant falsehood aa to ever personal thanks, as well as that consider my dressing according­ of NAFAO, for your encouraging ly qr insidious temptation and ’•eporting of our news over the he in the same breath staths that past 12 mootha. We look forward my work buddy and I were uot to the New Year and an ex­ panded program which promises to push us further toward oar goal. pie, our "Tax Table'* used for In the Amsterdam News helped Italian* <* Slars (praise God) computing taxes, erroneously as- in disposing of those co-op apart-| It is because o< Mr Granger that an Insulting play like "Tiger, sumes that all hours worked ments which have to be sold be- Tfger Burning Bright" can he fore January 1, 1963. I want to over forty are performed on Broadway with express the Committee’s thanks overtime baato. some of our most talented Negro for your help not only in getting Thia to not worked on an rily so Lola K. Alexander 70 LaSalle St. New York 27, NY to Ghana this year under an agreement signed recently by the Industries Ministry of Ghana and the United States Peace Corps Agency subsidiary arr^ services of<th rrygements for the the Peace Corps. Under the agreement, geologists would be directly under the Geo­ logical Survey Department and would initially stay in the country •for two years, subject to revto- Ghana's Minister of Industriesi ion by either side. Imoru Egala, and* George Car-, The first group of ter, director of the Peace Corps Agency In Ghana, represented their governments in negotiating the agreement which to an ex­ tension of a previoosoverall agree­ ment in 1961 allowing any agency geologists to expected in Ghana during the first half of April. The Ministry is to provide accommodation and yearly allowance of 419,600, which amount to to be supplemented by the Agency. Untitled Document file:///C|/Documents%20and%20Settings/Administrator/Desktop/hello.html2/18/2007 11:01:03 AMThomas M. Tryniski 309 South 4th Street Fulton New York 13069 www.fultonhistory.com