Bronze Reporter [Volume: 4, Issue: 28]

acs Seas.

SERVING THE
SAGINAW _

VALLEY
@ Flint

* Saginaw

@ Lansing

~NEGRO
~PUBLISHERS~
ASSOCIATION..

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VOLUME 4~NO--27 2 5/

FLLINT, MICHIGAN, SATURDAY,

~PRICE Les SINGLE eniiinldh catd ache j

FLINT:

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Rep. Townsend |
Offers Resolution

Rep Roger B. Townsend has
offered a resolution to
House of Representatives to
create a special Committee to
investigate and study charges
that certain morticians throughout the State were excessive
with funeral charges.

Rep. Townsend was contacted for a statement by B. R.
Editor. Townsend said that the
number of complaints against
several funeral establishments
Detroit and against a prominenti funerdl home in Flint was
alarming. ~I recognize the funeinal services as one of the
basic services which must be
rendered to all mankind. His. fitting that such services should
be rendered in at least a spirit
of quasipublic interest.

Charge for such __ services
should bear a_ reasonable relaticnship not only ~to the-services
rendered, but to the nature of
the services rendered.~ he said.)

~~Townsend.contiitued; ~~As. an} *
elected represéfitative of the}:

people I can not permit these
charges to go ignored.: Apparently too many people

feel that they are being ex
pleited.

When asked it he could name
the funeral director in Flirt
who was so charged, Townsend
replied, ~I~d rather not do so
until more facts are learned.
It is difficult to judge how

Dr. King To
NAACP
National

Fund

NEW YORK.~New members
of the NAACP National Advisory Committee were announced
today by Jackie Robinson, chairman of the Association~s 1957
Fight for Freedom Funds campaign. The committee will serve
under his leadership in the Association~s national fund-raising
efforts.

The new committee mem_ bers are the Rev. Dr. Martin
~ Luther King of Montgomery.
Ala., leader of the long protest
against racial discrimination
on Montgomery buses; the Rt.
Rev. W. J. Walls of Chicago,
a bishop of the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church;
J. J. Simmons Jr. of Muskogee, Okla., businessman; Sammy Davis Jr. of New York

City, Broadway entertainer;
Eugene M. Martin of Atlanta,
Ga., insurance executive;

_ Nathaniel S. Colley of Sacramento, Calif., attorney; and the
Hon. Meier Steinbrink of New
York City, New York Supreme
Court judge.

The committee is seeking a
fund of one million dollars, in
1957 to enafle the NAACP to
carry on its work to end racial
- discrimination and segregation.

Members of ~ the committee
previously announced are: the
Rt. Rev. Edgar Love, Baltimore,
a ~bishop of the Methodist
Church; George BeaVers, Los
Angeles, insurance executive;
Dr. Alf E. Thomas, Detroit physician; the Rev. Ernest S. Estell,
Dailas, pastor of St. John~s Baptist Church; Walter Reuther,
Detroit, president. of, the United

'Autofnobile Workers; Miss Lena} i

Horne, New -York City, singer

and screen star; Mrs. osncerd bi
Buchanan, New York City, mem
ber of the New York State Assembly.

a

the

much
personal services, and I don~t
want to be hasty or unfdir.~ |

The following is a copy of the|

resolution
Townsend:

offered by Rep.

A resolution creating a special committe of the House to

investigate and study the pre-}:

sent~ charges- being made by the

morticians of this state rela-|~

tive to the costs of burials.

Whereas,
been made that the costs of
burials in this state are becom
ing extremely expensive and 2a|.

very definite hardship upon
many bereaved families in their
moment of greatest sorrow: and
-Whereas, As one of the basic
services which must bé rendered to all. mankind, it is fitting that such services should
be rendered in at least a spirit
of quasi public interest,

-only ~to
ered but to the nature of the
services rendered; now therefore be it. rae 3

Resolved by the House of
Representatives, That a special
committee is hereby created to
consist of 5 members of the
Hcuse to be appointed as members of standing committees are
appointed, to function during
this Session of the Legislature
and in the interim between
the 1957 and 1958 Regular Sesgions of the Legislature for
the purpose of investigating and
studying the price structure of
the morticians relative to the
rendering of services in connection with burial services and
related services in connection
with funerals. The committee
shall report its findings and
recommendations to the House
ef Representatives; and be it
further.

Resolved, That the committee
is hereby authorized| to administer oaths, subpoena witnesses
and to examine books and records of any persons, partnerships, associations or coarporations, public or privat, involved ~tin a matter properly before
such committee; and be it further.;

Resolved, That~ the members
ef the committee shall serve
without compensation but shall

|be: entitled to actual and nec
essary traveling and other expenses incurred in the performance of official ~duties, to be
paid from the appropriation to~
the House of Representatives.

Ed. Notel It might help all
concerned. If the public - and
morticians express their sentiments on the issue.

NAACP Caritas
Legislature Fight

CHICAGO~The campaign of
the Chicago NAACP branch for
tacial integration of the city~s
public schools has been carried
to the Illinois General Assembly.

_ Abner, branch
president, announced this week
that the NAACP unit will give
~all out support~ to a fnew meri

Provisions of the measure include the following:. |
~Amendment of a austin of
the State School Code to require
that the Chicabo board of edu
should be charged for|
Allegations havej|
and | ~
charges for such services should).

e services aad t

~Big Brothers~ Hailed As~ Service To Humanity
Inspite of the rainy weather, hundreds of civic-mind
First Presbyterian Church.

The banquet attracted FYB
board and committee members,
Big Brothers and their wives,
city officials including the mayor, the city manager, the finence director, and police and
fire officials.

The business sessions. involved
the financial report given by.
Robert Bellairs, the annual repori ~by Joe Ryder. service}
awards report by Harding Mott;
and the election of board members conducted by James Bol~ton.

Dr. Thomas J. Edwards. Elected

Six men were named to the
FYB~s board of directors. Théy.
are Rev.- Raymond A. Gray,
Howard M. Brady, Kent M.
Hopkins, Ray B. iWthey, | Dr.
Thomas J. ~Edwards and Robert
H. Bellairs.

Ples Swan Retires From Board

Five ~members of the board

Shelton~ and Ples R..Swan.
After Frank J Maney, Mott
Fundation Director, welcomed
the- guests, the Harmonaries,
Flint JC male. quartet, ~gave
two vocal~ se
Why~ and ~Sweet. Kentucky
Ba
Miss susan Bediores Standing

Before Pesca T. Ryder completed his annual report, ~he
escorted Miss Florence E. Rid
cell to the speakers~ table. As
our* beloved Miss~ Riddell ap
retire this year. They are Miss}
Florence Riddell, James C. Mit-|'
che, George Ferman, Robert}

ions, ~Tell Me}

ed citizens attended the Thirteenth Annual Banquet of
the Flint Youth Bureau last Monday, April 1, at the

He told: how community activity affect the goodwill of our
nation abroad. He cited the
Autherine Lucy case as an example.

~Lauds Manley And Moit
~The educator praised Frank
5 ema ab and C. Se Mott for

Youth Bureau Banquet

_By J. GIBSON, JR.

their ~insight, sympathy, and
understanding for, the future
of our youth and of nation.~
He lamented. that inspite of the
fantastic prosperity enjoyed in
American, we haven~t been able

to successfully, cope \with corruption, and deliqunemncy.

In paying tribute
Flint Youth Bureau, and the
Matt Foundation, he said the
program was an excellent example of peole desiring to render service on the community
level.:

The United Negro. College
Fund is going to the American
people in 1957 for $2 million. to
help finance the current operations of 31 private, accredited
member colleges. The following
factors, singly or in combinaion, are significant.

am of sma op
ive of
31 member
inatitutions located in the South
they provide readily available,
accredited colleges in the region
where they are most needed.

proached the microphone, she|Seventy-three. per cent of col
~was greeted. with a standing
ovation. She spoke briefly of
the community services rendered by the Big ~anid she
made an appeal for similar support of the Big Sister move-.

in Flint.
The guest speaker of the
evening was Dr. Ernest O. Mel
race

thent. which -She is heading}.

by, Distinquished Visiting Pro-}
fessor from ama State Uni-}.

lege-age Negroes live in the
South~and 80 per cent of all
American students go to college
in a -vined own home states.

understanding and-respect;
for each other, you're paving
ee the way -for-a- randori "A makes arate

a5

Asks Two Million
For College Fund

a rural improvement program

umnus heads a similar program
in India;

*A Hampton graduate serves
as consultant on home economics, in India; -

* A Fisk graduate idivects an
American education commission
in ~Thailand;. i

a masters-degree from Fisk, is
Assistant to the President of the
Philippines, in charge of the
country~s rural ~ommunity program.

Pleads Inne Innocent

DETROIT ~ A 48-year old
housewife accused of disturbing
the peace in the ~Cherrylawn
Incident~ housing bias withdrew
her original plea of guilty this
week and agg arf she is innocent.

Mrs. Rose Marie Petrancky.
of 13573 Cherrylawn ~was ~
ed a jury trial by Judge P. E.
Krause who set April 10 for
the hearing.

Mrs. Petransky was arrested
in February for disturbing the

~She was charged with
i eading a group of women who
shouted insults at vistors~ of
Mrs. Ethel

Judge Krause permitted Mrs.

-|Petransky to change her plea
-} because: she--was -not -represent
retintOoe Giaas mage lived ay sae

to ~the|

in Iran; another Tuskegee -al-)

*A Knoxville graduate, with:

Watkins who re-}i
cently had moved into the all-):
+-white. neighborhood.

What is the NAACP doing on~,
the local level? This ~question! N
has been asked by many pro
} spective: members to the famed

civil. rights organization.

In a press release, Mrs, Her~man Gibson, chairman of the
Press and Publicity Committee,
issued ~the following statement:

~Most people are familiar
with the work of the NAACP: om a national level, in the

areas of education, job oppor
tunity, and equality~in the

courts,

-~Less well known, ner tidis is
the job that our local branch
is doing to correct situations that
exist right ~here in: the seid of
Flint.

~During the first three mbnbhe
of 1957, the Flint branch has

~|handled:a number of cases in
volving - discrimination.
~One case invelyed. the re
then, appealed to the local
WAACP branch.

~Branch attorneys took up the
matter with the Prosecutor~s office and insisted. that the case
be taken to court. The waitress
then pleaded guilty and was
fined, setting an- example for
other restaurants that they may
not refuse someone service be}cause of race, creed or color..

~A second incident took place
at a popular skating ~rink when
a group of well-behaved Negro
teenagers attempted to go skating' and were refused tickets.

Civil Service _
Wins In Pontiac

PONTIAC~The Police Department won their right to
come under civil service status.

The voters. approved. the
abandonment of the 25-year
old Police Trial Board and
placed the 114 man force under
civil. servvice.

DISTRICT ONE

* Throughout the~city, all of the
precincts recorded majority
votes for the measure, The exceptions were the five precints
in District One, which is mostly.|comprised of the Negro com+

munity.
This was due to the Seating

of the Negro commpnity that
~with a civil service board the

would be a Negro...

~Under the present (until Tacs.
day~s vote) there is a Negro, E.
Fowler, who was appointed by
District One~s paar ees:
Roy V. Cooley.:

WILL SUPPORT

Two Negro leaders expressed
their sorrow at the. passing ~of
the new bill but assured ~that
2i1 the Negro. community would
abide by: the new police status
and offer the to-be-appointed
Commissioners all their assistance, ~

was. not sufficient evidence. He,

~They returned a few days}

etl Cracking
Local Racial Barriers -

ne ter wt two members of the
AAC

legal redress committee, ~

and ~were: allowed. to skate.

~The proprietor. has since stated that he will follow a nondiscriminatory policy..

~Another example of ~the
local branch of the NAACP in
action is ~that of a business
partnership who rented a
downtown location. When the

that one of the pariners was

~colored, the rent was doubled.

~When the partners paid the
increased rent, they were served
with a notice to move. This was
too. much. They called: the
NAACP, our president was able
to settle the matter and the

partners are still in business at~

that location,

vive: their~ ~tine wilitnet~ without. pay to further the cause of
equality.

She said the branch is seeking
1.000 new membets. Mr. George
W. Johnson is membership chairman.

South M Must
Correct 'B
Race System

~ CHICAGO~ Southerners must
accept the Negro as a citizen
rather. than as a ward, a civil
a leader ones here this
wee

Roy Wilkins, NAACP ~executive secretary, addressed some
100 Methodist ministers at a
conferénce on social problems
on March 21.. He.denied that the Association
is radical in fighting southern
segregation,

~We work slowly,~ Mr, wilkins said. ~We~ve been~47 years
at this.~

~All the NAACP is waiting
for is for the South to say,
"Yes, for 97 years this has
been a bad system. We know

it~s wrong. We want to begin |

to correct it'~.~

~Mr. Wilkins~ views were challenged by J. Oliver Emerich,
editor of the McComb (Miss.)
Enterprise Journal, who maintained that ~blaming the people
of the South is not the answer~
to segregation:

The Mississippian also asserted.|that ~the great mass of Negro

~|people are conducting themfelyes as. wards and not as citizens.~

Other speakers included Paul
R. Ervin, North Carolina at
_}torney who said schgol desegre
gation stopped, sofithern _ progress in racial relations; the
Rev. David K. Fison, jwho has
integrated his church in Trumbull Park near Chica én Aen

* Detroit eins ~this week with
more than 460 other Boys~ Clubs
of America communities thruout the United States in honor
Juvenile Decency Stressed:

Lad S