OCR Text |
Show I- 'OHIOII 'CO-OP' FUMDSMISSING Leader Resigns and Charges Divide Brotherhood Into Hostile Camps By RUSS SLMOXTOX, N. E. A. Staff Correspondent. DETROIT, Mich., April 30 Grand officers of tho United Brotherhood of. Maintenance of Way Employes and Railway Shop laborers are divided into two camps, each accusing- the w other of gross neglect of duty. Ex-" Ex-" porta are at work on tho books trying . to trace ?217,000 alleged unaccounted T for-- for-- Enemies of cooperation have seized on the controversy aa an argument against cooperation and allege that the brotherhood's vast cooperative venture ven-ture is nn tho rocks with SI. 000. 000 I deficit due to mismanagement. Both factions agree in declaring that the cooperative department Is not affected and that the union's chain of factories and Its distributing machinery is in good condition and making satisfactory progress. Were aro the salient developments of the controversy: Leader Quits Office G. E. Barker, grand president fronii lOlO" and drawing $1-1,000 a year as one of the highest paid labor officials in tho world resigned under fire March IS. Four bookkeepers in tho treasurer's office charged Barker with mismanagement of $500,000 in funds and declared that $217,000 had vanished van-ished without record on checks issued to Barker. The board of trustees at once put experts at the books to investigate the truth of the charges. In ,a few weeks these cxp&rts, it is said, showed that Grand Secretary-Treasurer Secretary-Treasurer George Seal had been negligent negli-gent in permitting Barker to manipu-l late the funds. Seal resigned. Lately) he withdrew his resignation and now he wants the job back. eh While tho investigation was In pro- HH gross, the four bookkeepers, Ted ifiH Saunders, . Miller, II. Brown and B. fljHi A. Gladstone, were discharged ami HH ' at once offered their alleged informa- I 1UI ciiiv, actu I vi nib lu ui uuiti liuuu Changes Mnde That "spilled the. beans." Barker at once charged that he had not been given a chance to explain, and that his expenditures were proper. Seal charged William Dorey, chairman, chair-man, and J..eo L Kennedy, a member of tho executive board, with gross neglect of duty. He says they wouldn't let him file charges against them. "While Seal won't tell what he charged ho hints darkly that Dorey and Kennedy Ken-nedy know why there was only $70,000 in tho treasury instead of many times that amount last February when tho union wished to strike, he says and couldn't for lack of funds. Seal says he resigned without a proper "amount I 1- ' Tho prosecuting attorney's office is' making an investigation-of tho charge that Barker misappropriated $217,- 000 In funds. So, with two sots of charges pending pend-ing hearing before the executive board and with auditors rushing the check - of tho books of the brotherhood tho atmosphere is tense at headquarters Order Js Protected "Whatever happens the membership member-ship of tho brotherhood is protected," says U. S. Britten,- attorney for the brotherhood, 'Barker and Seal were under bond of $100,000 each. If there is a shortage of $217,000 we can sue to recover on the bonds. The investigation inves-tigation of the books shows that this is tho approximate total not yet accounted ac-counted for. It Is absolutely false that tho union's Industrial ventures arc shaky. Our factories havo been appraised ap-praised at more than they cost us. "But wo colocted $300,000 in dues last month and the average monthly income is ?200,000," says Britten. "At that rate wo couldn't be Insolvent through a loss of $217,000. We have tangible assets of $1,500,000. t "Wo havo $500,000 invested in fac- lories. $500,000 in securities and mort- agages, real estate worth $255,000 and a printing plant valued at $50,000. There are other assets also." |