Charges that the Board of Educacriminatiing against Jews, Italians and Negroes were made yesterday in a statement issued by Franklin G. Collor, director of the Civil Works Administration bureau here.
Mr. Connor declared that when his bureau, acting in accordance with its desgnated function, recommended qualified unimployed individuals to the Board of Education for employment as janitors, cleaners, firemen and engineers, such individuals were refused employment unless they were of English or Irish origin. The refusals, the statement charges, are the result of instructions issued by Harvey F. Ritew, Enginer of the Board of Education and in charge of heating and lighting in the public schools.
Floyd T. Talafiero, unemployed Italian father of three children, in an affidavit sworn to before Emanuel Ramm, local Jewish lawyer. declared that when he applied at the CWA employment office Friday morning fore a card which would idintify him as qualifying for a Board of Education job he was told:
“There must be some mistake. The Board of Education has given orders that we are not to send any Negro, Jew or Italian.”
Eric H. Biddell, director of the State bureau of the CWA, declared that should the charge of discrimination be proven true the appropriation made to the School board would be withdrawn.
“There must not and there shall not be any race discrimination against unemployed who are provided with work through Civil works funds,” Mr. Biddell said.
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The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
