It is thus standard practice when someone is in the hospital or there is a death, then the secretary in the office automatically sends flowers and it is charged to the general fund. This has been and is still the practice of the local union. My wife and Mrs. Ermon Griffin just happened to receive flowers in this way from the local union as do other members and their families.

III. AVAILABILITY OF THE FINANCIAL RECORDS OF THE UNION TO THE GENERAL MEMBERSHIP

The financial records of this local union have always been made available to the general membership. When I was business agent of the local union no one ever asked me to see any of the records of the local union when he was not permitted to do so. Attached hereto are the affidavits of the members of the finance committee, who have the charge and jurisdiction of the records of the local union, and they state in their affidavits that such records have always been available to the general membership. See affidavits of:

Affidavit No. and name:

46. Ernest Samuel Peppers (former finance committee chairman). 53. Floyd W. Zylks.

54. N. W. Price.

56. Wesley Ford (see last page of Price affidavit).

IV. DEMOCRACY IN LOCAL 706

It is always and has been the privilege of any member of local 706 to get up on the floor and express himself without being discrimianted against in any way.

I have never discriminated against anybody for holding views contrary to mine or for disputing questions on the floor with me. The minutes of this local union time after time reflect that I have urged the members to get up and express themselves on various questions or propositions which have come before the local union, and the following affidavits are of persons who testify as to the democracy existing in local union 706:

Affidavit number and name:

11. W. A. McMahan, A. A. Malloch, B. E. Craig, and W. T. "Red" Harris

12. H. J. Webb and J. B. Swilley. (See last page of McMahan affidavit.)

13. W. W. Wright and H. C. Bratton

14. M. Muckelrath, Jr., Vernon Burson, and L. B. Priddy

17. Bruce Cottrell

18. Jack Goodwin

19. George Morgan

20. George Wolfe

21. Lawson Reasor Holmes

22. J. R. Burns

23. J. M. Johnny Telford

24. John Henry Armer
25. Fred Murphy
26. Ralph Kelly

27. Homer Andress

28. John W. Garlington

29. Keith Ripley

30. H. C. Burns

31. R. J. Garrett

32. M. L. "Red" Evans

33. H. A. Tanner

39. E. B. Wheelis

42. James Willie Garrett

46. Ernest Samuel Peppers

53. Floyd W. Zylks

54. N. W. Price

55. Wesley Ford. (See last page

of Price affidavit.)

In conclusion, I wish to reiterate that the moneys collected on the Pine Bluff Arsenal job were expended for the benefit of the members of local union 706, that no one was forced to pay any money on this job in order to work there and that the so-called joint venture agreement was never carried into effect because it was declared null and void by the international office.

The expenditures of the local union funds for gifts were approved by the membership and the membership was fully advised and the financial records of the local union have always been available to the general membership for their inspection, and no one in local union 706 has been discriminated against for holding views contrary to mine.

The 54 affidavits attached hereto of some 60 people establish the above facts, and I respectfully request this committee to read each of these affidavits. Respectfully submitted.

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