Floyd Walters Replaced Frank Grist, State Commissioner of Labor and Printing, July 31, 1925

Grist Not Yielding to Charlotte Protest. . . Floyd Walters, North Charlotte Barber, Will Take Vause’s Job This Morning

Charlotte, July 31—Frank Grist, state commissioner of labor and printing, late tonight announced that he had not countermanded his recent order ousting W.H. Vause as superintendent of the local federal state employment office and that effective tomorrow morning Floyd Walters, North Charlotte barber and war veteran, would assume management of the office.

Mr. Grist arrived here tonight from Asheville on a tour of inspection of the employment offices in the state. Shortly before midnight he announced that he had not been approached by any delegation since his arrival in the city and said that he probably would not be.

Mr. Grist’s dismissal of Vause has created quite a stir here, city and county officials having strongly protested the move, going so far as to cancel their appropriation for maintenance of the office with the dismissal of Vause. The city heretofore has appropriated $1,200 annually and the county $600 for the support of the office. City and county commissioners have announced that they will withdraw their support with the appointment of Walters.

Commissioner Grist countered this statement tonight with an announcement that if the city and county persist in this course, the city will lose the office, which he said would be placed in another city which is offering to match the state’s appropriation of $1,800 annually, dollar for dollar, for support of an employment office.

The commissioner said that Walters would take charge of the office tomorrow morning and that the state would pay his salary as superintendent and keep the office here open for 30 days. At the end of that time if the city and county refuse to again co-operate he said he would remove the office from the city and place it elsewhere in the state.

Mr. Grist declared tonight that Vause was told six months ago to look for another job and given formal notice July 20 that his services would not be required after July 31. Walters, his appointee for the place, is fully capable of holding the position, Mr. Grist asserted.

From the front page of The Concord Daily Tribune, Saturday, Aug. 1, 1925

newspapers.digitalnc.org/lccn/sn92073201/1925-08-01/ed-1/seq-1/