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Show -to keep their profits down. The enormous profit that this concern made seems to indicate that there will be more millionaires after this war than after the last one. Profits have not been taken out of war contracts. Yet, many sincere and honest American citizens are wiring their congressmen to get rid of the 40-hour 40-hour week and to hamstring labor in many other ways. They are wiring their congressmen because they have been misled. They have been fooled by clever propagandists; propagan-dists; they have been fooled by emotional radio commentators who have pet peeves; they have been fooled by large daily newspapers that are unduly influenced by business. resentatives of the army, navy, maritime commission, department of labor, and VV. P. B. met with Sidney Hillman to explore the situation in regard to strikes. Mr. Nelson said: "Their conclusion was that as of March 13, there were no stoppages which significantly affected the war production program." Inasmuch as President Roosevelt, Roose-velt, Secretary of Labor Perkins, and other administration leaders do not deem labor legislation necessary, ne-cessary, "but think that it would be definitely detrimental to the war effort, we Americans should stop wiring our congressmen to make fools out of themselves. President Roosevelt and Mr. Nelson are leading us in our production war; let's not force them to fight a hostile Congress Con-gress too. I I I I 1 I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I ' FORWARD MARCH By n. S. Sims, Jr. lit iii i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i F. I). 11., NELSON AGREE NEW LABOR LAWS WOULD HINDER WAR EFFORT Public opinion today is reaching: a fever peak against labor. Or- I ganized labor and the wage-hour law are being blamed for everything. every-thing. Labor is not only being blamed for its own shortcomings, but is also being made the scapegoat scape-goat for big' business and politicians. poli-ticians. It would bo absurd and (log- matic for anyone to say that labor is not to blame for slowing slow-ing down war production. It is also absurd to say that capital Is not to blame. rn every group that has anything to do with production of a tank or plane, there is some unnecessary unneces-sary loss effort, waste, and inefficiency. In other words, if tanks and planes are not rolling off the line as fast as we would like them to, we can blame labor, we can blame business, and we can blame shortsighted short-sighted politicians. They are all partly responsible, but it is unjust to blame labor for it all. A campaign has been going on for some weeks now in the newspapers and over the radio to persuade the citizens of the United Slates to write or wire their congressmen to enact legislation outlawing strikes and repealing the 40-hour week. According to Rep. Clinton P. Anderson of New Mexico, this labor crack-down furore is a carefully laid plan of certain cer-tain business elements for the purpose of diverting public attention at-tention from the huge war profiteering. Whether this is so or not, there is certainly no reason for the American public to demand a labor crack-down. It is very unfair to compare laborers with the ?21-a-month army boys. Why not compare com-pare stockholders and business managers with the members of our armed forces? This writer, like most American Am-erican citizens, doesn't know enough about existing conditions condi-tions to say whether the 40-hour 40-hour week should be repealed, or whether strikes should be outlawed. Trust and responsibility responsi-bility must, however, be placed on some individual. Donald Marr Nelson, our production pro-duction chief, is very seldom criticized. cri-ticized. Nearly every American, including various factions and groups, has faith in his ability and in his sincerity. He is in a position po-sition to know whether labor laws are needed. Mr. Nelson, before a senate appropriations committee, told congressmen that, in regard to labor, "by legislation you can not help me." And these same congressmen are being told by the people back home to pass labor laws. Mr. Nelson further revealed that at his request a conference of rep- In this campaign, which apparently appar-ently got its start in Oklahoma, statements are being made that have been denounced by the New York Newspaper "PM" as lies. Business-controlled newspapers are glad to damn labor. And most of us Americans believe it, because we do know how cussed some labor leaders act. Even the simplest minded American realizes that srikes slow up defense work. And all strikes get big newspaper play-ups; thus it appears that labor is solely to blame for the planes and tanks that we are not producing. It is very seldom, on the other hand, that the impediments that are v thrust in the way of our war effort by business are brought to light. However, it is significant that the house naval committee related recently the fact that an Ohio firm producing aircraft parts paid fat salaries and huge bonuses |