Show I Shipyards Slowdown Charged I ITHE T THE HE president of the C CIO I 0 Shipbuilding Workers' Workers union is quoted in an Associated Press dispatch from Camden N. N J. J J as charging charging charging ing that shipyard managements are hampering hamper hamper- ing production of the ships so vitally needed in inthe inthe inthe the war effort He said men are definitely instructed by their bosses to loaf on the job and cited al alleged alleged alleged al- al specific instances of this in the Bethlehem Bethlehem Bethlehem Beth Beth- lehem company's yards at Fore River Mass and at Staten Island N N. Y and other cases of gross inefficiency and wasted man manpower manpower power in yards at Boston Long Island and Mobile Ala Whether or not these charges are true has not been established On the one hand it must be remembered that there have been accusations accusations of slow-downs slow in ship construction work instigated by unions or adopted by individual workmen and that the union leaders leader's charges against shipyard managements may inay be merely an attempt to shift responsibility On the theother theother theother other hand there may well be some temptation temptation temptation tion to shipyard operators to stall in order to increase construction costs and thus earn mo more e money on cont contracts acts which call for fees based on a percentage of the cost Whatever the answer those charges should be thoroughly investigated by the government and the result of that investigation made known If they are true it is an almost treasonable treasonable treasonable treason treason- able obstruction of our war effort which calls for drastic punishment If they are not true then this attack on the nations nation's shipyard operators operators operators oper oper- should be exposed as the malicious slander slander slander der it would be if false |