Show Bruc Bru karts charts washington digest time for showdown in labor situation Is not far distant serious reaction follows attitude of NLRB public also resentful of conditions caused by union leaders inquiry may alay bare barc startling facts by WILLIAM BRUCKART NV service national press washington D C washington there Is every indication that the labor situation in this country government policies labor union policies employer attitude Is fast approaching a now new tangle A reaction has set in on the part of tho the public to certain phases of the roosevelt alons earlier but not necessarily the current policies likewise labor union leaders leadership bip has produced certain conditions that are not finding public support and there are arc till still somo some employers who continue to make tools fools of themselves by following eighteenth century methods I 1 have suggested in these columns previously that the national labor relations board was riding for a fall it was riding too high there wa was s bound to be n serious reaction th tho boards arrogance unfairness overbearing attitude its general contempt for anyone disagreeing with its conclusions nero elements certain to lead to nn an eventual showdown the time of that showdown seems not far distant it Is likely that tile the board and its start staff of ism controlled theorists will pay a 0 heavy price P rice for failure to uso use common sense and adopt a judicial viewpoint the some same type of mentality as that which jeopardizes the me principles of tho the national labor relations net act also has caused a blowup in the wages and hours division of the labor department the division which aw administers ministers tho the year old law limiting hours of work and prescribing minimum wages administrator elmer F andrews was tho the goat and he had to resign no one probably ever will know whether it was foolhardiness on the part of mr androws andrews or the treachery of his subordinates that brought about the explosion pl oslon cut but explode it did and as a result col phillip fleming is in the job of wage and hour ad administrator mints without benefit of senate confirmation fir of ills his appointment although the senate is in session lewis and green warfare shows no signs of letup let up no cessation of the tha warfare between john L lewis C 1 I 0 and william greens A F of L Is f fore seen the lewis faction of organized labar continues to do a lot idt of things that do not fit into the picture ot of americanism despite a strong dental denial by mr lewis that comma nests are in key positions mr greens organization Is building up a magnificent record of fighting within itself one craft is pitted against another here there and everywhere ery where with the result that people generally are getting pretty tired of having to wait to get work done because carpenters and bricklayers tor for example both go on strike over the question of which one shall do particular work the unhappy labor board has tow few defenders any amy more for a long time the board its attorneys and investigators were commonly regarded as an adjunct of the lewis labor union surely there was ground for such belief by the admissions that carne came from time to time coupled with consistent and concerted attacks by leaders of the A F of L wherever it was necessary to make a choice between lewis followers and green supporters it was an odds on bet that the lewis groups contention would bo be sustained all of this was followed ultimately by an attack from the C 1 I 0 on the functions of the board that happened at the annual C 1 I 0 convention and came from mr lewis no one seems to know the real reason and now the labor board Is confronted with an investigation by a special committee of the house of representatives it is by far the most serious effort to bring to light we processes that the board has used the influences that tha have been active within its personnel or that have operated upon its personnel if one may judge in advance of any congressional inquiry the current inquiry is likely to produce reasonable conclusions expected to examine facts and then propose a remedy the house committee is headed by rep howard smith a virginia democrat who long has been noted tor far fairness A As tar far as his record goes I 1 believe it can be said that mr smith has seldom been antl anti or pro on any question without first having facts with him on the committee are representatives healey of massachusetts and murdock of arizona democrats and li alleck of indiana and of ohio republicans mr healey is about the only member of the group who can be suspected of leaning violently one ona way or the other mr Ile aleys record marks him as a new dealer on nearly all occasions sometimes without too much reason I 1 have heard mr 11 alleck praised for his fairness any number of times in house debate and the commendation has come cs as much from democrats as from the republicans so there is every indication that the investigation will bo be of the typo type that examines the facts acts and then proposes a remedy much evidence has been gathered and will servo serve no as the basis for further inquiry some of it Is reported to be of a sensational sensation nl character but it Is not mr smiths idea that the committee Is operating solely to make newspaper W headlines among other things the house committee has hag sent out questionnaires to hundreds of employers hundreds of labor leaders of both factions of unionism and local ceals such as aa pouce chiefs and others charged with law enforcement tho rho purposes of the questions are rather obvious with the statements from all of these sources tile tho committee believes it can sift out much chart from rumors complaints counter charges and propaganda further the committee wants to ascertain whether there Is evidence that the board itself had any connection with labor disturbances and if so which of its personnel was involved may uncover facts that will startle legislators copies of records in nearly all of the boards hearings are arc being examined by the committee staff board decisions have been under unde r alro many many times it seems to have been the rule rather than an exception that the board was willing always to listen to C 1 I 0 attorneys and almost never pay attention to alleged facts which employers or others tried to submit from this source alone there Is every reason to believe the committee will uncover enough abuse of power to stun the legislators who fought for passage of a law which the administration described as perfect in any event it if the principle of the labor relations act is to survive and become a workable part of governmental interference in relations between worker and employer it seems that the smith comit tee must produce the proper basis concerning the wages and hours bureaucracy however there is less optimism that a sound solution can be found colonel fleming Is taking over the job with feeling among all types of partisans at fever heat that is a handicap mr andrews went in with wishes of good luck but he had to administer and on cn force a law that was loosely drawn a principle untried As in the case of labor board personnel either through his own mistakes or because nutty individuals were forced forced upon him mr andrews immediately was surrounded by a sour group of subordinates it seemed almost that if a wrong way to solve the problem was available the wage and hour division folks would find it As far as I 1 can ascertain colonel fleming has had on lythe minimum of experience in dealing with such principles and problems as now faco face him his status is rather indefinite because the law requires that the appointment of a wages and hours administrator shall be confirmed by the senate sedate as a policy making om efti cial but mr roosevelt had asked congress to consider only the so called neutrality 1 legislation at the extra session and hence he did not submit colonel flemings name another army officer takes job outside military work colonel fleming Is the third army officer to take over a job outside of the military service lately first there was col F C harrington who was made head ot of the secondly brigadier general watson was made mr Roosevel ts secretary and lastly there came the appointment of colonel fleming it Is rather hard to forecast how an army officer Is going to deal with one particular part ot of the job now undertaken by colonel flem ing application of tile the law lav to certain types ot of farm labor and to busl busi nesses directly connected with farming A number of organizations affiliated filia fil ted directly or indirectly with farm operations have been engaged in a do or dle die struggle here in washington with mr andrews I 1 think the mere change in headship of the wage and hour division Is not likely to quiet those people because the increase in wages that became effective october 24 represents the difference between profit and loss in most instances probably the seers who invented tho tha iden idea of federal control of wages and hours never milked a cow after dark or husked corn on a frosty morning these conditions were not of the making of colonel fleming but his Is the task of attempting to reconcile an lexi ble law with conditions that vary in every county in the united states it if he can succeed some political party ought to nominate him as its presidential candidate next year |