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Show Behinl Released by Western Newspaper Union. LABOR LEGISLATION FORCED BY STRIKES WASHINGTON. A fair-trade-practices bill for labor (Richberg) is supposed to lie. around congress until the coming expected wave of union strikes generates an irresistible irresisti-ble demand for its adoption then it, or something like it, is passed. This, Indeed, is the sotto voce program. Such delay may sound like a back-end back-end way to handle an expected national na-tional crisis, be- " 'jto. ' CaUSe tn! Dl11 Pr0" i poscs 10 avert tne I f?J machinery for just I v) ''A seternents- not on' LJ'jL'v ly in the public in- terest, but in the i long-range interest , : of the unions. Yet j you can see what is " ''' beginning to happen Donald to the legislation in Richberg the probable absence ab-sence of Alabama's Senator Lister Hill from the list of sponsors. This was supposed to be a four-senator four-senator bill, introduced by two Democrats Dem-ocrats and two Republicans; in fact, the same ones who sponsored the declaration of senatorial peace principles, Ball, Burton, Hatch and Hill. But on this bill. Hill says he was "just too busy" to fill out the B2H2 leadership, so it became B2H1. Most people think the real reason is that the CIO was instrumental in Hill's recent re-election. The "too busy" treatment is likely like-ly to be applied generally to the proposal, pro-posal, because nothing In Its announced an-nounced purposes can very well be openly opposed by the unions, or anyone. Basically, the bill would require re-quire the arbitrary unions to moderate their "public be-damned" be-damned" policy. Disruptions of public service, such as in the Fifth avenue bus slowdown In New York recently, where the drivers just decided to run an hour or so late, as well as strikes in public utilities, milk deliveries, deliv-eries, etc., would be prevented by Judicial compulsory arbitration. arbitra-tion. This is in the sound interest of the unions, because all now are suffering suffer-ing from the conspicuous public-be-damned policy of a few unions. The bill was not written by manufacturers manu-facturers or employers, but by an old union lawyer, Donald Richberg, who composed the most successful labor law ever enacted, the Railway Rail-way Labor act. Under it the railway rail-way brotherhoods have prospered better than other labor unions, and without strikes. The senatorial sponsors are not anti-labor people either, but somewhat some-what left-leaning. The way they described de-scribed their general purposes is this: ONE BOARD PLAN They would break up the competitive competi-tive handling of labor through various vari-ous government agencies now, and put all conciliation and mediation activities in a new five-man board. A second board of three would handle complaints ot unfair prac tlces by labor or employer, not jus labor alone, as now. The Wagner act would be farther far-ther amended to make unions democratic and to limit the closed shop to places where the anion controls at least 75 per cent of the workers and Is open to all members, and thus Is not In Itself a closed shop handing employment down from generation genera-tion to generation In Its own ranks, or otherwise limiting workers' rights. Further logical limitations would cut down the number ot captious strikes now expanding In the country. coun-try. Labor could stop all the national opposition arising against it in many states where laws or constitutional changes are being advocated or enacted, to protect public interest against the unions, if they would take the mild and reasonable purposes ol this bill, or alter them to suit the situation. If they would say the word to senators like Hill, the bill would go through in a minute. Unfortunately too many laboi leaders now are shortsighted reactionaries reac-tionaries who want to defend the status quo and prevent any reform of existing unsatisfactory conditions So It Is quite possible congresi will not only watt until the strike-horse strike-horse runs away but the whole labor la-bor barn burns down, before taking up this key to lock the door. Excessive use of power always kills Itself by Its own excesses. History His-tory Is bulging with undevlatlng examples. ex-amples. Latest one Is Hitler, who contrived his own defeat by carrying carry-ing his power to lengths which csused an overwhelming opposition to be aroused. Statesmen, labot leaders or other humans seem unable un-able to realire that power lasti only as long as it Is wisely used Those who read this column week ly on the legal power built up by the. Black taction of the Supremi court for unions to fix prices, re aize the trend of this taction. |