Show ii- ii x I a. a r 1 P I r. r I C Serious Labor Situation Hinders Defense Effort Members of Congress Also Aso Demanding Facts On Charges That Big Business Plays Favorites in Defense Contracts t. t By BAUKHAGE National Farm and Hour Commentator Service 1343 H n Street N W I Washington D. D C. C The explosion in the defense setup setup setup set set- up in Washington foreshadowed in these columns two weeks ago is about to take place At least as this is written the fuse is being laid if not lighted Senator of Wyoming and Representative Coffey of Washington are both demanding demanding demanding de de- de- de manding facts connected with charges that big business is playing favorites in in the defense contracts But an equally amazing story lies behind the way labor has been dealt with in the defense program Part of the facts have leaked out piecemeal piecemeal piecemeal piece piece- meal some are still very much under under under un un- un- un der cover Put together they make an amazing revelation of what was behind the Presidents President's delay in taking action in the captive mine strike and also how bungling all aU along the line forced the adm administration administration adminis adminis- nis- nis into the worst labor situation situation situation situa situa- tion that has arisen since the defense defense defense de de- de- de program started The trouble began when it was decided to take the settlement of I certain labor disputes out of the United States Conciliation Service and place it in the hands of the Defense Advisory commission with branches headed by William S. S Knudsen and Sidney Hillman Up to that time from 95 to 98 per cent of the labor disputes were settled by bythe bythe bythe the Conciliation service But the remaining 2 to 5 per cent were slowing slowing slow slow- slowing ing down defense and it was decided that Mr Knudsens Knudsen's staff representing represent represent- ing industry and Mr Hillmans Hillman's staff representing labor could settle the The theory was that Knudsens Knudsen's men would crack down I on industry and land Hillmans Hillman's on labor But it didn't work ork that way Each favored his own kind Mediation Board Founded So the National Defense Mediation Mediation Mediation Media Media- tion board was founded All AU went along smoothly for awhile although more and more criticism was heard that the board was exceedingly pro- pro labor and achieved settlements by bythe bythe bythe the simple process of conceding to labors labor's demands Then the board made a mistake It n handed down one decision which opened the way for the United Mine MineWorkers MineWorkers Workers union shop demands which smashed the board threatened the administrations administration's foreign policy and created the worst labor crisis that the country has faced in many a along along along long day The decision I refer to was in the case of the Bethlehem shipbuilding plant in San Francisco The A. A F. F J of L. L union demanded a union shop that is that any man working for forthe forthe forthe the company a certain period would have to join the union The board granted this demand thus forcing 20 per cent of the plants plant's union non-union workers to join the A. A F. F of L. L One member of the board Cyrus Ching representing industry held out against the decision He foresaw that it would create a precedent When the decision was announced it was stated that it should not be taken as a precedent This pious statement was like giving the baby a piece of candy if he wont won't ask for another Once the A. A F. F of L. L had received this concession the CIO stepped up and said I want one too The result was the famous Federal Shipbuilding Shipbuilding Ship Ship- Shipbuilding building and Dry Dock company case of Kearny N. N J. J this time a shipyard on the East coast Against the vote of the members of the National National Na Na- Mediation board representing industry the union was given maintenance of membership which is a diluted union shop The company refused to accept the decision decision deci deci- sion and the navy took over Another Precedent Here was another precedent whether the board meant it or not And it didn't take long for John JohnLewis JohnLewis JohnLewis Lewis to take advantage of it and put in his demand for the union shop in in the captive coal mines If he had planned it that way he could not have been provided a better opportunity to vent yent his ancient grievance against the President and andset andset andset set himself right in the middle of ofa ofa ofa a national issue If the case of the Bethlehem Shipbuilding Shipbuilding Ship Ship- building workers was good Lewis' Lewis was far far- better CIO CLO has a 95 p percent per percent r cent membership in the captive coal oal mines But not the kind of a 95 per percent percent percent cent that most people think it Not 5 per cent union non-union workers scat scat- i here and there in all th the mines But full per cent mem membership membership in many mines and none perhaps in a very few small ones The National Defense Mediation board voted down Mr Lewis' Lewis demand de de' mand for a union shop and pandora's pandora's pan doras dora's box flew open One of the things that emerged was a highly paradoxical and highly painful situ situ- at avon on For the board by taking this rare labor anti-labor step had virtually left the operators in the position that if they had yielded in the later latex negotiations they would be in the position of supporting Lewis against the government Still the situation might have been saved if something had not happened when the President President President dent called caned the operators and Lewis and Treasurer Secretary-Treasurer Kennedy of the United Mine Workers to the White House I When the men came in the President President dent did what his labor advisors advisor hoped he would He made a briel appeal to both sides to get together and settle the question since a s astrike astrike strike must be avoided If he had stopped there all aU might have been beer well But he went vent on and said what Lewis felt was prejudicial to his case This not only woke all the anger in the breast ol oj John Lewis but when the committee commit tee of CIO advisors heard about it they were just as mad His feeling was reflected when he turned down the Presidents President's later proposals rII ow on the por And the President was on the spot Congress was insisting on strike legislation Speaker Sam Rayburn had promised it Others were demanding that the troops besent besent be besent sent into the captive mines at once That wiser heads who knew the temper of the miners believed would mean a strike in all the mines and the army would have to beat its bayonets into pickaxes So the President paused wrote a conciliatory letter to both parties Meanwhile congress could stew but the President was pretty sure that its members would not take the initiative of alienating the labor vote with primaries coming up in the spring and elections next fall fan The prospective candidates for reelection reelection reelection re re- re- re election wanted the onus to be placed squarely on him Whether the Conciliation service could have handled the captive mine strike as it is still handling the other 98 per cent of the cases of labor disputes no one can say But it is clear that it was mishandled by the Mediation board and it is likewise clear that if critical congressmen finally crack down on Mr Knudsens Knudsen's year dollar men for showing favors favors fa fa- vors to business they have plenty of grounds for cracking down on Mr Hillmans Hillman's stalwarts who created the pattern of labor partisanship that came near severely injuring not only the defense program but the administrations administration's foreign policy as well A Rip Texan Comes to Washington Another Texan has come to Washington Washington Washington Wash Wash- ington and the moment of his arrival arrival arrival arri arri- val was an historic oric one We have had a lot of rip ring tailed wildcats from all parts of the country country country coun coun- try some human and some not quite Now we have something that will make even the Texas delegation in congress sit up and take notice for this unwilling delegate from the Lone Star State is the wildest of them all aU He is a Texas long A steer with an foot eight-foot spread of horn He is 12 years old He weighs 1200 pounds and he is admittedly wilder than anything in the zoo where he has been given the place of honor right up near the entrance Most people do not know that the Texas long-horn long is rarer than the buffalo which he once displaced on the Texas plains He is a direct descendant from the wild cattle which the Spaniards brought to i America when they came Those cattle could walk endless miles to water They were bred and deve developed developed de de- de- de ve ope to meet conditions that Hat existed a hundred years ago in m the great Southwest Then water was piped and ditched into the great ranches and the fatter easier go going o o- o ing Herefords were introduced The horn long had the muscles and the endurance but he did have the meat meat so he began to disappear George Stimpson a Washington correspondent nt from the Middle West wl who is also a correspondent for Texas papers and a keen devotee i of Americas America's flora and fauna started started start start- start start-I ed out three years ago to get a Texas long-horn long for the Washington zoo He had his troubles He simply could not get hold of a real simon- simon pure long There were semi- semi domesticated beasts but none of thereal thereal the thereal real wild-eyed wild roaring rip-roaring variety that have made the long-horn long as much a symbol of America as the I eagle cagle itself L |