Show NEWS NEWS NEWS' r rB B AUL LO H Released by Western Newspaper Union PROBLEMS IS FACE OFFICIAL WASHINGTON A WASHINGTON A lively fuss is being raised against the government failure to provide for or The Mead committee said only half hah what it thought about the job being bungled the senators privately conceding conceding conceding con con- ceding they were just trying to prod Mr Truman gently into more forceful forceful forceful force force- ful action They really exposed nothing which has not been apparent for many months as Mr Roosevelt Roosevelt Roosevelt Roose Roose- velt had no announced program and Mr Truman has been busy with San Francisco and Potsdam Behind the f failure to make a aplan aplan aplan plan and this is apparent if it it has not been fully reported is the scrapping between the various various various va va- rious government departments The army has never for forgotten otten its scare at prematurely anticipating anticipating anticipating an an- the end of the European European European Euro Euro- war The army is keeping its production production production tion going at a terr terrific fic pace and told the Mead committee although this was not published in the report that it is drafting men a month while discharging a month for fora a net discharge of only 1000 a month To add fury to this plain muddle the CIO New Dealers and some others others others oth oth- ers have been increasingly agitating for a vaster government spending program like the old PW A to take up a slack in employment which has not yet developed and is no not notI I immediately forecast in view of the national starvation for or consumers goods and services unless perchance perchance perchance per per- chance chaotic management of the problem disrupts production INTERNAL BICKERING To the problem Mr Truman put his best new man John W. W Snyder who found it to be a nest of economic economic economic eco eco- and political boa constrictors and his grappling so far has not indicated indicated indicated in in- inI I whether he will throw them themI I or they him So we have had such a condition as this following incident discloses A business man came to Washington Washington Washington Wash Wash- ington seeking authority to build a plant to supply parts for the automobile automobile auto auto- automobile mobile industry admittedly the key in He was told he could go ahead as his hig effort was immediately desirable He then went to the steel manufacturers who informed him he could have no steel unless he had a priority Washington Wash Wash- Washington ington thereupon refused to give him a priority This as I say is a known condition condition condition con con- but behind it is a truly major threat to in inthe inthe inthe the relationship of the unions and management a fact not observed observed observed ob ob- ob- ob served by the Mead committee or fully reported The administration administration administration adminis adminis- has detected the importance importance importance tance of this all controlling phase as is evident in Labor Secretary promotion promotion promotion pro pro- motion of a management labor-management conference to plan a workable substitute for the no strike pledge and perhaps a new labor board setup or at least to provide provide provide pro pro- vide a sensible agreement under under under un un- un- un der which men may work and the nation produce in the brave new world A show-down show between labor and management is coming I am sure before much can take place I think it is planned With the threat publicly brandished bydo by CIO do leaders for a wave of strikes the key automobile and other industries industries industries indus indus- tries which CIO controls can hardly go far with much even if the government requires the army to be reasonable and loosen up on men and materials Involved legitimately are the problems problems problems lems of prices and wages These related related related re re- re- re problems are in a far worse muddle than the Washington recon recon- version machinery UNIONS SHOW snow GAINS The union war worker is the man who made the biggest wage increase increase increase in in- crease during the war The Little Steel formula was shot so full of holes by the unions upgrading pay devices vacations pay for portals to portals and back again to portals portals portals por por- etc that it stands only as a sieve against the largest group of the people the middle class non- non factory workers There are only 15 millions of people people peo pee plc in the unions and 45 millions outside the unions Their wages were rather effectively frozen by the government formula while the unions went on up But prices went wenton on up also through the sieve of theOP theOPA the theOPA OP OPA A black markets and especially deteriorated goods and services In my non-factory non town for instance instance in in- stance the last bond drive could not meet its baby bond quota because the average man just lust did not have anything left after buying his family family family fam fam- ily the necessities of life and paying his taxes Those prices will not come down until has proceeded to the point where competition competition competition com com- petition is restored in both goods and services Not until quality of goods and work are restored and both become readily available can the government do anything effective on price control which is the essence essence essence es es- es- es sence of economic control |