PAGE SIX
Roosevelt Denounces Anti
Labor Propaganda Drive
President Defends Labor's No-Strike Record And Urges
40-Hour Week Be Maintained
Washington, D. C.—President Roosevelt, at an epochal press
conference, told the nation that the new anti-labor propaganda
drive is based on bunk.
The President effectively exploded the fiction that labor
troubles are menacing war production.
On the contrary, he emphasized:
1—That there Is no "strike problem"
in America today because there are
no strikes.
2—That the Wage-Hour Act does not
limit working hours to forty a week
and that, in fart, all war industries
are now operating on much longer
schedules.
—That there is no reason why
time-and-a-half overtime should not lie
paid for work in excess of forty hours
a week.
The President flatly blamed news
paper distortions and irresponsible
Congressional oratory for creating
"the amazing state of public misin
formation" on labor.
He also issued a warning against
rushing half-baked, anti-labor legisla
tion into enactment at this time when
things are going along pretty well. Con
gress, be pointed out, could not pass a
law tha.t would make a man turn out
more work. That, he observed, was up
to the enthusiasm of the individual.
Parade, band playing and a pat on the
back for the men who are doing a good
job would do far more to stir up en
thusiasm, he suggested, than restrictive
laws.
The President's illuminating lecture
on labor matters to the press followed
an hour's conference with his "War
Labor \abinet," composed of leaders
of the American Federation of Labor
and the (MO,
AFL President William C,r«n de
clared the conference was "very satis
factory" and added:
"We found from an examination of
all the facts that war production was
moving along in a most satisfactory
way.
"The full effort of labor is being
mobilized behind the nation's war pro
duction program. Then* are no strikes
anywhere in the country that are hold
ing up production.
"The President agreed with us that
the performance of labor in the pro
duction program is exceptional add
highly commendable.
"Til" President expressed complete
Satisfaction with the spirit manifested
by the AH, and Hie CIO in eliminating
jurisdictional (itiesiioiiH that might
cause production delays. i
"He also agreed with nfi thnt the 40
hour week standard should be main
tained and that all work in cxcess of
forty hours a w*ek should be paid for
at overt line rates of time and a half.
"The President further agreed that
the |Hlicics of organized labor will
make it possible to effect continuous,
seven-day-weck operation of war in
dustries If materials are available and
industry helps."
CIO President Philip Murray chim
ed in:
"it was agreed that voluntary action
on the part of labor to yield its right
to strike was a more satisfactory ans
wer to .the problem of production and
national unity than resort, to restric
tive legislation by Congress."
At his press conference, President
lioosevelt spoke of the part newspapers
and Irresponsible speeches in Congress
have played In contributing to public
misinformation on labor matters.
He told of receiving a letter from
a professional economist who drew* the
Conclusion that .lapan would not have
declared war and the Pulled States
would not have lost the Philippines oi
the I Mitch Hast Indies if tto.ooo.ooo
man-days had not been lost be strikes
in the first I went,v-one mouths of the
defense program.
The President said, with a smile,
that he had replied with even worse
news if it had not been for the common
cold we would be In llerllu today, as
that ailment caused a loss of (10,000,000
man-days in the same period.
One false Impression abroad in the
country, the President continued, was
that the Federal Wage-Hour law for
bids men to work more than forty
hours a w*ek. The fact Is, he empha
sized, that there is not and never has
been any law limit big I lie work week
to forty hours and almost all of the
munitions plans are working more than
torty hours a week right now.
It is true, lie said, that some plants
are working only twenty hours a week
but that is due to .shortages of ma
terials.
Throughout Ids discussing tile Pres
ident emphasized the importance of
voluntary action to speed up war
production. He told how labor had
given its pledge not to strike after the
war liegan and said that, as a result,
there are probably fewer strikes In
the Cnited States today than anywhere
in the world, unless It's dermany where
the workers are regimented.
There's no strike problem today, lie
nated flatly. TIuiI'm .the big poiut, lie
emphasized.
He criticized uewspaper for the
Overemphasis they give to what he
called two-bit strikes which Involve
only alnmt fifteen men and which do
not hurt war production. lie sjieelflc
ally assailed New York newspapers for
making front page news out of a stop
page of fifteen metal workers. He
Said lie had never heard of the com
pany and expressed doubt that the
Stoppage was of sufficient importance
to deserve big headlines in the press.
Thin wus, be said, an example of
Straight From
Washington
By STEPHEN M. YOUNG
Congressman at Large, Ohio
Washington.—The Philippine Islands
are less than one thousand miles dis
tant from Chinese air bases. The
closest part of the Western Hemis
phere to Japan are the Aleutian Is
lands, extending westward and south
ward from Alaska. Extensive airplane
bases are being constructed there and
In due time American homlters will
take off on their missions of death, to
strike at the heart of .lapan. Shuttling
bombing pianos from Alaska across
Japan to China (or Vladivostok if the
Russians and Japs go to war) and re
turn, will bring destruction to Japan
and a victorious end to this war. The
Aleutians appear on the map as a dag
ger pointing to the heart of Japan.
Another Sneak Attack
Will the Japs suddenly and without
warning attack Vladivostok and hit at
Kussla from the east? Ion't be sur
prised if this occurs before May.
Unhappy France
It gives no pleasure to report this
but look for a break in our diplo
matic relations with Vichy France. Ad
miral Leahy Is likely to be recalled,
Itossihiy at the insistence of pro-Nazis
surrounding aged .Marshall Petain. Fol
lowing that our blockade of Mar
tinique will be continued and war hc
tw*Hn this nation and Vichy France is
not unlikely.
Ict'H Do This Now
Unquestionably, our (love in out
should pay men in our armed forces
at least as much as the pay of un
skilled labor in private industry. It is
Important that Congress provide a real
increase in pay for the unlisted men
in the Army and Navy. Twenty-one
dollars per month—thirty dollars a
month—or forty dollars a month is in
adequate. Probably, this amount, plus
food, clothing and lodging, is the
equivalent of eighty or ninety dollars
per month. How does this compare
with the salary we pay the average po
liceman or tireman? Canada, though
poor compared to the wealth of this
nation, pays its privates one dollar and
thirty cents per day. Canadian non
coms receive as much as one hundred
dollars per month. In addition, the
Canadian ioverniiient makes depend
ent allowance to families of men In the
service. For example, a dependent
wife of a private or noncommissioned
officer receives thirty-five dollars per
mouth and twelve dollars additional
each per month for two children. Thus,
the Canadian government pays the sol
dier and wife and two children nliiety
uiiic dollars and thirty cents per
month. Also In Canada skilled workers
In the army receive extra pay.
Within a few weeks Congress is
likely to pass legislation providing nil
adjustment upward of the pay we give
to our soldiers, sailors and ma rim
Young men lu civil life who are work
ing in munition and ship-building
plants or on defense orders are being
paid as much as fifty dollars per
wek. Furthermore, It should not be
overlooked that they are employed in
civil life at occupations likely to lie
helpful to them in the future. They
are building for their own future,
learning and becoming efficient at
trades, or In peace-time pursuits. A
Selective Service soldier, on tlu* other
hand, is being skilled as a specialist
in Just one thing- the art of killing
and at the same time of avoiding being
killed.
liccause of Hitler, it has hoconic
necessary to take millions of young
Americans from their peace-time pur
suits and from .their schooling and to
subject them to intensive training for
slaughter and destruction. The entire
subject of proper pay for our soldiers
and sailors must have a scientific go
lug over. There must he increased pay
for privates and noncommissioned of
fleers in the Army and tor sailors and
noncommissioned officers In the Navy
and adequate allotments for their dc
pendents.
4I0.04MI KNt.llSII WOKIvl.KS
ICICKIVK WAt.i: IMKKASi:
Washington, D. C. (ILNS). The
American Federation of Labor monthly
survey says .that in November, 1041,
the latest report, 410,000 Fnglisli work
ers received wage Increases, totalling
alHiut $280,000 in weekly pay. All wage
changes In England are determined by
collective bargaining, "the only demo
cratic method of wage adjustment," th*
survey comments.
how public misinformation Is created
by the newspapers.
We must all get a sense of propor
tion, the President urged. Labor has
given a no-strike pledge and is living
up to i.t. The War Labor I?oard i
functioniug pretty well. There is, there
fore, no reason to get excited or tie
muiciatory about occasional minor ex
eeptloiiH from the rata
Nelson Ends Bids
For War Contracts
Green Pledges Full Support
In Industry-Labor Com
mittee Plan
Washington, D. C.—Competitive bid
ding was abolished as a prevailing
practice in the placing of military sup
ply contracts by order of War Pro
duction Chief Donald M. Nelson.
Immediate delivery and increased
production of wartime goods are more
important factors right now than hag
gling fiver cost, Nelson emphasized.
The new plan carries out recommen
dations made to the Government a
month ago by the American Federa
tion of Labor's Monthly Survey of
Business.
The survey urged that war contracts
he let by negotiation or allocation. It
pointed out that competitive bidding
is now impractical and wasteful. Many
factories submit bids for the same
contract, the survey explained, and
their work plans are held up until
they learn the awards. Efficient mo
bilization of available industrial capac
ity is thus thwarted by competitive
bidding.
President William C.reen of the
American Federation of Labor hailed
Nelson's action. He .said:
"Hy this order you have ended a
bottleneck that made for delays in war
production and brought unemployment
to hundreds of thousands of workers.
I'nless we make full use if small
plants for simpler production as well
as the large ones for the more compli
cated work, we shall not lie able to get
adequate supplies whenever our troops
may need tlieiu."
Mr. Green also gave the full en
dorsement of the American Federation
of Labor to Nelson's suggestion for the
creation of joint management-labor
commit(••es in each plant working on
war contracts.
"This," Mr. flreen said, "is in line
with our long-established practice of
union-management cooperation. Local
committees under the leadership of
their union representatives will give
you whole-hearted cooperation that can
be achieved in no other way.
"You suggestion obviously grows out
of practical understanding of the ex
perience of those who control .the ma
chines and handle materials in carry
ing out work orders.
"I offer you the cooperation of the
five millions of wage earners in the
American Federation of Labor who are
eager to do their utmost to give the
armed troops the munitions and tiie
tools of war."
Mr. Green conferred with Adminis
trator Nelson and pledged him the full
aid and assistance of organized labor
l.n the nation's efforts to step up war
production.
Nazi Rule Is Resisted
By Luxembourg Labor
New York, N. Y.—Continued stub
born resistance of the people of the
tiny Grand Duchy of Luxembourg to
the Nazi dictatorship is revealed in
underground information reaching New
York. Without wea|Nns ami deprived
of all means of defense,'the Luxcm
hourgers resort to passive resistance to
light the German occupation.
Only a few traitors support the Nazi
masters. Arrests, prison terms and de
Ihirtation are frequent and strike all
classes of the population.
Opposition to the totalitarian over
lords is especially strong among the
workers. Refusal to work means se
vere reprisals against them and their
families, frequently culminating in de
portation. Therefore secret resistance
by various methods of slowing up pro
duction is effectively applied.
The workers derive great hope from
the words of their former trade union
leader, Pierre Krier, Minister of Labor
since 1D.T7 and now living abroad, who
frequently speaks to all Luxembourg
ers by radio. It was Krier who urged
the go-slow movement in industry as
the most effective method of undermin
ing the Nazi conquerors.
Unions will live long and you'll pros
per—if you buy I'nion Label goods.
iumnuniiiiuuimiiEummiimir.unnmnffl:nOTuinHnmmiimuMmnimmnunnMimnaMmTtnMriTOriin53i
The
THE POTTERS HERALD
Home Education
"The Child's First School is the
Family"—Froebel
Issued by the National Kinder
garten Association, 8 West 40th
Street, New York City. These arti
cles are appearing weekly in our
columns.
Why Wait For Daddy?
By LUCIA MALL0RY
Tommy had been really less trouble
some than usual, but that did not af
fect his mother's customary threat of
punishment.
"I'm going to" tell your dhddy when
he comes home," she declared. "He
must punish you."
Tommy had beard words like these
many times. Often they were drummed
into his ears when Mother came home
from a bridge parly or the picture
show. At tirst flic child trembled at
the threat, but WJien he came to learn
that Mother didn't seem to mean what
she said, it didn't bother him a
particle. Occasionally she would tell
his daddy, who traveled and some
times was away from home three
weeks at a time. Put when that hap
pened his prank or disobedience was
so old and stale tli it Daddy didn't see
any use in punishing him.
"The only way to impress a child
when he does wrong," the father had
reiterated many times, "is to punish
him as soon after it occurs as jiossllilo.
A boy Tommy's age forgets wrong
doings very quickly. So when he is
naughty why wait until I come home
to try to straighten him out? Why
don't you punish him then and there?"
Tommy's mother would agree that
Daddy was right, but as soon as he
was gone it was the same old story—
threats to tell Daddy, declarations that
as soon as Daddy came home just pun
ishments would le inflicted, and, most
of the time, failure to say anything to
Daddy about it.
Tommy was not as forgetful as his
father seemed to think. He remem
bered most of .the little naughty things
he had done. Hut most, of all he re
membered that Mother didn't do any
thing about them except say that she
would tell Daddy and that Daddy sel
dom did anything about them.
Correcting the faults of children
during their early days very often
saves severe punishment at the bands
of strangers later on. Parents make
mistakes when they allow undesirable
conduct to go unnoticed and when they
promise punishment and then fail to
execute if.
Tommy's mother did not. have to
whip her son Tfrth'der to correct his
behavior. There are many better ways
to punish. She could deprive him of a
picture show, or Home other definite
pleasure, or confine him to his room
during the afternoon playtime. What
ever a parent says or does—wise or
unwise—It will affect his child's char
acter. So such tactics us Tommy's
mother used are most regrettable.
Failing to tell the father after she
had declared she would do so, would
naturally cause Tommy to lose conti
dence in his mother. Waiting several
weeks to make the report would have a
tendency to force the child to take the
entire matter too lightly. Common
sense would teach a person that, a pun
ishment would not be half as impres
sive at a later date as it would while
the child's act was fresh in his mind.
Ilesides, the father, being constantly
referred to as a source of punishment,
lost much in honor, affection and trust.
Some day, perhaps, Tommy would
need Ids parents' help—would need to
go to them for constructive advice. Hut
would he go?
(•IKLS LKAItMNfj SHOP WORK
New Orleans (ILNS). Out of a
quota of 100, L'.'i young women have
been engaged in learn shop work by
Louisiana authorities, owing to the
scarcity of male workers. The girls
will be paid a month for a period
of three months and will work .100
hours a month.
Sponge
An Item of Importance in the Pottery Trade
The world supply of sponges is derived chiefly from
the limited areas in the Mediterranean.
Due to war conditions the supply of useable sponges is
10'/' less than a year ago.
The entire output of sponges in this country today is
not enough to supply the pottery industry.
With this shortage, naturally the prices of sponges will
soar high.
We were fortunate in securing a large
stock of
before the increase went into effect.
To our many friends throughout the trade, we are
passing- along this saving to you while the present
stock lasts.
ACT NOW—TOMORROW MAY BE TOO LATE
Potters Sponge & Supply Co.
238 West Fifth St. East Liverpool, Ohio Phone 1483
sponges
AFL Offers Tax
Program Fair To
All Americans
Opposes Sales Tax And
Urges Still Levies On
Surplus Incomes
Washington, T. C.—The American
Federation of Labor sent to Congress
a war tax program based upon the
principle that each group In the popu
lation will boar its fair share of the
tax burden.
Highlights of the recommendations
follow:
1. Surplus Income of individuals and
corporations should be taxed heaviest.
2. Payroll taxes should be confined
to Social Security purjoses. If Social
Security taxes are increased, benefits
should be raised and widened accord
ingly.
3. Federal sales taxes on food, cloth
ing and other .necessaries are opposed.
If necessary as a last resort, heavier
taxes should be imposed on selected
luxuries instead of a general retail or
manufacturers' sales tax.
4. Present personal exemptions for
single and married ]ersons should not
be lowered.
r».
An excess profits tax on all cor
porate earnings above ft or 7 ier cent
of Invested capital should be levied, as
recommended by the. Treasury Depart
ment.
0. Retroactive .tax legislation Is op
jiosed.
7. Loopholes in the law unfairly
benefiting small groups of taxpayers
should l»e eliminated.
8. Inheritance and gift taxes should
be increased.
0. Capital gains taxation should be
reviewed and unnecessary hardships
removed.
10. Excessive taxes which endanger
tlie life of the American system of
private enterprise should he avoided,
even at the cost of paying a larger
share of the war expense by borrowing.
11. Federal. State and municipal
taxation should be correlated.
12. All future Federal bonds should
lie subject to income taxes but there
should he no Federal taxes on State
and local government securities.
13. Non-war expenditures of the
Government should he postponed or
curtailed wherever possible without
injuring important social services.
The recommendations were prepared
by the Tax Committee of the Execu
tive Council of the American Federa
tion of Labor. The committee consisted
of Secretary-Treasurer George Meany.
Vice President Matthew Woll and Vice
President «. M. Bugnia/.et.
Their report emphasized the 'new
taxes necessary to finance the war
should be levied in a manner that will
result in a minimum of hardship to
workers from falling living standards
and a minimum dislocation of private
Industry.
"This means," the report said, "that
the bulk of the nation's tax revenues
should come from surplus income, and
tha.t the minimum should come from
those contributors earning less than
enough to provide a health ami decency
standard of living for themselves and
their dependents."
M-G.M
SHORTS
Nelson wrote Production Drive Com
mittees that the President's quotas
must be topped. In furtherance of this
goal, he, along with Hillman. invited
labor and management representatives
to these regional conferences to insure
speedy establishment and successful
ojeration of the drive in plants of
2.000 prime contractors. The drive will
lie extended later to sub-contracting
plants and will include every war fac
tory and every war porker in the
country.
Labor Realizes Stake
TTlllman, in a message to lalmr, said:
"American labor knows what Is at
stake for this nation, for all free men,
and for all mankind. Labor has
pledged itself to see the job through ...
on time and in quantity enough to
guarantee victory for our armed
forces,"
The schedule of the 31 regional con
ferences follows, all dates being in
.Mareli Atlanta. !a., 23 Rallimore,
Aid., 20: Birmingham, Ala.. 24: llos
ton, Alass., 17 Buffalo, N. Y., 1!) Chi
cago, 10 Cincinnati, O.. 20 Cleveland,
., 23 Dallas, Tex., 20: Denver, Colo.,
27: Detroit. Mich., 24 Hartford, Conn.,
10 Houston, Tex., 2.r Indianapolis,
Ind., 20 Kansas City, AIo., 23 Los
Angeles, Cal., 23 Milwaukee, Wis.,
18 Alinneeapolis, Alinn., 27: Newark,
N. J., IS New York, N. Y., 17 and 24
Philadelphia, Pa., IS and 2d: Pitts
burgh, Pa., 18 Portland, Ore., 20
Providence, It. I., 20: San Francisco,
Cal.. 24 Seattle, Wash., 27 Spring
field, Mass., 18 St. Louis, Mo., 20
Toledo, ()., 25.
Two ifieetings are scheduled for New
York and Philadelphia because of the
large attemlance expected.
Drive Held Timely
WPB representatives, in advising
the conferences, will draw upon ex
perience gained when they helped set
up 23 joint management and labor
coiniiiittees in plants scattered
through the country.
These representatives reported they
had encountered no lack of co-opera
tion on the part of either labor or
management and, in two instances la
bor and management men expressly
stated 1 liar it was "about time that
such a drive was introduced."
lu almost every case there was con
siderable discussion of the relation
4 DAYS STARTING SUNDAY
THE SURPRISE HIT OF THE YEAR!
WEEPING AMERICA WITH ITS IOY!|
wiitxmi. IHE
CONTINUOUS SHOW SUNDAY
Thursday, March 26,1042.
Labor-Management Meetings
Called To Increase Output
Drive Will Be Extended Later To Sub-Contracting Plants
And Will Include Every War Worker
Washington, D. C. (ILNS).—Thirty-one regional conferences
of labor and management from industries producing guns, ships,
planes, tanks and machine tools will be held throughout the nation,
it was announced here by Donald M. Nelson, War Production Hoard
chairman and Sidney Hillman, the board's labor director.
In carrying out the plans for the Production Drive outlined in
his two recent radio addresses, Nelson, in conjunction with Hill-
man. directed the WPK to send reprc-*
sentatives to each of the 31 meetings
to explain how the objectives of the
Production Drive may be achieved. The
objectives were set by President Uoose
velt on Feb. 7 when he wrote Nelson
"I therefore direct you to take every
possible step to raise production ami to
bring home to labor and management
alike the supreme importance of war
production this crucial Spring."
between the Joint Production Commit
tee set up under the Production Drive
plan and the collective bargaining ma
chinery. Both sides agreed, the rep
resentatives rejiorted, thaat questions
which impinged on contractual rela
tions should be properly referred to
negotiating or grievance committees
already iu existence. i
Caulkers' Walkout Ended
At San Diego Shipyards
San Diego, Calif. (ILNS).—Caulkers
have returned .to work in two San
Diego shipyards, ending a six-day
strikes,
Harry Dobb. representative of the
Caulkers' I'nion, AFL, said that, the
caulkers had not obtained their de
mands for 2.r cents an hour more, but
added "the ditiiciilty Is all cleared up."
He said that the union would sek a
new wage scale in negotiations in
AyriL
Invest in victory:
Bonds every payday.
K'
Buy Defense
eepsake
OtHUINC MOISTCHED "I
LEON RUBIN
513 WASHINGTON 8TKKKT
Jeweler Since 1011
CLl'B PLAN PAYMENTS
iitttimttini
Make way in your heart, America,
for a masterpiece oi romance,
laughs and thrills! Frank Morgan
in his greatest role! Golden-voiced
Kathryn Grayson in her first pic
ture since "Andy Hardy's Private
Secretary." It's grand screen
entertainment!
NATALIE DOUGLASS
THOMPSON NEWLAND
"Tic FRANKBORZAGE
UANItLO Production
Directed by THANK BORZAGE
Produced by EDWIN KNOPF
Screen Play by Jaa Foxtail*
Bated on Ih* Book by
Rebecca Yancey
Willi a
ma