The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1919-09-03
DENIES TRYING
 0F PLURRB PLAN
 AT BIC ARSENAL
Baker Says War Dept. Has Not Turned Over Plant
 to Workers.
SOUGHT COOPERATION
 ONLY BAKER ASSERTS
Commanding Officer on Rock Island is Still Boss
 of Enterprise.

waghfuztcn. Sept 2.---ITigh officials of -he War Department yesterday o-ou-5tly -e7--s1iared the idea con ~eyel b7- leaders or the Plumb plan movement that the Government had r77Tne@ over control of production ac- t5vi-ies at the Rock Island Arsenal to The workers under an arTangemeut
 which was alleged to be an a7Dlica- f10n by the Govar-ru eut itself of the 1 T--rctp-es Of the Plumb plan ] Waffle 6e-Te-z-v Of War Baker re- | fused to be drawn into any contro- versy over what had been done at Rock Island Arsenal. he made ir very plain orally tha+ sle did not regard | Tho experiment. at Rock Island as an . .a1rIcatl7r of The principles of the \ Plarnb plan for nationaizatiCn of in ' dusery. He also made it very p-ain ' that tho Government La[ not turned . ove- control or all or part of the work < at Rock Island Arsenal 10 the work . CTS.
 '-I-he authority Of the commanding | ofHcer,'' said Secretary Baker. ''is as l complete as ft has always been 1 Secretary Baker had a conference with General Charles C. Williams | Chief of Ordnance Of the War Depart meut. who also TeDudiated the jnu- melton that the Government had re . ! Rock Island to the workers CT adopt | ed the Plumb plan ideas. General { Williams sent a telegram to Colonel ' Harry B. gOrdan. COmmandant of the | Rock Is42uG Arsenal. in which he d0- ! n1ed that the harness shop at the ar Senll had been turned over Go the
 ---~~l.eFs or that such steps for Eo- called 'dernOcratization of industry would be followed in other plants of ' the Government. The telegram fol- lows
 1 '-Iteferrfng to statements in many 1 papers that the harness shop at Rock
 Island Arsenal had been turned over
 70 workers, the Secretary of War in- l formed me personally that he had no T intention of allowing interference in any way with the authority and re- T spOusibility of the management in Conducting affairs at the arsenaIs You are authorized to give publicity
 to this statement"
 General Williams asserted nos'
 positively that not only had the gov erameut not turned over the harness shop to the workers, but that 1t did not propose to turn over the man
 agement of the arsenals to them. "The policy" he said, 'is that tft government Is responsible for ths
 
 } intends to cling to that respOnsibil - ity"
 - General Williams insisted thaf l nothing which had been done in tht - experiment at Rock Islad was to b, si regarded as being in any wise a Tadi r cal move. He said he was faTniiial
 with what had been done in prigatI @ industry in an effort to improve Feia 5 tions with workers, and that the ez - pertinent at Rock Island Daraiieiec s what had been done in certain plant g Of private industry,
 Secretary Baker issued tlIis fOrIna l announcement ia repudjation of tn g idea that the Government had turned | over tho Rock Island arsenal haTRss q shops to the workers and of the effo- s to make 1t appear that the psincipic - Of the Plumb plan had been adopted t at that, OE any other arsenal. 9 ''Tbc publication oE the correspond o ence between representatives of ar
 senal employees and the Secretary Q
 War has Tod to widespread HliRuaeF
 standing Of ths situation, The Wa
 Department has encouraged the for 2 nation Of committees of it's emPioye V in the aCsenais, which committee v consult freely with the men and aC
 in aaa ad1z4znrz cananitx to thA J1aan