Evening star., 1919-12-29
RECOMMENDS PLAN
DESIGNED TO AVERT
p. LABOR CONFLICTS
Tentative Method Suggested
by industrial Conference for
Settlement of Disputes.

With a view to obtaining con-
structive criticism from ne" spapers.
lawmakers. capitalists, labor leaders
and industrial managers. President
Wilson's industrial conference. of
which Secretary of Labor Wilson Is
chairman and Herbert Hoover wee
chairman, today made public tenta-
tive recommendations for establish :
y ing machinery to prevent or retard
Tabor conflicts in private industry.
A national Industrial tribunal and
regional boards of inquiry and ad-
justment. which would move to the
settlement of disputes before pro-
duction stopped are the basis OF the
plan as outlined. Decisions by these
bodies would have the full force and
effect of trade agreement between
the parties to the dispute.
Government employees should have
the right to organize. the conferees
believe-should have the right to as
sociate for mutual protection-but no
Nterference by any group with the
Sbntinuous operation of government
functions through concerted cessa-
tion of work or threats thereof can
be permitted"
Public Hearings Proposed.
Public hearings will be held when
The conference reassembles January
IL, to obtain expert advice regarding
the draft of the final recommenda-
tions in the light of such criticism of
the tentative report as may be re-
ceived.
While stating that at this time it
was believed more essential to devise
machinery for averting conflicts than
to undertake a discussion of tho
causes of unrest, the conference indi-
Gated clearly the general principles
On which it has based it's recommen-
dations.
Our modern industrial organiza-
tion," the tentative report said. 'if
1t is not to become a failure. must
yield to the individual a larger sat
isfaction with life. Not only
must the theory that labor is COM
modify be abandoned, but the con-
cept of leadership must be substituted
for that of mastership.
Human fellowship in industry must
either be an empty phrase or a living
fact.
\ Pending the growth of better re-
lationshipS between employers and
employees the practical approach to the
problem is to devise a method of pre-
venting or retarding conflicts by pro-
viding machinery for the adjustment
of differences. To be successful such
tribunals must be so organized as to
operate promptly as well as impair
dally- The plain fact is that
the public has long been uneasy
about the power of great employers;
IT is becoming uneasy about the pow
er of great labor organizations. The
community must be assured against
domination by either.
THE plan which follows does not
propose to do away with the ulti-
mate right to strike. to discharge
men or to maintain the closed or
open shop"
Projected Industrial Tribunal.
The national Industrial tribunal.
suggested by the conference would
consist OF nine members, appointed
by the President, three each repre-
senting the employers. employees and
general be board of appeal, whose
decisions must be unanimous, but
, provision was made for public ma
t5ority and minority reports in cases
where no agreement was possible
Industrial regions probably twelve
in number, conforming to the federal
reserve system. would be outlined
and a regional chairman appointed
for each by the President Vice chair
men would be named by the tribunal,
If the work in any region required it,
Panels of employers and employees
for each region would be prepared by
the Secretary of Commerce and the
Secretary OF Labor. respectively, after
conferences with the employers and
workers of that region. Each panel,
approved by the President. would be
classified by industries among the
employers and by industries. with
subclassification into crafts. among
the employees. Lots would be cast to
determine the order of names in each
panel.
In Cases of Dispute.
When dispute arose in any region
the chairman would request each side
to submit it to a regional board of ad-
justment. consisting of the chairman,
one representative chosen by each