The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1920-01-03
RE EG|ONAL PLAN
IS ENDORSED BY
JOHN sPARGO
Necessary for Success of Indus
dustrial Arbitration
MEN MORE THAN METHODS
Personnel Of Board of Adjustment
Far More Important Than Scheme
In Itself

New York Evening Post, Dec 80
contains the following: Bennington
Vermont, December 2s,-That the
proposed national industrial tribunal
and regional boa ds Of inquiry and
adiuFtment should be welcomed and
given a fair trial was the view ex.
pressed here today by John spargo
the Independent Soc 'alist, who was
a member of the first industrial con.
fe ence, which met in Washington in
October last by invitation of the
President.
81 have not as yet read the full text
OF the report of the industrial con
ference" said Mr., Spa go, "but only
the detailed plan for setting up a ma
tional ndu trial tr bunal W til region-
al boards of adjustment and inquiry
Regarding this proposal ] am frankly
optimistic. | believe that the great
mass of the people OF this country
will be ready TO give such plan fair
trial. The plan proposed app oxi-
mates we closely suggestions ]
made to the public group OF the frs
industrial conference and which
have since then subm tied TO mem
bers OF the present conference and
others. 1t is quite clear to my mind
that the present conferees have acted
wisely in recommending the creation
Of a national tribunal TO act as a
court of appeal in industrial disputes
or course, 1t is necessary to gl;a Il
aga nst the mistake Of supposing that
everything depends upon the machiR-
cry that Is set up. On the contrars
a very great deal will necessarily de-
pend upon The seleatles of membe-s
OF this important tribNlal, The I'm.
man equation Is by far the most I'M.
portant one.
1T 8 interesting 10 see that h.
plan proposed by the conferees i'm
pose IN tati0n upon the number
of membe ) belonging TO any one DO
utical party. The scheme proyid
that cf the nine members II the IA
tional industrial tribunal, not more
than FIVE shall belong to the same po.
ltical party. | confess | do not see
why the domination of the tribunal by
single political party should thus
be implicitly provided for 1t ought
not TO have been nece isary to make
any suggestions upon this head: Ono
would suppose that the imperative
necessity of keeping such body free
from partisan politics and partisan
political influence would have been
self evident. l supose that the con
terees assumed that The two party
system VIII ch obtains in this count y
in actual practice means that all the
members of such board would, Of ne
cessity belong to one or the other o.
the two parties, and that division OF
five to four was the only practical so.
luton. While ! agree with the pur-
pose of the conferees in providing
against making this important body
IN instrument OF a polit cal party.
am disposed TO doubt the wisdom OF
the method adopted.
THE division Of the country into
regional districts Is alb lolutely neces-
sary TO the success of any plan o.
industrial conciliation and arbitra.
ton. believe that the scheme out
lined by the industrial conference in
pref IN nary report is ssentially
ouud Here AGAIN | would empha-
size the fact that success will depend
more upon the selection Of the person
mel OF these boards of adjustment and
inquiry than upon the machinery It.
self. The method proposed whereby
regional boa i Of INQUIRY may be
transformed in o Il regional beard OF
2diustmons eesmc to me tc b. G very
u5ef,t jroYaion. ard calculated ~ fl.
oilinte satisfactory adjustment OF
con troYersies without undue delay.
ha he very anxious to read tho
full tevt of the report and especially
hosu parts G it which deal with tho
-ioht O. rubl c servants. such az po,
lice and firemen. for example, to Noin
labor organizations and to str kc
Personally l do not believe thai it is
possible in actual practice to prevent
either organization or strikes by such
public employees. Nor do | believe
that It is at all necessary to attempt
anything of the kind. | would pre-
servo tho right to organize and t.
strike. but would insist as part of the
contract of employment upon notice
OF intention 10 st Ike sufficiently ex-
tensive to permit Investigation AID
efforts of adjustment"