New-York tribune., 1922-04-01
u. s. Abandons
Intervention i'm
Garment War
Commerce and Labor De
partmenis Notify Employ
crs Commission Plan Has
Met Failure: Lacks Unity
Industry May Leave City
Chaotic Condition OH June ;
When Agreement Expires
Intolerable, Say Bosses

Negotiations for the selection Of an
impartial committec to investigate the
garment industry have fallen through.
Unless the employers and the employee
can come TO some agreement before he
present contracts expire on June 3
many cloak, suit and skirt manufac-
turers, a chaotic condition watch may
drive the industry out Of the city
The fruitlessness of the negotiations
was made clear in a letter from Acting
Secretary Of Commerce Huston and
Secretary of Labor Davis to Louis
Lustig. chairman of the Cloak, Suit and
Skirt Manufacturers Protective Asso-
citation, and to Benjamin Schlcsinger
president Of the International Ladies'
Garment Workers Union
The letter was dated March "a, end
was made public yesterday. 1t says:
I'VE regret to advise you that the re
suits of our recent correspondence Of
fer no promise Of means to bring en-
ployers and employees in the New York
ladies' garment industry into an agree
rent as to the scope of the propos ed
investigation by an in1partia! commits
sion, and there still persists lack If
unity as to the personnel of the con-
mission
Full Accord Demanded
without accord on these points the
commission would be under a handi-
cap from the start
Until boti> sides can see that the
findings Of such commission, following
thorough and complete investigation
of the industry. provide the best way
to lay foundation for Just and dur
able peace, we believe that we can be
of little service to YOU"
In replying to this letter. Mr.. Lustig
points out that his association has been
eager for thorough investigation of
the entire industry by an unbiased
committee to be appointed by the two
secretaries. He says, however, that the
association is unwilling to cooperate
in any Investigation in which the union
dictates what shall be investigated.
He writes: "Our association has
been persistent and insistcnt that YOU
should appoint the commission without
regard to recommendation from any
one. You promised to do 50 in the be-
ginning and probably believe that you
have established some kind Of truce.
You have done nothing and have been
of no service. In the opinion Of our
association you have ruthlessly thrown
away great opportunity to do some
constructive work which would have
been of great public advantage"
Union Is Suspicious
The union. while protesting its ca
Gerness for the investigation, is suspi-
They see in the investigation an at
tempt to bring back the system Of
piece work and the undong of other
and existing customs of labor which
they call the essential standards of
work and life. These they are un-
willing to relinquish.
Without saying in so many words
that they are opposed to the existing
standards of work and life as pertain
ing to their employees, manufacturers
said yesterday, however, that they
could not exist under the present order
OF things, and that unless some agree
ment were reached before June 8 they
would have to leave the city and seek
other locations, where they could have
some control over the operation of
their own business.
The international Ladies' Garment
Workers Union recently anticipated
the impasse in the negotiations and
speeded up the collection of a 81 900, 900
defense fund in the event of the strike
that now seems quite possible after
June 3.