Evening star., 1934-11-12

Coupled with certain ctner inside
developments, they afford a rather
broad hint that the New Dealers are
feeling out their way toward labor
policy which may stop or hinder de-
structive strikes.
One incipient idea is supposed tC
be the creation of a formidable Ma
tional Labor Relations Board or Somt
such agency to act In threatening
labor disputes before TIE strikes are
called instead of after. 1t might be
planned out along the lines of the
Railroad Mediation Board.
Another suggestion is the incorpo.
ration Of unions, but no one is seri-
ously considering that.
Text of Feeler.
What Mr.. Roper said was:
Citizens cannot properly demand
rights unless they are willing to as
sumo the responsibilities inherent in
those rights. To illustrate. if we wish
to exercise the right of not working
that is, to strike, this right should be
sateguarded; but in so doing we
oAiOuiO dClClO lliC L4Sllt lluI W oIllhC
That is the right to work without mo-
lestation. 1t is mandatory upon
both employers and employees to live
up to their part of the agreements de-
termined upon: each must be Just as
responsible to the public and must be
held to just as strict accountability
as the other"
Mr. Roper might as 1Oell haze
said straight out that the New
Dealers had restricted the en-
ployerS, and also the farmers. tor
their otUn good and the public good,
and noiU it is time to restrict labor
dgitatorS.
At least that is the Interpretation
logically placed on Roper's remark.
by the laborites. And they know
very well cabinet officer of Mr.
Roper's standing does not talk sc
firmly about such dangerous sub
ject unless he speaks with authority
Resistance Expected.
The hint caused excitement back
stage in labor ranks. The American
Federation of Labor undoubtedly will
contest any such move and call it
inaccurately, '.Fascism." What the
administration ultimately decides tc
do viii probably be determined5 by
the general public reaction to the fooc
for thought cast upon the ether
waves by Mr.. Roper.
From other sources the labor boy:
have heard that agitation will be
started outside the administration
shortly for a national labor boarc
with teeth in it. The agitation will
not come directly from the man
ufacturers, but from certain other
organizations.
Every one agrees strikes are de.
structiUe, both to labor and cdpt-
tai. Nearly all recent ones hare
caused deaths, suffering and heavy
losses and fen gains for either side.
The public suffers from disrupted
supplies and increased prices.
1t would be Fascism if the Gov
ernment denied labor the right to
strike, but no one has such an idea
even vaguely in mind. What many
sincere authorities want to do is to
work out satisfactory machinery SC
that labor disputes will be adjusted
before the killings start.
N. r. A. FOment Increases.
Trouble never ceases inside the
N. R. A., but there has been more
than the usual discord there lately
1t is about the service codes affect
ing restaurants, laundries, hotels, ga
RACES, barber shops, cleaning and dye
ing, photo finishers and undertakers
One crowd has been working
secretly to drop the service codes on
the ground that they are not being
observed and cannot be enforced
Dropping those codes would mean
an end to one-tenth of the entire
N. R. A., as three to four million
workers are involved. This phase
was curtailed radically last May when
Gen. johnson scrapped everything
except the wages and hours provi-
SiOnS