The Waterbury Democrat., 1935-03-07
THE NEW DEAL IN =. WASHINGTON

Craft Wage Cuts Urged
 to Break Work. Relief |
 Jam ... Viewed as Best
 Recovery Hope.
 By RODNEY BUTCHER ! Democrat WaslsingtOn Cores. pomdoEtt
 Washington, March 7--lsoose- vents ofliciai family as well ae been split by the issue of work relief wages.
 The president. before he made up his mind for a low "subsistr % snse, Esge sSals Sga SN fsSsESi SSs Ssa prSIr !r s5a sosnaasIs 1as q srcSp SSo'sss ss nswsifn srssi o
 ciais backed bS labor oegantaa- ti0ns and a strong conservative group backed hy business and financiaI interests which in gem srai opposed the program itself.
 Hinos the senats tied the work. reilef hi;l in q snGri by yotlhs for the MeCarran .''pravatilng wask" atllendIiaept, some EIiembeFR of the former group have been urging | Roosevelt to make ooticsssioi1s.
 One. strong nucleus of advisors demand . reduction th building materials prices along with a eIt of high wage rates in the build, ing trades, and put work relief wages high enalgh to leave no substantiai differsnce between those paid to public works labor and those t9 pFlyat: works labor All Must Sacrifice
 The idea is to stimulate proluc- tion, o0nRtruGtion, Rfd employ. ment by breaking the rigldity of mono polistie prices of building ma terials along with flgid wage rates. Which was one of the original but loHk alnce ab4ndoned theories of the Federal Housing Admipistra" tioR program. Il
 Roosevelt has been told that a "half slave and half free labor situation will be psycOlogically dangerous in any program insofar as it's designed to build up q re- covery psychology. And thet there's no real hope of stimulation for capital goods and construction un- til prices car, be brought nearer to public want to buy.
 The administration group in- voived insists it's neither fair nor practical to expect labor to make the sacrifice without assurance first afA1 m help break the jam.
 It says few key men in the materials industries could be per suaded to take a first step that would bring prices down generally, on the theory that lower unit costs might mean prosperity for ali' Pressure Put on F. R.
 No one knows whether Roosevelt can be persuaded to take this relatively bold step. But pressure for 1t has been growing steadily.
 One of the administrations fors- most economists has kept insisting that if you could get all agencies and labor groups contributing to all stages of building houses each to make a certain reduction, q huge boost in activity would result. He doesn't see why makers of steel, glass, tires, and 70. on can't get together with automobile mAnu. fActuEeYs, and sales agencies can't get together on lewey price pro. gram to increase production VOL ume.n
 Industrial history shows that big ger volume and lower prices nave often increased profits as well as employment. Labor Love Feast
 The gorgeous new Departnne ent of
 apGr t1s .pns. RSSi"t st 1asSsy asnSy" was leesy ior maily opened on the same day NRA officially estimated the nun. Der of unemployed at 10,S30,ooo and at a time when the A. r. of l.. prevailing wage" campaign had just gummed up the adminis- tratiOn's W0rk-relief bill.
 There was 8 large and fashion, able audience of officials, diplo- mats, and labor-leaders and never note of anything faintly con- troversial.
 During speeches by Secretary Perkins, Bill Green, and others, up- em mployment was mentioned just once. That was when Madam Sec retary urged everybody to look at an exhibit of pottery made by "the unemployed" Tho exercises were held in the big assembly hall, heavy with gilt paint, with high windows and tho flags of the Allies draped prettlly.
 
 Hush on ''Bum" Song
 Assistant Secretary Ed Nc. Grady; ex-A. r. ot l.. leader. led the crowd in singing .'Let Me Call You. Sweetheart" while many em- ployes simpered and looked at Miss
 Advance consultation had con sidered the point that the commu- nifty singing ought to include "a labor song.'' It must be safe. Certain cynics suggested "Hallelu- jah. I'm a Bum," but they chose "1 Been Workin' on the Railroad"
 President Roosevelt had origin ally been billed to make the big speech. But there had been de- velopments in administration-labor relations and he had found a con. venient date with the "Fly Club at Harvard.
 Neither Herbert Hoover nor An drew Mellon. the two men chiefly responsible for the new building, was present.
 Refreshments: Weak punch, with a tea base.
 Copyright, 1885. NIEA Service, Inc. PATENTS AWARDED