Evening star., 1937-04-18

U. A. W. president, and Hugh Thomp-
son, union organizer in charge OF
the strike.
Il have declared in no uncertain
terms that there is no room in this
country for John L. Lewis hirelings,' -
Hepburn told reporters.
Il am calling upon the workers
to end this economic loss by organiz-
ing and sending to this ONCE men
who truly represent them.
VIII Find Friend in Court.
Here they will find q friend in
| court who will not attempt to fool
them as Martin and Thompson have
| done.
Il am prepared to tell them that
General Motors executives are pre-
pared to sit in on this conference.
These is no doubt in my mind
that the difficulty can be solved In
that way. I make q sincere appeal
to the OShawa workers to help this
government prevent the inroads Of the
OewiS) Committee for industrial
Organization and paid agitators whose
records in the United States speak
for themselves"
Because of the premier's repeated
blasts at Outside agitators" and the
collapse of last Saturdays negotia-
tions because the union committee
included Thompson, Martin, who
remained at Oshawa, sent two
Canadians to represent the union at
today's conference. They were c. H.
Millard, president of the Oshawa
local, and j. L. Cohen, Toronto labor
lawyer.
Thompson, however, went to the
Parliament Building and stayed In the
hallway outside Hepburn's outer office
while Millard and Cohen went in.
Refused to Sign Statement.
Hepburn explained to reporters that
he had asked Cohen and Millard to
sign statement that they "had no
instructions from and in no way
represented the c. l. o.
This, he said, they refused to do.
Throughout the afternoon Harry J.
Carmichael, vice president and general
manager of General Motors of Canada,
Ltd, and J. B. High1eld, Oshawa plant
manager, sat in Hepburn's inner Office.
Hepburn talked to Millard and
Cohen in his outer Office The union
representatives made frequent trips to
the outer hallway to talk with Thomp-
son. At one point Hepburn said they
had talked to Martin by telephone
from the outside Office.
About half an hour before the con-
ference broke up, Thompson, Cohen
and Millard asked a reporter in an
ante room where they could use q
long-distance telephone. The reporter
took them to a large, open vault.
A secretary rushed into the premier's
Office, and Hepburn, flushed and
angry, rushed to the vault and stopped
the union men from putting in their
call
This thing isn't going to be settled
by remote control" he shouted 1t
newspaper men standing nearby.
At his press conference. however.
Hepburn said:
Il think Thompson showed great
temerity in appearing at this of1ice 1t
all, let alone getting into vault where
valuable papers are kept, without per-
mission from a secretary"
Referring to the ATTEMPTED tele-
phone call from the vault, Hepburn
call from the vault, Hepburn said:
1T is clear this is Just another
Martini Thompson set-up. am de-
termined to oppose the inroads Of
Lewis and his organization, and there
was no course open to me but to bid
the gentlemen good afternoon.
That is the situation as far as
Cohen, Thompson, Martin and Mil
lard are concerned. They know my
Intentions to deal with the represent-
atives Of Canadian workers and not
the paid hirelings of John L. Lewis.
so far as am concerned, won't
resume negotiations with any Of
those people.
I'm my desk are the complete con-
cessions of General Motors, which
should be acceptable to the en-
ployes. But they will have to
send new committee as far as I'm
concerned" ~
Even before the conference was
slated to get under way. = General
Motors spokesman told Newspaper
men the company would not deal with
Millard and Cohen. even though they