Evening star., 1937-12-09
WEIR MAKES PLEA
FOR LABOR PEACE
Steel Corporation Head
Tells Business Leaders
Strikes Cost 5 Billions.
BY the Associated Press.

viz SNoHISSo 6VQOVt .
Strikes Cost 5 Billions.
BY the Associated Press.
NEW YORK, Dec. 9.-Strikes cost
this country around $4,000 900, 900, or
between $3.50 to SITS per family, in
1887 THE worst and most costly
period of labor turmoil in our history"
Ernest T. Weir, chairman Of National
Steel Corp, told American business
leaders today
Speaking before the annual con-
vention of the National Association of
Manufacturers he declared capital and
labor mot only must get along, but
can get along together" and asserted
the Government attitude "in the pres
ent situation" was "one of the big
gest stumbling blocks to rational get
together"
Labor Day" Observed.
Weir, with DR.. Leo Wolman, Colum-
bia University labor authority, and
Charles w. Fahy, general counsel of
the National Labor Relations Board,
was one of the principal speakers at
the associations final sessions of its
three-day convention Today was
designated in the program as labor
day" and devoted to problems of the
relationships between management
and workers.
So delicate and important were the
nrDhlpnc NtSpDSSa1 in tho nf
the conferees, that announcement was
made the meeting would be closed and
no reports would be made of the ad-
dresses of some of the speakers.
Asserting that "a critical business
recession has set in" Weir pleaded for
cooperation between labor and capital
What we need now" he said, ARE
leaders who think not in terms of labor
alone, OF farmers alone, of consumers
alone, or of sectionalism.
America cries for men who give
their allegiance to the people as
whole and who when serving one
group refrain from a partisanship
winch is harmful to other groups"
Urges Labor Act Amended.
Amendment of the National Labor
relations Act was one of the means
by which cooperation could be Sc
cured. Weir declared.
II corporations. he said. "are to
be expected to deal with labor unions.
then the unions should be required
to make themselves as responsible as
the corporations
They should be prohibited from
contributing to political campaigns as
are corporations. 1t should be illegal
for them to call strike without first
taking vote of employees in the plant
involved. Strike violence should be
outlawed
The Interpretation of the law should
not be left to administrative agencies:
1t should be included in the regular
business of our courts. Government
should realize that its primary obliga-
ton is to protect the right of the
worker to work"
Road Closed" Signs.
In the associations annual plat
form for American industry" adopted
without dissenting vote at the ses-
sion late yesterday the manufacturers
asserted that among road closed"
signs which they found on the way to
greater production and employment
was:
Legislation which stimulates labor
controversies or the threat of such
controversies; which does not protect
employees against any and all coercion;
which is unfair to employers and un-
der which only they can be guilty of
unfair practices"
| Without naming the Wagner Act.
the platform in effect called for drastic
revision of it. At the same time, it
| took stab at the wages and hours bill
now before Congress 1t listed as re-
| qulred to promote competition and in
dividual initiative:
! Freedom from Federal control of
prices, wages and hours in manu-
| featuring"
! The manufacturers expressed oppo-
| sitlon to child labor and sweatshops
and advocated for their own observ-
ance the leveling, so far as possible.
of seasonal valleys of production and
| employment"
Sir Willmott Lewis, Washington cor
respondent of the London Times, saw
development of business and industry
between nations by trade agreements
hopeful sign of peace.
Proposals for Industrial Peace.
For the promotion of industrial
peace and cooperation" the platform
advocated such statutory changes as
may be necessary to effectuate these
principles:
| Il. The right of individual employees
to seek, secure and retain employment