The Skyland post. [volume] (West Jefferson, N.C.) 193?-1988, 1938-06-16

Dy FT0SlQGnL roosevelt thaC ne Will
send commission to London this
summer to study and report on the
workings of the British Trade
Unions Act has met with general
approval here except for certain
Labor leaders, who see in this plan
a possible threat to the Union SUI
premacy now accorded by the Ma
tional Labor Relations Act. Mr..
Lewis, chairman of the C. T. l., does
not want any changes in American
laws which would put such re-
straints upon the activities of organ
lied Labor as are imposed, in Great
Britain.
The general feeling here, however,
is that it is about time Congress and
the American people had access to
correct information about how la
Dor relations are controlled in the
other great democracy of the world.
England has had a long expert
ence with labor organizations and
their regulation by government. Be-
sides old laws providing for the reg
istration of Unions and public ac-
counting of their receipts and ex-
penditures, there are statutes pro-
hibiting the use Of Union funds for
political purposes. The Act of 1927,
which followed the general strike of
1926, declares sympathetic" strikes
illegal, prohibits picketing in sup
port of illegal strikes and forbids
the use of union funds to support
such strikes. An important pro-
vision of the British law forbids
Union afiliation by government en-
ployees.
There is a growing feeling in both
houses of Congress that our own
Wagner Labor Relations Act gives
organized labor an unfair advan-
tage in that it does not give en-
ployers rights comparable with
those of workers. The movement to
amend the Wagner Act in that and
other respects has been gaining
Roadway.
! Distribution of $4,000, 100000
In the meantime, the exact stu
alton in this country of the related
matters of unemployment and relief
is coming under increasing scruti-
ny. In response to a request from
the President, Congress has approp-
rated nearly 8 billion dollars for
pump printing" and relief, in the
hope that the expenditure of this
money will stimulated business to
the extent that private industry will
find it possible to re-employ most
of those now being supported, di-
rectly or indirectly, of public funds.
funds.
There are grave differences of
opinions as to the effectiveness of
this new spending in the matter
of business recovery, but quite gen.
eral agreement that it will be use
full politically, in helping the Ad-
ministration to retain its control Of
Congress in the fall elections.
The funds appropriated-which
must be borrowed and added to the
National Debt - are apportioned
among the w. P. A., the p. w. A.,
National Youth Administration,
Farm Security Administration, Por-
to Rico Reconstruction, National
Emergency Council, National Re-
sources Committee, Prison Indus
tries Reorganization, Federal Public
Buildings and Rural Identification
loans.
The largest allotment goes to the
Works Progress Administration,
which now has on its payroll $685.
600 workers, who get an average
wages of $50 month. This does
not take care of all of the unem-
ployed, however. The closest is that
there were about Ga million house
holds, comprising more than 20 mil
lion individuals, receiving either
work relief or direct relief in April
of this year. A little more than one
third of the money spent for relief
of all kinds is provided by states
and communities; the rest comes
out of the Federal Treasury. The to-
tai of all relief expenditures since
1888 to the beginning of 1888 is esti-
mated at about IA billion dollars.
Cash Farm Income Less
There is real worry in Washing
ington over the agricultural situa-
ton, which is another phase of the
Governments relief program. The
Farm Act, passed early this year,
is not providing the relief for farm
ers which it was intended to pro-
vide, because Nature interviewed to
produce bigger crops of almost
every kind than have ever been
known before.
AS result, prices of farm products
as whole have declined about %
per cent in the past year, while the
prices of manufactured commodi-
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