Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1938-12-11
ARTICLE CHARGES LABOR GRAFT
Magazine Publishes First of Two Articles Dealing With
Rackets Which Stand Obstacles Good Housing;
Placing Premium Mediocrity by Subsidies
By MIC. X.

by no means slow Atlantic Monthly
publishes an article this month
which should be read and read
again. It is called "Housing-A Ma
tional Disgrace" is by Charles
Stevenson, a veteran Washington
correspondent, and purports to show
what state of corruption exists in
the building trades today, and how
the Government has been squander-
ing the money appropriated for
housing In order to play ball with
or at least to avoid offending-the
leaders Of the various building
rackets. It is absolutely horrifying
and, If true, should call for prompt
investigation. If true-yes. But the
editors Of the Atlantic appear to
vouch for the truth Of the piece, 1t
should be noted, for in an appended
comment they call attention to the
close documenting of Mr.. Steven
sons charges and mention that a
second article on the subject will
appear in the January number of
the magazine In order that Mr..
Stevenson may prove his case be-
yond shadow of doubt" Further
than this, the piece is featured on
the Atlantic's cover.
The conditions described in the
article are so frightful that they
have a tinge of comic unreality
about them. They are those condi-
tons brought about by the forces of
organized labor under the direction
of labor leaders who are no more
than racketeers and who regard
their power to call strikes as a
Matchmaking weapon to be used
against contractors and builders
generally. The lawless procedure
would be, as the Atlantic puts it, a
disgrace" to any country at any
time. There is an added poignancy
in the present shame, however, from
the fact that the Government itself
has gone into building and is being
victimiZed even as are the private
contractors-and is tamely putting
up with 1t. AS Mr.. Stevenson says:
mo citizen will object to the ne
cessity Of subsidies which will pro-
vide poor people with decent hous-
Ing, but there will be no limit to
indignation if it can be proved that
neither the Government nor the
tenants are getting their moneys
worth owing to abuses in the build
ing trades. AS far as this article
has gone, it would seem at least de-
batable whether the New Deal has
done much to get its moneys worth
or to extend its passion for reform
to the building trades it patronizes
in furthering programs to house
good many thousand persons at
public expense"
He adds. to be sure, the remark,
But there still is lot more to this
story to be told And so it may be
that in his January piece he will
offer facts which will cast an ex-
tenuating light on the government
conduct. The December article, how
ever is long one and tells us
nothing of palliative nature con-
corning New Deal acquiescence to
the labor racketeers The most
favorable 1mpllcaClOn winch one can
draw from the facts set down in this
issue is that the basic cause of the
squandering of public money lies not
with the Housing Administration,
but with the obstructionist behavior
Of the building trades unions.
But this would seem to be shall
low sort of excuse. A taxpayer may
well ask why it is that an admins
tration. proclaiming reform. can
enter competition with private in
dustry in the name of its avoWed
reforms, and then. with the great
power of the State behind it. do no
more toward checking and punish
ing corruption than the humblest
little businessman. Further than
this. it would seem that a taxpayer
might legitimately inquire whether
the Government has the right to
take the public money to hand out
to racketeers under the guise Of
promulgating highly advertised re-
forms. If it is powerless to do other