Evening star., 1939-12-11
Consumers
Continued From First Page !

90 now Is 10 nOlQ 1ull ana complete
hearings on this whole matter and
let facts developed in such hearings
speak for themselves. The organ
izations and persons attacked in this
report are entitled to this So are
the millions of people who know
that consumers organizations are
the very antithesis of the whole phil
osophy of Communism and Facism.
They have been the foundation of
the successful democracy of Finland.
Sweden, Norway and Denmark, the
very nations now under attack or
threat of attack by Red Russia.
Therefore, I bitterly resent the
attacks, expressed and implied, in
this report on the whole consumers
protective and cooperative move
ment in America.
And 1 believe the committee is
put in a very difficult position by
releasing a report which attempts
to brand as Communist intrigue
protests against high milk prices, the
teaching of young women to be wise
buyers, or the efforts of consumers
to secure the honesty in advertising
which every reputable merchant and
businessman in America desires as
much as the consumers DO"
The report pointed out that Earl
Browder, general secretary of the
Communist party, in his testimony
before the committee named the
federation as a Communist trans
mission belt" 1t said that Susan
Jenkins, chairman of the Milk Con-
sumers' Protective Committee, and
Meyer Parcdneck, its vice chairman,
as we'll as Arthur Kallet, Andree
Emery and Persia Campbell, were
active in the formation of the fed
Grafton, and the organizations which
sponsored it included the Consumers
Union, Milk Consumers Protective
Committee, American Youth Con-
gress, League of Women Shoppers,
Progressive Women's Council and the
Workers Alliance. All of these or
ganizations, the report labeled as
Communist transmission belts"
Susan jenkins, according to the
report, was formerly an employe of
the Daily Worker, official publica-
ton of the Communist party. Mr..
Kallet's political connections, it de-
clared, ARE indicated not only by
his typically Communist comment
on consumer co-operatives," but he
was member of the Editorial Board
"of the Communist publication,
Health and Hygiene"
The report said the commit
tee is in possession OF evidence
which shows that a great part of
the current popular and official at
tack upon advertising is the direct
result of Communist propaganda in
the field of consumer organizations.
Says w. P. A. Funds Used.
"This is borne OUT it declared,
"by the recent action of a Gov
ernment official in the Department
of Agriculture who undertook an
investigation of national advertis-
ing in Good Housekeeping Maga-
zine. This investigation was car
ried out by w. P. A. employees and
paid for out of w. p A. funds While
there is no record of the findings of
the investigation being used as a
basis for action against the maga-
zine, it may be assumed that such
was the intention. This is evidenced
by the close affiliation of the Gov
ernment official in question with
the heads of the Consumers Ma
tional Federation and Consumers
Union"
The report further declared that
publications of the Communist
transmission belts such as Con-
sumers Union, make it clear that
some of the current Government
procedures against advertising and
advertising media have been insti-
gated and are being aided by those
consumer organizations which are
under the control of Communists" I"
Finally, the report asserted that
Communist activities among con-
sumers has been so extensive
and the evidence available to de-
pict that activity so vast that
months of investigation, as well as
funds not now dVdllaOle W Ille
committee, would be required to
complete the picture of which the
present disclosures 'is a mere
| sketch"
Mentions Browder's Testimony.
At the outset Of the report DR..
Matthews explained that the Com
munist party, in its drive to secure
adherents from the middle class,
concentrated much of its attention
upon so-called consumer organiza-
tions and groups. He also called
attention to Browder's testimony In
which the party leader acknowl-
edged that numerous organizations
had been set up by the party or
controlled by 1t as transmission
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