Evening star., 1939-05-03
U. 5. Chamber Hears
Labor Act Blamed
For Loss Of Jobs
Carey AssoiIs Boekers
Who Soy Law Hos
Improved Conditions

Who Soy Law Hos
Improved Conditions
BY ]. A. FOX.
The fire of the Chamber Of Com
merce of the United States was CEN
tered on the National Labor Rela-
tions Act today.
w. Gibson Carey, jr., the 42-year-
old head of the Yale & Towne Manu-
featuring Co., who is slated to be
elected president of the chamber to-
morrow as the 9th annual conven-
ton adjourns, blamed the act for
throwing thousands Of men" into
idleness.
B. C. Heacock, president Of the
Caterpillar Tractor Co. of Peoria,
ILL.,, scene of one of the early sit
down strikes, blamed the legislation
for labor unrest and declared 1t has
set up a background against which
those who believe in coercion and
intimidation can utilize their meth
ods more boldly under cover of the
public belief that this was what was
desired by those who sponsored the
legislation"
Senator Burke, Democrat, of
Nebraska, another opponent of the
law, also was scheduled to speak at
the same luncheon meeting which
heard the chamber representatives.
Calling for amendment OF the act,
Mr. Carey referred to the hearings
now in progress as evidence that
I'VE have at least returned sufficient
ly to our traditional procedures to
insure a complete discussion" and
added that if the proposed changes
are made, there must. after a
period of trial, be review of what
has taken place"
Says Relations Not Improved.
"As it stands, and as it has been
administered, he added, this legis-
lation should be described in its
preamble an act to destroy the in
dividual and minority rights of
workingmen, to undermine the ma
tural and proper sense of employer
responsibility for high pay and good
working conditions and to bring suf-
fering to the Nation by lowering pro-
ductivity and decreasing jobs"
There are those who insist that
strikes have been decreased and that
relations between management and
labor have been improved by the
Wagner Act" Mr.. Carey said. May
God preserve us from having in the
future in important legislative and
executive positions men who observe
history with such perverted eyes.
Without boring you with statistics
which are we'll known, I make the
unqualified statement that this legis-
lation has induced unrest, built
bad feeling, decreased productivity
and displaced thousands of men
from private employment
Mr.. Heacock said labor relations
legislation should be entirely aban-
doned by the Nation and left to the
several States, where the processes
of society had so sensibly placed it
during the entire period of our nat
ural history"
Urges Amendment.
However" he said, ut is not rea-
sonable to believe that our people
yet sense what has happened, and
that, therefore, our legislators would
find it politically expedient to take
such action
He urged as "a very minimum"
the following amendments to the
act:
81. Right of the employer to de-
mand of the Labor Board that it
determine who represents who as
labor bargainer.
%. That the act not interfere
with nor diminish the right of
free press.
"3. Assure employees and the af-
fected public that employees may
join or resign from or refuse to join
anything and all things without
coercion and intimidation from any
source.
a. Elimination of the so-called
majority rule so citizens of Amer
lea may claim their own souls and
even retain the right to discuss, as
they please, terms and conditions
under which they sell their serv-
ices.
IS. Repeal of the closed shop pro-
viso.
Is. Fix it so the Labor Board
cannot continue to be prosecutor,
judge, jury and hangman."
Warns Against Stealing
At session on foreign commerce
this afternoon, Dr. William S. Gull
berson of the staff of the Foreign
Service School of Georgetown Uni
versity, warned against "the grow
ing tendency in the modern world
to make stealing by governments
respectable" and said that American
business with $1,000 600, 900 for
eign market at stake should realize
the danger.
DR.. Culberson listed exchange
control, manipulation of currencies,
forced sales, government competi-
ton, excessive taxation and military
interference as some of the adverse
factors to Americas foreign trade.
I'VE should wake up to the fact
that this part of our natural wealth
is vitally connected with the mar
kets of farm products, employment
OF labor and the prosperity of the
smaller businessman throughout the
United States" he said.
Il find it difficult to understand
Why businessmen with q few ex-