The Waterbury Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1917-1946, 1939-12-11
Dies Committee Hits
Consumers Leagues
Used By Communists to Spread Aims Among Middle
CIasses--OfficiaIs of Consumers Call Charge False

Committee, whose chairman is Susan
Jenkins-the report said an afildavit
by Meyer Parodneck, Vise-chairman,
alleged that Rose Nelson, one Of the
organizers, was "an aVowed member
of the Communist party"
Most Active Leaders
The Consumer Farmer Milk CO.
opeartive-It said Susan Jenkins
and Parodneck were among the
most active leaders" of this group,
New York Consumers Council -
Susan Jenkins, vice president,
Consumers National Federation
according to the report described
by Earl Browder, head of the Com
munist Parry, In his testimony as
one of the partyis transmission
belts"
Communists understand that ad-
vertising performs an Indispensable
economy, and that advertising as an
economic process, wholly apart from
questions which have to do with
good or bad advertising copy, Is as
essential part of the distributive
mechanism as are railroads and re-
tail outlets the report said,
"Theresiore, Communists believe
that to sabotage and destroy adver-
Using, and through its destruction
to undermine and help destroy the
capitalist system of free enterprise
is a revolutionary tactic worthy of q
great deal of attention.
THE special committee on I'M
American activities IN possession of
evidence which shows that great
part Of the current popular and
official attack upon advertising is
the direct result of Communist
propaganda in the field of consumer
organizations"
Consumers Angry Denial
New York, Dec, II - CU.P0 -
Arthur Kallet, director of Consum-
ers' Union, and Susan Jenkins, off,
cial Of the Milk Consumers Pro-
tective Committee, denied today
that they were or ever had been
Communists.
NoiN W otdtS SiHplldllCully
that neither Consumers Union as
an organization, nor myself as an
individual, nor, to the best of my
knowledge, anyone else connected
with the Communist party or is
even aware Of any such bread des-
tructive movement as Mr., Mat
thewS seems to find In operation, -"
kallet'S statement said.
II am not and have not been a
Communist or Fellow Traveller"
Miss jenkins statement said.
Kallet pointed out that Matthews
is q former official of Consumers
sumerS' Union, He denied that
Research a competitor OF Con-
Walter Trumbull had had anything
to do with organizing Consumers
Union or that he had anything to
do with IT now He said he did not
recall ever having met Trumbull.
Worked For Matthews
Miss jenkins said she was form
er employe of Matthews and charg-
ed that 1.-THE most shocking aspect
OF Mr.. Matthews statement Is the
use that he makes OF his present
ability to get publicity to injure
those who have gone to conflict
with him in the past"
She recalled that she had taken
part In a strike IN 1885 of Con-
sumers' Research employees who
were fighting against a minimum
wage OF $l3,l3 week" These en-
ployeS formed an A. F. of l., union,
she said, and Walter Trumbull was
an A. F. OF L, organizer assigned to
advise the union. She said the Ma
tional Labor Relations Board had
decided In favor OF the union land
Consumers Research was compelled
to pay $1,000 to the union members
for wages lost"
She denied that the objective OF
the consumer movement with
which I am connected" was to des-
troy the private profit system, and
charged that Matthews, while he
was an official OF Consumers Re-
search, ha dplanned National
Consumers Party and had hoped to
run for president as Its candidate.
I'VE cannot believe that making
comparative tests OF consumer
good and reporting the test findings,
which is the work we do, Is In any
way subversive or destructive. Mr..
Matthews can find In our publica-
lions, numerous objections to spe-
cific claims made by advertisers,
when these claims are at variance
with the facts as disclosed by our
chemists and engineers, but he can
not find any general attacks upon
advertising, for they are not there
to be found.
The best proof that we believe
advertising to be q valuable econo.
mic force Is that We use 1t regularly
ourselves.
I'VE should be happy to present
before any public body, including
the Dies committee, sworn state
ments by Mr.. Matthews himself
which contradict testimony given
by him later before the Dies COM
mittee and which open the motiva-
tons OF his present charges to SER
ious question"
He said Consumers Union
would welcome and fully Cooper
ate In any responsible investigation
OF the consumer movement and Of