The Wilmington morning star., 1940-10-16
In Washington
BY BRUCE CATION
The News Wa shington
Correspondent

IL NEWS wa tOu
Correspondent
WASHINGTON.-Some extreme
ly interesting maneuvering for po-
sition took place back-stage in con-
nection with the defense commits
sion's announcement that a r m y
and navy contracts will not here
after be negotiated with firms not
living up to federal labor laws.
Although there was no direct con-
nection between this action and
the Bethlehem Steel Corporations
labor troubles, the indirect connec-
ton is so thick you couldn't cut it
with a knife.
It goes back to the fact that De-
tense Commissioner Sidney Hill
man has been slightly on the spot
with some of his fellow C. I. Gers
of late. Some of them have begun
to murmur that while Hillman has
been asking labor to make a
number of concessions in the de-
tense program he hasn't done
anything for labor" Two or three
months ago a quiet campaign to
bring the Bethlehem situation to a
boil got under way.
''WHAT ABOUT
BETHLEHEM"
1t began on the labor advisory
committee which meets periodical
ly with Hillman to discuss defense
labor problems. On it are such
stout C. L. O. chieftains as Van
Bittner of the mine workers, Gin
ton Golden of the steel workers,
Emil REEVE of the textile workers
and R. j. Thomas of the auto work.
ers.
AT every meeting one or another
of these would be sui to inter-
ject: II think we've got to do some
thing about this Bethlehem stu
alton. If we don't there's going to
be trouble there before this thing
is over" The others would take it
up - seconded, OFTEN enough, by
George Lynch of the A. F. of L..
patternmakers' union, which has
tilted with Bethlehem in the past.
Because of all this, stories kept
coming out of Washington to the
effect that Hillman and his aides
were considering the Bethlehem
situation" Union leaders could
call steel workers together to
plus Kowloon City on the main
land shore. Then in 1860, China
leased for SO years the 3O-mile
top of Kowloon peninsula, and it
is in this territory that the British
must make their last stand in
China.
It is a port to whose docks 3d.
900 foreign ships made call in
peaceful years, taking away the
commerce brought in by 10 times
that many Chinese junks. It is
one of the worlds most Beautiful.
and picturesque cities. It is a prize
to be coveted by any world power.
WANT CRACK
AT JAPS-AFTER WAR
When the British first took over
the island, it was a center for
pirates. The British wiped out the
pirates and they built Victoria.
They brought in top soil by the
shipload. They planted gardens
and made their homes IN the
slopes leading 100 feet Up Vic
toria peak, GROWING the peak it.
self with their government house.
now the residence of Lieut.. Gen.
E. F. Norton, officer administering
the colony, who was sent out two
years ago to build up it's deisnses.
He has done that in a supethu
man way. Hong Kong, Kowloon
and the ridges beyond are as ira.
pregnable as human ingenuity can
make them. Bombproof shelters
have been dug in the hills. A
nucleus of British regulars has
been supplemented by rative
troops from India n the home
defense units. They will put IN
a whale of a scrap but when vol,
consider that the place is vu,ner-
able to land, sea and air at1acx
the situation 10 nv. ~