Evening star., 1940-03-08
5trong-Arm Tactics
Threatened 10 Force
Labor Act Vote
Cox Says Steps May
Be Token to Snatch
Report From Committee
~ the Associated Press.

~ the Associated Press.
Supporters Of a 17-point program
to revise the disputed Labor Rela-
tions Act threatened today to use
legislative strong arm tactics II
necessary to force a House vote.
The next move was up to the 81
member House Labor Committee, to
which the recommendations of a
special investigating committee
were referred yesterday. Chairman
Norton, Democrat, Of New Jersey
called the labor group to meet
Wednesday and predicted simul-
taneously the House would not ac-
cept the amendments.
But Representative Cox, Demo-
crat, of Georgia, a leader of the
night which resulted in creation last
year Of the special committee to
investigate the National Labor Re-
lations Board, told reporters that
If the Labor Committee did not act
promptly steps would be taken
quickly to snatch the proposed
amendments from the committees S
hands.
The Georgian referred to about
q week" as "a reasonable time" for
committee action. Failing that, he
said. a petition would be circulated
to discharge the committee from
further consideration of the issue.
Such q petition, designed to force
legislation to the House floor.
would require 218 signatures.
Product Of Coalition.
The 17-point program, introduced
IN bill form yesterday, was the prod
uct Of a coalition of the Investigate
ing Committees Democratic chair
man, Representative Smith of Vir-
ginia, and two Republicans, Repre-
sentatives Halleck of Indiana and
Routzohn Of Ohio. The other two
Democrats, Representatives Healey
OF Massachusetts, and Murdock of
Utah, refused to go along because
they contended the proposals were
"emaSculatory."
Topping the proposed amendments
was abolition Of the present three
member Labor Board and creation
Of another the same size. There was
no prohibition, however, against re-
appointment of the present board
Chairman j. Warren Madden, Edwin
S. Smith and William M. Leiserson
but House members emphasized
that the trio again would have to
tho norf1nf Nf
ton.
Other major amendments pro-
posed would divorce the boards ju-
dlclal function from its prosecuting
and administrative duties; create a
new administrator in charge of in
vestigations and prosecutions and
permit requests for collective bar
gaining elections only by employers
or their workers.
The committee also recommended
that employers specifically be given
the right to discuss all matters with
their employees provided they do not
resort to coercion; that the board
be prohibited from reinstating sit
down" strikers or other workers who
w1lfully had engaged in violence or
destruction of property and that the
board be exempted from the task of
settling interunion disputes.
Authors of the amendments con-
tended they were largely admins
trative changes and would not i'm
pair the fundamental right of work.
ers to bargain collectively.
House leaders withheld comment
on the recommendations. Senators
also generally refrained from COM
menting, but Senator Guffey, Demo-
crat, of Pennsylvania, said he would
oppose the changes IF they ever
reached the Senate"
Martin Wants Vote.
While some House Democrats
raised the question of whether their
Republican colleagues would not
prefer to go into the presidential
campaign with the Labor Board is
sue still pending, the House minor
1ty leader, Representative Martin of
Massachusetts,, said:
I'VE are for changes in this act
and we want an opportunity to vote
on them"
Representative Hoffman, Repub-
ncan, OF Michigan, one of the
boards most frequent critics, said
he intended to raise the issue at the
forthcoming conference of House
Republicans Monday.
HEROES . THE