Evening star., 1940-11-26
Sabotage
Continued From First Page.)

Monkiewicz of Connecticut and
Springer of Indiana.
The committee, it was understood,
considered three principal sugges-
tions designed as antidotes for ex-
listing conditions:
l. Amending the National Labor
Relations Act to prevent strikes in
industries handling Government de-
fense contracts.
2. Increasing existing penalties
for persons found guilty of sabotage
or attempted sabotage.
3. Compulsory arbitration of dis
putes between labor and industry.
coupled with law that would call
for a so-called cooling period" of
several months before a strike could
be ordered in an industry manufac-
turing defense materials.
These suggestions and others. it
was said, were made to Chairman
Summers at a secret conference in
his ofhce late yesterday by a small
group Of House members who had
previously indicated alarming con-
cern over the strike situation at the
Vultee Aircraft plant and other
developments said to be handicap
ping the carrying out of the coun-
try's defense program.
Smith and Darden in Parley.
Among those who attended the
conference were Representatives
Smith and Darden, both Virginia
Democrats, and Hobbs, Democrat, of
Alabama, a member of the Judici-
ary Committee. Mr.. Smith as well
as Chairman Summers had made
speeches in the House earlier in the
day denouncing the reported in
crease in Subversive activities in
the United States and questioning
the need of legislation to tighten
existing laws dealing with the
activities of agents of foreign
governments.
Criticism of alleged delays in the
defense program on the House floor
came simultaneously with the release
by the Dies committee of a four
page statement by Chairman Dies
deploring the weakness in our
Governments methods of dealing
with fifth columnists."
Pro-Nazi Clique Charged.
The statement, according to
Chairman Dies. summarized results
of the committees investigations in
the aircraft industry on the West
Coast It's most sensational declara-
ton was that in Southern Cali
fornia aircraft plant" there is
clique of German-born employees
who have shown definite sympathy"
with the present Nazi government
holding key positions and that
competent American-born workers
are able to obtain promotion only
through joining this German clique.
Representative Smith, who is
chairman of a special committee in
charge of an investigation of the
National Labor Relations Board, de-
clared the Vultee and other strikes
are preventing the proper opera
ton of our defense program" and
concluded:
IT Just urge the Congress again
to wake up and get out of the
class of Rip Van Wrinkle and do
something about it.
Earlier, Mr.. Smith had asked:
"How do a handful of Red Com
munists manage to dispute and
interfere with the entire program
of this Nation for planes to train
the boys that you have conscripted
into service?
How do they do it? They do it
because they are members OF labor
organization and under the cloak
and under the protection of that
radical labor organization they are
able to interfere with and stop the
program of defense of this country.
Then you will ask how does any
minority labor union exert such a
power? How can the c. I. o. or
any other labor union say to $780,
100000 people, You shall not build
airplanes to train the boys you
have conscripted into service'?"
The labor unions, Mr.. Smith ex-
planned, operate under protection"
of the National Labor Relations Act
and the N. r. L. B. which admin
listers that law under the "protec-
ton" of Congress.
$50, Mr.. Speaker" Representative
Smith continued, that brings us
right straight back to the PROPOSE
ton of where this trouble lies. We
cannot lay 1t on the administration
We cannot lay it on the labor unions
We cannot lay 1t on the Communists.
1t comes straight back to our door,
and I repeat the questions: What
are we going to do about it?"