The potters herald. [volume] (East Liverpool, Ohio) 1899-1982, 1940-12-26
Facing The Facts
With PHILIP PEARL

It seems that some of the Navy
Admirals are out of step, as usual.
The latest to fall by the wayside is
Rear Admiral Ray Spear, who in his
annual report as Chief Of the Navy's
Bureau of Supplies and Accounts,
complains that the Walsh Healy and
Fair Labor Standards Act are re-
tarding expansion of industrial facili-
ties to meet defense needs.
But it's not bit surprising to hear
a Navy Admiral talk like a men,
ber of the Union League Club. In
fact, the high-ranking officials of our
Navy form a more exclusive set than
any group Of pot -bellied plutocrats in
the nation. To some of these Ad-
mirals democracy is as foreign as it
is to Adolph Hitler. They are used
to dictatorial methods. AS command
er Of a battleship, a squadron or a
fleet, an Admiral stalks the deck with
complete authority. He hears no la
Dor problems, he sees no labor prob
lens, he knows no labor problems.
With such a background, it is no Won
der that the Admirals find it diff
cult to understand the complexities
of industrial production where civilian
workers, not men in uniform, are en-
ployed.
The time has come to democratize
the Navy. We urge no lessening of
discipline aboard ship. That is neces-
sary in peace time as well as in time
of war. But we do insist that the
Department and their personnel take
a few lessons in democracy, learn
what it's all about and get back into
step with the Government and it's la
Dor policies.
The Army Is Way Ahead
1t might do the Navy boys a lot
of good to take look at what's hap
pened in the Army. Officials of the
War Department have progressed SO
far ahead Of their colleagues in the
Navy that they are out of sight. Un-
der Secretary Of War Stimson, the
Army has adopted an enlightened and
progressive policy toward labor. 1t
has not only given lip service, but
has shown a sincere desire to abide
by the provisions Of the labor laws
protecting the standards Of the work
ing men and women of America. AS
a result, Army defense projects are
being constructed far ahead of
schedule A fine spirit of cooperation
exists between organized labor and
the Army. There has not been a
single strike on any Army defense
project by an American Federation
of Labor union. In fact, all affected
A. f. of l.. unions have gone out of
their way to he p the Army speed up
it's program and supply the necessary
labor, even when the Army speed up
its program and supply the necessary
labor, even when that meant trans
porting large groups Of skilled work
ers to communities far from their
homes.
We must not forget that Americas
first line of defense is not the Navy
with it's warships and it's airplanes,
nor the Army with its regiments of
drilled soldiers and its mechanical
equipment, but the army with a small
"a"-the great army Of millions Of
workers in American factories who
are producing the vast stores of ma
terials and equipment and new plant
capacity so vital to the defense Of our
country.
Both the Navy Admirals and the
Army generals are very careful to
provide for their own men. They
have learned Napoleon's adage that
an army travels on it's stomach"
They know that soldiers and sailors,
to fight we'll must be well-fed, we'll
housed and in good health
Then why in the name of all that's
reasonable can't they understand that
it is even more important that the
great army Of workers, who consti-
tute the first line of defense, must
also be well-fed, wel-housed and in
good health in order to construct the