Evening star., 1941-04-11

the strike began at the Rouge plant,
the pay roll there, for IS, 900 workers,
was $3,200,000 for a five-day week,
or $640000 a day. These figures
for the Rouge factory represent the
major part, but not all, of the loss
of workers wages.
The closing of the Highland Park
and Lincoln plants as a result of
the work Stoppage at the Rouge
added around 1850 to the list of
idle, and as Ford supply and branch
plants, both in the Detroit area and
elsewhere, shut down because of
inability to function without Rouge
the number of Ford unemployed
workers rose to an estimated 49,
900. The total loss of wages, out
of an estimated total normal pay
roll Of $1.000,000 a day, is placed
by reliable authorities at about
100000.
It's no wonder that the dreams
of Detroit's bankers, merchants, pur-
veyors of amusement-theSe among
others-have been troubled; no
wonder that the collective voice of
the city has been saying for days,
wishfully, this strike must be
settled"
There is large economic differ
ence, as young Mayor Edward j.
Jeffries. jr., explained to the writer
yesterday, between idleness caused
by a strike and unemployment due
to lack of jobs. So far as trade is
concerned, the latter is worse. The
striker has a job that he expects
ultimately to go back to; conse-
quently, he doesn't pull in his belt
so soon as the man without prospect
| of work. Hence, reasoned the Mayor,
| the city had not yet felt any Sc
we're effects from the strike, but, of
course, it would suffer progressively
if a settlement were long delayed.
The city government, in its capacity
as owner and operator of the De-
troit streetcar and bus system, had
become financially aware of the
strike through the loss of some
100000 out of the 100000 daily
fares normally collected.
Repercussions Over Country.
| Easter buying has been good, but
business has begun to drop slightly
at the moving picture houses, Dear
born merchants are complaining of
loss of business and slight fall
has been recorded in newspaper
circulation.
Any upheaval in the Ford empire
is bound to have it's effects not
only in Detroit but throughout the
country. The closing of branch and
supply factories in other areas has
been noted. Less obvious are the
repercussions in such places as New
England, where Ford buys heavily
of textiles, and Ohio, where a steel
factory in the Cleveland district
supplies him with its whole output
The strike is a grain of sand in a
delicately adjusted mechanism that
ramifleS over the whole country.
1t has its quality of feudalism, thi,
great Ford empire. Going about tc
discover, if you can, the inwardness
of the Rouge strike, you find or
every hand evidences of the fabulous
power that Mr.. Ford has enjoyed
Along with stories of his genius in
invention and in mass production
you hear that his power has beer
employed in ruthless ways and Otter
to strange ends. You hear of odd
and colorful characters with whom
he has surrounded himself. You
hear much of his service department
and of the man who formerly ran
it and is now the Ford director OF
personnel-Harry H. Bennett.
Mr.. Bennett is small, wiry, nervous
He dresses in the way called natty
and always wears bow tie. In his
youth he was an enlisted man in the
Navy and won the lightweight box
ing championship of the Atlantic
Fleet. When Mr.. Ford was building
eagle boats for the Navy during the
last war, Bennett, as a warrant
officer, was among those in the Navy
Intelligence Service assigned tc
Dearborn plant. He endeared him
self to Mr.. Ford, the story goes, by
discovering and foiling a plot to
kidnap Edsel.
Now a Key Man.
At the end of his Navy enlistment
period, Mr.. Ford gave him job and
later advanced him to the head OF
what the company calls the service
department and the striking Ford
employes-and others-call the Ford
gestapo. He has gone on to become
one of the key men of the Ford
organization and a power in politics
He has been the principal Ford
spokesman in the recent strike
negotiations.
AS a reporter covering the strike
one hears many stories of Mr.. Ben
nett and the service department
and probably encounters the depart
ment. The present writer did. A
group of four reporters found out
that Mr.. Bennett, Gov. Van Wagner
and others, including union officials
and Federal and State conciliators
were in a secret conference in q
cottage on the grounds of the Dear
born Inn, at Dearborn. The re-
porters posted themselves nearby tc
wait for the conferees to emerge
1t looked as if a strike settlement
might be announced.
Reporters Stand Ground.
The reporters had barely taken ur
their watch when two men who hae
been standing near the inn ap.
preached. You might have laid 9
bet on either if you had seen hin
in a prize ring. They told the re-
porters to move on. One represented
himself as the assistant manager
of the hotel. There was no reason
why the reporters should move. They
didn't. The assistant manager" ane
his colleague persisted. They hae
their job to do, so had the news.
men. Three of them were paying
guests of the hotel. They told thu
pair that if they or any of them were
elected from the hotel grounds tht
hotel would have to answer in tht
courts. So the pair stopped talk.
ing but stood by.
| A local reporter flashed at one oI