The Waterbury Democrat., 1941-04-07

court costs and time for N. L. R. B. hearings. One case went to the Si- preD1e court.
 The Labor Board is only little over five years old and all but one year of its stormy young life has been marked by Ford grief. It's Ford files are voluminous, the ex- ceptions made by the company in the St. Louis case alone filling Q box as big as an old-fashioned cloak and suit salesinan's trunk. The problem is how anyone could write that much, let alone read 1t. NEW TROUBLE
 SPRINGS FROM OLD
 The present trouble at Dearborn Is, in way, a direct follow-up on the first Ford case, the one that got to the Supreme Court. That case began May 22, 1897, when the company was charged with inter- ference and coercion against the employees right to organize and bargain, and with discrimination against irlddvidual employees by firing them for organization activ- tiles. '. tt
 Hearings began in July and went through the rest of 1887, a decision and order finally being handed down just before Christ mas. Then followed nearly two years of wrangling, ending in a new decision in August, 1889, and the N. L. R. B. petition to sixth Circuit Court of Appeals, a month later, to enforce the order.
 The court handed down its de. cision in October, uplloldtng the Labor Board, whereupon the com- pany took the case to the Supreme Court. It was only on Feb. 10 this year that the Supreme Court de- nied the writ of certiorari, in effect confirming the lower courts de- cision.
 The Ford company, in coinpli- allce with court order, began to work out back pay for rehiring of men discharged for union activity, but that by no means settled the problem. On Feb. 18 the 0. I. O. United Automobile Workers filed a new petition with the board, charging the Ford company with new violations of the National Labor Relations act at Lincoln, River Rouge and Highland Park plants.
 Speeding up its slow motion procedure as Q defense measure, the Labor Board held hearings March 24.26. Oral arguments were moved up to April 5, and if they can be concluded and the board decision handed down In reason- able time, N. L. R. B. will have demonstrated what 1t can do to speed up the defense effort by handling a major industry case within two months or SO. That is, unless the lawyers get to work on the case and stretch 1t out into an- other four year marathon argu- ynent.
 For one thing the strike may go merrily on and every gov ernment agency dealing with labor will find itself increasingly on the spot because they are all limited In powers. While 1t says in the United States Government Manual that N. L. R. B. "is an integral cog In the nations program of pre- venting strife and promoting in. dustrial harmony in this period of mohilidng working forces in be- half of national defense" you will look pretty hard and not find a satisfactory answer to the ques- ton of how 1t can gtop 0 strike like this one. AWAIT .....s. FORD ACTION
 N. L. R. B. Is limited by law to procedure best illustrated by what 1t has done and what 1t has not been able to do in the nine--now 10 Ford cases. Three of these cases are still in the courts, two await new decisions, three have been de- cided but await compliance by the Ford company.
 For nine months of the last Con- gress, the activities Of the N. L. R. B. and its law were investigated by a special committee headed by Rep- resentative Howard w. Smith Of Alexandria, Va. His committee made more than 100 recommenda- tions for changes of the law and then went out of business. Wheth- CT those 100 changes or any part of them would improve the work of N. L. R. B. Is matter of con- lecture and your own opinion. based principally on which side of the union tracks you live.
 N. L. R. B. has been judged largely by its shortcomings. The good 1t has done is usually lost sight of, and in that evaluation you must bear in. mind that in five years 1t has handled 32,000 cases, every one potential strike, in volving nearly 100000 workers. It has held 3800 electionS-roughly 10 per cent of its cases. The other 90 per cent have been handled by consent and agreement of employ CT and employees, without action by the board.
 Courts have upheld the board better than they have sustained many other government adminis- trative agencies. N. l.. R. B. has an S-to-l record before the Su- preme Court. where three of its claims have been denied and q ap- proved, with or without modifica- tion. It has Q 5-to-l record in the circuit courts
 Whatever is cockeyed about N. L.. R. B. would still seem to be in the law which created 1t and gives 1t life.
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