Evening star., 1941-06-05
Way Declared Open
For Tightening Of
Federal Controls
Proclamation Has Swept
Awoy Legal Hurdles,
Magazine Believes
81 ecial Dispatch to The Star.


NEW YORK. June 5.-The Presi-
dents proclamation of unlimited
emergency simply sweeps away the
legal obstacles to more intensive use
of existing controls" according to
the MCGraW-Hill industrial maya
zine Factory Management and
Maintenance, in its 18th war COM
munique' = published in the current
issue.
The unlimited emergency status,
says the magazine, clears the way
for tighter and better co-ordinated
prlorlties, it authorizes wider and
more effective price controls. 1t may
even be employed for the regulation
OF labor relations. But rigid gov
ernmental control seems unlikely
unless industry has a major fall
down in production
The article points to only two
flelds-the public utilities and labor
Relationship which it seems likely
that the new emergency powers may
be employed for a governmental
breakdown. Significant indeed, it
is stated. is the warning sby T. r.
Tate of the Federal Power Commits
sion of national power emergency.
Mr., Tate warns that restriction OF
civilian use of power may become
necessary. The obvious meaning is
that industry, even non defense in
dustry, would be the last 40 face
restriction.
Labor Curbs Possible.
In labor relations the President
now has the power to put virtual
stop to all but tiny minority of
defense strikes, it is pointed out.
While this does not mean that he
will take over struck plants and call
out the Army to help him run them,
he can set up czar over labor with
enough power to make recalcitrart
labor leaders uncomfortable.
Either by decree or by law. medi-
alton could be made compulsory"
says Factory The National De-
fenSe Mediation Board could be
made paramount. Then, every dis
pute, after long cooling off period,
would be referred to it for public
judgment"
While the presidential declaration
of an unlimited emergency would
have been. six months ago, an i'm
pressively significant event. today it
serves chiefly to snap up the Nation
psychologically, to take the head
lines off the convoy question, and
to provide the Government with
potentially greater power over in
dustry than it will need or use.
1T is well to remember" Factory
points out, that an unlimited emer-
gency can be proclaimed only In
time Of war or the imminence of
war This redefines our position in
world affairs and warns us that we
may some day attain complete war
footing. although we may be years
in the transition. When the Presi-
dent staked out our defense objec-
tiVeS in his fireside chat, he told in
duStry in effect: Dig in for a long
period of defense production. 1t is
now a certainty that this job will
last for years When he issued his
proclamation of unlimited emer-
gency, he merely took a necessary
step toward the complete economic
mobilization which may eventually
be forced upon U.s."
Recalls Three Years Ago.
Factory refers back to it's first
war communique" of three wears
ago when the term unlimited emer-
gency" was an awesome one. 1t was
fraught with the promise of dire and
to industry, unaccuStomed things
such as prioritieS, price control, plant
communicating, the conscription of
labor and of management. the ma
tionalization of war manufactures,
and Government operation of the
railroads, utilities and communica-
tlonS. We thought of M-Day as
swift, explosive transformation. But
now, it is pointed out, we see the
complete war economy as the possible
result OF a long evolutionary process.
In the past months, when the
limited emergency" has been in op-
Grafton. many of the industrial con-
trolls have already been put into ef-
feet. We have dipped our toes in
priorities and price control We
have had, for eight months, a law
authorizing the seizure of plants
when and if the owners reject Gov
eminent contracts. Of M-Day's
original major measures, then, we
have yet to experience or contem-
plate only the Government control
and operation of transportation, util-
tiles and communications, and Ger
tain measures affecting individual
as we'll as industrial liberties. such