Evening star., 1941-06-30


w Washin ton,
blames among David Lawrence.
others Secretary of the Interior
Ickes for putting petty quarrels
above the national interest. The
revelation that Mr.. IckeS had ac-
tually held up aluminium production
by refusing to grant electric power
from the Government storehouse to
those producers who could make
aluminium right away comes as a
strange sequel to the Secretary's S
effort last week to shift the blame
to the Aluminium Co. Of America.
Also last week the country was
led to believe by a Senate COM
mittee that the o. P. M. was re-
sponsible for the lack of aluminium
when the truth now seems to be
that 1t is a shortage of electric
power. The unfortunate fact also
Is that Mr.. Ickes last February
thought more of the technicalitieS
of his fight on monopoly-even
though it is up to the courts to
resolve this iSsue-than he did of
the national need for power to be
allotted to those who could make
aluminium at once.
Tragic Spectacle"
''The situation" says the commit
tee report. "in regard to aluminium
Is more critical still. The aluminium
industry relies on poWer-electric
power.
Whatever may be the merits of
any controversy between these So
called 'monopolies' and the admin
istration. it is the sense of this
committee that a squabble at this
time on the subject of monopoly is
a tragic and sorry spectacle"
Secretary Ickes in his testimony
says he was thinking of conditions
after the war and that it was up
to him not to give any more elec-
tricity to company which he con-
SideredN would have a monopoly
when the emergency was over. This
conception of public duty in a crisis
puts the interest of the Nation
at the mercy of an arbitrary minded
official.
Injustice Und0ne.
The House Military Affairs Com
mittee undoes to large extent the
grave injustice done by the Senate
committee and Secretary Ickes in
charging the Aluminium Co. OF
America with lack of cooperation
and recalcitrance. The House COM
mittee says of the Aluminium COM
pany:
''All the testimony given before
this committee was to the effect that
the Aluminium Co. of America not
only used its own money for the ex-
pansion and lowered the price but
of its own initiative trebled its pro-
duction ." ."
The House committee further clar.
ifies point on which there has beer
much Misrepresentation by Secre-
tary Ickes and members of the Sen
ate committee as to the RESPONSE
bility for lack of aluminium now that
military requirements have risen tc
heights hitherto unpredictable by
anybody. Says the committee:
1T is obvious that neither the
Army, Navy nor the o. P. M. coulo
estimate their requirements, espe-
cially Of aluminium, until they were
aware of the numbers, designs anC
sizes OF planes to be constructed"
Emphasis on Reforms Hit.
The most serious charge made by
the House committee, however, IL
that the New Deal has really vio-
lated the national interest by re-
fusal to allow social reforms and pei
political projects to be side-trackec
in the interest of defense. This ha:
been ell too apparent to observers
here for several months who have
watched with growing concern the
efforts of certain New Dealers-anc
particularly Secretary Ickes -tt
build a smokescreen which woulc
relieve them of the blame that at
taches to their mistakes thus far
Says the House committee:
Emphasis over the past few year
has been made on social reform
rather than national security. Al
a nation we seem to have forgotten
that without national security, so
cial reform might well prove mean
ingleSs."
This committee whose business |
Is to be familiar with military af
fairs in behalf of the peoples rep
resentatives in the lower house o
Congress recites mistake after mis-
take of the administration.
The committee report really is al
Indictment of New Deal negligence
and the Presidents ineptitude as al
sdministrator-his unWillingness t,
trust anybody but his own New
Dealers. If there were disposition
now to cure the situation, the com
mittee report might never have beer
made. But the President has re
Gently given extensive powers t.
Secretary Ickes, who evidently is go
Ing to control not only the Who'll
petroleum industry of the Nation bu
all the electric power resources. t
grant authority to men who hav
already given evidence of their tenn
peramental unfltfleSs--in fact to Civ
1t to men who make speeches of at
tacks on business that break dow
national unity-is not to comman
the confidence of the American peo
pie either for national unity or a.
ell-out effort for defense. The con
structive foreign policy of the Ad
ninistration is being compromise