The Waterbury Democrat., 1941-04-12

oil han.cocke0 Sometnlng lH wrong some place, and somebody thinks something should be done about 1t. So, no matter how nobly conceived if preparations for the birth and dee livery of a congressional investiga- ton child are inadequate, the baby is bound to be an outlaw and @ holy terror.
 Congressman Andy Mays corm- mittee on military affairs got of to an investigation of national de- fense under these handicaps the other day and 6 pity 1t was, too, for this was to be the first-born of the inquisition triplets being spawned by this Congress to be- devil further the governmental agencies who are trying their best to get the country ready for de- fense in case of war.
 FANCY
 DRAPERIES
 Just consider the picture as the committee went into It's labor pains, and no pun intended:
 Before a brocade curtain back drop, the 20 committee members are seated like judges behind raised, crescent-shaped, beautiful ly carved wood bench. Chairman May is in the center, with a gavel and shaded study lamp. Di- rectly in front of him is the chair for the witnesses, and around this chair are tables, covered with cardboard sheets so they won't be scratched, for committee clerks and stenographers.
 The stars who might have drawn the crowd were missing, too. Knudsen was helping dedicate @ new airplane factory in Dallas. Dykstra was in Wisconsin. Hill- man away. Stettinius busy, but sent three aides, who weren't called. So Madame Perkins read 8 prepared statement, telling the committee about the work of the Cancellation Service, which every one should have known already, and asked to be excused. It seems there were some strikes on some place, which required her best ate tention.
 This burned up red-faced Con- gressman J. Parnell Thomas of Allendale, N. J., who was loaded for Communist bead with ques- tons based on the files of the Dies committee. When he couldn't ask his questions, he blew up, and there ensued one of those little spats which enliven all congress sional debate and make some people wonder about the merits of de- mocracy, after all Thomas want- ed to adjourn the committee then and there. Nobody seconded his emotion.
 Next witness was John D. Big gers, head of production in OPM, and Thomas told him he needn't worry about taking up the com- mittee's time, for 1t had plenty.
 Carefully, painstakingly, delib- erately, comparatively, Biggers spelled out the organization of OPM, which, also, congressman should have known. He read his prepared statement, stressing the magnitude of the job, the lack of appreciation of the critical situa- ton, again emphasizing that his own task was advice on production that the army and navy let the contracts, that he had nothing to do with labor.
 Tn those two hours you could get what was eating these congressman all congressman most. Labor. Short of Galena, Mo-, wanting to know why contract couldn't be made with labor, to guarantee pro- duction. Somebody else wanting to know why labor unions couldn't be incorporated, and so made respon- sible. Somebody else wanting to know what had been done about these subversive clements. Somebody else wanting to know what laws Congress could pass to end these strikes.
 Somebody else wanting to know how long the government should wait to have @ strike settled, be- fore moving in. Cropping, fumbling blindly, trying to get something constructive to force labor to co- operate, the way dollars and draftees have co-operated.
 Well, maybe this Investigating con mittee will find what it's looking for, and maybe 1t won't. You never can tell about commit tees, particularly congressional committees, and what they'll get done.
 One woman, however, knitting automatically on a sweater during the whole opening session, got a lot done. If she attends every ses- sion of this committees hearing and knits through every session, Bundles for Britain will have an- other boatload and that will be something constructive. at least.