Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1941-07-07
Henderson,
Knudsen
Clash Near
Price Fixer, OPM Head
Find Ideas Conflict
BY PAUL MALLON

occasion developed in the fixing
Of iron and steel scrap prices.
OPM apparently thought Hen
derSon fixed the price too low.
But the matter was ironed out
in private without being brought
TO public attention, and in itself
represent e no irreparable
cleavage
How long this divided defense
house can stand. however, is a
matter of interesting Specula-
ton. Mr. KnudSen is going
ahead appointing his commit
tees Of industries. Rubber and
electrical goods have been es-
tabhShed, autos is half-done.
Electrical goods has repre-
sentative from II @ n rSons
OPACS as a member. but other
committees lack Henderson rep
Tesentation.
THE only way this sctup can
i progress is for Henderson TO
use the committees in his line of
the defense business. He could
seek their advice about what he
should do.
His associates arc already
saying this is impossible. Their
idea is that price fixing calls
for varying action in the case
of each individual manufactures
and cannot be handled as a
whole for commodity. In
autos. they point 10 one small
manufactures who has recently
come through a hard financial
reorganization. He should be
permitted 10 increase the price
of his car. but his financially
well-fixed competitor should not
be permitted 10 do so, they
claim.
Henderson obviously wants TO
work independently of OPM.
For the present this means
manufacturers will receive
orders from two government
agencies, OPM and OPACS, and
trouble is sure TO come the first
time these orders conflict. The
pending auto difficulties will
probably bring matters 10 a
showdown.
The blowup may not be long
delayed thereafter.
COME one should jack up Joe
~ Stain and tell him he is not
calling off the Micheners and
~Gurrans in the -AmefieaH-laberu
movement fast enough. Appar-
emily they have not been in
formed of the change in the
party line around to favoring
American martial production.
The Peace Mobilization, the
Daily Worker. ct al. apparently
got their calls from Moscow
through all right, as they have
completely changed face. From
picketing Mr.. Roosevelt as
warmonger, they have skipped
around for all out aid 10 Mos
COW. thereby proving again,
incidentally, where their real
interests lie.
But Lew Kitchener, the TO-
menter Of the North American
Aviation outlaw strike, is still
complaining against the United
States mediation board agree
ment in the case, and apparently
wants TO strike some more, now
that the troops are out Of the
plant.
The board gave the workers
a wage increase and a mainte-
nance-of-members tract.
something which the United
Mine Workers sought for 20
years before they obtained it,
This means all union members
must remain in the union dur
ing the lie OF the contract and
all new workers must join. Yet
Kitchener howled in a telegram
to Go President Philip Murray
Murray replied in effect that
If Kitchener would spend more
time organizing new members
and less time making false
statements, it would be better
for the Go
ZOE CURRAN'S peace picket
~ crS left the White House
picket line "a hours before Hitler
invaded Russia. but Joe is tying
up Great Lakes shipping with
demands that the seamen'S con-
tract expire in June at the height
of the shipping season. so he can
make future strikes hurt. The
companies want il TO expire when
the lakes are frozen over.
Al fret Ctit.v.ap ackaJ a ,traua