Evening star., 1941-04-09
Miss Perkins Dep|ores
Jurisdiction Strikes
AT Defense Plants
House Inquiry to Question
+. B. |. Chief on Possible
Subversive Activity
BY the Associated Press.

BY the Associated Press.
Secretary of Labor Perkins ex-
pressed the opinion today that
iurisdictional strikes were most un-
fortunate at any time" and in de-
fense industry were mot justified"
She made this assertion in re-
sponse to questions by members OF
the House Military Committee dur
ing the committees investigation OF
the defense program.
Defining jurisdictional strikes as
those occurring between two unions
within one labor organization, she
said there were few strikes resulting
from conflict between the Congress
of Industrial Organizations and the
American Federation of Labor, ano
that these could be readily settled
through machinery of the National
Labor Relations Board.
F. B. i. Chief to Be Called.
Before Miss Perkins took the
stand, the committee decided II
summon j. Edgar Hoover, chief of
the Federal Bureau of Investigation
and j. B. Matthews, chief investi-
gator for the House Committee on
un-American Activities, to testify
as to the extent of any subversive
activity in defense industries. Rep
resentative Thomas. Republican. OF
New Jersey suggested they be called
Questioned on this same point
Miss Perkins said the Labor De
partment had mo way of knowing
about the Communist influence in
strike situations and expressed the
opinion that the F. B. I. would be
most likely to have information on
the subject.
She told the committee that the
duty of Labor Department concilia-
tors was mot to determine anything
about the private affairs of individ.
uals, but to get the men back II
work"
Representative Thomason, Demo.
crat, of Texas of the committee tolc
Miss Perkins he regarded it as
particular function" of the grour
" lCdIll W1lCbllCl SOl civ Sti inc
were being fostered by Communists
Causes Of Strikes.
Miss Perkins said she attributed
current strikes mainly to "rathel
sudden expansion of employment,
the efforts of people long withou
steady work to improve their con
ditions" and the resistance of {
few employers to the ideas and pur
poses of contractual relations with
their employees"
In response to other questions
Miss Perkins conceded that Labo
Department conciliators had beer
unable to settle the Allis- -Chalmer
strike at Milwaukee in rs days o
effort and that the recently ere
ated Defense Mediation Board hat
settled it in 40 hours
why couldn't that have beer
done sooner?" Representativ,
Thomason asked.
There was no mediation board,
the Secretary replied.
"Why not get one them"
II can't create mediation
board"
"Why not ask for one?"
ct did ask for one" Miss Perkins
said. There were differences o.
opinion about it." Some officials
she said, had believed that a specia
mediation board should have beer
appointed for the Allis- -Chalmer
strike.
Representative Thomas, membe
of both the Military and Dies Com
mittees. also asked that j. B. Mat
thews, Dies Committee research di
rector, be summoned.
He declared that testimony from
Mr.. Hoover and Mr.. Matthews wa
vital to the Military Committee
inquiry into the progress of the de
fense program, and members agree,
to consider his request before ques
tioning Secretary of Labor Perkin
today.
In another discussion of conflict!
between the C. I. o. and A. F. L
as to jurisdiction, Representative
Harter, Democrat, of Ohio, com
mented that "a knock down, drag
out fight between the two grea
unions would play havoc with ma
tional defense"
YES" Miss Perkins replied, "ant