The Skyland post. [volume] (West Jefferson, N.C.) 193?-1988, 1941-06-19
Rv Staff Writer)

union leaders, against government
mediation and against law en-.
forcement agencies, has over.
Swallowed everything else in
Washington as it becomes increas-
ingly evident that Communistic
and anti-American groups have q
strong group on defense indus
tries.
Since the Presidents speech to
the nation, in which he said that
industrial disputes must be set
tied without stoppage of work,
there have been more strikes
started than before his speech,
serving as challenge to him to
do something about it. With many
labor groups getting out of hand,
and new strikes developing in our
most necessary defense industries,
plant seizures and the use of the
army to force men to work can
be expected until the situation is
in hand.
The public began demanding
immediate government interven-
ton in the strike situation when
e. I. o. strikers at the North
American Aviation company's
California plant defied their ma
tional leaders by refusing to work
while negotiations were carried on
and wired President Roosevelt's
secretary saying, "The armed for
ces will not break our srike.
Bombers can't be made with bay
onets." This defiance of the Pres
ident by union in a company
which has $2O0,000,000 in defense
orders, was considered by most
congressman to be ga last straw"
and an invitation for the govern
ment to use every power at its
command to curb such unruli-
ness.
The danger of the situation was
made glaringly apparent when the
strikers booed their unions ma
tional director, Richard Franken-
steen, and refused to listen to his
pleas to continue working. M.
Frankensteen then admitted that
"the vicious underhand maneu-
vering of the Communist party
was apparent in the strike" De-
claring the strike to be "wild-
cat strike" opposed by c. I. O.
leaders, Mr.. Frankensteen ex-
pressed the feeling Of most Off
Gals here when he told the strik-
ers, "Your action today has made
one man the happiest in the world
that is Hitler
While strikes are seriously dis
rupting defense production, CAPT.
tai experts are insisting that our
production must be speeded up to
a point far above previous goals
if we hope to compete with the
present $3,OOO,OOO,O00 month
production schedule now in force
in Nazi Germany. Following tes-
timony to this effect before the
senate defense committee, Senator
Connally of that committee COM
mented: Cali we are doing is ad-
vertising to Germany and the
world that we are in mess on
this program. What we need is
fewer statistics and more action"
There has been considerable
heated debate over the admins
tration's bill which would give the
President the right to seize all
kinds of property, either personal
property or industrial plants, and
pay for them what he considered
a fair price. Even the President
himself expressed surprise over
the drastic terms of the bill, say
ing that he had not read the mea-
sure as prepared by the war de-
partment. He seemed to agree
that some limitation should be
put on the seizure of necessary
property, saying that he had had
no thought of the government
taking permanent possession of
property, as provided in the bill.
Indications are that the bill, with
some toning down, will be passed
by congress, as are practically all
administration sponsored bill S
having to do with defense. Pas
sage will give the President more
dictatorial powers than have ever
been held by any other President,
it is generally agreed.
The threat of ,gas-less Sundays.
as made by Secretary of Interior
Ickes who has been made car OF
the oil industry, has stirred up 6
good deal of opposition both in
Washington and in the state gov
ernments. The first reaction Of
the populace was that it WOULD
be glad to use less gas if that
would aid defense, but study Of
the facts showed the supply Of
gas and oil is plentiful-that the
whole problem is one of lack Of
ships for getting gas and oil to the