Evening star., 1941-11-12
Nelson Says Defeat
Of Axis May Cost
.40% Of i. ). Income
Greeting From President
Reed at Conference
On Labor Legislation
BY OLIVER MCKEE.

.. Defeat of the Axis powers may
require the expenditure of 40 pei
. cent of the national income of the
:: American people on defense, Donald
: M. Nelson. executive director OF
Supply Priorities and ALLEGATIONS
: Board, declared today in addressing
!. the opening session of the eighth
national conference on labor legis-
: lation at the Government Audi
/. torium.
Victory of the Allies is essential to
the maintainance of the American
: way of life. Mr.. Nelson said.
Secretary Perkins presided at the
: conference, which was attended by
. representatives appointed by the
Governors of 80 States. In opening
the meeting, Secretary Perkins
: stressed the vital Importance of an
allied victory over Hitlerism.
"Our resources are now pledged to
|. the nations that are fighting in de-
: fense of the democratic way of life,
and to that objective the workers of
. America are giving their whole
. hearted support" she told the
conference.
Greeting from President.
: A letter of greeting from the Pres
ident was read by Secretary Perkins.
These annual conferences have,
it seems to me, proven their useful
ness as instrumentalities for raising
. labor standards, and they have also
made a real contribution to the
!: technique of making democracy
. work" the President said.
They have brought together the
States and the Federal Government
for informal discussion of problems
which are of common interest to
wage earners, the solution of which
demands a common approach.
II hope that these meetings will
. continue, and that from them will
come series of programs and pract-.
ical suggestions for meeting our
. urgent national problems, as well
as planning for the wider goal of
creating a sensible and humane
economy in which all nations can
participate after the war"
At the present time the United
States is spending about II per cent
of its national income on defense,
Mr.. Nelson told the conference.
This is not enough" he said.
"Unless we throw everything into
the defense effort, it will not be suf-
f1cient to turn the scales. One thing
is perfectly clear. You cannot have
business as usual and carry out the
defense program. We have got to
assure victory for the allies"
Food Shortage Doubted.
Though shortages of many ma
terials have already developed. and
though further curtailment orders
may be expected, Mr.. Nelson ex-
pressed the view that there would
be no shortage of vital foods. and
that materials would be available
"for things essential to our well be-
ing"
In reply to question, he told the
conference that officials in Wash
ington ARE thinking in terms of a
long war" The defense program
will come to an end. he said, when
this country is no longer threatened.
All strike labor legislation must
now be considered in relationship to
defense, Secretary Perkins declared
in her opening address.
We hope you will give us the
benefit of your best thought and ex-
perience on questions that are vital
to labor, and to the defense pro-
gram and on which We need to reach
the right solution" she said.
I'VE want to consider what things
still need to be done to make our
efforts successful, to consider how
to preserve gains in labor standards
made in peace times without i'm
peding the production of arma-
ments and war supplies
The conference will continue its
meetings through Friday.