Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1941-03-05
Board, Board.
Who Has the
Labor, Board?
2 Good Plans Offered.
But No Officials
(The opinions expressed by
General Johnson are not neces-
sarily those of The Detroit
Times.
BY HUGH S. JOHNSON

which could paralyze defense
production. One is Mr.. Knud-
sens proposal to extend the
principles of the Railway Media
ton Act, which requires a cool
ing off" period before any strike
can begin.
The other is that of Assistant
Secretary of War Patterson. 1t
would reconstitute the World
War Taft-Walsh board, which
relied upon distinguished medi-
alton and impartial determine
ton of issues, backed up by
public opinion and indirect use
of other governmental war
powers.
Both plans have been re-
markedly successful. Secretary
Patterson's worked almost per-
fectly in the last war. Mr..
Knudsen's idea would require a
new statute and new kind of
labor board to add to the rest
as would Mr.. Patterson's. But
the secretary's plan could be
put into effect Immediately by
an executive order.
WOULD either or both work?
w Nobody knows. What is
needed is not so much more new
schemes and bureaus as better
men.
One reason why the Taft
board worked so well was that
its chief was former president
of the United States who even
earlier had been internationally
known and highly respected as
secretary of war and governor
general of the Philippines. More
over, he had been great federal
judge of most liberal principles,
noted for a record of absolute
justice.
Finally, he was Big Bill Taft.
great humanist, who could
frequently just chuckle and
laugh the belligerence out of
angry contestants. That kind
of man could make almost any
plan work today, but where are
we going to find him?
The great men of that gen.
Grafton seemed to regard no job
as being beneath their dignity
if the country needed to have
1t done, and there were more
such men in those days.
One reason why the draft
worked so well in 1917 was that
in the relatively minor job of
president of it's New York City
district board was Charles Evans
Hughes, who had just come
within a hair of being president
of the United States.
OUR labor mediation organiZa-
" ton now is an implanted
and chaotic mess. Twelve states
have their own labor boards and
conciliators. They insist on
acting each within its own state.
The Department of Labor has a
similar service. 1t doesn't like
to be left out.
The National Labor Relations
Board has another, which horns
in when possible. Mr.. Sidney
Hillman of OPM has another
which is very active. The war
department has been urged to
engage in settling strikes.
Now if we adopt Mr.. Knud-
sens or Mr.. Patterson's sugges-
tion-or both-there could be
five, six or seven separate gov
ernmental horners-in on any
threatened dispute.
That isn't a very attractive or
reasonable picture. The truth
is that neither OPM nor the war
or navy departments should have
anything to do with labor dis
putes in industry. Their bust
ness is to get production.
Settlement of a labor dispute Is
partly a judicial and partly a
conciliatory service. 1t should
be in absolutely impartial hands
which, like those of William
Howard Taft, could command
the utmost respect and conf
dence from everybody.
IT IS absurd to have In control
i of industrial mobilization and
engaged in settling labor contro-
versies. even on a two-headed
basis, an active head of a par
ticularly efficient union who is
at the same time a principal
officer in the CIO-a new fed
GRAFTON aggressiyely engaged in
industry wild organizational
effort and also engaged in a
bitter fight with another great
federation. the AFE.
Mr.. Hillman is one of the
ableSt men in government but,
in this role, he is obviously mis-
cast.
Nobody has proposed a prom
Using remedy and this depart
ment doesn't presume to do so.
But surely there are some clear
principles that are being neg
lected or at least some obvious
ends to attain.
Fewer and better boards, big
ger and better men, a minimum
of confusion and duplication, a
more even-handed justice. and a