Evening star., 1941-04-28
items to help defray the costs OF the
heavy armaments bill
Strikes Discussed.


heavy armaments bill.
Strikes Discussed.
He opposed legislation prohibiting
defense strikes. because in this field
Legislative compulsion never yet
has worked satisfactorily. He ad-
vised businessmen to start planning
at once for post emergency read
justments and markets.
! Discussing strikes, Mr.. Kemper
called them the most serious OBJ
StaCle to our own military defense
| yet he said that the worst possible
way to deal with the problem
would be TO enact anti-Strike legis-
lation. He recommended continued
use of the method of voluntary
mediation undertaken by the De-
fense Mediation Board, which he
said has made a good beginning" "
The issue of strike policy is likely
to bring debate and difference of
opinion in the forthcoming sessions
of the annual convention, which
will last for four days.
Several labor proposals have been
| put up for action. Among these.
the Dallas (TeXD Chamber of
Commerce proposed a declaration
favoring compulsory mediation for
arbitration of labor disputes in
national defense establishments.
On the other hand. the Manu-
! factureS Department Committee of
the national chamber proposed a
! statement favoring voluntary CO.
operation between employers and
employees to be backed up by prompt
efforts at conciliation by existing
I services whenever the cooperation
method fails.
Still a third proposal came from
the Chicago Association of Com
merce which advocated further de-
velopment of the United States
Cancellation Service, and also legis-
lation requiring advance notice Of
intent to strike and a cooling off"
period.
Mr.. Kemper looked TO the post
war period, and laid down what he
called program for businessmen on
three fronts"
The very uncertainty of the fu-
ture," he said, makes it obliga
tory on us to leave no stone un-
turned to do now whatever it is
possible to do, to cushion the i'm
pact on the business of this Nation
which will follow the withdrawal
OF the artificial stimulants to trade
which now give the patient such
a persuasive but deceptive appear
ance of prosperity.
Two Important Props.
Our own rearmament program
and support of the British war eff
fort are two of the most important
props to our present business ac-
tlvity. No one can predict how
long this condition will continue.
Because of this, I believe we
businessmen should begin at once
with detailed and comprehensive
programs to discover and develop
new sources of business. AS I see
it, we should proceed on three
fronts. Each business should set
up its own machinery to study new
markets, new products and other
avenues for employment. Cham
berS of Commerce and other busi-
ness organizations should set up
committees to work out long range
programs so that every community
best can utilize its resources and
economic assets. Thirdly, all of
the technical and research groups
in private industry, in the univer-
stiles and in research associations
in cooperation with the Federal
and State governments should make
the subject OF employment in the
reconstruction period a major cur
rent program"
In adopting the lease-lend pro-
gram, Mr.. Kemper asserted, the Ma
ton had "cast aside the historic
foreign policy of "aloofness from the
uuarrels of the rest of the world
which it had pursued with almost
complete devotion" since the time
of George Washington.
Cost Put at 40 Billion.
Apropos of the combined nationa
defense and lease-lend undertakings
Mr.. Kemper declared that "the goe
of modern war wears a crown o.
gold" He placed the cost of thu
dual program at approximately $40
600, 900, 900 for the next two year.
and said that 1T is imperative tina
we begin now to raise the money
with minimum of danger to oul
normal peacetime economy"
"As sect it," he said, "an increas,
in current taxes is far preferabl,