The Waterbury Democrat., 1941-06-07

Army.Navy heads asserted they had no desire to infringe on any rights of labor, but they contend- ed that the country should be pro. tected against certain labor ele- mentS now taking advantage of these rights for questionable ends. RAW MATERIALS
 Tighter control over strategic materials iS desired to prevent bootlegging for non defense pur- poses, and to force plants with stocks of such materials to use them for defense orders.
 Army authorities have strong suspicious that there is boot. logging, but lacking authority to curb it, they have done nothing about running 1t down. How. ever, on record are two eases of plants with large stocks of strategic materials which have held back from taking defense orders.
 The new bill would give the government c club to use on such cases. Also the government could take over the cannerS.
 The day the War Department sent the bill to Congress, 1t filed . new request with the Labor De- partment to exempt the canners from the Walsh. .Healey act. The canners have been refusing to sell direct to the Army on the ground that they can't afford 0 pay he prevailing wage scales required by law of government contractors.
 This has forced the army to
 buy canned goods from food
 brokers at . considerably high
 or price. Since the army food
 blll now amounts to around
 $7S0,O00 . day, . big chunk of
 money Is involved In the con-
 troveEsy.
 If the draft property" bill be. comes law, the Government could take over the canneries If they persisted in their present attitude. NEW ALUMINIUM EXPERT
 Ernest M. Hopkins, president of Dartmouth college, and staunch Republican adviser to Wendell Willkie, Is now serving as Q One Dollar Man in Washington, ac. cupying c position on the key OPM Priorities Board. However, he has disagreed vigorously with the idea that the country faces c deficiency of aluminium and other war materials.
 Holding forth to old Dealers ct c party not long ago, Dr. Hop- kins said: "Stettlnlus was abolutely right about aluminium. He made no mistake In his calculations. I ann sure that we have plenty os it, despite all the hue and cry about . scarcity"
 NOTE - At about the same time fortnight Edward Stettinius, chief of priorities, frankly told the President that he, Stettinius, had made Q mistake In reckon. ing the amount of aluminium available and should not have placed such reliance in the esti- mates of Arthur v. Davis, head of the Aluminium Corporation of America.
 FOUR SICK SENATORS
 The health of united States sen- ators is not . very good insurance risk these days. No less than four stalwarts of the Senate are now i'll = two of them seriously.
 Alben BAFikrey of Kentucky, Democratic leader, has been i'll in the Naval hospital with an in- lection which has spread from his leg to his eye. Worn out as q result of many legislative battles and the long congressional strain, Senator Barkley's condition is none too good.
 Fat Harrison of Mississippi, whose scintillating wit once was the terror of Republican admins. trations, also has been seriously ill and absent from the Senate for nearly two months. He is still ct Hot Springs, Arkansas.
 genAtcr Akclkeilar of Tennessee, another Democratic stalwart, has undergone an operation recently, but is on the road Co recovery and would be back in Washington ig not for doctors ogderA