The people's voice. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1939-1969, 1942-01-30
Cold Facts

Cold Facts
During year 941 antiabor propagandsts for indus
try capital worked overtime the prosttuted
the country cooperaed by providing apparently unlimited
space their drve about how strikes delaying defense
production Every strike by organized bodies for better
or working conditions affected in the
slightest degree production for Defense
tackled unparoc and efforts made to picture the work
saboteurs Of the interests of the country.
There has quite conspicuous absense of attacks
organized the Truman committee laid the
cold facts resulting from its investigation before the public
To be sure very few daily prominence to
the sensational disclosures made by the committee and the
charges substanated by facts which made The blame for
industrasts who had done little and nothing
devotng their time chselng for additional profits and
grants ad from the government No blame was charged
labor.
The records will show that the organized labor bodies
early in the emergency foresa any impeding the
defense effort by its When strikes did occur labor
always manifested the greatest willingness to arbrate the
mediate difficulties but in almost the plant
and refused any of the demands OF
the workers.
survey of the in days during the first 10
last year brought out Illuminating figures;
statistics which anathema to the antilabor
gandists.
This survey was quite widely pubicized
following:
Man days lost by strikes 21 100000.
Man days lost by accidents 30,000,000.
Man days lost because of illness: 450, 100000.
Man days lost by unemployment: 1,57OOOOOOO.
This shows the loss ten times days
cidents times from illness and 70 times from
unemployment than were lost in strikes.
Analysis these statistics constitute damning ndct-
ment system. The loss of billion and
half man days of production because of unemployment
tells story. No claim that the disable goods
which might produced had these billion and half
days productivity used could not have been used
provide needs of the onehrd of people who
ifed poorly housed and nadequatey clothed Nor any
claim lacked the materials and
with which keep these from being total
loss ndspuabe fact is that this staggering economic
upon by System of free individual
terprise' profit system; economy of scarcity.
economic and social system that impes
capital to spend vast almost contn
ua efforts keep labor costs down. to subjugae and
labor Generally speaking appears possible for the
manufacturing compute accurately the of
materials and tear equipment items of general
light heat and power The only possible vara
labor No believe that any industry does
this variable into account in its estimate of costs and
provision to for contingencies which
But is also fact that the less hire its
labor for, the profit it stands to make
Industry organization of labor for only
operate without it, The who acclams himself
of the manufacturing industries than
likely begin produce of the articles which his
organization produces long he deal with the
employees Individuals easy for him to control them
and exploit When organized however, he is dealing
with them in the mass which however dimly realizes
accruing as result of its skill and labor
Socaled ndustriass and financers might be dispensed
WITH but labor never be dispensed with if life is to