The Skyland post. [volume] (West Jefferson, N.C.) 193?-1988, 1942-04-02
By STAFF CORRESPONDENT

Washington, D. xC.-Due to the
widely divergent viewpoints o:
congressman, we cannot expec'
any unanimity of agreement or
how much of the social program
of the New Deal should be con
tinued through this war period
But some form of general policy
on this subject may result from
the heated discussions on the in
terror department supply bill.
The interior department bill
calls for large expenditures FOL
the continuation of phases of the
social program, some of which
can be closely related to the war
and others of which could prob
ably be dropped without interfer-
ing with war production and mo-
raj. With huge extra expenditures
due to the war, the basis of the
debate is over whether some
social reforms should be called
off for the duration. It is likely,
although there will be bitter op-
position to continuation of many
of the New Deal plans, that the
majority in congress will approve
most of them-perhaps with some
revised to tie up more closely
with the war program.
Along with the interior depart
ment bill, the New Deal philoso-
ply on labor is also being fought
over. For years the administration
has defended labor improvement,
and there is no doubt that it will
continue to see that labor gets
more than an even break. But
even within the Presidents own
executive family there is consid-
erably difference of opinion on
the union problem.
Thurman Arnold, assistant at
torney general, who has always
been considered a strong New
Dealer, recently made violent
attack on unions charging that
they were destroying the small
business man, holding farmers and
consumers at their mercy and
interfering with efficient produc-
ton and the distribution of goods.
This charge was made while con-
gress was discussing the elimina-
ton of the 40-hour, week. It has
influenced a number of pro-labor
congressman to review and revise
their opinions. In congress, as
we'll as in the War Relations
board and between individual in
dustries and their uniors, labor
discussion recently has centered
on whether labor should continue
to be limited to 40 hours week
at regular pay and whether the
war workers should be permitted
time-and-a-half for overtime and
double time for working on Sun
day.
Several leading industrialists
are now taking the attitude that
they must do anything the goven-
ment tells them to do regarding
labor-but that the final decision
should really be made by the
public. They have asked, there
fore, that newspaper men be in
vited to be in on all discussion
between management and labor
to report all facts to the people.
This attitude was expressed by
General Motors, largest automo-
bile company in our country,
when c. E. Wilson, president,
pointed out that General Motors
was working almost entirely for
the government and therefore any
labor dispute was public business.
He inferred that if wages were
increased, as the union has re-
quested, the taxpayers would
actually be the ones who would
pay the increase so they should
decide the issue. The automobile
union agreed that, if negotiations
went before the National War La
Dor board, they would permit the
meeting to be open to the press.
Meanwhile, the war labor board
already had held its first public
hearing on a wage case when the
negotiations between Information
al Harvester and the CLIO. went
to Washington. For the first time
the public was able to follow the
reasoning on both sides and make
up its own mind.
Reports to congressman, partic-
ularly from the rural areas, show
that a large number of people
have lost all patience with union
dickering over higher wages in
war work. All congressman are
receiving demands for curbs on
labor and many of them are anx-
ious to go home to their districts
to make careful checkups on pub
lie opinion. Labor, however, is
not the only group which is being
taken over the Goals here. Prac-
+ico11v every mart of OUR war pro-