Evening star., 1942-03-18

labor leaders
who tell ham &s
every thing is David Lawrence
rosy and he then Announces that fact
to the American people.
But how Is production getting
along? The administration has
clamped a censorship at the source
and the facts are not permitted to
get out. 1t Is known that airplane
manufacturers are crying out for
needed parts and materials and that
there have been delays. but nobody
can find out or publish just what
are the bottlenecks and what is
causing them.
The new alibi is that there is and
has been a shortage of materials. 4"
The labor leaders say delays are
not due to labor difficulties but to
shortages of products. But If the
press were permitted to investigate
the reasons for the delays in
deliveries, the public would then
learn whether obstructions to pro-
duction are being camoufaged or
whether they are unavoidable.
Congress Can Investigate.
The press Is not at fault for not
ferreting out the truth. 1t is for
hidden to print any general sum-
mary Of the actual shortages in
materials. Some of these prohibi-
tions are open to question, that is
whether they could, by any stretch
of the imagination, really constitute
aid and comfort to the enemy. But
the rule is arbitrarily put forth and
there is no means of questioning it
at least by the press. Congress has
the power to make its own investiga-
tions and the people have the right
to insist that Congress do its duty
and get at the facts concerning
slowdowns and strikes and other
possible causes of delay. AS long
as Cogress remains Indifferent, and
the President continues to use his
influence against anything that
might disturb the labor politicians,
no facts will become available on
which to base judgment.
Totalitarian states may do it some
other way but the American democ-
racy has Just about bottled up all
information about production prog
ress IN just as effective a manner by
drying up the sources as if it had
been done under military edict.
The Office OF Facts and Figures.
presided over by a prominent New
Dealer, has just told the public that
1t must be content with an official
pronouncement of an abstract char
acter by the administration. Here
is the decree:
TO provide essential public in
formation as to the production effort
as a whole, the War Production
Board will publish at frequent in
tervals a production communique,
which will enable the public to
Judge whether the production pro-
gram is progressing satisfactorily
or not"
Rosy Picture Assured.
Did anybody ever hear of any
high administration official ever
admitting that anything was wrong?
The other day Mr.. Nelson's assist
ant, William Harrison, said plane
production and ship production were
disappointing in February. He was
promptly jumped upon and the
Dealers are trying to force him out
of his job. 1t certainly was not
an episode that causes one to be-
lieve the Office of Facts and Figures
will insist on bad news being given
out along with good news when
ever it occurs-there has surely
been no evidence of it so far on
the production front. Not a single
statement by the War Production
Board has been issued concerning
work stoppages and slowdowns,
though officials of the Army and
Navy are constantly complaining
about labor difficulties. 1t was never
revealed officially, for instance, that
some of the Navy Department Off
cials objected to the first plan for
committees an
by Donald Nelson and that
he accepted some of their criticism
and substantially modified the plan.
Mr.. Roosevelt is satisfied with the
production progress and yet more
than 6,681 employes-an increase
over the preceding week-were re-
ported on strike during the week
OF March 9. Both A. F. L. and c.
I. o. unions were involved. This
Is brushed of as inconsequential by
the administration, yet these small
strikes actually delay the gadgets
and parts and accessories for which
tho assembly plants are clamoring.
Employers Sidetracked.
Mr.. Roosevelt doesn't invite any
group Of employers to sit with him
during the war. He gives them
chance to sit as q Business Ad-
visory Council at the Commerce
Department and what they recon-
mend is carefully pigeonholed. They
are forbidden to make public their
recommendations.
Maybe Gen. MacArthur's leader
ship can win this war, but he will
need tools and weapons and a bet
ter organized production back home
than is apparent to the naked eye
today.
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