The Waterbury Democrat., 1942-04-30

to take the hint. But as they rose to go Murray made ons last attempt to raise the wage-free2- ing issue.
 ''Mr. President" he said, "are you going to issue an order to the War Labor Board not to grant any further wage in- creases"
 Cooking his cigarette holder at a breezy angle the President an- swered with a brad grin, "Well Phil, haven't said that I will and I haven't said that I won't"
 And that's all the laborites were able to get out of him.
 PETTY POLITICS
 Behind the scenes, there was more to this incident than maneuVer to avert an unwelcome discussion.
 Actually it was tbe climax to a growing resentment in White House quarters at the shortsighted attitude of the labor chiefs toward the grave imitation situation and their persistent practice of play ing petty politics on important appointments affecting their own interests.
 A graphic Illustration was their recommendation of Wendell Lund, little known executive director of the Michigan State Unemploy- ment Compensation Commission, for the appointment as head of the reorganized Labor Production Board. t"
 For months, the AFL and C1O have been loudly demanding more "labOr participation" in the war machinery. The Labor Produc- ton Division is of the utmost im- portance to labor But when it came to proposing a chief of this key labor agency, the laborites did not offer the name of Q labor man.
 Because of personal jealousieS and petty personal politics, they passed over such outstanding pro- duction experts as Robert Watt, AFL head of the International Labor Office; Clint Golden, brainy head of the CIO Steel Workers: or Walter Reuther, dynamic young vice president of the Auto Work CTS.
 Instead. the politics. playing labor mOguls got together on Lund, . lawyer, with very llm- ited industrial c,'- ""'"-'-~ "-'' no knowledge at all of the war production program.
 Around the White House, it is no secret that the President is getting awfully fed up with this kind of labor "statesmanship". {.
 NOTE - When John L. Levi; heard that Murray and William Green had proposed Lund, he rulnbled. "In six months they'll wish they had Hlllman back" GOOD NEIGHBORS
 The torpedoed Argentine tanker Victoria displayed her neutrality with no less than six flags painted on bridge, sides, and stern. Yet the Nazis went for her Some time after U. s. tire freezing, 6 shipment of tires arrived in Brazil from Liverpool, on the British steamer Laplace Guatemala has ordered deportation of 22 Bri- tlsh agents. Also she would like to deport 75,0OON bags of coffee piled up at Puerto Barrios, with no shipping in sight The Bri- tish have purchased the entire sugar crop of the Domenican Re- public Labor troubles in the Potosl mines, high in the Bo- lsvian Andes, are expected to cause a decline In tin exports to D. s. N. Argentina IS casting uneasy glances at deiivery of U. s, planes and other armament to neighbor Uruguay. But Uruguay has heartily supported the democratic bloc.
 LA FOLLETTE' WAHsTLINE
 Driving t0 work the other morn ing, a Capitol newslnan spied a familiar figure hoofing it and pulled up alSngslde,
 "CaGe for q lift Senators" he offered.
 '.Ns lhanka,n replied Deb la- Toilette 0R EFiApenain cheeFlly.