Evening star., 1942-10-13
AFL Accuses Arnold
OF Exploiting Office;
Asks Probe by Bidd|e
Convention Fovors Truce
With CIO; Green and
Frey AssuiI NLRB
BY the Associated Press.

BY the Associated Press
TORONTO, Oct. 13.-The Ameri-
can Federation of Labor favors an
immediate armistice with the CIO,
but has declared war on the National
Labor Relations Board and Thur
man Arnold, the antitrust chief of
the Justice Department.
Reports on the three subjects were
submitted to the Federation's con-
vention yesterday by the Resolu-
lions Committee, and all were ap-
proved by voice vote without dis
sent.
One report condemned Mr.. Ar
mold for his antitrust suits against
organized labor and asked that At
torney General Biddle investigate
ito ascertain whether Mr.. Thurman
Arnold has exploited the prestige of
his public Office for his own material
and financial gain"
attorney General Biddle said
last night in New York City: 'I
don't see why they want to in
vestigate Mr. Arnold, who is
simply doing his duty. However,
Id be glad to hold an investiga-
tion-it would show what an eff
cient public official Mr.. Arnold is.
He hits them on both sides of
the table')
Report in Unusual Form.
The report was not in usual reso-
luton form, but was drafted by the
committee as comment on an Execu-
tive Council report dealing with
antitrust actions brought by Mr..
Arnold against labor unions.
Besides recommending an inves-
tigation Of Mr.. Arnold by Mr.. Biddle,
1t was recommended that a special
committee present the two reports
that of the Resolutions Committee
and that Of the Executive Council
to President Roosevelt.
The report on the CIO approved
the resumption of negotiations, be-
ginning next month, 80 that unity
can be re-established under the ban
ner of the American Federation of
Labor"
It added that the progress in
negotiations would be made more
difficult if membership raiding con-
tinued and I'VE therefore urgently
recommend that this convention ap-
prove an immediate armistice as an
essential evidence of good faith and
sincerity"
Method Not Disclosed.
The committee report itself, and
the brief discussion on the floor be-
fore its adoption, did not disclose
what form such an armistice would
take or how it would be achieved so
far as jurisdictional disputes were
concerned. CIO President Philip
Murray has proposed arbitration as
a means of settling such disputes.
A third report by the Resolutions
Committee said "the administration
of the National Labor Relations Act,
despite improvements resulting from
legislative and other efforts of the
Federation, continues to present i'm
portant deficiencies and serious
problems.
The executive councils report in
dicateS that the American Fedora
ton of Labor is still victimized by
the prejudice of subordinate officials
of the board and by erroneous de-
cisions of the board itself growing
out of its absolute power to deter
mine what form and structure trade
union organization in this country
should take
Speakers, including President Will
liam Green and John P. Frey, secre-
tary of the Resolutions Committee,
vehemently aSsailed the board, de-
claring it was causing turmoil among
West Coast shipyard workers and
elsewhere by ordering collective bar
gaining elections even after the AFL
unions had obtained agreements
with employers.
Electioneering by rival CIO unions,
the speakers said, engendered bit
terness and hurt the war program.
Turn the trash into cash and use
1t to Smash-the Axis. Collect that
junk metal now.