Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1942-08-24
Labor Boys
Shipping May
Boomerang
Unionisfs Face Custer
With $I-a-Year Men
By PAUL MALLON

y
WASHINGTON aug. 24.--
w CIO members of the War
Production Board labor advisory
committee have publicly called
on Mr.. Nelson TO fire his dollar
a-year men from the business
world in his housekeeping. They
said these business men had not
performed efficiently their jobs
Of handling raw materials.
If this CIO-recommended
basis for the housekeeping is
adopted, Mr.. Nelson will also
have TO fire the men who made
it. the whole labor advisory COM
rfittec, Aft as we'll ds Gf0.
They have not performed their
Jobs efficiently either.
The latest report from the
Bureau of Labor Statistics,
strictly New Deal, pro-labor
branch of Miss Perkins labor
department, says there were $50
strikes in June and Dts in May,
the months when our war pro-
duction was supposed TO hit its
stride.
THESE $50 strikes in June
l. compare unfavorably with
an average of 290 strikes in
that month during the peace
time period of 1858. In short,
there were 60 more strikes this
wartime June than the average
June before the European war
broke out.
Other War Labor Board fig
ures show 1913 new defense in
duStry strikes in July, compared
with Ill in June, although
fewer men were involved in
July.
Thus it may be seen that the
labor boys, who are telling their
boss, Mr.. Nelson Che is their
boss in name at least, to fire
business men for failure, have
similarly failed to keep labor's
contribution to the war effort at
lnc required eHlCleHCy.
The labor boys probably heard
the inside news going around
town that the Truman commit
tee has been preparing report
calling on Mr.. Nelson to fire
incompetents, particularly his
dollar-a-year men-and that Mr..
Nelson will not be angry when
this report comes out.
But you can see from the Go
recommendations, and from the
established aversion of the Tru-
man committee for dollar-a-year
men. how the pressure for par
ticular kind of housekeeping
and not a general housekeeping
on a basis of efficiency, is shap-
ing up.
AS POINTED out yesterday.
"A there are four classes of
officials there, real business men.
business hangers-on or marginal
business men who have made a
career of the New Deal, left
wing reformers who early saw
the WPB as the proper agency
in which TO infiltrate so they
could produce their social doc
trines at the same time as war
materials, and the real, earnest
government economists and Off
Gals who think winning the war
is the only social problem now,
If firings are going to be made
on the basis of efficiency in
groups, Mr.. Nelson will rid him.
self, not only of the incompetent
dollar-a-year men, but the in
competent reform element as
well.
Names are not necessary. He
knows them. They include not
only the labor leaders, who have
failed TO prevent strikes, but the
professional theorists, who have
identified themselves with par
ticular radical social doctrines
of an extreme nature.
Men are not efficient by
groups, however. Efficiency
generally is an individual mat
ter. 1t is not true to say all
dollar-a-year men are incompe-
tent, all reformers or labor lead
ers efficient.
Efficiency, as the Go has
said. should be the only criterion
applied by Mr.. Nelson or the
Truman committee. but il must
be applied impartially, without
regard for group pressure.
MR.. NELSON seems TO have
WI fairly well worked himself
out of the initial move here TO
make him personally the only
one responsible for disappoint-
ments in our production. But
he can make out an even better
case for himself if he will get
tough.
He could say there was no
time in the last six months when
the army and navy could ship as
much material as he produced.
He could say the army in its
own M-day report, which was