Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1942-11-25
Why British
Civilians Set
Service Pace
Been Right Under Gun
From Beginning
BY wESTBROOK PEGLER

IMAM americans are, which.
when cited, relieve the Ameri-
can people OF guilt.
The British people have been
right under the guns from the
start. There was time when
they had 10 stand TO on the
beaches 10 repel Hitler if he had
had the sense or intuition to
press on after the conquest OF
France. Their homes have taken
a frlghtful hammering from the
air, and disaster and bloodshed
have been commonplace.
Moreover. they had a fairly
good rehearsal, which tasted
four years from 1914 TO 1918.
in which women took the tobs
~ men A. bus conductors. lorry
drivers. factory workers. clerks
and messengers and even as
cargo handlers in the storage
lIV'AN'N dIPitE lilt Nlff sly. anu
tho amateurs in their higher
social grades drove ambulanceS
and helped out 70 an important
extent IN their hospitals.
They had had serious expert
ence with public rationing. too.
and. in effect. the British had
only 10 get out the old plans.
modernize them and apply them
10 a people who were not only
in desperate danger Of being
conquered by a brutal invader.
from whom they know they 4
must expect tho worst. hut pre-
pared by past experience 10 CO.
operate for their own good.
THFN. 100, Britain is small
Il and has no such problem as
here exists OF uprooting great
numbers OF workers in many
areas and inducing them 10 go
far away 10 Seattle or Bridge
port. there IN find themselves
among strangers and with
-S-T7-r5EF ~ housing. and II is
unlikely that. In thor peril they
insisted on birth certificates and
other such VNNatiouS and time 4
wasting forTualitieS as have dis
heartened and angered many
Americans who have tried 10
lend a hand
Nobody viii take the trouble
now 10 turn back the pages 10
make an accurate comparison,
bat II that were done II surely
would be shown that this coun-
try now. after IL months Of
actual war. is much further
along than Britain was at the
same stage Of The game
Another important difference
is that the British people enjoy
feeling that they may throw
themselves entirely into the
fight against an external enemy
VI h on { apprehension that,
meanwhile, their government Is
monkcying with their historic
liberties and conducting a class
struggle on the domestic front.
herr i'm 7 5Ttcy. foT example,
II they have a man As honest and
able. undoubtedly Is being made
use Of regardless ~ any political
rivalry between him and Church
III and II they have had any
such record Of strikes and slow
downs IN their war plants As the
unions have made in tins Coun-
Try since Pearl Harhor their
censorship Of this news has been
perfect.
II THE United states the
i people have right 10 Won
der whether the attempt 10 con-
script civilian labor and 20
impair or destroy The integrity
Of the homo by requiring all
the women 10 work a. war
tasks while m anpowe ia
wasted in a thousand ways is a
war measure or step toward
another Of those social gains.
Such compulSion might one
day nc necessary and every pair
Of hands might be needed for
some actual war ioh. bat II the
attempt Is ever made there viii
first come a showdown between
the people and the unions on
= 'f'-- 81 rS no or compulsory
membership and financial trih-
ute N political bosses calling
Themselves labor leaders who
operate under the protection OF
and IN colluSion with the ma
tlonal government
Undoubtedly fear Of that
showdown has played an I'M
portant part In the evasion and
delay IN the consumption Of
labor II and when II is tried,
HE people Will simply refuse
10 loln and pay under compul-
sion and when that happens the
great Suh-Eovcrnment Of the
country under such men as
Green, Murray and Lewis will
lose IFS power.
EnCllShmen who come over
here are amazed and cant be-
llcve tho story OF the corrup-
iion and graft in tho union
movement of the United States
under government protection
for. although their country ia
highly unionlZed. membership is
stu legally voluntary and 4
thieves who stole from workers
would he sent 10 prison for long y
terms
Altogether the case Of the