Evening star., 1942-05-02
BiddIe Bars Arno|d's
Testimony on Union
Antitrust Proposal
Attorney General Soys
Measure Is Not
Departmental Bill

The House Judiciary subcommit-
tee. which has been holding hear
ings on bills to bring labor unions
within the scope OF the antitrust
and Federal racketeering laws, ap-
parently will have to get along with
out the testimony OF Assistant At
torney General Thurman Arnold,
an advocate Of the legislation.
Attorney General Biddle has re-
fused to permit the head of the
Justice Departments Antitrust
Division to appear before the sub
committee.
That Mr.. Biddle had prevented the
testimony of his aide was disclosed
yesterday as Joseph B. Eastman,
head of the ONCE of Defense Trans
portation, testified that the Inter-
state Commerce Commission had re-
ceived hundreds of complaints"
about union activities which re-
putedly have interfered with trans
portation.
The Attorney Generals unwilling
ness to have Mr.. Arnold testify was
communicated to Representative
Hobbs. Democrat, of Alabama, chair
man of the subcommittee and author
of the bill to outlaw interference
with interstate commerce through
threats OF violence or coercion.
Referring to this bill and others,
Mr.. Biddle wrote to Mr.. Hobbs:
I'm view of the fact that these
are not departmental bills, and
that they involve controversial is
sues upon which Mr.. Arnold has
heretofore expressed himself. I
should prefer not to have him ap-
pear before the committee in con-
nection with them"
Mr.. Hobbs, asking permission for
Mr.. Arnold to testify, had written
Mr.. Biddle that the subcommittee
was seeking witnesses peculiarly
we'll qualified to give us the fruit
Of their experiences and expert
knowledge on the subject under
consideration"
Mr.. Arnold appeared before the
House judiciary Committee March
81 and charged that labor unions
are injuring or destroying independ-
ent businessmen and Representa-
tive Hobbs said that this testimony
would be incorporated in his COM
mittee's records.
Mr.. Arnold, former Yale profess
sor and author of whimsy- packed
books on economics, has been strik-
ing out right and left at corpora
tions and unions he accuses OF
monopolistic, obstructionist prac-
tices.
His House testimony caused great
deal of bitterness in union circles. At
a press conference later, Attorney
General Biddle said he thought Mr..
Arnold's remarks were pretty un-
fortunate at this time" In response
to questions, he said they did not
represent the view of the Justice
Department.
Efforts Blocked by Court.
The Supreme Court has nullified
several attempts by Mr.. Arnold to
reach union coercion by trust and
racketeering statutes.
In indorsing the pending legisla-
ton, Mr.. Eastman declared that
whatever justification might be
offered for hinderances to transpor-
tation in peace time there can be
none in wartime.
Explaining that the Interstate
Commerce Commission had received
hundreds of complaints, he related
that a trucker hauling high priority
pipe to an East River IN Y pier
had charged that local union men,
bers would not permit the pipe to be
unloaded until s1735 ives paid.
He said that other kinds OF union
activities "reprehensible in wartime
we're refusal of union truck drivers
to handle cargo interchanged with
a non union line. and jurisdictional
disputes between the different union
drivers at different terminals OF
trucking lines
In one instance. he said. unions
sought to require that representa-
tive Of each union be stationed on
every truck travelling between two
areas