The potters herald. [volume] (East Liverpool, Ohio) 1899-1982, 1942-12-24
COMMENT ON WORLD
EVENTS

Cove eminent encouragement and
recognition of unions in the United
States has been attacked by reaction
airy elements as "totalitarianism" and
compulsory trade unioniSm." The
same charge is being made in Austria
! liza, where the government has been
under fire for urging the employment
! 0f organized workers on public con-
| tracts.
The Australian governments policy
which hitherto applied to only a few
trades, has now been extended by the
Ministry of Supply to all important
branches of in dustry. Opposition
parties have resisted the policy as
| 'totalitarian" and are endeavOring to
turn it to advantage in Parliament
against the government.
Government officials have been vigOr-
ouSly in defense of the policy. Attorney
General Evatt said recently that he
would always give preference to a
trade unionist and Minister of Labor
| Ward went so far as to say in Par
| lament that he was aiming at 100 per
cent trade union organization, as the
only means of giving effective help to
| the country.
Ward also said that his misgivings
We're solely the result of the lack of
determination with which the policy
was being carried out. He declared
| that strong trade union movement
was an essential factor in postwar re-
organization and what the opponents
Of the policy were fearing was only
| that in this way they would be per-
manently excluded from government
contracts.
1t is quite evident that reactiOnaries
in Australia, as in the United States,
regard government encouragement of
unionism as dangerous" and will re-
sist it at every opportunity.
X X X
Popular sentiment in Argentina
against the governments refusal to
join other South American nations in
action against the Axis is reflected in
unions, the Office of the CoordinatOr
of Inter-American Affairs reports,
issued joint declaration against the
unjuStitiable Imprisonment of trade
union leaders who merely expressed
the opinion of workers, liberals and
popular institutions on Argentina S
status in the world conflict
The manifesto denounced the repres-
sion of the working class, the intellec-
tualS and popular movements, by the
Oligarchic sections of the country who
were declared to be weakening the
nations defense by their reactionary
attitude and measures. 1t was assert
ed that this reactionary attitude is
preventing Argentina from expressing
solidarity with the United Nations and
that the free democratic press is also
threatened by the suspension of anti
Fascist publications.
The unions protest evidently has al
ready had some effect, as the Minister
of the Interior announced he would
find a means of freeing the imprisoned
trade union leaders.
X X
y continuous working day OF )
hours, with a minimum break of 80
minutes, in all public and private I'M
dertallings has been authorized by the
President of Chile. The day may be-
gin at different hours depending on the
industry or occupation, but the rest
period of half an hour or an hour if
agreed upon by the employer and the
employees, must break the continuous
S-hour day.
This legislation affecting working
hours was recommended by d com
mittce composed of representatives of
the military as we'll as the civilian
authorities, industry, commerce, and
the various categories of employees
and wage earning or salaried en-
II.