The Waterbury Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1917-1946, 1943-05-03

cessively high prices. Mr. Roosevelt
added that 1--WE are now taking mea-
sures to roll back the prices OF
meat"
the cost of living go up as it did in
the first World war.
Your government has been de-
i termined to maintain stability Of
both prices and wages, so that dol
lar would buy SO far as possible
the same amount of the necessities
of life. And by necessities I mean
just that, not the luXurieS and fancy
goods that we have learned to dc
| without in wartime.
So far, we have not been able tc
keep the prices of some necessities
as low as we should have liked to
That is true not only in coal towns
but in many other places.
Whenever we find that prices Of
essentials have risen too high, they
will be brought down. Whenever we
find that price ceilings are being
violated, the violators will be pun
! ished.
Rents have been fixed in most
parts of the countryN In many cities
they have been cut to below where
they were before We entered the
war. Clothing prices have generally
remained stable.
These two items make up more
than third of the total budget
of the workers family.
AS for food, which today accounts
for about third of the family ex-
penditure on the average, I want to
repeat again:
Anti-InfIatiOn
Your government will continue to
take all necessary measures to elm
mate unjustified and aVoidable price
increases. We are now taking meas
ures to roll back" the prices OF
meats.
The war is going to go on. Coal
| will be mined no matter what any
individual thinks about it. The OPP
Grafton of our factories, our power
plants, our railroads, will not be
stopped. Our munitions must move
to our troops.
Under these circumstances 1t is
inconceivable that any patriotic mi
ner can choose any course other
than going back to work and min
ing coal.
The nation cannot afford violence
of any kind at the coal mines or in
coal towns. I have placed author
itv foys t5,a racI,,,,y1tin,, of mol ~ ", =
ing in the hands of a civilian, the
Secretary of the Interior.
If it becomes necessary to pro-
tect any miner who seeks patriot
ically to go back and work, then
that miner must have and his fam
lily must have - and will have -
complete and adequate protection.
If it becomes necessary to have
troops at the mine mouths or in
coal towns for the protection of
working miners and their families,
those troops will be doing police
duty for the sake of the nation as
whole, and particularly for the
sake of the fighting men in the
Army, the Navy and the Marines -
your sons and mine-Who are fight
ing our common enemies all over
the world.
Miners Devotion
understand the devotion of the
coal miners to their union. I know
Of the sacrifices they have made to
build it up. believe now, as have
all my life, in the right of workers
to join unions and to protect their
unions. want to make it absolute
ly clear that this government is not
going to do anything now to weak
en- those rights in the coal fields.
Every improvement in the condi-
tons of the coal miners of this coun-
try has had my hearty support.
do not mean to desert them now.
But also do not mean to desert my
obligations and responsibilities as
President and Commander in Chief
The first necessity Is the resump-
ton of coal mining. The terms of
the old contract will be followed by
the Secretary of the Interior. If an
adjustment in wages results from
a decision Of the War Labor Board
or from any new agreement between
the operators and miners. which is
approved by the War Labor Board
that adjustment will be made retro
active to April l.
In the message that I delivered to
the Congress four months ago ex-
pressed my conviction that the
spirit of this nation lis good.
Since then have seen our troops
In the Caribbean area, in bases on
the coasts of our ally, Brazil, and in
North Africa. Recently I have again
seen great numbers of our fellow
countrymen-soldiers and civilians
from the Atlantic Seaboard to the
Mexican border and to the Rocky
Mountains.
Under Stars and Stripes
Tonight, in the face of a crisis OF
serious proportions in the coal in
dustry. I say again that the spirit OF
this nation is good. know that the
American people will not tolerate
any threat offered to their govern
ment by any one. believe the Goa
miners will not continue the strike
against the government. I believe
that the coal miners themselves, az
Americans, will not fail to heed the
clear call to duty. Like all Other
good Americans, they will marcel
shoulder to shoulder with theil
armed forces to victory.
Tomorrow the Stars and Stripes
will fly over the coal mines. I hope
every miner will be at work under
that flag.