Evening star., 1943-02-05
Paul R. Porter Heads
War Labor Boards
Shipbui|dine Unit
New Chairman Among
Group Attacked by
Representative Dies

Paul r. Porter today was elected
chairman OF the War Labor Board :.
Snlpbuilding Commission, which has
authority ever all labor disputes and
all voluntary wage and salary ad-
,1ustment cases in the shipbuildine
industry
Mr. Porter is one of those Govern
ment officials included by Chairman
Dies of the House Committee on
Un-American Activities in list OF
those he denounced on the House
floor Monday as having Socialist or
Communist affiliations, and as such
having no place in the Government
Mr.. Porter's record was strongly
defended today by his friends, who
insist that he has made a valuable
contribution to shipbuilding, so
necessary to win the war. He has
been chairman of the WPB Ship
building Sterilization Commission
since January l. 1912, having been
appointed to that position to sue
ceed Morris L. Cooke, who was Sc
lected by the State Department to
be a member of the American Mex
ican Oil Commission.
Edited Labor Paper.
Before joining WPB Mr.. Porter
was assistant to Sidney Hillman in
the old Once of Production Man
agement, and before that he was
general manager of a printing and
publishing company in Kenosha,
Wis. For four years he was editor
Of a jointly owned AFL and CIO
newspaper in Kenosha. He is a
graduate of the University of Kan
sas. His only political Office in Wis
consin was membership in the
School Board in Kenosha.
Mr.. Porter was member of the
Socialist party in his earlier days
Two years ago he formally resigned
his membership in the party because
he disagreed with its foreign policy.
He believed that this country should
play its part in the war. He has no
party aff1liation now and his friends
say he intends to keep entirely clear
Of politics for the duration.
He was Endorsed for the WLB ap-
pointment by officials of the War
and Navy Departments, the Mari
time Commission and by repre-
sentatives of the shipbuilding in
dustry and labor unions.
Dies Assailed for Attack.
Since Mr.. Dies made his attack
on Mr.. Porter, a number of tele-
grams have been sent to the Texan.
deploring the attack. One of them
was from Harry F. Morton, general
counsel for the Kaiser companies.
including shipbuilding, cement and
steel, and vice president of the
Oregon Shipbuilding Co. Mr.. Nor
ton praised Mr.. Porter's work on
wage stabilization. and said Mr.. Dies
evidently was misinformed about
him.
John P. Frey, president of the
Metal Trades Department of the
AFL, also wired Mr.. Dies, compli-
menting Mr.. Porter especially for his
contribution to the shipbuilding pro-
gram.
Mr.. Porter was lent by the WPB to
the WLB to work out wage stabili-
zatlon program for the Pacific coast
aircraft industry. and recently COM
pleted a report which has been SUBJ
mitted to the WLB. His report has
been highly complimented as being
tair to the industry and labor.
Mr.. Porter was criticized by Mr..
Dies because Of membership in the
Union for Democratic Action, which
took part in the political campaign
against some members Of Congress
IN the fall campaign. Mr.. Porter
had been member of that organi-
zation when 1t was first set up to
urge that this country do its part in
the war, but resigned from it a
year ago.