The Waterbury Democrat., 1944-02-12

dIlCeS that CI1eTe VIII Uc d poSV- war redistribution of industry, when they called on the President recently.
 The President has no inten- tion of leaving Western and Northwestern States marooned af- ter the war without adequate basic-material industries such as steel and aluminium, he informed Bone, Coffee, Representative Cecil R. King of California and George E. Murphy, a representative of the Steel Iron Corporation of Wash ington State. One thing the Presi- dent has in mind is using the Smaller War Plants Corporation to speed the Industrial develop ment of Western areas which are rich in iron ore, alumina and other raw materials but must depend upon the East for processing them. Before the war; this meant that steel was hauled thousands of miles across the country from eastern mills to be used in Far West shipyards and other indus tries.
 ''As far as am able, I intend
 to see the country economically
 and industrially self-sufficient
 after the war. This isn't 8 promise, it's pledge" the Presi- dent told his callers. He went
 on to say that he had come out
 for decentralization of Ameri-
 can industry ten years ago,
 when he first entered the White House. He added that he hadn't changed his views lone iota".
 His visitors brought out that the redistribution program probably would meet with opposition from the railroads, which wouldn't re- linquish, without fight, their profitable transcontinental busi- ness in hauling raw materials.
 Roosevelt agreed and added that the railroads also were opposing his efforts to abolish North-South freight rate differentials, which were imposing hardships on the South. AS an illustration, the President said that, some years ago, he had sent a box of trink- cts to his son Elliott, at Fort Worth, Texas. "The express bill was about $3.5O, as recall" said the President. But Elliott didn't want the stuff and reshipped it back from Forth Worth to Hyde Park. This cost about $6.50, al- most what I had paid for express charges to Fort Worth, though the box travelled the same distance each way"
 SLAPPING SENATOR'S AROUND
 Roosevelt had not seen Senator Bone since the two-fiSted Wash ingtonian came out of a hospital several months ago following a hip operation. Bone is as fit as ever but, when the President in- quired about his condition, he replied that his hip was still giv- ing him a little trouble.
 "Why don't you go down to
 Warm Springs for short rest?"
 the President suggested. "The
 treatments might help you.'
 Bone declined the invitation, explaining, We have an expert rubber by the name of Scott in the Senate gymnasium who has been doing me a world of good, MT. President. In fact, don't think I could get better treat ment anywhere. This man has been skipping senators around for 25 years and making them like it."
 Skipping Senators around!"
 hOwled Roosevelt. "Say, that
 sounds like a pretty good job"
 "Yes," replied Bone. "I guess
 there have been times, MT.
 President, when you would like
 to be in his sCloes."
 LABOR -GO-ROUND
 Labor is preparing to start a major offensive in Congress, aimed at busting Assistant President" Jimmy Byrnes. Labor men say their drive against Byrnes will make the purge campaign against former OPA chief Leon Tender son Hook like tea party. Right ly or wrongly, AFL and rail broth- erhood leaders accuse Byrnes of instigating General George Mar Shall's charge that strikes were