The Butler County press. [volume] (Hamilton, Ohio) 1900-1946, 1944-04-21

Chicago. - AFL President William
Green declared here that, after con-
ferring with Government officials and
members of Congress concerned over
manpower problems, II am more than
ever convinced that experimentation
with our .manpower processes at this
time will only interfere with war pro-
duction and possibly jeopardize the
war effort"
Speaking at the convention Of the
International Union of Operating En-
gineers, Mr.. Green condemned pro-
posals for National Service Act and
ridiculed suggestions for drafting
4-F's into labor battalions as unwork-
able.
He emphatically declared that or
ganized labor by its own voluntary
efforts has done more 80 prevent
strikes, increase war production and
solve manpower problems than all
Government regulations and Federal
legislation combined. He said:
"Men of small vision seem to lose
sight Of the fact that more than SO
per cent of American workers have
adhered religiously and faithfully to
the no-strike policy of the American
Federation of Labor. The moment a
small local strike affecting only a
handful of workers takes place in
their own community they denounce
labor as whole and cry loudly for
the enactment of drastic repressive
legislation.
Men of shallow comprehension de-
mand the compulsory drafting of all
labor to work in private industry be-
cause they are unable to solve local
and temporary manpower shortage,
forgetting in the meanwhile the great
accomplishments in production which
have been made possible under our
free, voluntary system.
1.-The impulse to seek shortcuts
toward objectives is natural but dan
gerous. If we are to adopt the policy
that the end justifies the means, we
may find that in the process of fight
ing Fascism and Nazism we have
subjected ourselves to Fascist and
Nazi restrictions upon our freedom
that we will never be able to shake
off. The validity of our victory over
totalitarianism will be lost if we car
achieve it only aping totalitariar
methods. America must win the fight
for freedom by working and fighting
as free men and women under free
Government-and in no other way
Citing the great production achieve
ment of American workers, Mr. Greer
declared:
'Yet this splendid record is now
being ignored and our voluntary ano
effective manpower program is en-
dangered by all sorts of proposals fol-
compulsory conscription of workers
to serve in private industry. The ad
vocates of a National Service Ac
seem to think that the substitution 0.
compulsion for free and voluntary CO
operation will bring better results.
cannot conceive of any process Of log
ical reasoning or any facts on which
such a conclusion can be intelligent.
based. No draft director will be abl
to produce more skilled operating en-
gineers than there are by swapping
his fingers or waving magic wand
No battalion of 4-F's will be able t,
replace crew of operating engineer
who have been drafted for militar,
service. Surely, the Government au
thorities should realize that it take
more than three-weeks' course il
night-school to train man to operat
a steam shovel or similarly highly
skilled occupations"
Mr.. Green praised the loyal supper
of the war effort shown by member
of the operating engineers and added
"The thousands of members of you
organization who are now servin
their country with distinction in tn
Construction Battalions of the Nav!
known as the Seabees, and in othe
branches of the armed forces, knov
that your union is concerned over thei
welfare. They have been given servic
withdrawal cards by your union whic
guarantee that their insurance bene
fits will be protected during their ak
sence and that they will be retaine