Evening star., 1944-12-01

TO OBTAIN, through the PRESIDENT,
more and greater concessions, there
is to be added the fact that in
neither White House nor Treasury
is there anything resembling a
fiscal policy adequate to meet real
. tStically the unprecedented prob
lem involved in a 100000, 900 600
debt.
The combination of a successful
labor attack upon the Little Steel
formula and the complete absence
of tax leadership or financial cour-
age in the Roosevelt administration
man with a stake in the community
and the intelligence to grasp the
facts.
F0reseen During Campaign.
1t Is a situation which was easy
to foresee during the campaign. The
CIO demands had been made many
months ago. It's case had been pre-
sented, its arguments made and its
forces lined up behind its demands
Deliberately, the administration de-
cision was postponed until after the
election, while the CIO, with Mr..
Hillman's PAC, went into the effort
to re-elect Mr.. Roosevelt on scale
and with an energy and ardor such
as never before exhibited by labor
organiza ation.
Immediately after the victory, the
CIO renewed its demands. Quite
speedily, the Presidents War La
Dor Board, which obviously would
take no such important action with
out Mr.. Roosevelt's approval. figured
out way to give some 100000 steel
workers raises averaging to 7
cents an hour, totaling more than
$65 900 900 a year.
Accepting this, the CIO continues
10 press for still further concessions
and unQuestionably will get them.
Economists and representatives of
the steel companies point out that,
regardless of the WLB's contention
that this does not smash the Little
Steel wage agreement, that that is
exactly what it does; that it greatly
enhances the dangers of imitation:
that the increase inevitably must be
passed on to the public Notwith-
standing all this and, though the
Governments figures contradict the
CLOS figures on the increased cost
of living, the raise has gone through
and additional raises are pending.
To any impartial person, this prompt
postelection concession must seem
clear reward for political services.
This, of course, will be denied,
but the circumstantial evidence is
pretty overwhelming. Perhaps If
the CIO had supported Mr. Dewey
instead of Mr. Roosevelt it would
have obtained its raise just the
same, but there are not many who
believe that. ReWarding ones sup
porters after the election is an es-
tablished custom of practical poll
tics and this "payoff" would not |
be so bad if it were not at the pub
lie expense and if it did not en-
danger the national security by
enhancing the chances of a ruinous
imitation.
Opens Up Breach.
But that Is what it does Here is
President who time and again
has pointed out the dangers of in
fation, who has eloquently urged
his high-titled aides to hold the
line and is certainly aware of the
risk involved in permitting a leak
IN the dixie" Yet, right after the
election, board over which he
has unquestioned control, under
pressure from his chief political
support, renders a decision which
opens up very considerable leak.
No one doubts now that the CIO,
one way or another, will get most
of what it is asking for the steel
workers, and that this success will
be followed by demands for in
creases from union labor leaders
all down the line. Everybody agrees
that the grant to the steelworkers
cannot be an isolated instance. If
they are entitled to their increase
on the cost-of- living ground, so are
the others.
At any rate they will make their
night Having granted the increase
for one, 1t will be almost impossible