Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1944-05-22
Us. Fails
Inn Strikes
Continued from Page Two)

sells have been delayed in joining
the fleet by strikes, late
delivery of aterial, and
necessary changes during con-
structiOn."
Another report from the nav,
covers a strike in Detroit durinl
the summer of 1889, precisely
coincident with the outbreak Of
the war in Europe.
. That strike halted production or
alrplane bearings and castings fol
both the army and the navy. After
the strike call, management wa.
not permitted to ship even those
parts already com pie I e d anc
packaged.
So the navy sought permission
to ship the completed parts in it.
own trucks. But this permission
too, was denied by the Go.
This strike began on Aug. %
and work was resumed on Oct.
"a delay of Al days.
HIT ENGINE OUTPUT
The navy's report added tha
this delay hit not only aircraft
production, but also several part.
for a special type of marine en-
CINE then being developed.
Failing 10 obtain permission Il
ship completed parts, the navy
next asked permission of the CIC
to ship its own secret dies and
patterns to another plant. to aVoiC
closing down production lines or
both aircraft and marine equip
met at the Philadelphia Navy
Yard.
And here are the words of the
secretary of the navy on the re.
suits of that plea:
"The representatives Of Union
Local 2O8 were given full access
TO the files of the navy con-
tracts and they were informed
that the delay in releasing pat
terms for delivery was seriously
jeopardizing the manufacture of
airplane engines at the naval
aircraft factory.
UNION REJECTS PLEA
"At the end OF the discussion
the union representatives stated
that as the strike situation stood
at the present time their answer
was emphatically No and they
would not let patterns or in
spected castings be removed"
That strike then continued for
IL days more!
The sad spectacle of the u. S.
Navy grovelling before local union
chiefs for permission to move its
own dies and jigs from a struck
plant, demonstrates with great
force what is almost certain TO
happen in any given field of public
administration when the authority
OF government is scattered, or
spread too thin.
This diffusion Of authority-the
inability of the bureaucratic sys-
TEN 10 center real decision in one
competent and experienced adj
mlnlstrator--is the or in e
weakness and the darkest sin of
the bureaucratic method.
BONANZA FOR LABOR
Encouraged by federal policies
which placed radical extremists of
the Go in key administrative and
legal berths throughout the gov
eminent agencies guiding man.
power programs. organized labor
has found the war a rich bonanza.
In all the new war plants, COM
pulSory union membership was
imposed either as a condition Of
the government financing or the
contract award. Feather-bed rules
production likewise were
sanctioned in every major war
industry, often over the vigorous
protest OF the army or navy.
Managemcnt'S efforts to penalize
excessive abSenteeiSm were re-
sisted successfully by the labor
unions, with the result that over
a period Of two years G9i2-1943)
average production losses from
this source prevailed at about
twice the normal peacetime rate.
Copyright. lsii, the Bobbs. Merrill Coz
Distributed by Kine Features synd., Inc.
TOMORROW: Bureouerats on