The Waterbury Democrat., 1944-04-15


 must keep on operating at the be- hest of 8 union after the War Production Board says that oper- ation is no longer needed for the war.
 The postwar implications are breath-taking. Here is the inside story.
 The Republic Steel company operates the Raimund Iron Mine near Bessemer, Alabama, where there was a row over wages and working conditions with the CIO mine, mill and smelter workers. The case came before the over burdened Atlanta branch of the WLB nine months ago and was delayed for some time. In the interim, Republic Steel shut down the mine with the con- sent of the WIPE.
 Meanwhile, the union got busy inside the WIPE to find out why the ore from the Raimund Mine was not necessary to the steel program. What it discovered was that lesser officials in the WIPES iron and steel division, unknown to Chairman Donald Nelson and Vice Chairman Charles E. Will son, had SO ruled without the knowledge of their chief.
 Learning this, the union pressed for a further investigation as to the essentially of the mine and, later, the Atlanta VILE received a letter from WIPES burly Vice Chairman Wilson that the mine was essential to war production, after all.
 WILSON REVERSES HIMSELF
 Elated, the union approached the VILE with this new evidence. Came the day, of the re-hearing and a third communication ara rived from the WIPE. This one, also from Wilson, sustained the original findings of his assistants and reversed his own findings that the mines output was neces- sary to the war.
 This one was final. It arrived one day before the Atlanta hear ing and, of course. completely wrecked the unions case, which the Atlanta Labor Board promptly dismissed.
 Now the CIO has appealed to the full WLB i'm Washington, arguing that the War Produce
 ton Board, not being a tri- partite body of industry, labor and Government officials, Is not impartial and not competent to pass judgment on the essentiali- ties of property where labor dispute is involved.
 What the union wants VILE to do is order Republic to reopen the mine against its will and pro- vide jobs for about 150 mners who once worked there. The unions prestige is involved, also the company's business prerogatives. But more than anything else, there is involved a vital principle of the postwar period as war contracts are cancelled and facili- ties are no longer considered essential to the war.
 ICKES AND vANDENBERG
 A good many Cabinet officers and top executives have been gripping lately about the amount of time they have to spend tes- tifying before Congressional con- mittees. Admiral Jerry" Land of the Maritime Commission and Donald Nelson once averaged up their hours spent before Congress and found that 1t ran into a very large part of their working week.
 However, the prize testifier before Congress is probably pugnaciOus Secretary of the In- teriOr Ickes. This Is partly because of his many duties oil, coal, gas, grazing, public lands, territories, etc.-but also because he has about the best repaFte of anyone in the Cabi- net.
 Republican Senator Vandenberg likes to tell this stroy on Ickes even though the senator him. self came out second best. Ickes was appearing before the Truman Committe with the usual big gal- lery and Vandenberg, though not not a member of the committee, sat in attendance.
 Seeing him, Ickes remarked, I
 didn't know you were . mem- Der of the Trman Committee
 'T'm not" replied Vanden-
 berg. But always come to
 listen when . prima donna Is
 going to sing."
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