Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1944-11-23
BEHIND
THE NEWS
BY Paul
MaIIon

W MI. nOOStNtll anu AilC
labor leaders are hardly acting
out the roles naturally eX-
pected from their campaign
victory.
In one column on the front
pages was the announcement of
Economic StabiliZer Vinson that
the President would turn down
a general wage increase before
the defeat of Germany, offer
ing higher wages afterward.
Next 10 II was Go Presl-
dent Phil Murray'S equally sur
priSing and reasonable extern
sion of an olive branch 10 in
dustry, promising continuance
of the no strike pledge until
that same date and offering
cooperation with management
thereafter.
But even less anticipated
generally was the stimuli
taneous appeal from the AFL
asking the CIO for labor unity.
T1ERE are good inside rea-
Il sons for these strange turns
of events. The President him
self is behind them all. While
labor generally may have eX-
pected a pay-off in wage in
crease Immediately after the
election. Mr.. Roosevelt is sup
posed TO have sum moned
Messrs. Murray, Green and
others and laid down the law
for restrained and reasonable
.non-poitical development of
the situation.
OF course, there is consider
able room for doubt as 10 how
thoroughly this new plan of CO.
operation instead of fighting
will be carried forward. Some
strikes were on at the time the
President acted and more will
follow. An extension of them is
not improbable.
While they are being attrib-
uted TO rather minor individual
compla ints by many local
unions. they may represent
common determination to resist
the governments new hold-the-
line policy.
The Ohio telephone strike. for
instance, was attributed to COM
plants that out-of-town work.
erS were allowed extra trans
portation pay back and forth,
which seemed like an extreme
method of correcting minor
abuse. Behind it was dissatis-
faction of this in d epen dent
union with the delays of the
War Labor Board and the re-
sentiment of the local union
leaders against what they
termed general mishandling by
the American Telephone and
Telegraph Co.
CTRIKES these days can be
~ called apparently for any
reason at all. and il is quite
clear that the maintenance of
general, reasonable labor atti-
tude is going to be a difficult
proposition. especially after the
NaziS are defeated. II is much
too early 10 guess whether this
is Just a hiatus or a successful
turn in the labor 81 tuat ION
trend.
The CLIO, of course. otherwise
complained sharply against the
Presidents moves toward denial
of their effort TO break the
Little Steel Formula. which is
the w h ol Q center of the line
holding program
II challenged the Bureau of
Labor Statistics figures, indi-
eating the rise in living costs
has been only % or 30 per cent.
In fact, labor members of WPB
estimated the increase at ABS
per cent.
Statistics these days are gen.
orally what you want TO make
them. The Bureau of Labor
Statistics counted several items
in the cost of living while the
labor unions counted others.
Personally. / have been some
what suspicious of all govern
ment figures since l discovered
the cost of my own living had
increased far more than most
of the government announce
ments claimed.
These simple truths have
been harped on in this column
again and again and again in
the face of charges that they
we're partisan, anti-New Deal
ish. reactionary or what not.
Now they turn out TO be facts
the administration could not get
around
The most patriotic thing YOU
can do is to economic in spend
ing TO buy bonds.
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