Evening star., 1945-11-26
Showdown Due Today
On Issue Of Labor
Fact-Finding Boards
BY JAMES Y. NEWTON.

BY JAMES Y. NEWTON.
The issue of public commissions
to investigate the facts behind in
dustrial disputes was due for show
down today as the National Labor
Management Conference convened
after four-day recress.
There were reports, too, that the
Conference Committee given the
task of resolving inter union dis
putes peaceably had failed of agree
ment and would file separate re-
ports. The split was between labor
and industry members of the COM
mittee.
Before recessing last Wednesday,
the conference Executive Committee
agreed to consider the feasibility of
fact finding as a means of minimiz-
ing strikes or lockouts.
Management committee members
were expected to push for commits
sions to be set up for specific dis
putes by the Governor of State or
the President, depending on whether
the dispute involved interstate COM
merce. They seek an agreement
that would stay strike or lockout
for so days while such an investiga-
tion is in progress.
Permanent Machinery Opposed.
But, the business leaders oppose
establishment of permanent Fed
eral machinery to handle disputes.
Labor SO far has not stated its po-
sition on fact finding.
If the committee on jurisdictional
rows fails of agreement, it will be
the second of the six conference
working groups to reach stalemate.
The committee on collective bar
gaining filed separate reports last
week.
The split developed, it was said,
when management suggested that
the big labor organizations work out
some method among themselves of
settling jurisdictional quarrels and
report their decision to the Labor
Department within three to six
months.
Labor members admit the prob
lem is theirs to solve, but repeatedly
are insisting on the use of existing
machinery.
Management spokesmen point
out that the AFL so far has been
unable to settle differences of juris-
diction among some of its own
unions, and that there is complete
lack of machinery for eliminating
overlappings between AFL and CIO
unions.
Mosher Urges New Efforts.
Secretary of Labor Schwellenbach
opened the conference by suggest
ing that the labor organizations
appoint 'czar" to establish juris-
dictions, similar to the czars who
settle problems of the movie indus
try or in baseball.
President Ira Mosher of the Ma
tional Association of Manufacturers
has called on delegates to renew
their efforts to bring about agree
ments Immediately on voluntary ar
bitration, impartial fact-flnding ma
chinery and jurisdictional disputes.
He described conference progress
i as slow and said this was caused
by labor's unwillingness to "substi-
tute orderly procedures for its un-
limited right to strike at any time
and under any circumstances"
Management delegates said they
would be satisfied If agreement
can be reached for public fact
finding in disputes affecting vital
public services, such as transit sys-
TENS and other public utilities.
The task of recommending fact
finding machinery was given by
management Executive Committee
members to H. w. Clement, presi-
dent of the Pennsylvania Railroad.
Outline Of Proposal.
A spokesman for the NAM de-
scribed the plan as follows:
When a dispute affecting the pub
lie welfare is not settled by nego-
tiation, conciliation or arbitration,
the parties should give the Gov
ernor of the State 10 days in which
sion, nominated by the chief judi
cial officer of the State and made
up of persons not connected with
labor or management. The COM
mission would report within 80 days,
making no recommendations but
publishing its findings as means
of bringing public opinion to bear
in behalf of a settlement.
/ For 10 days after publication of
| the facts, the no-strike or lockout
agreement would continue in force
| If the dispute crossed State lines
or amounted to a national emer-
gency, the President would appoint
the fact-finding body. In every case,
the commission would dissolve when
the specific case was completed.
The big dispute. it appeared,
would hinge on whether there
should be temporary commissions
of the type described, or whether a
permanent fact finding agency
should be set up to handle all major
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