Evening star., 1945-12-16
UAWAsksAttIee
10 Intervene in
Strike al GIN
Action by British, as
Shareholder, Sought
In Thomas Letter
FACT-FINDING PLAN stalled
Truman may make radio appeal
Page Alb

BY the Associated Press.
DETROIT, Dec. 15.-The CIC
United Auto Workers, describing
the British government as {
holder of General Motors Corp
common stock, today asked
Prime Minister Clement Attlee'!
Labor government to intervene
in the 25-day-old GIN strike.
R. j. Thomas, UAW president
disclosed he had made a direct
appeal in letter to the Prime Min.
lister, but Mr.. Attlee said at London
Il have not seen the letter.
Mr.. Thomas suggested that tht
Prime Minister make known" tt
the corporation his (Mr. Attlee's)
feelings that profits are the concern
of the workers and the owners OF
any company"
The UAW president said he wa!
reliably informed" that "as of Oc.
tober, l945, the British government
was the owner of $4,000 shares o.
General Motors common stock, 36 ,00t
shares of the common stock ol
Chrysler Corp. and $4,000 shares Of
common stock of the Briggs Manu-.
featuring Co."
A General Motors spokesman sale
Mr.. Thomas disclosure was new,
to me" and that any comment or
the reported British interest in GIN
would have to come from the com
panys stock transfer division a
New York"
Shares Outstanding.
The GIN officials said the com
pany has 100000 shares of com
mon stock and 3,500,000 shares o
preferred stock outstanding.
un Washington Charles
Campbell, chief of the British In
formation Service, said the Britt
ish government owns a block of
GIN stock outright and controls
the stocks voting rights. Mr..
Campbell said no official report
had been released on the extent
of the British holdings and he
added he was unable to confirm
or deny Mr.. Thomas figure of
434 900 shares.
(The British official gave this
explanation of how his govern
ment acquired control of the
stock:
During the war, it took over all
American assets from British
subjects. 1t paid them in sterl-
ing for these assets. Some were
sold. Some, turned in after the
sales were kept. OF the latter
the greater part was put up as
security for a loan from the
American Reconstruction FL
nance Corp. The block of Cen
eral Motors stock is included in
the assets that weren't sold)
Spokesman at the British Treas
ury and Foreign Office in Londol
said no one in authority would b
available to comment on MI
Thomas letter before Monday.
Assertions Repeated.
The surprise move by UAW ex
ecutives followed repetition of thei
assertions that General Motors ha
refused to discuss profits durin
current bargaining with the unior
The company said yesterday tha
81 of its 70 plants are closed as
result of the strike, with 1927
union workers idle.
In his letter to Mr.. Attlee Nj
Thomas said he was confident tn
present management" of Genera
Motors docs not reflect the think
ing OF the vast majority of the own
ers of the corporation" and added
And above all, we are certai
that it by no means reflects the at
titude and opinion of the Britis
Labor Government, substantis
owner of General Motors shares.
For that reason and because
statement by the Labor government
of Great Britain would be a vel
come demonstration of the solidar
ity that binds together the workin
people of all nations, we are hope
full that you will be able to max
known to the management of Gen
eral Motors Corp. your belief tina
profits are indeed the concern Q
(See GENERAL MOTORS, A-I8.)