Evening star., 1945-12-17
0iIFact-Findinq
Starts; Sinclair
Sett|esDispute
Panel Encounters
Difficulties Over
Woge-Price Issue.
BY JAMES Y. NEWTON.

&SoSA oA OAAASAdlo WCilU dliCdQ
with plans today to end the
three -month-old oil dispute. fol-
lowing settlement over the week
end of wage differences between
the CIO Oil Workers and one of
the large companies involved
the Sinclair Oil Corp.
Sinclair announced it had set
tied with the union for an 10 per,
cent increase for basic 40-hour
week. The union had asked Sim
clair and the other companies for
80 per cent higher pay to offset the
pay reduction resulting from elm
ination of overtime work.
Meanwhile, the Governments first
major test of the effectiveness of the
fact finding idea in handling dis
putes got of to a bad start when a
fact t-finding board set up to investi-
gate the oil case became involved on
the issue of prices and profits and
their relations to wages.
Wage-Price Problem Raised,
The panel, headed by DR.. Frank
p. Graham. recessed it's first session
until this afternoon when both the
CIO union and oil industry spokes-
men demanded that it rule on the
wage-price problem before continu-
ing, the hearing.
DR.. Graham said the board during
the recess would confer with Secre-
tary of Labor Schwellenbach and
Sterilization Director J. C. Collett
as to how far the panel could 60 in
its wage recommendations
He explained the board desired to
determine whether or not any wage
increase they recommend should be
used as the basis for price increases.
Representatives of only four of
more than dozen companies in
volved in the dispute showed up at
the hearing today. Several other
companies sent letters saying they
had given all the information they
thought the board would require in
its investigation.
Hearing Will Continue.
Dr. Graham said that the hearing
would continue despite the poor at
tendance and warned that the fail
ure OF the companies to send repre-
sentatives was their own RESPONSE
bility.
The wage-price question was first
raised by Lindsay P. Walden, union
general counsel. who said the board
must advise both sides whether it
could recommend the wage increase
without making 1t the basis for q
company request to boost prices.
The union contends that the oil
industry can raise pay 80 per cent
without increasing prices.
At the same time, the Standard
Oil Co., Of Ohio, a party to the
dispute, released a statement de-
scribing the workers wage demands
as wholly exhorbitant and un-
justified"
Further Hearings Delayed.
Congress has shelved at least
temporarily President Truman's re-
quest for law providing for the
establishment of fact-finding boards
In major disputes. The Presidents
plan called for a 30-day no-strike
period while a board Is functioning,
and it was that feature most strong
ly opposed by organized labor. Sem
ate and House committees have
postponed further hearings on the
idea until January.
Mr.. Truman likewise has ap-
pointed fact-finding panel to hear
the four-week-old General Motors
Corp. strike. The commission will
hold its first session with GIN and
CIO United Auto Workers on
Wednesday. The issues are substan-
TALLY the same as in the oil case.
CIO. Oil Workers demand for 90
per cent more pay led to a strike
and Federal Seizure in October of So
refineries and oil pipelines. The