Evening star., 1945-10-31

after the surrender of Japan. 7
issued Executive Order 9599.
which laid down the guiding
policies of your Government dur
ing the transition from war to
peace.
Briefly stated these policies
are:
First, to assist in the maxi
mum production of civilian
goods.
Second, as rapidly as possible
to remove Government controls
and restore collective bargain
ing and free markets.
Third, to avoid both imitation
and defation. @F = =
Those are still cur policies.
One of the major factors de-
termining whether or not we
shall succeed In carrying out
those policies is the question Of
wages and prices. If wages go
down substantially we face de-
f1ation. If prices 60 up substan-
TALLY we face imitation. We must
be on our guard, and steer clear
of both these dangers to our
security.
What happens to wages is i'm
portant to all of us-even to
those of us who do not work for
wages.
1t is important to business, for
example, not only because wages
represent an essential item in
the cost OF producing goods, but
because people cannot buy the
products Of industry unless they
earn enough wages generally.
What happens to wages is also
important to the farmer. The
income he earns depends a great
deal on the wages and purchas-
ing power Of the workers in our
factories and shops and stores.
They ara the customers of the
farmer and cannot buy farm
products unless they earn enough
wages.
The fact Is that all of us are
deeply concerned with wages, be-
cause all of us are concerned with
the well-being of all parts of our =
economic system.
Forgotten too Often
Like ALI Simple Truths.
That is simple truth. But,
like all simple truths. it is
too often forgotten. Manage
ment sometimes forgets that
business cannot prosper with
out customers who make good
wages and have money in
their pockets; labor sometimes
forgets that workers cannot find
employment and that wages
cannot rise unless business pros
pers and makes profits.
Like most of you, I have been
disturbed by the labor difficulties
of recent weeks. These difficult
ties stand in the way of recon-
version; they postpone the day
when our veterans and displaced
war workers can get back into
good peacetime jobs. We need
more of the good sense, the rea-.
sonableness, the consideration
for the position of the other fell
low, the teamwork which we had
during the war.
1t has been my experience in
public life that there are few
problems which cannot be worked
out if we make real effort to
understand the other fellows
point of view, and if we try to
find a solution on the basis of
give-and-take, of fairness to
both sides. !
I want to discuss the wage
problem in just that spirit, and
I hope that all of us in the United
States can start thinking about
1t that way. a.
Let me begin by putting labor's
position before you. I do not
think all of us understand how
hard a blow our industrial work.
ers have suffered in the shift
from war production to peace
production.
You do know that sudden total
victory caused millions of war
workers to be laid off with very
short n2tice or none at all. While
we hope to overcome that condi-
ton before too many months are
passed, unemployment is hardly
a suitable reward for the contri-
button which veterans and war
workers have made to victory.
Several months ago I urged
the Congress to amend the un-
employment compensation law so
as to help workers through the
difficult months of unemployment
until reconversion could be ef-
fected. The Congress has not
yet passed that legislation.
The responsibility for that is
solely up to the Congress-and
specifically I mean the Ways and
Means Committee of the House
of Representatives. I hope that
this committee will fulfill it's
obligation to the people of the
Nation, and will give the mem
bers of the House an early chance
to vote on this important legisla-
tion. We must all recognize that
legislation which will help sus-
tain the purchasing power of
labor until reconversion is COM
pleted, benefits not labor alone
but all of us-business, agricul-
ture, white-collar; workers and
every member of our economic
society.
Workers of Nation
Feel Deep Concern.
I am sure that the workers of
the Nation, those who depend
upon manual labor for liveli-
hood, also feel a deep concern
about full employment legislation
which Is now pending in the Con-
gress. 1t is essential that the
Congress speedily adopt some.
effective legislation which em+s
bodies the principles underlying
full employment.
The American people are en-
titled to know now that this
Government stands for prosper
ity and jobs-not depression and
relief. Passage of a full en-
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