Evening star., 1945-10-16
Liquidation of WLB J
Called Major Mistake
Truman Aides Do Not Know
Jobs as Yet, Says Observer
By David Laurence

1t seems incredible that there should
be conference at the White House at
this late date to find out how to use the
War Labor Board to help the country
Shift from wartime to peacetime opera
tions. But such conference has Just
been held and it means simply that the
administration made major mistake in
ordering the board liquidated before 1t
had developed substitute to tide the
country over from one period to another,
The country is paying the penalty
today of change of administration in
the midst OF crisis. For the Truman
administration has many new persons
in key positions and, regardless of their
ability and capacity, they simply do not
know their jobs as yet They must de-
pend for advice on a variety of groups,
most OF which have axes to grind
The War Labor Board, for instance,
may not have been satisfactory in- asc~y
respect and has done much that can
be criticized, but on the whole it did
evolve national labor program which
was effective during the war in keep-
ing down the work stoppages. There
were several strikes that were injurious
to the war effort, but there were also
many more controversies that we're
settled by the board in which strikes
were avoided.
Guide to National Policy.
The record of precedents established
IN the many cases adjudicated by the
War Labor Board constitutes a guide
to national policy. While collective bar
gaining must and will be the primary
means OF handling labor disputes. it Ia
nevertheless true that the War Labor
Board cut deeply into the maze of
economic questions that are related to
wage disputes. and this background and
knowledge ought not to be lightly dis
missed.
Every time there is a settlement of a
dispute and contract is written that
is accepted by both sides and every
time there Is voluntary arbitration.
something Is added to the sum total of
labor information. The War Labor
Board operated through seven regional
boards and with numerous panels of
labor representatives and business ex-
ecutlves. Both labor and MANAGEMENT
men were educated in settlement TECH
nlques when they sat as judges in cases
outside their own unions or businesses.
1t can be said without exaggeration
that a larger body of union and man
agement men are equipped to sit as
conclllators or mediators in disputes
than ever before in our history.
Shall all this experience be brushed
aside? The Truman administration
gave out the word right after VI day
that the board was to be Inundated.
Immediately valuable employees of the
BOARD throughout the country began
looking around for other Jobs Now.
when it is realized the board should
have been continued a while longer, it
will be difficult to hold the personnel.
Result of Inexperience.
This tragic end to a useful board
which presumably has statutory power
for the law says the board functions
until peace is formally proclaimed-is
the direct result of inexperience in the
truman administration. For there was
no wrong purpose in ordering the board
dissolved. The administration knew
various employers and various unions
didn't want the board and thought it
was meeting the objections of both
sides. But the administration forgot
the biggest group of all-the public
winch Is being inconvenienced now by
the labor chaos.
The unions, which thought they
would gain by seeing the board Ioui.
dated, find themselves now the targets
OF abuse for the strikes. The manages
ment side, which thought they would
be freed from troubles when the board
was dissolved, find themselves now
faced with demands for wage increases
ranging from 80 per cent upward. Had
the board stayed in power wage ad-
Vances of certain kinds would have
been granted, but they would have
borne some relationship to price ad-
Justmen-s. AS it is the country ia
suffering from the administration lack
OF overall planning.
Restoration of the War Labor Board
with powers to act in the transition
period is solution that can be effective
at least until Congress makes up its
mind what kind of peacetime legisls-
ton, II any. 1t wishes to enact to handle
laoor-management relations
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