The Waterbury Democrat., 1945-07-06

left Washington as 8 senator Tn October, 1940, to take what he calls the best job in the world, federal judgeship. Today he looks fit, he looks you in the eye, and when he doesn't know an answer, instead of showing off 8 lot of fancy evasive sparring, he shoots straight from the shoulder and says honestly, q don't know" If you think that isn't refreshingly different, you just don't know your Washington.
 He says he has no preconceived ideas and no prejudices where labor is concerned.
 He doesn't know what he will recommend on postwar wages and hours. For the period of war con- tract cutbacks and reconversion he says everything points toward more labor troubles. He has no il- lusions about being able to stop strikes. But he does consider it his job to minimize labor contro- versy and labor disputes, and that should bring amens and cheers by the hundred million. Dr. John R Steelman, former head of the U. S. conciliation service has been brought back to Washington tenn porarily to act as an adviser on reorganization of labor mediation machinery.
 WOULD IMPLEMENT LABOR
 CHARTER
 Schwellenbach has talked to U. S. Chamber of Commerce President Eric Johnston, who also comes from Spokane, Wash, about the labor charter which Johnston, CLOS Phil Murray and A. F. of L. $ Bill Green sponsored last March for voluntary settlement of labor disputes without government par ticipation. Schwellenbach thinks this idea may be effective if it can be implemented.
 Asked about the Burton Ball. Hatch labor arbitration bill just in- troduced in the Senate, Schwellen- bach says he hasn't read it and doesn't intend to read it till he gets through with the reorganiza- tion of the Department of Labor, which he considers his first job. In addition to Steelman, Schwellen- bach has brought five other old friends into the department to serve as his eyes and ears and act as his advisers on recognizing the department and the score or more of independent labor agencies scat tered around town.
 Schwellenbach has notified the heads of the Railroad Brother hoods, the United Mine Workers, the A. F. of L. and the c. I. O.. that he wants to consult With them and wants them to designate men from their headquarters to come into the Department of Labor and work with him on its reorganiza- ton. Labor leaders have thus far been rather backward about ex- pressing themselves on Schwellen- bach's appointment, largely because they were put out by President Truman's failure to consult them on the appointment. When Schwel- lenbach was asked if he would meet with these labor leaders jointly. he turned quickly and with a big smile said, Separately"
 SEATTLE LABOR BACKGROUND Before Schwellenbach came to Washington as senator in 1885. he served for 10 years as attorney for the Seattle labor unions, and as their adviser. He hopes he can be considered an adviser to labor unions, now that he is Secretary of Labor.
 The new secretary denies flatly the report that he owes his selec- tion to the Cabinet to Dave Beck, Seattle labor leader. Schwellenbach got the job, he says, because when he came to the capital as Wash ington state senator in 1885, an- other freshman senator in his class was Harry s. Truman of Missouri. They were close friends in the Senate for five years. It did, how ever. take friend Truman four days of arguing over the transcontinent- al telephone lines to persuade Schwellenbach to take the job as Secretary of Labor.
 He has set himself a goal of finding out within 30 days what goes on in the Department of Labor and the 20-odd independent labor agencies. In the next 30 days, or by Sept. 1, he hopes to work out plan for recognizing the whole kit and poodle. He'll go on from there.