Evening star., 1945-10-18

PIaSSB Jdos 90
they did for the Lowell Mellstt.
duration Of the war.
But human nature probably
would rebel against any such plan.
We are all for peace, but we have
little faith In our ability to do any
thing about 1t. We prefer peace to
war, but whereas we will do most
anything to make war successful, we
won't do the same for peace.
Still We might explore the pos
sibilities of a peace labor board.
Conflict of Functions.
1t would need to be an agency
Independent of any other Govern
ment agency. Already it has be-
come clear that the War Labor
Board is out of place in the Labor
Department. There is a basic con-
fiict of functions. The Labor De-
partment was established by law to
serve the interests of labor, Just as
the Commerce Department was
established to serve the interests
OF business. 1t never was intended
that the department should "regu-
late" labor, any more than the Com
merce Department should regulate
business.
Nobody ever has suggested trans
ferrirg the functions of the Federal
Trade Commission or the Anti
trust Division to the Department
Of Commerce. Yet there had long
been clamor for the transfer of
all agencies having anything to do
with labor questions to the De-
partment of Labor, before President
Truman made his decision to do so
in the case of the WLB. The Presi-
dent already had met a similar de-
mand for the appointment of a.
strong" Secretary of Labor. Judge
Schwellenbach would seem to-
qualify as strong man, but his
efforts to date have not met with
success.
Obviously the Secretary has been
asked to attempt the impossible. He
has been asked to serve as labor's
advocate and, at the same time, as
labor's regulator or, at least, as an
impartial arbitrator between labor
and industry.
While the war lasted, the War
Labor Board succeeded extremely
well in the task assigned to it. til
had a certain amount of power
derived from the pledges given byI
labor and management, pledges that
now have lapsed. Since labor and
management cannot be expected to
give any pledges for the duration
of the peace, the President must
find some new authority to confer
upon a new board starting afresh.
Fair Relations Concept.
This authority might come from
the establishment and declaration
OF national policy with respect to
wages and prices. Not all, but most, |
labor difficulties relate to wages
and most, if not all, wage questions
relate to the cost of living. The
President, after proper study, could
assert this administration concep-
ton of fair relationship between
wages and prices. This would be the
basis of the new boards operations
and its only authority, if you can
call it that; it would be a substi-
tute, in any case, for the pledges
that have expired
We like to think that public
opinion makes the final decision in
labor disputes. A principal func-
ton of the proposed new board
would be to inform the public and
thus to give public opinion more
meaning and more influence than
1T now has. In the case of any
dispute the boards duties would
consist of finding and making pub
lie the facts concerning wages-in
relation to prices-and of making
recommendations to the disputing
parties based on these facts.
Public opinion would have to do
the rest. II we really believe in the
power Of public opinion, we should
not shrink from putting our belief
to this test.
Would this solve the labor prob
lem?" No. The labor problem, being
part OF the painful progress of the
human race, is not likely to be
solved" in our time or our chill
dren's times The suggestion given
here would merely solve the prob
lem of what to do about the War