Evening star., 1945-09-21
WLB's independence
Assured, Collapse
Apparently Averted
By JAMES y. NEWTON.


Board apparently had been
averted today as planning con-
tinued on President Truman's
labor management conference,
which is expected to set up ma
chinery to replace WLB in the
handling of industrial disputes.
Secretary of Labor Schwellenbach
acted quickly to assure WLB mem
bers that the agency's independ-
ence of decision would be main
tanned despite the executive order
transferring the board to the Labor
Department.
This guarantee came after the
resignation of Chairman George W..
Taylor had been accepted with re-
gret" by President Truman and it
appeared for a while that the en-
tire board might dissolve. Other
designations from the agency were
still expected, however.
Farley Will Open November 5.
Mr.. Schwellenbach announced late
yesterday that the labor manage
ment conference called by Mr. Tru-
man to work out means of bringing
peace to the labor field would be
held here November 5. 1t was un-
derstood that about 40 delegates
would be invited. all from organized
labor and industry. An impartial
chairman and secretary will be the
only "outSiders' attending.
Besides the AFL and CIO, the
only labor groups to be invited will
be the United Mine Workers and
the railroad brotherhoods. Indus
try representation will come solely
from the United States Chamber
of Commerce, headed by Eric John
ston. and the National Association
of Manufacturers, whose president
is Ira Mosher.
More Conferences Planned.
Some recommendations as to ar
rangement of the conference were
made to Mr.. Schwellenbach by a
planning committee headed by Maj
Paul Douglas, wounded Marine hero
and former professor at the Uni
versity of Chicago.
This committee already has held
four meetings and Mr. Schwellen-
bach said there must be other con-
ferences before the ticklish business
of setting agenda for the big indus
try peace" meeting is finally worked
out
Apparently widely divergent views
as to the field of conference discus
sion and action have been expressed
in Maj. Douglas committee, which
is composed of officials of the AFL,
CIO, NAM and Chamber of Com
merce
Maj. Douglas difficult task was to
bring about a meeting of the
minds" of groups having such diff
ferent economic views.
In another move, indirectly affect
ing labor, President Truman formal
ly issued the order abolishing the
Office of Economic Sterilization and
transferring its work to the Office
of War Mobilization and Reconver-
sion.
al III 1SSo
Edgar Warren, Secretary Schwel-
lenbach's new conciliation chief,
said he had reliable reports that
both the Kelsey-Hayes Wheel Co.
stoppage, to which the Ford Motor
Co. attributed its shutdown. and
the Detroit situation in general had
been overemphasized.
At his first news conference yes
terday, Mr. Warren called prospects
Tor an eventual solution very good"
A broad new legislative plan for
voluntary settlement of worker dis
putes was offered in Congress yes
terday by four Senators.
Senator McMahon, Democrat, of
Connecticut, introduced it with a
claim that it would remove potential
dangers from such strike situations
as now exist in Detroit and other
industrial centers,
Three-Point Program.
The legislation would center all
efforts toward settlement in the
Labor Department under a three
step program:
l. Action by a division of medi-
ntion and Cancellation within the
department. 1t would be composed
Of highly paid experts from present
agencies
2. Creation of a United States
Board of Arbitration, an indepen-
dent agency 1t would act only
when both parties agreed to arbi-
tration but once they agreed, it's
decisions could become judgments in
federal courts.
3, Presidentially appointed boards
Of Inquiry. These could step in
even while strikes were under way
to determine facts of public interest.
Others sponsoring the measure
are Senators Hayden, Democrat, of
Arizona Tunnel, Democrat, of
Delaware. and Thomas, Democrat,
Of Utah
The proposal differs widely from
pending legislation sponsored by
Senators Ball, Republican, of Min
nesota; Burton, Republican, of Ohio;
Hatch, Democrat of New Mexico,
and Hill, Democrat, of Alabama,
which calls for compulsory arbitra-
tion of labor disputes.