Evening star., 1946-05-01
Clark Declares Foes
OF Building Controls
Seek Monopoly
BY the A.soeiotsd Press

ATLANTIC CITY. N. j., May l.
Attorney General Clark charged to.
day that many of those who de.
mand the removal of controls over
the building and related industries
ostensibly in the name of competi.
tion-in fact desire private monopoly
to regulate that great industry"
Mr.. Clark named no names ir
making his statement before the
34th annual convention of the
United States Chamber of Com
merce. The Board of Directors o1
the Chamber Monday approved fol
convention consideration a resolu-
ton, likewise in general terms, ex-
pressing opposition to the Federal
housing construction program and
favoring removal of restraints on
private construction.
Meanwhile in an unrelated ac-
tion, the 53-man directorate of the
chamber sidetracked proposal
which would have placed their or.
ganization on record for outright
repeal of the Wagner Labor Rela-
tionS Act.
May Raise Issue Again.
Backers of the repeal proposal
however. may raise it again on the
convention floor.
The Attorney General did not
elaborate on his construction mo-
nopoly charge except to say:
If these lobbyists are successful
we shall have turned our housing
program over to groups of monop-
olists whose private regulatory sys-
tenn is designed to insure profits for
themselves"
Mr.. Clark said the Government
Itself had contributed to a trend
away from competitive capitalism
through wartime necessity.
LAS we abandon wartime Govern
ment controls over industry" he
said, eve must be certain We are
not surrendering control to private
monopolistS the Government
intends to follow the course that
will encourage the restoration of
free competition and strengthen in
dependent enterprise"
Big Business Bigger.
The Nation has been witnessing
a gradual elimination of small busi-
ness," Mr.. Clark asserted, while
big business has become bigger" :"
He said that SO years ago there
were $4,000 tobacco manufacturers
against 300 at present, with four
dominating the industry. and TOO
iron and steel manufacturers against
$50 now.
In a brief reference to labor in
connection with the antitrust laws,
the Attorney General said certain
activities of labor unions, having
nothing to do with the legitimate
ends of organized labor, constitute
undesirable restraints upon our
economy"
1T all depends on who is out on
Q limb"
Herman w. Steinkraus, president
of the Bridgeport Conn Brass Co.,
outlining to the Chamber program
for industrial peace, stressed the
need for more education of both
labor and management for a COM
plete exchange of honest infor-
nation.
Cites Detroit's Troubles.
Mr.. Steinkraus asserted communi-
ties could help to promote industrial
peace by definite activities to this
end, and named Toledo, Ohio. as a
city which had improved a troubled
labor situation by community effort.
He added:
Many a company today would
refuse to build or buy plant in the
city of Detroit, because it would
fear it was stepping into hotbed
of labor troubles. Yet that same
company might very readily choose
a city such as Boston, where a group
of both labor and management lead
ers have done an outstanding job
to create the right atmosphere Of
cooperation in industrial relations. )"
The Chamber directorate in put
ting aside the proposal for repeal of
the Wagner Act, showed strong
leaning against adoption of any
dramatic resolution on labor rela-
tiorc Of this copvention