Evening star., 1946-01-24
National Wage Policy
For Solving Strikes
Urged by Fair|ess
By the Associated Press.

| By the Associated Press.
PITTSBURGH, Jan. PA ma
tional wage policy was urged
today by Benjamin F. Fairless
president of United States Steel
Corp, as the steel companies and
the CIO United Steel Workers
turned anew to President Tru-
man for a solution of the four
day-old strike.
TeEning wages "a national prob
lem" Mr. Fairless offered "a pro-
posal which l believe might open
the way to solution not only of
the steel strike, but the other
strikes that now plague the coun-
try In Nationwide radio ad-
dress last night, he asked the Presi-
dent to summon Immediately" lead
ers of industry for their advice on
what wage increase this country
can endure without the danger OF
an inf1ationary spiral
The l75-member USW Wage Com
mittee, on the other hand, asked Mr.
Truman to turn over "a billion dol
lars worth" of Government owned
steel plants for operation by indi-
Viduals willing to accept 'in the in
terests of the Nation" his 49, cents
an-hour pay increase suggestion.
| Meanwhile, the walkout of 750,-
600 steel workers stretched paralyz-
! ing tentacles toward other indus
| tries.
$1,000 Coal Miners Idle.
Already the 29-State steel strike
had forced $4,000 coal miners into
idleness. Fabricating plants were
curtaiiing hours and working forces.
Milk deliveries were jeopardized In
New York and on the West Coast
by container shortages.
There were no new peace move
ments to contradict the forecast of
a long and bitter" strike made by
the trade magazine Iron Age. Philip
Murray, CIO-USW president, told
newsmen he saw no reason why
mediators should be assigned to at
temp to bring management and un-
ion together again. The President
himself had tried to mediate and the
industry refused his recommended
ton, Mr.. Murray said.
Mr.. Fairless. speaking for the
American Iron and Steel Institute
which represents virtually the entire
industry, termed ridiculous" the re-
peated charges by Mr.. Murray of a
big-business conspiracy" to break up
labor unions.
You don't destroy unions by
offering them the highest wage in
crease in history" Mr.. Fairless said
15-Cent Raise is Limit, He Says.
He described management's offer
of 15-cent increase as our abso-
lutte limit" 1t was made, he said
after I was informed from Wash
ington by high Government official
that the Government was willing to
sanction some price increase over
the promised s4 a ton if the laboi
dispute could be settled" The
earlier management offer Of 1919
cents had been based on a 81 steel
price boost.
The steel union wage commit
tee. after a meeting here to dis
cuss with Mr.. Murray his actions in
the steel negotiations, reaffirmed his
acceptance of the presidential wage
proposal and declared USW men,
bers will resume work at the plants
of any company prepared to pay
the 1872 cent increase.
In statement the committee
called on President Truman to put
the Governmental plants to
work and urged revision of Federal
tax Jaws which. it said. give "in-
dustrial magnates protection at the
expense of the American taxpayers
while engaged In conspiracy to reap
uncontrolled profits through de-
struction Of labor unions" 1t fur
ther asked for a Justice Department
inquiry into this conspiracy"
Regarding the Government-owned
steel plants, Mr.. Murray later esti-
mated to newsmen that about three
fourths of these plants. with an an
nual capacity of 5000 900 tons o1
steel, could be operated independ
emily of privately ly-owned facilities
These mills were built during the
war, to meet the all-time high de.
mand for steel, and were operated
by existing companies under Fed.
eral contracts.
The maximum annual production
capacity of the Nations entire stee