Evening star., 1946-10-08

by a Star reporter.)
Labor, with an important stake
in the meat shortage, is split
over the question of ending price
controls on livestock and its
products.
The Amalgamated Meat Cutters
and Butcher Workmen of North
America (AFL), with $4,000 men out
of work. wants controls ended now.
United Packinghouse Workers Of
America (CIO) is just as emphatic
that controls be continued, despite
layoffs totaling $4,000 men.
The 70-year- -old AFL union counts
the support of other AFL afiiliates,
including John L. Lewis mine
workers.
On the other hand, the CIO group
has an ally in the International
Teamsters Union.
| Into the large ofnces of the Anal
gamated Meat Cutters in Chicago
come reports Of growing numbers
of members made idle by shutdown
of packing plants and curtailment of
butcher shop operations.
| Patrick E. German, international
tsecretary-treasurer, gives this pic
ture of layof1s: Philadelphia, with
5000 members, has only 400 WORK.
ing; Baltimore, nearly $500 men,
bers, 800 working; st. Louis area,
about 1000 members, 2.40Q working;
Pittsburgh, 4,400 MEMBERS 900 ens'
ployed; Cincinnati, $500 members,
only 300 working; Sioux Falls, S.
OAK, over 5000 members, less than
300 employed; San Francisco, 1000
members, 600 still on the job; Port
land, Oreg., 800 members, just $50
employed, and Seattle, $500 mem
bers, 500 on the job.
Mr.. German points out he is
Democrat but adds that I'm begin
ming to wonder" As for OPA. he
says the whole program has been
q failure-except for rent control"
Parahrases Bryan.
And paraphrasing william Jen-
nings Bryan, he adds: THE people
are being crucified to cross Of meat
famine"
End controls now, Mr.. German
urges, and cattle would start coming
to market in a matter of days. In
another six weeks, there would be a
plentiful supply of meat in butcher
shops, he predicts.
Ralph Helstein, president OF the
CIO packinghouse workers, with
headquarters in Chicago, insists that
controls be continued. He maintains
the present situation simply offers
another opportunity for the foes of
OPA to renew their fight to end
all controls"
He does not believe that his
members ION the average believes
that OPA Is to blame for the pres
ent shortage" The present shortage,
he adds, is ''the result of action
engaged in by the meat trust earlier
this year"
Calls Congress ''ToOl."
Congress was a willing tool for
the packers greed by failing to ex-
tend the former OPA bill, per-
mitting a two-month price holiday.
and by enacting the present 'zombie'
price control act" he says. THE
meat trust sowed the wind in the
spring, and the American people
today are reaping the whirlwind.
THE tactic of the meat trust, in
order to make its lobbying more
effective, was its sit-down. strike
during which it refused to purchase
livestock. BY so doing, the meat
trust destroyed the marketing bal
ance - the result: Unprecedented
supplies of livestock coming to mar
ket during the July and August
price control holiday.
Livestock which should have
been reserved for breeding or fur
ther fattening was rushed into the
market as a result of the impression
Intentionally created in the minds
of the farmers by packers that SUBJ
Istantially higher prices could be re-
ceived during the holiday"
Declares Farmers Lost.
Farmers, he points out, actually
received prices at or below previous
OPA ceilings for the vast majority.