The midland journal., 1946-03-08

T4.ys
Rs'osAa
hin WASHINGTON
BY WoIter Sheod
4 WNU Correspondent
Continued Strikes
Raise Farmers Ire
WNU Washington Bureau,
1916 Eye ST., ". W.

ened farm strikes in Nebraska and
Oklahoma, and the outspoken sem
timents of farmers In other sections
as a result of the unsettled condi-
tions in the labor-management field.
While some farm leaders here
declare that 1t is traditional that
farmers and the rural population in
the smaller towns are antagonistic
to labor, the fact Is that your Home
Town Reporter finds wide diver
gence of opinion here among the
leadership of the farm organizations.
The consensus is that the threat
ened strike of the "vigilante" group
of farmers in Nebraska is confined
to a small locale, and likely was
"engendered by influences outside
the state" Nevertheless, farmers
everywhere are of the opinion that
the continued lack of production due
to the labor-management difficulties
is working a hardship on the rural
population in more ways than one.
The difference of opinion lies in
whether the blame should be on
Management, Labor, or Govern
ment.
One leader here expressed the
belief that at the present moment,
the rank and file of the farm pOpu-
latiOn was more sympathetic to
the laboring man than to business,
with general feeling of "a plague
on both your houses"
But the yardstick by which this
sentiment, for or against Labor and
Management, can best be measured,
in the opinion of this writer, is by
the position taken by the three large
farm organizations with reference
to the Case bill which passed the
house by a vote of 258 to l55 and
which is now in senate committee
on education and labor, where it
likely will stay.
Grange FaUors Case Bill
The Farm Bureau federation,
headed by it's president, Edward A.
O'Neal, took the lead in favoring
passage of the bill, which even its
proponents say is tough" bill on
Labor. The Farm bureau was
backed by the National Grange and
a statement from the latter organ
ization declared:
1.-THE National Grange considers
the Case bill a sound measure de-
serving the full support of all fair
minded people. We believe the bill
offers a practical approach for pro-
tecting the public interest without
penalizing either labor or industry
or in any way interfering with the
orderly settlement of industrial dis
putes."
But the National Farmers Union
bitterly opposes the Case bill and
says that insofar as their group is
concerned they are receiving no
complaints with reference to labor
strikes.
Gas matter of fact" a Farmers
Union spokesman said, "quite the
reverse is true. Many Farmers
Unions near strike areas have con-
tributed supplies to feed the fami-
lies of strikers, and we have backed
labor pretty thoroughly"
Insofar as any general farm strike
is concerned, there will be none.
Farmers are too practical in their
thinking to withhold from market
food for 100 million people just
because a million are on strike.
And it may very well be true that
the anger of the farmers is direct
ed more at the long indecision of
government in settling the labor dis
putes, than at either labor or man.
agement, on the theory that it is
patiently unfair for the government
to hold the line on farm prices and
at the same time break the line on
wages to workers and prices to
management.
Farmer Is Squeezed
It is certain that the action of the
President and his advisers in break
ing the wage line and offering in
creased prices to management to
offset labor wage increases will be-
come a part of the pattern when
revision of parity prices for farmers
comes up for action. For to raise
wages 18 per cent and to boost prices
for manufacturers comparatively,
most certainly will boost the prices
of the supplies and equipment the
farmer must buy, such as farm ma
chinery and fertilizer. ALI of this
must be added to his cost of pro-
duction. Besides, the things he and
his family consume will also be
more expensive.
In the meantime, the unrest in the
rural areas grows. The farmer
fears imitation, more, probably than
labor, certainly more than indus
try. Thousands Of farmers felt the
force of imitation when they lost
4 their farms following World War L.
They saw the value Of their dollar
toboggan and the price Of every
thing they bought spiral high. And
they suffered as result. They fear
-.n~&sfsnx. nf fnfIa ffan and fhes,