The Waterbury Democrat., 1946-02-26
By DrsvU Pe0rSOss

porR barrel item for-gaess who-Senator Aiclkells-
az tennessee, whose word e powerful 81 chairman
Of The Approrslatacns oommiste@ ,,.,. -. 49,.
OF the program, needed an additional eiSo0ooo0 to
continue school lunches through june 2, ioi6. But
IN a Joint conference Of Appropriations Committee
eether with Rep Clarence Cannon Of Missouri and
other ECONOMY" champions, pruned the elS.Ooo,0oe
" AImoSt in the same breath, tha conferees okayed
a sssvSOOO expenditure Tor The construction OF
new federal building IN senator Mckellars home
state TO replace the old Customs House at Nashville
McReNar conended that the structure was also need
ed TO provide a regional headquarters for the Vet
Grams Administration, but several Congressnen -
pect this Is only window dressing.
Cong John Taber Of New York ranking Repub.
lioan Of the House Appropriations Committee, Is ono
OF them he described the Mcclellan project as "aoso
STgaere & no more reason for building at this
pont than there Is at thousand other places in The
United States" Taber declared, what we ought TO
do is put an embargo on buildings o. TINS sort m
order that the construction OF dwellings and apart
ment houses may 60 forward for people without
housing" Another member Of the House committee
was even more explicit u like my pork cooked" ne
declared, mot raw"
Seine peOple are wondering whether the fact
finding board for the meat packing industry took the
trouble TO read the newspapers. II So they might not
have recommended that the housewife bear the main
burden Of the cost o Increased wages IN the meat
packing industry -,
Edwin witte OF wisconsin University, Chief Justice
RAYMOND W. Starr Of the Michigan Supreme Court,
and Clark Kerr, former chairman OF the meat pack
inV branch OF the war Labor Board-three able men
Decided that decent pay increase was fair ano
equitable for meat packing workers. But they added
that only cents Of this was "absorbable BY the
meat industry without price or subsidy RELIEF"
In other words, the fact finders recommended
that the big meat packers could pay only cents
of the decent wage increase out OF their own pockets
The rest would have to be passed on the consumer or
the government. Their report was filed February q
However, early in December, long before the Fact
Finding Board was appointed, number OF smaller
meat hacking plants had already signed contracts
with the clio and ALL for Is cents an hour pay
increase without any strings attached regarding IN
creased meat prices.
THE small packers who signed such agreements
included Upgrade Food Products OF New York, Oeorge
A HORNED OF Austin, MINI, and others in the chi
caRo area. -,
Apparently the fact finders did not take this
into consideration Apparently also. they ignored the
fact that Swift and Company previously had agreed
10 a pay boost Of 10 cents an hour without any
strings attached regarding increased meat prices to
the housewife. - q,
FOR despite swifts offer Of 10 cents an hour and
the smaller companies increase OF Is cents the fact
finders recommended that only cents OF the l6-eent
increase could be paid for by meat packers The re-
naming II cents will be passed on to the housewife
unless the government votes a subsidy.