Henderson daily dispatch., 1946-11-22
Shufofd Declares
Big Strikes Gould
Menace Capitalism

Charlotte, Nov. s2.-"lt Is possible
for strikes To attain such size ans.
scope as TO impair seriously on" capi-
taliStic system. but | do not believe
that this will occur" Forrest II. Shut
ford. State labor commissioner, told
delegates to the 9th annual meeting
OF the CarolinaS- Virginia Agents As
sociation here today.
Delivering Il prepared speech on the
Economic Effects OF Strikes" Shu-
ford told the purchasing agents that
1T is popular now to blame every
thing on strikes. just as i, was an
easy way out during the war years TO
blame everything on the war.
AS Il matter of fact" the commits
SiOner continued, production is
greater now i'll nearly all fields of
cndcavor than il has ever been before
] in years of peace. Scarcity of articles
| is chiefly the result of the great. pent-
| up demand brought on by years of
war. Many people believe that they
cannot get an automobile because of
strikes This is not altogether the
case. The automobile industry has
been unable 10 procure enough steel
10 operate at capacity because prac-
tically every industry is using more
about buyers strikes when prices get
the greater demand for consumer
goods OF all kinds.
Much more production is lost from
accidents. both on and off the job,
than has ever been lost because of
strikes
There are strikes other than those
by industrial workers. Shuford de-
clared. We have heard Il great deal
about buyers strikes hen prices get
hioh ,nrf.,i,, nrftrlnS Ntn hnNn
heard much also about strikes by
manufacturers who withhold their
goods from the market because they
cannot get the price for their pro-
duct which they desire"
Concerning the recent strike Of sea-
men against the wage order OF the
Wage Sterilization Board. Shutord
said that since the only commodity
which 4 worker has is his labor. was
Il not natural for the seamen 10 feel
that he had rs much right 10 With
hold his product-hiS labor-for Il
higher price as the meat producers
had 20 withhold their products from
the market for Il higher price in OPP
position TO the price of OPA
and the Decontrol Board"
The commissioner pointed out that
rccOnvcrSion Ia pCacctimc production
has brought relatively few strikes in
North Carolina. The textile indus
try. with one or two exceptions. has
been practically free of strikes dur
ing the past year or SO. Yet il has
been harder to buy shirts and sheets
since the war ended than II was be-
fore"
Shuford declared that nobody
wants to strike because the workers
lose pay. management and StoCkhold-
ers lose profits. the unions lose dues
and spend money for employee re-
lief. and everybody feels the effects
OF stoppage of production.
Like other clashes of force be-
tween groups. strikes could be diSas-
trous to the capitaliSlic system which
| IS the basis OF the greatest economic
| development experienced by anv
country III the world" he said. But
| cannot see any signs on the hori-
ION which indicate that there is any
probability Of this country being en-
quilted IN any such serious work stop
pages. Our past experience does not
lead us 10 any such conclusions An
overwhelming majority o! employers.
workers and labor leaders in America
are much too intelligent. tolerant.
ana patriotic 10 be led aStray by any
foreign ism which would tear down
our economic system"
For better relations between man
agemCnt and labor. Shu.ord suggest
cd That the two groups try to apply
me Golden Rule in their dealings with
each other. The interest of the work
er IS so migrated with the interest
o: the employer that il cannot be
Segregated. Every employee is an in
a'Nidual human being and cannot be
handled on Il mass production basis :"