The Waterbury Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1917-1946, 1946-02-26
By Drew Pearson

pork barrel Item for-guess who-senator Mcclellan
OF Tennessee. whose word 3 powerful ~ chairman
Of The Appropriations Committee
The Department Of Agriculture, which has energe
Of The program, needed an additional elsOo0oo0 %
continue school lunches through June 2, 1885 But
IN joint conference Of Appropriation COMMITTEE
members OF the two Houses Senator Mcclellan, TO.
sethef with Rep. Clarence Cannon Of Missouri ano
other ECONOMY" champions pruned the siS'oOo,Ooo
Almost in the same breath, the oonferees okayed
q esBTBOO0 expenditure for the construction OF
new federal building In Senator Mckellars home
state 70 replace The old Customs House A. Eashvllle
Mcclellan contended that the structure was also need.
ed 70 provide q regional headquarters for The Vet
Grams Administration, but several Congressmen sus-
pect this Is only window dressing -.
Cong. John Taber OF New York ranking Repub.
lican Of the House Appropriations Committee, Is ono
Of them He described the Mcclellan project as "abso-
'srhere Is no more reason for a building ct this
point than there is at thousand other places IN the
United States" Taber declared. What we ought to
do is put an embargo on BUILDINGS Of TINS sort N
ment houses may go forward for people without
housing" Another member Of the House committee
was even more explicit II like my pork cooked" he
declared, mot raw"
some 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 Increased wages IN the mes;
packing industry
THE Fact Finding Board, which included Dr,
Edwin E. Witte Of wisconsin University Chief Justice
Raymond W. Starr OF the Michigan Supreme Court
and Clark Kerr former chairman OF the meat pack
Ing branch Of the War Labor Board-three able men
Decided that decent pay increase was fair enc
equitable for meat packing workers. But they added
that only 5 cents Of this was "absorbable BY the
meat industry without price 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 appointed number OF smaller
meat packing plants had already signed contracts
with the CLIO. and ALL. for Is cents an hour par
increase without any strings attached regarding in
creased meat prices
The small packers who signed such agreements
included Upgrade Food Products Of New York George
A. HORNED Of Austin, MINI, and Others in the Chi
csgo area.
Apparently. the fact finders did not take this
into co1lsidera, ion Apparently also they ignored the
fact that Swift and Company previously had agreed
20 a pay boost Of 10 cents an hour without any
strings attached regarding increased meat prices t.
The housewife
For despite Swift's offer Of 10 cents an hour and
i've smaller companies increase OF IS cents. the fac
finders recommended that only cents OF the l6-cen
increase could be paid for by meat packers The re-
naming II cents will be passed to the housewife
unless the government votes subsidy.