Milford chronicle., 1947-08-22
SOME UNIONS, APPARENTLY, do not

SOME UNIONS, APPARENIL1, 40 HUI
hesitate to utterly misrepresent facts IN an
effort to gain public favor for their slde'
An example of that recently occurred In
a short-lived railroad strike affecting one OF
the nations largest railroads. One union de-
mand was that the minimum wage for engl-
neers be raised from $1,000 to $12.95. This
point was heavily stressed, and the union did
everything possible to make the public be-
lieve that engineers are WOefully underpald.
The truth of the matter is that the demand
was completely without practical significance.
No engineer on this railroad earns as little as
S12.95 a day-and the bulk of them earn $40
to $50, with overtime in addition. Whether
their wage is figured on daily or annual
basis, railroad engineers are among the high
est paid workers in the country, and working
conditions are excellent in all particulars.
It seems to be fact that certain union
officials think it a wise policy to stir up trou-
BILE at regular intervals, regardless OF It's
effect on the country. 1t was this kind or
thinking which resulted in the enactment of
the Taft-Hartley bill by the last Congress. 1t
is this kind of thinking which, II continued,
will inevitably bring further restrictive legls-
lation down upon the heads of labor. In this
country, the public interest is paramount 1t
cannot be Haunted indefinitely. Business
learned that many years ago, when eXcesSeS
of capital were followed by flood of regula-
tory legislation. 1t is time that labor, in all
fields, learned it as well.
Every legitimate demand of labor in ma
jOr industries can be gained without striking,
under the present mediation machinery.
Whatever inequalities remain can be settled
by honest collective bargaining between the
unions and management. The cost of peren-
NAL strikes-in money, in work lost, in the
depressing effect on industry and agriculture
&c too for, NAzxyA 10
5000
IN DISCUSSIONS of the new Federal
Labor laws and the labor situation we are
running into the meaning of words.
Labor is at least two things-it stands for
the institution called the labor union; it also
stands for people who work In this last
of people who work with their hands, as dis
tinct from those who work, or say they do,
with their brains. But technical skills have
now reached point where much of the work
done by 'labor" is certainly brain work And
many so-called brain workers" are now Or
ganized into unions. Members of unions are
still minority of the actual working force of
the country, but they are now a substantial
minority. No sane person could be against"
labor in this sense. Much less could he be
against" labor in the larger sense.
against" labor It is question of being for
or against. certain things done by certain
unions and certain union leaders. No law or
policy would have standing in court if it
actually hurt unions as a group, much less if
it actually hurt labor as group. If a law or
policy had the effect of reducing real wages,
of frightening hours, of increasing personal
risks OF workers, if it diminished personal
freedom, if it impaired democracy, if it gave
undue strength to the wealth or power of
minority, it would also be a bad law or policy.
We. shall have to measure the Taft-Hart-
ley Act and all other labor" legislation by
these standards. There are no others worthy
of democratic society.
$500
THE PRESIDENT of the National Board
OF Fire Underwriters recently said that about
a year ago he predicted that direct waste by
fire might exceed the staggering sum of ST.
OOO,0OO,0OO year by 1953-if the American
people did not fight it with every resource at
their command.
That forecast, he continued, was wrong
by about three years. If the recent rate of
increase continues, we will cross the billion
dollar mark by April, 1850.
Never in our history was the fire problem
so grave. In 1941, the loss was 100000, 0OO
In the twelve months ending last April, the
loss was more than twice as great-$616, 0OO,-
600. Worse still, death by fire has followed
the trend, and the toll has steadily risen.
The organizations and individuals whose
business it is to prevent fire and to educate
the public, are doing a fine job. Their efforts
have been doubled and redoubIed. But they
can't get results without far greater meas
ure of public understanding and cooperation
than they have been given so far. Fire pre-
vention literally begins at home-in every
house, in every store and commercial build
ing, on every farm. Every family must be-
come, in effect, fire-prevention agency, if
the toll is to be checked That is fires great
challenge to the American people-a chal-
lenge that has attained the status of an emer-
gency today.