Milford chronicle., 1947-12-05

greedy. The time has come TO check the
march of the big labor bosses.
Fundamentally, the Taft-Hartley Act
gives free collective bargaining a new lease
on life. The old lease was running out be-
cause the Wagner Act stacked the cards
against employers, against individual work
ers, and against the public
The road to free collective bargaining is
now clear of many of the most menacing OBJ
structions. 1t is the only road for labor to
take In its own self interest. Union workers
who let their leaders lure them down the
blind alley of political action will do so at
their own peril-and at the peril of this
great industrial nation.
&Sw@&
SENATOR BREWSTER'S COMMITTEE
has come long way from it's original inves
tigatiOn directed at Howard Hughes. Its
sights are now trained on bigger game, and
the facts it has already uncovered show how
valuable a service such committee can per-
form when its line of inquiry takes the right
direction. These facts have also shocked
millions of Americans who are Indignantly
asking how it is possible that the kind of ex
treme laxity-to put no finer point on it
uncovered by the committee could exist in the
top ranks Of their Air Force in war time
Pilots who risked their lives over enemy
territory will resent the implied slur on the
service of which they were members; it can
be erased only by fearlessly pressing the In
vestigation of those individuals, whatever
their rank, who were at fault. The admission
by General Meyers that he was engaged in
large-scale speculation in war bonds was sen
sational. In this, however, he was on the
right side of the law. Such speculation Was
widespread. Although it was publicly de-
plOred and discouraged by Treasury and Fed
.1I04sO
made it possible and even encouraged it. 1t is
quite another matter for procurement Off
GER to speculate in the securities of aircraft
companies with which he negotiated con-
tracts. For obvious reasons this was speciti-
cally prohibited under the United States
criminal code, and it is a matter of course
that any violations of this code should now
be turned over to the Justice Department
But what should be said of the Air Force
front office" of those generals to whose at
tention charges of irregularity in procure
ment were brought and who refrained lin
some instances) from investigating and even
tried Tin others) to prevent relevant evidence
from coming to the attention of the Senate
committee? 1t is urgently necessary to dissi-
pate the growing impression that high off,
GERS were party to kind of tacit agreement
to ''cover up for Irregularities committed by
air force personnel, at least for those of high
rank. Enough evidence has now come out SO
that there will be a universal demand that
this inquiry be pursued to it's logical conclu-
sion.
IN AN ILLUMINATING editorial appear
ing in the United States News, David Law
renee recently pointed out that labor fixes
prlce-yet is exempt from the antitrust laws
That situation, at time when the govern.
ment is bringing antitrust actions against
many large industries, should be thoroughly
understood by the American people.
Mr.. Lawrence cites the recent coal wage
agreement as an example of wage price-fx
ing. The mine owners had to raise the price
of coal to compensate. That led to higher
steel prices, which in turn led to higher prices
for an innumerable list of commodities. Ii
addition, the railroads fuel bill was heavily
increased-which is the reason, in part, fol
their having to ask higher rail rates which
when granted, will give prices another up
ward nudge
The argument that wages are not maio
influence on prices was proven absurd lon,
ago. In the coal industry, 81 percent of all in
come is paid out in wages In textiles, 81 per
cent goes to labor. In machinery and othe
metal products, 80 percent is required to NEE
the payroll. So it goes, down the line. Labor
by both direct and indirect means, can fl,
prices more surely than any alleged industria
combination in restraint of trade.
Mr.. Lawrence writes: Congress shoul
-. legislate to include labor unions with othe
monopolies and prohibit all combinations tha
fix prices and prevent natural competition.
Organized labor is one of the biggest of b
businesses these days, with monopolistic pow
ers second only to government. In the nam
of the national welfare, it should be treate
precisely as is all other business
NS@O&
WHEN BREAD SOLD for nickle loa
and eggs for quarter dozen; when yo
could buy a hat for dollar; when wage
were but few dollars a day-thrift was tn
favorite word in copy-book maxims-th
Open Sesame to all human achievement.
Since then, the Almighty Dollar" Will