Evening star., 1947-03-10
Letters to The Star
A Speculation on the Course
OF Slave Labor

LOll(1S " i ll( CIdl
A Speculation on the Course
OF Slave Labor
To the Editor Of The Star:
Your editorial in The Star Of March
4, entitled "a Grim Outlook" con-
tanned some humor, too, for those who
would see 1t. I quote most Of the second
paragraph:
Two items in the days news lend
force to this conclusion. One is q re-
port OF survey Of conditions In 10
principal countries by correspondents Of
the New York Times. The essential
finding Of this survey is that only in
Canada is the free enterprise system
functioning with anything approaching
the freedom from Government controls
that prevails in the United States. The
second item deals with a statement by
the international Labor Relations De-
partment OF the American Federation
Of Labor statement which says that
the institution Of slave labor is spread
ing throughout the world"
Is not this the century Of the "com-
mon man" and have we not seen labor"
come into its own? II slave labor Is
spreading it must be because the COM
mon man." the laboring man, wants it
that way, and perhaps planned it that
way" Judging from the fact that slave
labor takes over when and where free
enterprise Is eliminated, 1t would appear
that free enterprisers are inherently in
opposition to slave labor. Yet, free
enterprisers are called reactionaries.
Just how devoted to free enterprise
is the AFL? 1t fayors free enter
prise, competitive system, but only for
employers, the other fellow. It does
not believe that employees should COM
pete against each other. There is in
consistency. Can a free enterprise
system operate with only employers
competing? The answer is probably,
no, and the spreading slave labor which
the AFL deplores is proof of it. The
AFL and craft unions in other coun-
tries have in the past made their gains
at the expense of employers and the
unorganized. However, if everybody
belongs to unions, as the AFL seems
to favor. who is going to make .eco-
nomic gains at whose expense? If
competition between employees does not
exist, what Is to be the basis Of wage
scales? Shall the highest wages be
paid to those who can the most ef-
fectively through organization paralyze
the economy, regardless Of the skill and
experience necessary to the performance
of the work? For instance. the building
laborers (AFL) of the District of Colum-
bia have filed strike notice. They are
demanding large increases in already
high wages for unskilled and semi
skilled work.
The simple fact is that labor unions
bring on the so-called slave labor by
destroying competition between en-
ployes. so that the only way left to
determine wages according to skill and
ability is by Government decree. Logic
is merely catching up with the AFL
with its monopolistic practices main
tanned in part by intimidation and
violence.
But the AFL contributed to the rise
Of modern slave labor in another way;
1t helped destroy the German labor
unions. After the First World War, the
AFL along with business organizations,
secured an increase in the high Ameri-
can tariff. The war had greatly in
creased wages, and afterward the tariff
had to be raised to keep them high.
American foreign trade consequently
almost came to standstill, and inter-
national trade everywhere was slowed
down. Germany then, like Britain to-
day, had to export or die. In the midst
of the depression the Germans voted
in the Nazi party. The Nazis resorted
to barter to revive foreign trade, and
to get around wage differentials between
nations. while our politicians howled
as if barter were criminal. Presumably
everybody should have abandoned for
eign trade as We did.
It is said that the Nazis destroyed
German labor unions but it is more
correct to say that the Germans gave
them up because the Nazi system proved
more effective in restoring prosperity
and prosperity in any country can cover
up a multitude of political sins.
1t is very late to recognize the Grim
Outlook" A. j. <.