Evening star., 1947-12-22
Truman Didn't Admit
DistiIIeries Paid Men
Idle During Shutdown
Claim That Only 4l4
Lost Jobs Small Part
Of Story in Industry
By David Laurence

President Truman didn't tell all
the story when he pointed with sat-
isfaction to the report Of the Citi-
zens' Food. Committee which said
that no unemployment had resulted
from the 60-day shutdown of the
distilleries.
The facts of course are that the
distillery owners footed the bill.
Millions Of dollars Of their own
money were spent to keep approx
mately $4,000 workers on the pay
roll during the shutdown, many OF
whom might otherwise have been
forced into unemployment.
II the distiuery industry has some
magic formula whereby it can shut
down for go days and operate just
as economically without putting any
one out of Job, there are other
industries and businesses which
would be glad to have the details
at once.
Only 414 Held Jobless.
Here Is what the President said
to his press conference and then
afterward officially permitted quo
tation to be made:
II have received today the final
report of the Citizens Food Com
mittee. 1" =" wish to call your at
tention particularly to the state
ment about the number Of men
thrown out of work by the tenn
porary shutdown of the distilleries.
I believe you will find a good story
there.
"You will recall the estimates
that $4,000 to 100000 employees
would be thrown out Of their jobs.
Later 1t appeared that maximum
of 5000 workers might be affected.
The report now shows that 965
workers actually were laid off be-
cause Of the shutdown and that
the United States Employment
Service was able to place 551 of
these in new jobs. The result is
that ~ Of the distillery workers
are now out of work-414 as con-
trasted with the hysterical esti-
mate of more than $4,000"
What Actually Happened.
There is not the slightest hint in
the above statement as to what
really happened.
The public is merely led to infer
either that the news dispatches
were wrong in reporting the esti-
mates or that the labor leaders who
made them were unduly concerned
and actually must have dreamed up
the figures of probable unemploy-
ment.
It wasn't stated by Mr. Truman,
though In fairness he might have
made mention of the fact, that the
estimates were made before the final
shutdown was ordered and before 1t
was learned what the distillers them
selves would do about the unemploy-
ment problem. 1t will be recalled
also that some lawyers felt that
under the Taft-Hartley law en-
ployers would have been liable for
breach of contract in laying of men
while there was work to do. There
was no law which compelled the
distllers to stop operations. They
did so by voluntary action and under
pressure from the Government.
Many Kept Skilled Workers.
Many of the larger distilleries
preferred, of course, to keep their
organizations of skilled workers in
tact and they paid the bill because
they relied on q promise from the
administration that, at the end Of
the 50 days, some equitable" plan
for further use Of grain would be
promulgated.
It all depends on what is to be
called equitable" and Mr. Truman
has by no means solved the problem
Of unemployment. II there is
drastic curtailment Of distillery
operations after the 60-day shut
down, there will be considerable
unemployment this time. The dis
tillery owners, particularly the
smaller ones, are not likely to go
on paying workers for work not
being done.
Considering all the circumstances,
the Luckman Committee or the
President might at least have given
the companies-large and small-a
pat on the back for having taken
care Of vexing unemployment
problem There Is no reason how
ever. why the public shouldn't have
the truth about what happened and
Mr.. Truman IL right that there
WAS - good story there" and,
though In hts eye oolumnists aren' t
supposed to be reporters, sometimes
they can't help 1t when the tip
comes from the President himself.