The Durant news. (Durant, Miss.) 1882-1985, 1948-11-18
Unions Cha1ge Of Heart

In mid October, the Utility Workers Union, q CLIO
affiliate held it's conventi0 the national capital On pre-
yous occasions this labor oup had shown considerable
sympathy for measures wl would lead to public owner
ship Of the utility industry This time however, judging by
number of resolutions pskd there has been interest
ing change in viewpoint.
One resolution endon@ private ownership of utilities
long responsible matement and good labor-manage-
ment relations exist Ano opposed tactics to drive public
utilities into public hands long with any unfair acqusi
ton OF privately owned Wty through condemnation or
tonfiscation Still another edged the union to full accept
ance OF the American cot of democracy and reserva-
This comes as rd&shing contrast to labor organi-
cations which have hedge the great basic issue of social
Ism versus capitalism mich have whole hog in
dorsing the communist M And is difficult to see, in the
light of world events of M the present and the past how
many intelligent group dIworkers could take different
position In every country which socialism, communism
any oher system based octatorshp has been adopted the
workers have lost the ts and prerogatves which are
guaranteed to them undel3apasm. Even in sociazed
england there is meate of forced labor and in certain
major enterprises mar change his job without the
permission of the potc3s power And in the real police
STATES labor Is caousy to serve the whims OF the mas
Where-except forkhe capitalist nations-have work.
ers the right and the pow bargain equal basis with
employers for shorter rs, higher wages and anything
else they desre Where Else have they the right to
It is obvious that these exist where the
poyer is the state The tate is apowerfu and it's edicts
no matter how unjust rust be obeyed.
The utility unions opposition to public ownership is
particularly important it fitting for government to own
md operate all kinds Of enterprise. precedent it is
nry established be extended indefinitely. And that
hat ends way ty sp o H. the
destruction of human liberty This unicn is to be congratu
lated on the position has taken in critical and dangerous
Eme.
The Chicago Tribune recently series of articles
on what it terms he dam building program of the Federal
reaucracy One of Its staff visited projects
for which the Army Engineers and the Bureau of Reclamation
have appropriations and gathered data the rest Accord
ing Tribune editorial two things apparent from this
surveyFrst the sponsors of the projects have con-
sisten msrepesented the for which they have
asked for Federal funds Second their real objective
socialize the power industry of the nation"
1t is significant that power has been highest in those
areas-such the Pacific Northwest-where the Federal
government dominates power development In other words
policy of specialization and Federal monopoly of power sites
has blocked normal expansion by the private utilities Else
where the electric Industry has steadily ahead spending
billions for plants transmission lines and distribution
The few shortages which occurred have been relatively
minor and of brief duratbn.
is time that the myth of "Cheap government power
yves exploded That poweis cheap only because tax
payer in the country heto pay the bills of those who use
It. 1t is taxfree in While in part-while the private
utilities pay than 20,er of their total earnings in
taxes.
The Tribune hit tn big point when it said that the
"real objective to socze the power industry of the
nation viii country wlch is the bulwark of freedom in
divided world permit tht-and follow the policies Of
the dictator states which Oud like nothing better than