The Daily Alaska empire., 1948-02-17
Gruening's Washington
 Labor Testimony Drops
 Odds for disappointment

play and rcaSonahieneSS Any traveller on American vessels in Alaska waters can cite numerous examples.
 "A few figures from testimony presented by the Alaska Steam ship Co. at the United States Maritime hearings, Docket 65l, last year will serve as summary. From data on time in port and corresponding tonnage handled, it was shown that the tonnage hand led per hour i'll loading and un- leading ships in Alaska ports had decreased from l587 tons per hour in 1889 to 952 tons in l945--a 66.7 percent increase in the time ncc- essary to load and unload cargo.
 Another brazen abuse is the re- fusal during a prolonged strike to permit owners of property on the decks to recover it, for shipment by air or truck This happened to folks whose household goods, blankets, etc. were held as part Of the program of pressure used by the parties to the controversy to compel the other to yield The victims, however, were always Alaskans who had no power to settle anything and who were merely used as hostages
 Further on in the testimony, Gruenine asserted
 Alaska urgently needs special legislation to prevent the stoppage of this vital service oshipping) while labor-management disputes are being negotiated Further, we need improvement in the prac- tices of both management and labor
 Thus did Governor . Gruening testify for the Tait-Hartley labor bill. fer that bill was the outgrowth of last years hearings.
 Now Sullivan is wondering whether to- push the renominatior Of one who not only sanctioned -but actually testified for, the bill opposed by almost all labor union members.
 Taft Quotes Gruening
 Furthermore, Labor Secretary Lewis B. Schwellenbach, testify ing at the same hearings little earlier, was asked by the commit- tee chairman, Senator Robert A. Taft, about hiring halls. Said Taft.
 T had th.s thing whether em- ployers should be bound by con- tract to employ nobody except those recommended by the union) put up 10 me very forcibly by Governor Gruening of Alaska. He said that unless something was done to check the union power over the shipping to Alaska we might as well abandon Alaska. gathered-I do not know-that the hiring hall was the chief thing that demoralized that shipping"
 Secretary Schwellenbach replied q do not question the Senator's statement at all, but I spent two or three hours with Governor Gruen- ing and he made the same general statement about Alaska being de- moralized because of the maritime situation, but he did not mention the hiring hall part of it."
 2. The second reason for ques- tioning the wisdom of remaining Gruening also has to do with labor The Democratic Committee leader ship was impressed with CIO un- ion endorsement from Ketchikar until it learned that the same union members who endorsed Gruening in Ketchikan later went to Astoria. Oregon, where they enthusiastically proceeded to en- dorse Wallace for presidentl
 Territorial Democrats opposed tc Gruening also told Sullivan they would have hard time to wir offices in the next election if they had to run against both the Re publicans and Gruening,
 Mitchell For Him
 On the other side of the ledger former Senator Hugh Mitchell oi Washington said here this week ht had recommended to President Truman the renomination of Gov ernor Gruening. Mitchell who wa' appointed to ill the lmexpirec term of Senator Mon Wallgrer when Wallgren resigned to run fol Washington State Governor, k known to be close to Wallgren. Reportedly. Wallgren has beer i opposing Gruening's renomination but persons interested in the mat ! ter find it difficult to reconcil, MitchelIs sponsorship of Gruen' ing with Wallgren's supposed, op- 1 position However, Waugren also il clcse to Senator Warren G. Mag nuson and Congressman Henry NJ 1 Jackson, Washington's two Demo crats in Congress Magnuson ant Jackson are not taking an activ' part in the Territorial governorshil tangle, but it is known they ar' not supporting him of the rec