Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1948-01-23

wi HeICuSCu VuIpu
AFL and Industry Heads
Favor Longer Hours But
President Is FIippont
By David Laurence
There's q lot Of confusion in the
news and much Of 1t can be traced
to the superficial way in which
President Truman handles his press
conferences. Questions are answer
ed without preparation, and the
result is a kind of wise-cracking
reply every now and then from the
President which doesn't add to his
stature and doesn't help the people
understand what their government
81 spokesman really is saying.
Thus, reporter asked the Presi-
dent what he thought of the pro-
posal by Charles E. Wilson, presi-
dent of General Motors, that the
work-week be heightened from 40 to
As hours so as to get increased pro-
duction. Mr.. Truman wisecracked
back that Mr.. Wilson was living In
the 1905. =,
But Just about the same time that
the press conference was going on,
william Green, president OF the
American Federation of Labor-Wno
may be of advanced years but GER
tainly would not concede that ne
is living in the 18s0s-testif1eo
before the Senate Banking Com
mittee that labor and management
should work out program whereby
the work-week should be heightened
from 40 to Is hours.
Recognition of Principle.
Here Is a recognition by the head
of the Nations largest labor organ
ization of the principle that in
creased productivity is a way to beat
imitation and that the way to get
increased production Is by length-
ening the Work-week five hours.
There are differences, OF course,
between the Wilson and the Green
PROPOSALS, but President Truman ap-
parently is so unfamiliar with the
whole problem of increased produc-
tiyity In relation to the shortage
of goods that he has treated 1t In
differently in nearly ever public
statement on imitation he has made.
It La no surprise, therefore, to find
him treating Mr.. Wilson'S suggestion
dippantly.
The American people have the
idea that q President OF the United
States gives considerable time to
thinking out public problems and at
least reads about the fundamentals
of national questions so that he can
be expected to Issue considered
statements when asked for COM
ments.
Mr.. Truman, however, Is so far
away from reality himself that ne
doesn't know that Mr. Wilson's pro-
posal was not intended as a perma-
nent addition to the work-week but
simply as an emergency measure
to get increased production and
bring prices down through enlarged
output.
Mr.. Green argues that the extra
1--WE hours should be paid for OF
time-and-a-haH rates and that the
extra hour be tackled on to the
work-day. Mr.. Wilson had pro-
posed that the five hours be paid
for at straight-time. What he was
saying, in effect, was that, under
present law, manufacturers cannot
work extra hours without paying a
penalty In costs and that often
there was not enough work to put
on a full extra eight-hour shift.
Many Unions Bar Overtime.
Mr.. Green apparently recognizes
the Importance of this point but his
cure Is to keep the time-and-a-haf
rates and not change the law but
get the unions to agree to longer
days. Even though the law per-
mits q longer work-week at over
time rates, many unions forbid
overtime or put a penalty on its use
at a rate higher than time-and-a-
half.
This correspondent suggested sew
eral months ago that a good way
to achieve the same result would be
to pay straight-time rates for hours
over and above present schedules,
so that the extra hours beyond
those now worked would be compen-
stated at straight-time but with a
tax rebate from the Government
as an incentive. This would mean,
for instance, in those factories
where 40 hours are now paid at
straight time and two hours OF
overtime are customarily worked
and paid for at time-and-a-half,
the present schedule of payment
would be retained but any extra
hours-above AZ. in this instance
would be paid for at straight time
and earn a tax rebate or tax credit.
In any event, the important thing
is that there is revival of discus
sion of lengthening the work-week.
The President has said again and
again that imitation happens when
there is shortage of goods and an
excess of purchasing power or de-
mand. There Is no way to cure
shortages except to reduce demand
or increase supply. Since the pub
Lie is against rationing, there is only
the course of increased production
left. II this Is retarded by penalties
of higher costs on overtime pro-
duction, the objective-an increased
supply Of goods-cannot be at
tanned.
NJ or / /