Evening star., 1948-10-17
Mediation Service BIust
By Gov. Dewey PuzzIing
Friends of Republican Ching Wonder
If Nominee Made Slip
By Gerard D. Reilly

By Gerard D. Reilly
Gov. Dewey's speech on labor policy, like
most of his campaign utterances, bore the
earmarks OF careful preparation. One minor
aspect of 1t, however, has been o source Of
considerable puzzlement among informed OBJ
servers. This was the paragraph in which
the Republican nominee either Willingly or
inadvertently expressed dissatisfaction with the
present administration Of the Federal Concilia-
ton and Mediation Service.
Under the provisions Of the Taft-Hartley Act
this agency, which was formerly q division in
the Secretary Of Labors office, is now an inde-
pendent establishment headed by Cyrus r.
Ching. The general consensus among in
dustrialists and trade unionists is that Mr.
Ching is the ablest mediator who has served in
Washington since the era of the colorful Ed
McGrady, Assistant Secretary of Labor during
the early part Of Miss Perkins regime.
The Pittsburgh address contained no per.
sonal reference to Mr.. Ching. But after dis
cussing the Taft-Hartley Act, censuring Piesi-
dent Truman for his veto and his in-fated
recommendation for conscripting striking rail-
road workers, Gov. Dewey listed II things
which he said Republican administration
would be determined to achieve. Most Of these
objectives were couched in very general terms
labor disputes he said:
I'VE will bring new and vigorous lead.
ership to the Federal Cancellation and Me-
diation Service SO that major disputes are
settled before they become strikes"
It is only little more than a year since
Mr.. Ching was appointed to his present office.
A former vice president Of the United States
Rubber Co. and the outstanding member on
the industry side of the National Defense Me-
diation Board from 1912, Mr.. Chings ap-
pointment was well received by the middle-of-
the-road group among the coalition OF Repub-
hcans and Democrats whose ideas on labor
reform were embodied in the Taft-Hart1ey Act.
Mr.. Ching is one of the few men in the
industrial relations field who has had expert
ence both as a worker and an executive. He
began his career as q motorman on the Boston
Elevated Railroad and became the mechanical
superintendent Of that company before taking
over his post with the United States Rubber
Co. He was one of the most active figures IN
the Advisory Committee which formulated the
labor provisions in the codes Of fair competition
under the National Recovery Act and gained
. national reputation by the enlightened
methods he advocated when American mass
production industry was faced with the prob
lens incident to dealing with the newly or
ganized unions which mushroomed under the
Wagner Act.
Despite the fact that his years and expert.
ence have entitled him to the accolade OF an
elder statesman the leadership which he has
given the Mediation and Cancellation Service
has certainly been vigorous.
At the time that he accepted his appoint
ment the morale Of the service was at low
pi1ofi fad IA q
fected in the late 30s when Miss Perkins desig.
mated John r. Steelman to take charge. During
the period of the war, however, the effective
ness Of the service was largely nullifed by the
War Labor Board. The unions soon discovered
that by threatening to strike they could obtain
greater concessions from the board than
through the normal process Of collective bar.
gaining and mediation. Many Of the most ex.
perienced conciliators felt completely frus.
trated and drifted into private industry.
At the end Of the war, Secretary Schwellen.
bach selected o new director of Cancellation,
Edgar L. Warren, young man who had been
with one Of the regional war labor boards. De-
spite his congressional critics. Warren was
not q radical Since his appointments were
largely drawn from the War Labor Board STAN
throughout, and since the operations Of the
fact-fnding boards which he selected during
the postwar wave Of strikes rapidly destroyed
all semblance of wage or price stabi1ization, hs
was constantly under fire.
Moreover, the staff was rent by dissenson
between the Steelman appointees and the
group Warren had brought with him. 1t was
during this period that the confidence OF the
House in the Department Of Labor Cancellation
Service was undermined-a factor which en-.
abled Senators Ives and Morse who were in
terested in having an Independent mediation
agency, to prevail upon Senator Taft to In.
clude such q provision in his labor r-nanage.
ment relations bill.
Although no logical case was ever made for
separating the service from the department, 1t
Is unlikely that man Of Mr.. Chings stature
could have been persuaded to serve as director
had not the bill increased the prestige Of this
ofice by providing for presidential appoint.
ment with the advice and consent OF the Sen
ate. In the short time that Mr.. Ching has held
office he has lifted the morale OF the service
and reorganized the field of1ces. Moreover by
the soundness Of his own views, he has again
made the service an effective instrument in
the solution of industrial disputes.
OF course, any official in this explosive field.
unless he Is a mere backslapper, Is bound to
make enemies. One of those MIR. CHING mas
made is John L. Lewis. At the time Of the
strike in the coal mines last spring, Mr.. Lewis,
annoyed at being reminded of his obligations
under the law, accused the director OF look
ing at labor with the eyes Of u g. Rubber
He has also incurred the enmity Of left-Wing
union leaders who have refused to file the
Communist disclaimers under the Taft Hartley
Act by not making the offices OF the service
available to them.
Nevertheless, 1t is significant that during the
hearings conducted by Senator Balls Joint
Committee on Management Relations,
at which both management and union spokes.
men were invited to express any criticisms
which they had of the agencies operating under
the new act, no reproaches were leveled az
Mr. Ching from anv union snllrce