The potters herald. [volume] (East Liverpool, Ohio) 1899-1982, 1951-03-15
Labor Coils On Consumers
To Aid FIGHT On Infldtion

Washington (LPA)-As the first
full week in March ended, organ
lied labor was relentlessly contin-
uing its fight for effective price
control, wage stabilization on a
fair basis, and a full role in de-
fense mobilization.
One after the other top labor
leaders appeared on the radio and
television as the United Labor
Policy Committee, representing Is
million members of the CIO, AFL,
and incorporating Rail Brother
hoods, carried the fight to the Am
erican people. Labor's immediate
aim was to enroll the nations con-
sumers inside and outside union
ranks in an all-out drive against
the high cost of living leading to
Congressional action. Final target:
equality of sacrifice by all seq
ments of the population.
On March :, T. c. Carroll, pres
ident of the Brotherhood of Main
tenance of Way Employes-AFL,
charged that the Defense Produc.
tion Act of 1850 was a mockery
because under it food prices, medi-
cal costs and rents can't be con-
trolled. On March s, AFL President
William Green summarized labor's
whole complaint in ringing terms.
Congress betrayed the public in
terest by adopting so weak a mea-
sure as the Defense Production
Act, Green said, chiding both the
Administration and Congress for
not seeking to improve it. Other
leaders were to be heard in the
days to follow.
Green spelled out the answers
for government leaders who wond-
cred why labor was disturbed
about the conduct of the defense
stabilization program" High prices
were the first answer, he said.
Other answers were the lack of
effective rent control, the freezing
of wages while nothing else was
frozen, inequitable tax distribution,
the threat of dangerous expert
nents" with civilian manpower,
and the lack of labor representa-
tion in anything but window
dressing" roles.
Main target of the labor attack
continued to be Charles +. Wilson,
head Of the Office Of Defense Mo
bilization and for all practical pur-
poses the Assistant President of
the United States. 1t was Wilson's
stubborn refusal to understand
labor which led the United Labor
Policy Committee to order labor
representatives to pull out Of the
mobilization program.
Emerging from a talk with
President Truman in Key West,
Fla, Wilson said neither he nor
the President knew what call the
shooting was about" Earlier the
same day he declared labor with
drew from the defense program
becaue it cannot control how man
power is to be allocated-who will
serve in the armed forces and who
will be engaged in numerous de-
Tense duties" Said the United
Labor Policy Committee: Shock
ingly untrue" But Wilson contin-
uel to talk in the tones he used
when he was President Of General
Electric, the post he left in Dec
ember.
Meanwhile, the United Labor
Foley Committee announced that
state and local labor officials from
all over the country would assem-
bic in Washington March 20 and
81. On the first day, the AFL, ClO,
Machinist and Brotherhood dele
gates would meet separately, but
on the second day all the delegates
would assemble in combined
meeting. About 700 were expected,
ULPC spokesmen said. After the
two-day conference, local and state
leaders were expected to take the
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