The globe-independent. (Hagerstown, Md.) 1943-19??, 1951-01-11

WrOng-the Falrchlld AIRCRAFT d.
vision or the Union-it is, as far as
l am concerned a tragedy that a
vital defense plant is completely
shut down in the midst of a war
that is taking the lives of many of
our fine men and the outcome of
which is still in doubt.
When think of boys like Lieuten-
ant Morton Weston, just few years
ago one of my beloved kids in Boy
Scoot Troop No. S, now in a hos
pital in Michigan suffering from
shrapnel and bullet wounds, to say
nothing of frozen hands and feet,
1 have no sympathy for men and
women who risk the security of
their country in order, as the union
itself admits, not to get higher wages,
but to do away with the merit system
used by the Fairchild Corporation
for many years.
There are three other factors that
make the strike all the more tragic.
First - The Army Air Force has
entered into a contract with the
Kaiser Frazer Company to. build
Fairchild Packets at their huge Will
low Run plant in Detroit, and surely
it is only logical to believe, that
since the Fairchild Packet is a vital
part of this nations implements of
war, the Government will, if the
strike drags on, sharply increase the
number of Packets to be built in
the Kaiser-Frazer plant.
Two-There is every reason to be-
lieve that the Government was get
ting ready to sharply increase the
number of Packets to be built at the
Hagerstown plant, and this strike
obviously endangers the order for
more Packets going through.
Three-The Fairchild strike could
very well last not for days or
weeks, but for months-since the
fight between the United Auto Work
ers' Union and the Fairchild Aircraft
is not over wages (the Company Of
fered the Union a straight II cents
an hour increase across the board,
bringing the minimum rate of pay
to $1.27 an hour, which the Union
spokesman at the Conference in
Washington turned dpwn), but a
fight over the elimin; ion of Fair
child's merit system.
The statement of Il Union that
no contract that does n, provide for
the elimination of the l--erit system
will be signed, precludes any further
efforts at arbitration, since the Fair
child Corporation is just as deter
mined that the merit system, which
they believe to be fair and equitable,
will stay.
On Tuesday night I attended two
meetings.
First 1 took in part of a long
meeting of the Mayor and Council,
called to discuss the question of who
is to pay for the paving of street.
in housing developments within the
city limits = the developers or the
city.
This debatable question has been
before the Council for some time
and after hours of discussion on
Tuesday night, it still remains I'M
settled. The biggest kick l got out
of the meeting was the presence of
two former members of the official
family = Frank Urner and Jack Alb
bolt
Urner, the former City Attorney,
represented a housing development
company that has already started the
building of houses on its property,
and Abbott, the former city engineer,
was there is his own interests, since
he is now engaged in the building
of houses.
These two gentlemen, because of
their familiarity Gas city officials)
with. past procedure, were called
upon to express their opinions, and
as result, in good humored way,
they caused some embarrassment to
the Administration, since they were
able OF draw the attention of the
Mayor and Council to facts that they
seemed to have forgotten, particu-
larly with regard to the housing de-
velopment company that Urner was
representing.
From there moved on to a meet
ing of the Young Republicans Club.
A meeting which l thoroughly en-
joyed.
This group of young men and
women were discussing the present
critical times in which we live and