Evening star., 1952-12-07

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Text Of Group Letter Submitting WSB
designations to Trumon. Poee AS
expediency in allowing the miners
their full negotiated raise of $l.9OI
q day.
The board had held that the
miners should receive an increase
Of only $1.50 q day If the Nations
economy were not to be endan-
gered.
The industry members said the
Presidents decision overriding
their ruling left them mo moral
alternative but to resign"
Board Cannot Function.
In letter to the President, they
also said:
IF your action means that the
small and the weak are to be re-
stricted by wage controls. while
the big and powerful are to be
allowed whatever excessive in
creases result from the threat of a
paralyzing strike, then there no
longer exists the equality with
which all law and all regulation
should be applied in a republic. The
equality of sacrifice for which you
have so often pleaded becomes a
pious deluSion. We cannot parti-
cipate in a program which would
require us to grant special priv
ileges to few, and to make sec
ond-class citizens of all others"
The designations mean the COL
lapse. at least for the present, Of
the Wage Sterilization Board and
its role of keeping a check on in
flation. Without industry repre-
sentation the WSB is not a legal
body and cannot do business.
New Chairman "Surprised."
There was no immediate COM
ment from the White House and
q press officer said there likely
would not be any for several days.
He referred to President Truman's
departure late yesterday for In
dependence. Mo-, to attend the fu-
neral Of his mother-in-law, Mrs.
David w. Wallace.
WSB Chairman Charles c. KILL
ingsworth. on learning of the 6e-
cision of the industry members,
said:
Il don't rule out the possibility
OF getting replacements."
Mr.. Killingsworth has been
chairman for only two days. He
succeeded Archibald Cox who quit
in a protest right after President
Truman had ruled in favor of the
miners.
The new chairman said he was
surprised at the designations and
that he was trying to get in touch
with Mr.. Truman and with Sta
bilization Director Roger Putnam.
Foolish, Putnam Says.
In statement issued at Spring.
field. Mass, where he is spending
the week end. Mr.. Putnam char
acteriZed the mass designations
as foolish"
Il am disappointed that these
men feel they must resign" he
said. 1T seems to me that their
action is foolish. Like them, dis
agree with the decision in the coal
wage case but I feel that there is
still a stabilization job to be done.
Their designations will make
things little harder but we will
manage to do the job Congress
gave us to do"
Mr.. Putnam said his own reSig-
nation. announced shortly after
the November election, would.
probably be effective January /. !,
Regional Boards Quit
Mr.. Killingsworth said he saw
no reason why regional boards
which are still intact cannot con-
tinue to function. But he added
that careful study of the legal
questions" is needed at once. He
made no direct comment on the
resignation late yesterday of all
seven industry members of the
Chicago regional Office of the
WSB. The members there quit
with the statement that Mr.. Tru-
mans action ''irrevocably ruined
any hope for effective control of
imitation" through direct wage
controls.
Shortly after the designations,
the eight industry members of
the New England regional board
also quit.
The industry members of the
full board began assembling in
Washington yesterday for a secret
meeting out of which came their
resignation and release of their
letter to Mr.. Truman saying his
ruling reversing the boards de-
ciSions had made the wage sta
bilization program nothing but
a sham and a mockery."
They disagreed sharply with
Mr.. Truman'S statement that he
had overruled the board in order
to turn over to President-elect
Eisenhower an administration
unmenaced by a nationwide coal
strike.
"It is impossible to turn over
an effective program after it has
been emasculated. the seven
members declared.
Those signing the WSB state
ment of resignation were James
Delmar, Houston: Colin Gardner,
Middletown. Ohio: Robert Bassett,
Chicago: Mellard E. Stone, New
York; Hiram S. Hall, Danville,
N. j.: Hoey Hennessey. New York,
and Walter Knauss. Hartford.
Conn.