Evening star., 1952-06-26
Government Helped
Steel Union in lis
Demands, Weir Says
By Robert J. Lewis
Stor Stoff CORRESPONDENT

Stor Stoff Correspondent
NEW YORK, June 26.-Ernest
T. Weir, chairman of the National
Steel Corp, today assailed Presi-
dent Truman for his conduct of
the steel-wage case and declared
the Government encouraged the
union to make grossly unreason-
able" demands.
Speaking here at the conven-
ton of the American Institute of
Architects. the longtime foe of
the New Deal and Fair Deal ac-
cuSed the President of being a
partisan of the union and said:
In Mr.. Truman's book, the
union is an angel and the steel in
duStry is a devil. In his opinion,
this gives him the right to do any,
thing to win his and the unions
aims. This includes suppression
and distortion of facts; the ignor-
ing of a law which he has sworn
faithfully to execute, because, in
his personal opinion, it IS unfair;
and finally the attempt to use
naked, unrestrained power"
Attacks Intervention.
Had the Government not in
tervened in the steel dispute,
Mr.. Weir charged, long before
this there would have been a
settlement with which the vast
majority of steel workers would
have been extremely well salts
fed.
But with the Government in
the picture, the union was en-
couraged to make grossly un-
reasonable demands and depend
on Government maneuvers to
force acceptance"
Meanwhile, it appeared that the
candidacy of a prominent Wash
ington architect would provide the
only contest at the architects an
nual convention.
Julian E. Berla, former presi-
dent of the Washington Metro
politan ALA chapter, has been
nominated for national secretary
in opposition to Clair w. Ditchy of
Detroit. incumbent for the last
dozen years.
All other present officers were
renominated without opposition.
Election is scheduled for tomorrow.
Leans to Modern Design.
Mr.. Berla, chairman for the last
year of the organizations Com
mittee on the Architect and the
Government, is a member of the
Washington firm Of Berla & Abel.
That firm has leaned towards con-
temporary. or modern design. It
has designed large number of
apartment buildings and CONNER
cial structures in the Washington
area. as well as a number of pri-
vate residences. Recently Mr..
Berla spent a period abroad under
contract to the Danish govern
ment.
Delegates yesterday overwhelm-
ingly approved a proposal to
spend 100000 in the next three
years to improve their public rela-
tions activity, after having heard
frequent criticism that they
seemed chronically unable to in
terpret themselves to the public.
A frequent opinion heard about
architects, as well as among
writer's dealing with them. has
been that. on the whole, they have
seemed able to communicate we'll
only with other architects.
Easy Education" Planned.
Frank Lloyd Wright, looked to
by many persons throughout the
world as Americas greatest liv-
ing architect. supplied more fire
works in a brief talk yesterday
than the rest of the convention
has provided since opening Mon
day.
Our education is entirely too
easy" the 83-year-old Mr.. Wright
told several hundred applauding
students.
1T takes things on the surface
only. and passes them around on
the surface. never getting down
to the bottom of things-the in
ner meaning" he said.
In architectural schools today
you can ask what and when
but never why And why is
the key to true education. But if
you ask your teachers why you
will only embarrass them, for they
never ask why themselves"
Two years ago Mr.. Wright re-
ceived ALAS gold medal, the
Institutes highest honor. Yet he
has remained. in the opinion of
many. architecture's ultimate
rebel.
u. S. Agencies Criticized.
Kenneth E. Wischmeyer, first
vice president of ALA, said
Federal agencies were too moss
backed in their requirements"
Many very well designed
houses could never be built if they
had to meet their specifications, Z"
he told a session of the semi
annual conference here of the
Producers Council, an organiza-
ton of building materials manu-
facturerS.
Arnold E. Chase, chief of
NPA'S production and require
ments branch of the building ma