Evening star., 1952-05-14
Present Steel Crisis
Blamed by Baruch on
Partial Mobilization
By John A. Giles

The present steel crisis could
have been avoided if the admin
istration had used its full mo-
bilization powers at the start of
the Korean war, Bernard M.
Baruch told the Industrial Col
lege of the Armed Forces today.
The Government should have
fused the powers which were given
it to lay down a stabilization pro-
gram which treated all segments
Iof the economy alike, instead of
giving special benefits to favored
pressure groups" he declared.
He pointed out that special
pleaders had appeared before the
Supreme Court lin the role of
amicuS curiae (friend of the
court) but no one has come for
ward as a friend at court for
the public"
Hard Hitting Speech.
In a hard-hitting speech. the
elder statesman said he did not
blame the CIO United Steelwork-
ers for seeking higher wages to
offset living cost rises, nor the
steel companies for wanting to
pass the extra costs along in the
form of increased prices.
"I do blame the Government
for failing to lay down a standard
of equity and justice transcending
the selfish concerns of individual
pressure groups and protecting
the common interests of ALL" he
asserted.
"A yardstick of justice, to merit
being considered that, must be
capable of being applied to all
persons and groups alike" he con-
tinued.
Asking where in Washington or
in the Nation can one find any
real sense of urgency" Mr.. Baruch
deplored what he called piece
meal" mobilization.
THE general temper Is one of
letting up rather than bearing
down." he stated. Mobilization
controls are being Slackened."
No Request for Controls.
President Truman asked power
to mobilize the economy at the
start of the Korean hostilities "but
deliberately refrained from asking
for price and wage controls" he
said. But Congress gave the Chief
Executive powers to impose a gen.
eral ceiling which Mr.. Truman
failed to invoke, he said.
This effort to mobilize by bits
and pieces-by fits and lapses-
invariably breaks down." he said.
ut breaks down because the basic
are unchanging.
''The basic object of mobiliza-
ton Is to organize the Nation
so that no matter what happens
no matter how the details of
the program change-the armed
forces will get what they need
when needed, with the least nee
essary dislocation to civilians.
Mobilization does not mean
drafting millions of men into the
armed services before they are
required, or curtailing civilian
production merely for the sake of
curtailment. A proper mobiliza-
ton program is always a bal
anced one. with the fullest use
made of all available resources
of men, money and material"
Disparities Widening.
Mr.. Baruch then stated, 1.-THE
disparities among various seq
ments of the Nation-which is
another way of saying how fairly
the burdens of the cold war are
being Shared-are widening-not
narrowing"
One OF the most important fac
tors responsible for this, he said,
is "the refusal to do what had
to be done when mobilization was
begun.
For that neglect we are paying
dearly today-in the higher cost
of every defense item which has
wasted billions of taxes, in the
cruel cheapening Of peoples saw
Ilngs, in less defense production
than we should have, which means
greater casualties, in the bitter
ness among different segments of
the population. in-yes-in the
current steel crisis and others in
the offing."
Mr.. Baruch repeated his previ-
GUS pleas for full and immediate
mobilization with wage-price-rent
ceilings, increased production with
Ipriorities, higher taxes, and other
monetary and credit controls.