Milford chronicle., 1962-05-18
NI@%~
JUSTICE CATCHING UP

because these three, and numerous others,
deliberately favor counties with few people
in assigning legislative and congressional
seats, skimping counties that contain large
cities. Now that the Supreme Court has
ruled that federal judges have jurisdiction
in such cases, a lot of overdue realignment
is in order.
Georgia's speciality is the county unit
system. Of its 159 counties the smallest
121 have two unit votes each The next
least pOpulous 80 have four unit votes each,
and the largest eight of all have six apiece.
A candidate may thus be nominated for
state office even though he got but Is per
cent of the total vote.
Anticipating trouble, the legislature has
recently modified the system slightly, while
retaining it's basic injustice. A three-judge
federal court has now ruled that both the
old system and the modification are uncon-
stitutiOnal. If there is to be Georgia state
primary in September, the legislature will
have to try again.
Let no one think that the South is espe-
cially guilty Equally unfair arrangements
are in force in Vermont, Indiana, Iowa and
New Jersey, to name only few of many
The aggrieved citizens of these states are
likely to bring their troubles to the federal
courts, too And when they do they will
have a good chance, for the first time in
years, of getting reapportionment rolling
REFRESHING CHANGE
President Kennedy's transportation mes
sage to Congress, which is certainly one Of
the most important proposals of its kind
in recent years, has been called a plan for
rescuing the railroads from the financial
doldrumS. But it is much more than that.
1t is designed to put the countrys whole
transportation system on a sound basis-a
basis on which all the agencies will be able
to compete more freely for trafhc, using
their own inherent advantages as the in
ducements.
President LComis of the Association OF
American Railroads said of the message: :
'The recommendations, if adopted, Will
bring order to large degree in the trans
portation field, and will go long way IN
helping to develop a sound overall trans
portation system. The constructive and pos
tive leadership shown by this Admlnistra-
ton in dealing realistically with transpor-
tatiOn policy will further the nations econ
omy and security"
You don't have to look to transportation
spokesmen for praise of the message For
instance, the American Retail Federation
which represents chain and other stores
which are huge users of commercial trans,
portation-said that it SHOULD be welcomed
by retailers, and other shippers. The gen
eral underlying theory stresses less FEEDER
al regulation and subsidy. The change is
refreshing from the increasing tendency OF
Congress and regulatory agencies to seek
more and more Federal control"
That underlines the big point = more
emphasis on fair competition, less on regu-
lation. It's now up to Congress.
-a~Se1%
BARGAINING QUESTION
Controversial is the word for the pres
idential advisory committees recommenda-
tions for increased government activity and
influence in the collective bargaining pro-
cess. The reports controversial nature is
lessened not whit by its timing. 1t comes
Just when business and industrial leaders,
disturbed by the federal breakdown on steel
pricing are riding new wave of conviction
that the government already has too much
of a finger in the labor-management pie.
The Advisory Committee on Labor-Man-
agement Policy proposes amending the Taft
Hartley Act to give the President greater
powers in dealing with industrial disputes
which seem to threaten the national health
or safety. Under present law, the president
must go to court to prevent a work stop
page or to halt one during an 80-day "cool-
ing off" PERIOD under the recommended
change, he would be able to declare ma
tional emergency and force an 80-day work
resumption without going to court. An
emergency dispute board would have power
to recommend terms of settlement, power
now denied except under the Railway Laooi
Act which applies to railroad and alrllnes
The dissents by committee members are
interesting. Henry Ford IL more or less
summarized the tenor of dissent when he
declared: aIt is difficult to understand how
the advocacy of more dominant govern
ment role in the collective bargaining pro
cess, by these and other proposals, car
make for more freedom in the process The
answer seems to be that more freedom
may not ensue, but that the vast power OF
some industries and some unions makes
stronger action in the public interest man
datory.
This is not a final answer. More of The
answer will be known when study of cap
ital and labor concentrations, now being
undertaken by the committee, has been com
pleted Meanwhile, the report serves a.
a good focal point for discussion.