Evening Star Newspaper, January 5, 1942, Page 13

Reuther Plan Branded as Communistic C. I. O. Criticism of 0. P. M. Called Start Of Alibi Season By DAVID LAWRENCE. The alibi season has begun in Washington. This time it is the C. I. O. and the auto workers' union who are trying to shift the blame for un- employment. Full-page news- paper. advertise- ments blaming § the O. P. M. and the auto indus- try for not con- verting automo- § bile plants more quickly to war work have been § issued by the C. 1. O. as part o s general pub- licity campaign David Lawrence. to make industry the goat for about everything adverse from Pearl Har- bor to Singapore. These tactics of blaming somebody else when things go wrong are not new in politics or in governmental feuds but for the C. I. O. to start talking about the crisis in the Far East in terms of man-days lost by the auto industry in failing to convert machine facilities sooner is to initiate & new era in public muckraking with the war as a background. ‘The C. I. O. says nothing about the tens of thousands of man-hours and man-days lost by its strikes in the face of pledges repeatedly given that it would co-operate with the national defense program. Nor is it mentioned why a coal strike was called recently that cost the Nation valuable supplies of fuel, or why major strikes were called in plants building ships for the Navy. To go back over last year's lamentable record of work stoppages is something which the average American would prefer not to do. But the C. I. O. is now opening up the past record and beginning to blame industry, and this doubtless | means the C. I. 0. is willing to have its own record examined, especially the instances in which it deliber- | ately ignored the earnest pleas of the President of the United States. Called Communistic Scheme, The main thing the C. I. O. publicity program has focused on is the Reuther plan which it claims would have prevented the present era of unemployment auto production. But the truth about the Reuther plan is that it is basically a communistic scheme. | It aims to bring the C. I. O. into ;n:nagement very much as is done v Russia. Under the Reuther plan, the @. I. O. asks for a share in management but it does not any- where ask for a share in the re- sponsibility of financing any losses due to mistakes in management. It is the same old story of wanting & share in the profits without being willing to share any of the losses. The C. I. O. has recently been presenting many plans for indus- trial production committees, almost | 8ll of which tend in the same direction, namely to introduce into | the American picture the commu- nistic principle of production man- agement by union workers’ com- mittees. Incidentally the C. I. O. had this idea before the war emergency began when it intro- duced the “slow down” as a sequel to the lawless sit-down strike. Under the slow-down, production output is limited by the union. The C.I. O. has opened fire on the ©O. P. M., which, of course, is man- | aged jointly by Mr. Knudsen and Mr. Hillman. The C. I. O. asks why the Reuther plan was pigeonholed. Mr. Hillman is an ardent champio of labor union philosophy, but he is also a practical person and if there had been any merit to the Reuther plan he would have espoused it long | ago. Engineers Against Plan. ‘The fact is that the Reuther plan never got beyond the stage of gen- eralities. No blueprint was offered . and no details ever given. Its prin- cipal point was that auto machinery of a single purpose nature could be transformed into general purpose machine tools. could not be done. Had the Reuther plan been adopted, unemployment Jast month would have been so ex- tensive that the step would have reacted against the C. I. O. unions. But since it wasn’t adopted, it now ‘makes a convenient device for blam- =< ing the O. P. M. and the auto in- * dustry. The C. I. O. is rightly worried about unemployment in the transi- ..tion from peacetirge to wartime " work. But it cannbt justly blame _the employers, on the one hand, for not seeking contracts and, on the other hand, for profiteering in con- tracts or for wanting to have con- tracting concentrated in the hands of those who know how to deliver the goods. Congress has had a finger in the delay. Last summer it cut out wast appropriations for more tanks and war weapons. Likewise, a clique ®f politicians on Capitol Hill have Been insisting that the work be de- sentralized throughout the country {n small plants while the Army and Navy has been fighting such a political method as meaning delays 'and incompetence. The auto manu- facturers are today still asking for war contracts sufficient to enable them to use their facilities to the maximum point. If the C.I O. wants to know why the auto manu- facturers aren’t able to employ the Idle labor that is available, they will| find the answer not in attacks on Mr. Hillman and Mr. Knudsen but in the memoranda of the War and Navy Departments and in the White House, where the ultimate respon- sibility lies for the manner in which contracts were allocated, and also that has | come as a result of curtailment of | Soviet workers’ committees in | Engineers said this| On the Record By DOROTHY THOMPSON. ‘The agreement of 26 anti-Axis governments to prosecute the war in collaboration and for the common purpose .expressed in the eight points of the Atlantic charter is a unique event and repre- sents great progress in concucting not only the military but the political strategy of the war. It is note- . worthy that Derethy Thempsen. all, including - the Soviet gov- ernment, agree to seek no terri- torial aggrandizements, respect the rights of peoples to self- government, promise no punitive economic measures against the vanquished, but rather collabo- ration with them for a solution of the world economic problem, and agree “to defend life, liberty, independence and religious free- dom and to, preserve human rights and justice in their own and other lands.” And, it is of particular im-" portance that the Soviet Union commits itself to such war aims, not when it is withdrawing but advancing. Limited Trust in Governments. Having said this, I confess that like & good American, I place only limited trust in govern- ments. Words have various meanings in various minds, and whether great purposes are ever realized, depends not, on the expression of noble principles by governments, but on two things: First, the day-to-day acts~ of the governments concerned, €or it is the accumulatiop of such acts that determines the end result; and, second, the degree to which the principles are un- derstood and freely accepted in the minds and hearts of the people. We live in a revolutionary world, a fact too often lost sight of by governments. The essen- tial struggle in this world, as far as the peoples are concerned, is between political and econgsnic feudalism and a new world of freedom. < I say & new world, because it is also true that the people of not a single democracy are satisfied with things as they are. Work- ers want & more assured status; every one with Intelligence wants to see & modification of com- mercial or mercantile capitalism to enable nations and the world to use to the fullest their labor and resources; nationalities want recognition of their right to live their own way of life, secure against aggression, whether they are large or small; at the same time nationalism, as it has been practiced for the last century and a half is finished, however this war turns out. Concept of New World. Now, somewhere between Wash- ington, London, Moscow and Chungking Hes more than a military alliance—lies a synthe- | sis, a mutually acceptable con- cept of a new world. The deeply | christian and social evolution- ary spirit of Britain, the planning THE - EVENING STAR, WASHINGTON, Mutually Acceptable Concept of New World Must Come From People of Nations mind and social discipline of the Soviet Union, the new life move- ment in China, whose essence {5 co-operative economics. and the stubborn will in America fo de- fend individusl freedom to- gether with American federalism no not exclude each other. All are needed, in new integrations and new inf tations, .for-a socjety that satisfies the modern man. It is impossible for. govern- ments to build a new soclety or even envision it by agreements between themselves. Govern- ments can create a frame to be filled with content. Buj they cannot supply. the content. That can .only be supplied by the people, And if the people accept the frame, mistaking the shadow for the substance, they are. dopmed to the most bitter dis- illusionment. Unless we are to assume that statements of governments and military victories in themselves bring about the results that all desire—a thesis that no one who lived through the last war will accept—and if we are truly to pursue this war on an interna- tional scale, as we are forced to do by the global concepts of our enemies, then we, and by we I mean all the free and conscious groups in society, must consider the aims of the war as primary to the prosecution of the war. An International Movement. ‘That implies an international movement—a movement of peo~ ples—that translates national freedom, international economics, planned use of resources, and the spirit of brotherhood, into terms that can-be understood by the last Chinese coolies, or Japanese coolie, or German mine worker. Such a movement cannot be “set up” ‘like a bureaucratic agency. K must be created, out of brains, analysis, discussion, finding points of agreement and points of differences, and seeing what amount of tolerance fis compatible with essential unity between overwhelming majori- ties in all our countries. Since this war is a struggle of peoples to live their physical, spiritual, and intellectual lives according to standards acceptable to themselves—whith is the es- sence of self-government — the unremitting and candid discus- sion of the issues of the war is essential, not only ‘with coun- tries but between them, and not only in newspaper articles and books but in meetings of the peo- ple. Must Be Peoples’ Discovery. Modern wars cannot be fought merely by armies and blind obedience, but under the elan of mobilized nations, permeated with | ideas—ideas which give significance and mobility to every sacrifice. And such ideas cannot be “handed out” by s central government office, and “sold” by . propagands; they have to be dis- covered by the people in their own minds, under the stimula- tion of the natural leaders in every community and group. The transiation of formal agreements between governments into profound understandings between peoples is a transcend- ant task of this war, and can shorten it by years. (Released by the Bell Syndicate, Inc.) |Jap Sub Crews Desperafe, | By the Associated Press. | HONOLULU, Jan. 5—The Navy made public yesterday a speech by a | cruiser captain who said Japanese | submarine crews were becoming des- | perate, and that “we are strengthen- | ing and perfecting our program for | the defeat of the Japanese here-and | everywhere.” The captain’s talk was made to his men after the cruiser visited Pearl Harbor, where the crew saw the result of the December 7 assault on that naval stronghold. “I would suggst that you' forget about those things of the past and | concentrate on those which now lie before us” said the captain. His name was not disclosed. The effect of the Pearl Harbor attack is “going to be greatly bene- ficial” in consolidating public opin- ion and winnnig the co-operation of South America, he told his crew. “I think we can safely feel that temporary losses are not going to affect us one jota,” he asserted. The desperation of the submarine crews is shown by their coming to the surface \during ‘the daytime, “which action is against all prac- tical procedure,” the captain said. for the delineation of an inadequate program of what America really fieeded month by month for arma- “gment since May, 1940. U, . Cruiser Captain Says| {Balfimore Man Invenfs Tail Light for Planes Wide World News, BALTIMORE, Jan. 5—A Balti- more inventor has tested success- fully a device designed to prevent airplane pilots from mistaking the tail lights of other airplanes for stars. Airplane tail lights are white. Last year the Civil Aeronautics Admin- better light. matic signal devices are widely used by railroads and highway depart- ments, invented a red-and-white flashing light. In a series of tests in Washington, it was decided that his device was by far.the most effec- tive among those offered. Then Otto E. Kirchner, chief en- gineer of American Airlines, in- stalled the light on the tail of an airliner at New York’s La Guardia ! Field. As the plane circled the air- port, the distinctive red-white flash- er stood out clearly from the steady white lights of other ships. Granted s basic patent on the device, Mr. Adler promptly assigned his patent to “the- people of the United States,” making it possible for any manufacturer to begjn aking it. istration urged development of a Charles Adler, jr, whose auto- €[ HE optnions Star’s efort to give all 'sides D. C, of the writers on this page are their own, not The Star’s. Such opinions are presented in The of questions of interést to its readers, although such opinions may be contradictory among themselves and directly opposed to The Stgr's. By FRANK R. KENT. 80 vast and overshadowing is the war that it blacks out everything else almost completely. The nat- ural temptation is to shove all other matters aside as trivial and con- centrate atten- tion wholly upon this titanic con- fiict and the ac- tivities directly linked therewith. Certainly, one cannot listen to the portentous words of Mr. Roosevelt and Mr. Churchill and fall to feel that nothing Frank R Kent. which can contribute anything at all to winning the war must be withheld. Nor can any American, sorrowed by the news from the Phil- ippines, fail to hope with his whole heart for the day when, as the Brit- ish Prime Minister predicts, we shall teach the Japanese a lesson which they and the world will never forget. Nevertheless, few reflective per- sons will contend that absorption in this great purpose should be coupled with complete indifference to what is happening to the normal machinery of the Government.” Nor can it be successfully argued that such in- difference promotes our war aims. Quite the reverse. Test of National Strength. This war is & test of national strength. While we bend our ener- gies to making ourselves strong in the air, on land and on the sea, our cause is not furthered by permitting the ordinary governmental agencies to bog down and decay. It is not the part of patriotism to ignore such tendencies and it is no disfavor to the President to call attention to them. Clearly, it is no greater tax upon his time and energy to appoint a good man than to appoint a poor one. It requires little more effort to keep the governmental service up | than to let it run down. | But the latter course weakens us | while at war and most assuredly | will plague us very badly when | peace comes. Discerning men here | view with concern the disposition non-defense departments. They feel that complete absence of public comment abouf this is a disservice to the Nation and no help to Mr. Roosevelt. Various instancces of this dete- moment the most glaring is the plight of the Securities Exchange Commission. For a long time now this concededly important board has been steadily sliding down hill. In | the opinion of some it is pretty |close to the bottom now. Chiefly, | this is due to the extraordinary lack {of stability at the head. The worth | of such a commission as this de- pends ‘almost entirely upon its | chairman. The S. E. C. has had five chairmen in seven years. Last | week it lost its latest, who had served hardly a year. Job Was Stepping Stone. The five who have headed this !commj.ssion since its inception in | 1934 have averaged less than s year and a half. Each has used the job as a stepping stone into something that seemed more desirable. Mr. Joseph P. Kennedy became Ambas- | sador to England; Mr. James Landis became dean of a law school; Mr, Eslale Sale Household Effects of Every Descrip- At Public Auction at Sloan’s 715 13th St. WEDNESDAY January 7th, 1942 At 10 AM. From Estetes, Storage Comcerns and Others. Terms, Cash. €. G. SLOAN . INC., ets. O B iltnea iont” A" DEALER DEALER ADVERT! :\o let things disintegrate in the | rioration could be cited, but at the The Great Game of Politics Concentration on War Should Not Allow 'Governmental Machinery to Deteriorate W. O. Douglas went to the Supreme Court; Mr. Jerome Frank is now on the Federal bench, and the most recent chairman, Mr. Edward C. Eicher, has just been named for the District of Columbia Court by the President, leaving the board, at the moment, headless and rudder- less. Who will be the sitth or when he will be named no one knows. The President may fill the vacancy promptly with some one now on the board or he may let it drift for a long time. In either event, two things are clear—first, that these continuous changes in the head of the board have impaired its usefulness and lessened confidence in its com- petency; second, the quality of the chairmen, to put it mildly, has not improved with the changes. Actually, the speed with which they have changed establishes a record. So swiftly have they followed one an- other that anything like a sustained and connected policy has been im- possible. That fact is that the 8. E. C. chairmanship has come now to be looked upon as a temporary Job in which no one stays very long. That is unfortunate for the com- mission and unfortunate for those who have to do business with it. Statement Borne Out. In his appointment of Mr. Eicher as its fifth and last chairman—ap- parently the President also accepted the temporary character of the posi- tion. At that time the statement ‘was made that Mr. Eicher, who had been an ardent New Deal repre- sentative from Iowa, really wanted to be a Federal judge, and took the place with the understanding that he would be at the first available opportunity. Denied at first, the facts fully bear | out this statement. Wir. Eicher, in | Congress, was one of the friends of | Tommy Corcoran, then a prime | White House favorite and now one | of the most energetic of the defense lobbyists. Co-operating with Mr, | Corcoran, Mr. Eicher opposed the | renomination of Senator Gillette, | who was slated as one of the first | victims of the President purge | of 1938. Senator Gillette, however, | was successful, and Mr. Eicher was | put on the S. E. C. in obvious re- cognition of his political services. He became chairman when Mr. Frank was made a judge. And now he has been made a judge and the chairmanship is again vacant. It {isn't a pretty story—the way this S. E. C”Chairmanship has been | batted around from one man to | another. The hope is that the President this time will name a man not only qualified to serve and who has no notion of using the job as a ladder but who is not named as a reward for past political services. Concentration on the problems of the war is no reason the normal | governmental machinery should be allowed to deteriorate. That does| MONDAY, JANUARY 5, 1842. This Changing World Allies May Soon Have to Meet Problem Of All-Out Air Attack in Mediterranean By CONSTANTINE BROWN. British naval and air authori- an all-out attack by German and Italian air forces in the Mediter- ranean. Information from the Mediter- of Nazi planes at important bases on tne Italian mainland, in Sicily, Sardinia, Greece and the Greek islanis, whence the Luftwaffe could strike at the British Navy. The Nazi high command is holding its hand, however, ap- pearing to hope that in view of the difficult position at Singa- pore, a large number of British planes will have to be sent to the South Pacific to strengthen inadequate Allied forces there. ‘The associated anti-Axis powers’ production of planes is insuffi- clent to supply the fighting forces in North Africa, the Near East, Russia and the Pacific. Rely on Japanese Pressure. The Naas are said to believe that Japanese pressure will com- pel Britain and the United States to detach a substantial force for the protection of Singa- pore and the East Indies. Under these circumstances the Nazis expect to be able to attack the British Fleet in the Mediterra- nean with their planes at a time when the British will be unable to obtain great air reinforce- ments from the United States, which remains the principal arsenal of the powers fighting the Axis. Responsible Washington quar- ters admit that the problem con- fronting the anti-Axis nations is not an easy one. The British stress heavily defense of the Mediterranean Coasts and the Near East, and they are correct in so emphasizing this theater of the war, for if the Mediter- ranean were abandoned, the Germans would march into the oil fields of Iraq and Persia with little trouble. Despite the hammering they are receiving from the Soviet forces, the Nazis appear to be concentrating an imposing air force and strong army in South- ern Europe. While keeping otr eyes on that situation, we must not lose sight of the tremendous importance of Singapore and the Netherlands Indies. Japanese conquest of those territories would be almost as unfortunate for all of us as Nazi penetration of the Near East. Vital Allied Zenes. ‘The South Pacific and Indian Oceans are as vital to us, the Dutch and particularly the Aus- tralians and New Zealanders as the Mediterranean is to the British. If plane production in England and the United States not help win the war abroad; ‘hll Just weakens us at home. WAKE UP~ Z/m could have been accelerated suf- 4 S N ficiently fo permit strong air reinforcements of both theaters, even at the expense of aerial de- fense of the continental United States, the situation would be {ar Jess critical than it is. But we cannot expect to increase our production sufficiently in a few ‘weeks to meet emergencies every- ‘where. British imperial forces in Malays already are handicapped by the lack of an offensive air force. They are yielding ground, not because they are inferior in numbers to the Jap invaders, but because the enemy has air su- periority. The same inferiority in the air lost us Manila, and may lose us the Philippines. The United States Fleet in the South Pacific has been compelled to adopt purely defensive tactics, not so much because it lacks numbers of ships, but because it lacks necessary air protection. Need for Reinforcements. ® It is assumed in Washington that in the event the Philippines fall, the Japanese will initiate an all-out sea, land and air offensive against Singapore, Java and Sumatra. Hence, the need to rush important air reinforce- ments from every available quar- ter to Malaya and the Indies. The Germans are speculating on whether the anti-Axis powers could send air reinforcements to the Mediterranean under exist- ing circumstances. They intend to test their enemies’ power of resistance, and are believed to be planning to attempt to drive the British Fleet out of the Mediterranean. Such strategy is logical. As long as the British maintain strong naval and air patrols in that sea, the Nazis will have a hard time attacking the Near East and the Turks will hesi- tate to throw in their lot with the Nazis. But if the British are driven out and lose control of the Mediterranean, Turkish neu- trality would come to an abrupt end and the last hesitation of the Vichy Prench regime probably would be overcome, Vichy Is Reluctant. For the time being Marshal Petain and Admiral Darlan, his vice premier, are doing sheir best to resist German pressure for naval and air bases. Both Marshal Petain and Admiral Darlan have adopted a policy of stringing the Germans along until the whole political situation is clarified. But that policy, it is felt in London, would be aban- doned if the Luftwaffe gained spectacular successes against British naval forces. ‘When the Axis offensive in the Mediterranean will begin is any- body’s guess, but weather condi- tions in Southern Europe soon will be favorable for action. \ REMOVE LOOSE DANDRUFF SCALES Give Your Hair a Chance! [EN Dandruff scales accumulate on your scalp and cause it toitch and burn you are being warned that serious trouble may be in the offing. “Take heed and consult & Thomas expert at Sace. Let him show you how the reliable proved Thomas treatment readily removes those ugly dandruff scales, and how it helps to soothe the itch which they may be causing. Mhylmmmwmfisflpmflt experts do everything within the scope of their extensive skill and knowl- edge. The fact that The Thomas® have for 20 years administered scalp treat- ments speaks volumes for the soundness and merit of their service. ‘Why not come in and talk your scalp peoblem over with a Thomas expert today? Let him show you just what Thomas treatment is and what it does. Let him show ygu how it removes dandruff scales and how it may bring you that “scalp-happy” feeling. Consultation is always given without charge or obligation—in private. Come in today! SUITE 1050-51 WASHINGTON BUILDING (Corner N. Y. Avgaue and 15th St. N.W.) (Separate Departments for Men and Women) SATURDAY fe 3:30 PM. ) - \l 7 McLemore— School of Walking Begins Its Work By HENRY McLEMORE. NEW ORLEANS.—An acquaint- ance of mine (name and address will be furnished if you're snoopy enough to inquire) has applied for a license an institution when he read in a Gallup poll that 43 per cent Mr. Melemere. of the adults in this country admitted they did no walking apart from what was neces- sary for them to do to ‘get their work done and keep from getting fired. With the automobile, bicycle, pogo stick, Irish mail and scooter soon to be taken away from them because of rubber rationing, Americans are go- ing to be forced to get down to earth, so to speak, and use their feet for transportation. * %% This is & dread prospect for many of us, I grant you, but we might as well begin preparing for that day when we won't be able to waddle to the garage an sink back exhausted behind the wheel of our cars or wobble to the street and hail tax$s. I already have enrolled in my friend’s school of walking. The day my tires give out and the old bus sinks wearily to its rims, I don't want to be marooned in my house \because I had thoughtlessly forgot- ten to re-learn the act of moving along under my own power. I am going in the school as a freshman, and I was lucky to get in, I barely passed my entrance exami- nations. - ‘These were conducted on a strip of city sidewalk and were very se- vere. No leaning against buildings was allowed, no fake tying of shoe- strings in the hope of catching a little rest was countenanced, and it was considered cheating to have a dog on a leash pull you along. * * % x Under the stern eye of an in- structor I made five blocks before showing distress. Then, all of & sudden, all the miles I had ridden in cushioned automobile seats, all | the miles I had covered in elevators, and all the hours I had spent sitting down caught up with me. My calves | bleated like doggies caught in a snow- | storm. My tibia nudged my fibula | and together they whispered to my femur, “What's going on here? This man’s walking.” My insteps | appealed to my arches for help and my knees begged for succor. The instructor had to call a cab. | Exhausted as I was by the ordeal of covering five blocks on foot, I | still thrilled to my accomplishment. | It gave me a great feeling of satis- | faction to know that the effort | Mama went to when I was 11 months, going on, had not been in vain. She had taught me soundly appar- | ently, and all the luxuries of the | machine age had not been sufficient completely to destroy my ability to | navigate all by myself, * x * % In addition to classes for adults, there will be classes for children. | Children will be taught how to walk to school and not have to depend on being dropped at the front steps in the family car. They will be taught how to go to the movies and call on | their girl friends without mechanical | transportation. ‘The School of Walking will be co- educational, of course. Housewives who haven't walked to the corner grocery in 15 years will be gradually conditioned to such a harrowing trip on foot. Women who now scarcely can make it around a bridge table to empty the ash trays will be gently instructed until they find themselves able to walk as far as the front gate to meet their hus- bands coming home from work. ‘Women who have found it trying to get along without at least three con- veniently located telephones in the house will be able to climb the stairs to answer one. The only thing holding up the opening of the School of Walking is & scarcity of teachers. Many have applied for positions only to balk when they learned the school was to be located at a point four blocks from the nearest bus and street car stop, and that they would have to cover this distance on foot twice a day. Now, if T can only get a cab to get this over to the telegraph office, everything will be swell. (Distributed by McNaught Syndieate. Ine.)