Evening Star Newspaper, January 18, 1942, Page 8

Unions Are Warned To Avoid Excesses By Secrefary Perkins Jurisdictional Disputes, Boycotts Cited as Against Public Interest Pointing out that trade unionism | has become an American institution, Secretary of Labor Perkins, in her annual report made public yester- day, declared that its new status places upon organized labor the re- spensibility to “avoid excessive ac- tion, and to regard the rights of others, whether in agreement or not, eonsiderately and punctiliously.” If they lose the confidence of the public by failing to carry out their responsibilities, trade unions will face Government regulation, she warned. Practices specifically cited by Secretary Perkins as contrary to “the public interest” included ex- cessive methods of picketing and | demonstration, stoppage of work due | to jurisdictional disputes, and boy- cotting of goods produced by other labor unions. Cites Legal Protection. “The weli informed know that these practices have arisen and es- tablished themselves during a period when trade unionism was almost an underground movement, certainly frowned upon by many employers, and fighting for existence,” she said. “Whether such practices were ever necessary is not now under consid- eration, but the public believes that trade unions which have legal pro- tection under the National Labor Relations Board should be quick to abandon methods and practices which lack restraint and due regard for public opinion. The establish- ment of the committees, boards and | tribunals before which real griev- ances can be effectively and realis- tically presented has to a very large extent modified any need for these very excessive practices, and the la- bor movement should be quick to assist all of its members in abandon- ing such practices.” Standards Are Demanded. Like banks, insurance companies, stock exchanges and other Ameri- can institutions, trade unions will be kept constantly under “social surveillance,” Secretary Perkins as- serted. The public demands of la- bor organizations certain standards, among the most important of which are the exercise of “the utmost or- der and exemplary procedure in handling other people’s money,” she | said. “With the trade union basic right protected by statute, surely no | moneys need be expended except | as authorized by the membership and for purposes which can be stated in a public accounting with- out embarrassment.” “The public expects,” the Secre- tary continued “that all labor or- ganizations, like other freg associa- tions, will be conducted sccording to reasonably democratic rules and constitutions, operated in a sensible, parliamentary way by and for the membership generally. Choosing of Officers. “The public expects the officers | of trade unions to be chosen by the membership in the fairest and most | open way. For the most part, the | public believes that those unions | have been wise who have by their own bylaws required American citi- zenship for all officers. “When & trade union signs a col- lective agreement with an employer, the public expects that the letter and spirit of such a contract will be observed by both parties, even though it turns out to be a poor bargain for one or the other, and this expectation includes the loy- alty and good faith of private mem- bers and their sense of unity in accepting the decisions of elected officers, or a majority of members. “The practice of closed member- | ship and high dues, combined with | the closed shop. have heen effective | in securing verv high wages for particular groups. but the public asks today that some of these prac- tices be restudied by the trade union movement.” | ‘Three Saving Steps. Following the inauguration of the defense program in mid-1940, the Labor Department took three steps | that saved “the industries of the country and the whole war effort months of time,” Secretary Perkins declared. These were, first, the ex- pansion of apprentice training, to overcome the shortage of skilled workers in certain industries; sec- ond, a campaign to reduce the toll of accidents and occupational dis- eases in industry, and third, the development of standards designed to secure a more effective use of women in defense plants. The propartion of time lost; through strikes to time worked in all industry in the United States | amounted to 0.11 per cent in July, 1940. and dropped to .08 per cent in December of that year, Secretary Perkins reported. The greatest time loss during the fiscal year was in April, 1941, when the proportion reached 1.18 per cent. During the first six months of 1941, lost time in important defense industries ranged from 03 to 0.7 per cent. | | The Labor Department now is STORM WINDOWS Investigate the NEW RUSCO All-Metal " INTERCHANGEABLE STORM WINDOW, . BLACKOUT and Screen Combination SAVES UP 03 0% on Your Fuel Bill wnd gives many other advantages 51 Controls steam and frosting of inner dow res freedom from noying drafts and spots at the window. 5. Cool CONVENIENT TERMS RUSCO PRODUCTS CO., Inc. 8511 Colesville Rd. shade make rooms cooler in summer. THE SUNDAY STAR, WASHINGTON, .D. C, Need for Co-ordination of Political Warfare With Military Factor Shown by Rio Parley By MAJ. GEORGE FIELDING ELIOT. Both in Berlin and Tokio the re- lation between the military and political factors in modern war is very thoroughly understood. The latest evidence of this fact is the nature of the efforts being made by the Axis powers as the Pan-Amer- ican conference at Rio De Janeiro gets under way. ‘We hope to get a great deal from that conference. Particularly do we hope to induce all the South American nations to sever diplo- matic and economic relations with Qur enemies. By expelling the Axis embassies, legations and consulates, the focal points of Axis propaganda and sub- versive activity would be removed, and the direct flow of orders, in- formation and funds cut off. By the severance of all economic relation- ships, Axis firms would be driven out of business and prevented from engaging in activities hostile to our cause. - In addition, Germany and Japan | would be deprived of even such small | trickle of essential supplies as they now manage to get from South American sources. South Americah Naval Aid. It is very likely that the peopled| of South America would, on the whole, like to go along with this program. Many would go farther and join the Central American and Caribbean nations in a declaration of war. The aid of South American navies in the convoying of merchant ship- ping—especially in the South At- lantic—might prove very valuable to us. But the political leaders, especially of the larger South American na- tions—the only ones with any naval | strength to speak of—seem very likely to be guided by just one basic calculation: Are we sure to win this war? As long as they entertain any doubts on that subjeci, as long as there seems to them the least pos- sibility of an Axis victory, they are going to trim the sails of their respective ships of state accordingly. Axis Hard at Work With Subs. Understanding this quite well, the Axis is hard at work to convince them that even the intervention of the United States cannot assfre an | Allied victory; indeed, that the United States cannot so much as protect South America from Axis attack, should the South Americans | be so unreasonable as to invite attack. | It is beyond coincidence that the first appearance of a hostile sub- marine in our Atlantic coastwise shipping lanes was on the first day | of the Pan-American Conference. | Other such attacks may be expected, | and all will certainly be played up to the full by the Axis propaganda agencies in South America. This is a case where the military value of keeping quiet as to the| fate of enemy U-boats ought to be | weighed against the prommd.I value of promptly announcing thel.r[ destruction, if and when such de- struction takes place. | It may also be anticipated that| the Japanese may attempt some| spectacular move in the mid-Pacific, | against Samoa or the Fijis. or per- haps as far east as the Marquesas or Society Islands, to alarm the South Americans as to the safety | of their west coast. | It is not very likely that any such operations could have permanent effect; but the Axis is willing to| run considerable military risks for | the sake of political advantage. The | political advantage to be g-lned’ from a defeat of our policies as the | Rio conference would be great enough to warrant a military risk of no mean proportion. Steps Allies Could Take. Of course, the converse of this proposition is that we, too, should | understand the direct connection be- | tween the military and political elements in modern war. One of the reasons why we were taken by surprise in the Pacific is the fact that we were conducting a political | offensive against a well-armed and desperate adversary without being prepared to back it up by a military offensive if necessary, or even with- out fully realizing that it might be replied to by sudden military action. If now we were able to offset what the Axis is doing—and exploiting hourly by a terrific barrage of propaganda—we might gain sub- stantial military advantage as well as political advantage. Thus, if we found it possible to occupy some of the Atlantic's islands, or together with the British to take measures for the security of French West Africa, denying that area as a stepping stone for an Axis push toward South America, studying labor and other problems the country will face after the war, | Secretary Perkins pointed out. Job | separation insurance, public works, particularly public housing, and the retraining of men and women for peacetime occupations are some of the methods that could be used to curb post-war unemployment, she said. “Inflation will bear harder upon the working people and the poor than any one else,” she warned. 3. Gives you insect tight sereens plus rainproof ventilation in summer. Pay for themseives in a few heating seasons. sun screen 10 to 15% FREE ESTIMATES SHEP. 2224 Silver Spring, Maryland this would undoubtedly have a pro- found effect on the fortunes of our policies at Rio. Similar action in the Pacific in the vicinity of the Vichy-controlled Marquesas Islands also would be useful, in less degree. Might Alter Military Decisions. But, of course, unless such opera- tions have long been under way, they are not likely to come suddenly to a head just now. They are men- tioned here only as an indication of the need for long-range planning, in which both the military and po- litical elements of any given situa- tion are to be taken fto account. We could then weigh the risks of military action—with our strictly limited available fighting force—not only in the scales of sound military Jjudgment, but also gain a just com- parison with the political advan- tages which might be reaped. In some cases this would tend to alter the decisions which might be reached on military considerations alone. Having taken one tremendous step forward in the creation of a one-man production and procure- ment authority for the diriection of our huge industrial effort, we might now well consider the co-ordination of our military effort both with production and with policy. Need for Co-ordination. ‘We are going to have the weapons but until we have determined how Conservation of Paper Every citizen is called upon to see that not a pound of paper is wasted. Demand from every clerk that any unnecessary wrapping of packages or un- necessary use of paper bags be dispepsed with. Waste paper for paperboard is vital to the packaging of a great quantity of war equip- ment, Do not burn newspapers, but, when you have saved enough for a bundle, give them to the school children who are co- operating in the defense pro- gram with the parent-teacher organization in The Star's campaign for reclaiming old newspapers. {we are going to use them, we shall not know what kind of weapons we need and the proportionate quan- tities of each which we shall need at each anticipated stage of the war. For this sort of planning we still lack the necessary co-ordinat- ing agencies, both nationally and in the geid of inter-Allied co-operation. It°1s to be hoped—and, indeed, there is some reason to believe— that such agencies are under careful consideration and that we may soon see them develop into actual being. A grand strategy of production must be co-ordinated with a grand strategy of operations and s grand strategy of national and Allied policy. It is only thus that the war can be shortened and victory at- tained without unnecessary loss, suffering and destruction. ‘There will be enough blood, sweat and tears poured out as the neces- sary price of that victory in any case; the smaller the price we must pay for it, the better use we shall be able to make of it when it is won. (Copyright, 1942, New York Tribune, Ine.) [R. A. F. Flyers Attend Baptismal Rites Royal Air Force aviators formed a guard of honor when John Erland | Sandison was baptized in & Meth- odist Church in Belfast. Two long lines of troops from the forces of the father, Flight Lt. Robert San- dison, were drawn up on either side of the church entrance to receive the infant and his parents when the | ceremony ended. Belgian Bookmarks Show Scorn for Nazis Belgians are thinking every day | of new ways to show disapproval of | | the Nazi invaders. It is now the| fashion for women in Brussels to| carry books with showy bookmarks on which mottoes such as these are boldly displayed: “The Day Will Come”; “He Who Laughs Last Laughs Longest”; “Waiting Does | Not Mean Renunciation”; “Silence Does Not Mean Approval.” You Can’t Buy Better Hard Coal! * CERTIFICATE ANTHRACITE CHESTNUT COAL For nearly 23 years Certificate Anthracite Chestnut Coal has been Washington’s favorite . . . electrically screened, removing all dirt and impurities . . . thor- oug! graded to size . .. heats quickly . . . burns longer . . . saves you money. Sold with a money-back guarantee. Immediate Delivery to City and Suburbs A. P. Weoodson Co. COAL—FUEL OIL—DELCO BURNERS—BLDG. 1313 H St. N.W. > (& I've Marked the Dates MATERIALS for Our Visits to CastelbergOptometrists “Nesi .k our whole family has *resolved to visit CASTELBERG optometrists at reqular intervals during 1942 for a thor- ough examination of their eyes. Good vision is more important now than ever before—and we're taking no chances” CONVENIENT TERMS 1004 F ST. N.W. Air Transport Service Is Formed by Navy Formation of & naval air trans- port service to facilitate transpor- tation of naval personnel and cargo was announced yesterddy by theé Navy Department. Designed not to compete with civil and commercial air services, it will operate directly under the chief of naval operations and will be subject to existing naval regulations. Present plans call for squadrons to be located at Norfolk, Va.; Kansas City, Kans, and Alameda, Calif. It was pointed out that Navy planes always have been used to transport officers and men as well as cargo, but it is expected that this trans- portation will be placed on a more | efficlent basis when it maintains regular schedules. JANUARY 18, 1942. Moving Picture Makers Ask Mexico’s Aid Mexico’s national motion pictures’ union has petitioned President Ca- macho for official help that more and better pictures can be made for the war time markets. The union also has asked establishment of a bank in Mexico City for financing the film industry as it seeks attain- thent of such a goal. Archaeological . . . Collection of 110 specimens—principally of glass from Egrat. Syria and sur- rounding lecalities— FOR SALE On Exhibition st HAUSLER’S 790 17ta Street N.W. AIR RAIDS are by no means a remote possibility. Bombing planes are being built capable of flying across the Atlantic and retum without refueling. Protect your family against this danger—have on air- raid shelter built now to standard specifications of reinforced concrete construction. ARSCCO air-raid shelters comfortably accommodate twelve people. They are equipped with electric lights and drain with facilities for heating. Don't delay, telephone for information now. 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