Owned and Published 
By and For Labor

Lansing Labor News

Official Weekly Newspaper of CIO Labor in Lansing
MAIL ADDRESS: P.O. Box 657, Lansing 3, Mich.

For A Better America-
60,000,000 Jobs

 VOL. 1, No. 32

LANSING, MICHIGAN — OCTOBER 25, 1945

$1.50 PER YEAR — PER COPY, 5c

GENERAL MOTORS PRODUCTION COSTS REVEALED
Public-Be-Damned 
Attitude Marks GM 
Position On Wages

Nader Still 
Wants Debate 
With Carlton

AFL Joins CIO Pickets

NO ANSWER

 DETROIT (LPA)—The complete contempt in which Gen­
eral Motors holds its 350,000 workers was evidenced at the 
very outset of the hearings on the United Auto Workers-CIO 
demand for a 30% pay increase.

At 2:15 p.m. the GM representatives, headed by vice 
president Harry Anderson, came to the negotiating 
room and stalked out when they discovered that news­
papermen were present. They stayed out until 3:30, ap­
parently afraid to have the negotiations reported.

GM’s “the-public-be-damned” attitude was further empha­
sized by Anderson who read a newspaper while the UAW 
brief was presented by Walter Reuther. And finally, the 
GM representatives refused to debate the wage issues, de­
claring that the government will “somehow” settle the dis­
pute.

Here was an astonishing retreat, according to UAW 
spokesmen, from the idea of collective bargaining and an 
implicit suggestion that GM would prefer to trust its in­
terests to some new government agency rather than to direct 
negotiations.

Following the ousting of the newsmen and the conclu­
sion of the first day’s conferences, Reuther held the first of 
what he said would be a series of press conferences after 
each day’s negotiating sessions.

Labor Man Wins

Though he publicly makes 
unfair and often absurd 
charges to criticize or casti­
gate labor for demanding a 
standard of living at least as 
good as before the war, C. C. 
Carlton, president of Motor 
Wheel, apparently does not 
care to take a chance on hav­
ing those charges answered 
on the same platform.

At the time of going to 
press Wednesday he had not 
accepted a public challenge to 
a debate issued by George 
Nader, Intl. UAW-CIO rep­
resentative in Lansing. The 
challenge was published in 
last week’s Labor News and 
Nader said it was brought to 
Mr. Carlton’s attention im­
mediately but that so far he 
had not heard from the gen­
tleman about the matter.

“I'll meet him publicly 
anytime, on any platform 
anywhere and prove that, 
contrary to statements ac­
credited to him, labor is 
taking step to assure a de­
cent post-war living stand­
ard, is not trying to get 
control of industry or turn 
the country over to com­
munists. Furthermore I 
defy him to prove that the 
auto industry cannot pro­
vide a pre-war living stand­
ard or better without rais­
ing prices. I hope he ac­
cepts my challenge, but I 
doubt if he will because he 
has access to the same 
background facts and he 
knows very well that labor 
is abolutely right in their 
reasonable wage demands.”

GM Sends 
Labor News 
A Statement 
The Detroit offices of Gen­
eral Motors sent the Labor 
News a press release late last 
week in response to a tele­
gram the paper had sent C. 
E. Wilson, G. M. president, 
asking about reports that the 
corporation would not permit 
the strike vote in the plants 
or furnish lists of employees 
eligible to vote.

It contained the statement 
of Hl W. Anderson, vice-pres­
ident in charge of personnel, 
which had appeared in daily 
papers the day before the La­
bor News received it.

Anderson had said senior­
ity lists would be furnished 
and that notices would be 
Posted in the plants but that 
the vote would not be per­
mitted on GM property.

Following is the quoted 
statement in full, which we 
are printing as promised — 
even though it was not re­
vived in time to be news:

“The question at issue in 
this vote is one which affects 
the entire future economy of 
the nation, many phases of 
which are as yet undetermin- 
ed. It is apparent, therefore, 
that the problems involved 
cannot be settled by the strike 
vote in General Motors, what- 
ever the result. While the 
union involved has the power 
by coercion to close our plants 
and those of our suppliers, 
with or without approval of 
he majority of the workmen, 
it will be regrettable if a 
strike occurs and the basic 
issues of the strike are learn- 
M by employes only after 
such a strike occurs.

“The War Labor Disputes 
Act under which this vote is 
being taken, does not compel, 
request or even suggest that 
employers be made a party to 
such strike votes. While we 
appreciate the problems fac-
ing the NLRB in conducting 
an election of such magnitude 
and are willing to cooperate in 
any way consistent with our 
Position, we know of no rea­
son why we should stand any 
Part of the expense of this
See GM SAYS, Page 3

Kelsey-Hayes  
Inviting More 
Strike Trouble

DETROIT (LPA) — The 
most deadly strike in the CIO 
since the war with Japan 
ended isn’t over by any 
means. True, the Kelsey- 
Hayes 4,000 employes have 
been back to work for over 
two weeks now, but manage­
ment doesn’t seem to want to 
let well enough alone.

Contract negotiations be­
tween the United Auto Work- 
ers-CIO and the Kelsey- 
Hayes Wheel Co. have broken 
down on the issue of work­
ers’ representation within 
the plants in the interim pe­
riod, and Percy Llewellyn, 
administrator of the Kelsey- 
Hayes Unit of Local 174, is 
preparing to file a charge of 
unfair labor practices under 
the Wagner Act against the 
company end to ask for a 
Smith-Connally strike vote.

SUPPORT THE
COMMUNITY WAR FUND

Halloween Dance
Saturday Hight

Looking for a good time, 
folks ? Better get your tic­
ket for the Halloween dance 
to be held Saturday night, 
October 27, at the CIO 
Hall, 109 E. South Street.

Prizes will be awarded 
for the best costumes. 
There will be modern and 
old time dancing from 9 
to 1.

—Federated Pictures
Raymond S. McKeough des­
pite strong opposition had his 
nomination to the U. S. Mari­
time Commission by Pres. 
Truman confirmed by the 
Senate. He is a former mid­
west director of CIO-PAC.

Urges Prices 
Held Down

WASHINGTON (FP) — A 
plea for OPA to hold down 
prices now “as the crucial test 
emerges with powerful forces 
pressing for its abandon­
ment,” was issued Oct. 18 by 
18 consumer organizations.

The plea was delivered to 
Reconversion Director John 
W. Snyder and declared sup­
port for rent control, and in­
sisted that distributors absorb 
increased costs where it does 
not impair prewar levels of 
profit. The group also asked 
reinactment of the second 
war powers act to keep con­
trol over allocations, rationing 
and production without crip­
pling amendments.

Among the 18 signing or­
ganizations were the Ameri­
can Assn. of University Wo­
men, Auxiliaries of Railroad 
Labor Organizations, Consum­
ers Union, General Federation 
of Women’s Clubs, League of 
Women Shoppers, Natl. Wo­
mens Trade Union League, 
Congress of Women’s Auxil­
iaries (CIO) and the Natl. 
Congress of Parents and 
 Teachers.

Without a doubt the best backed strike in North America 
today is the strike in Windsor, Ontario. The United Auto 
Workers-CIO, Ford Local 200, has been on strike for more 
than eight weeks and the Ford Motor Co., of Canada, has 
shown little inclination to negotiate the grievances of 11,000 
UAW employes. The entire community, including Mayor 
Arthur Reaume, is pledged to aid the strikers. But the CIO 
strikers were happily surprised when AFL Typographical 
Union members from across the river in Detroit joined them 
on the picket line. It was raining but the spirits of both 
AFL and CIO picketers hit a new high. (LPA)

ARMS RACE AGAIN?

Truman Reported Against 
World Government Plan

EDITORS NOTE:
Here is an astounding, almost unbelievable story. 
While the common people of nearly all the world look 
hopefully — and pathetically — toward powerful 
America for leadership toward a world organiztion 
that could maintain peace, the elected head of this 
nation is reported as saying such a thing is impossible 
and that again the race for super-armaments is on. Per­
haps the chance for a sincere world organization lays 
only within the ranks of labor, which recently sent re­
presentatives from many countries to Paris to form the 
World Federation of Trade Unions. This story about 
President Truman’s statements was not of course pre­
pared by him for the press, but its source is reliable and 
authentic and its contents are of the utmost concern to 
the people of America — and the world.
By TRAVIS K. HEDRICK
Federated Press

A recent visitor to the White House has related an account 
of a conference with Pres. Harry S. Truman that will make 
believers in world peace wonder a little what all the shooting 
has been about.

The visitor must remain anonymous, of course, but Fed­
erated Press has a typed account of the conversation and 
knows that the individual is not given to exaggeration. His 
appointment was made by a U. S. Senator.

It was recalled early in the conversation with Truman that 
his message to Congress Oct. 3 stated that civilization’s 
hope rested in international arrangements looks to the re­
nunciation of the use and de-
velopment of the atomic bomb 
and that “the alternative to 
overcoming these difficulties, 
however, may be a desperate 
armament race which might 
well end in disaster.”

Frankensteen 
Victory Seen

Can’t Beat U.S.

The White House visitor 
said scientists agreed that the 
U. S. could not long keep the 
secret of the bomb, and Tru­
man admitted that it was true 
that other nations could de­
velop it but that they could 
not match the U. S. in indus­
trial capacity; that only the 
U. S. has the physical resourc­
es and the organizational skill 
to develop it. He recalled that 
the bomb cost this country $2 
billion.

Next the visitor laid out a 
copy of the Washington Post 
of Oct. 9, with the headline: 
“U. S. To Keep Bomb Secret, 
Truman Says.” Then, the doc­
ument goes on to say “I call­
ed his (Truman’s) attention 
to the statement by Dr. Irving 
Langmuir on the front page 
See TRUMAN, Page 3

DETROIT (FP) — Vice 
Pres. Richard T. Franken­
steen of the United Auto 
Workers (CIO) will be elected 
mayor of Detroit Nov. 6 on 
the basis of present indica­
tions, political dopesters de­
clare. First symptom is the 
all-time record high in regis­
tration of voters in municipal 
campaigns. When registra­
tion closed Oct. 17 it had 
reached 802,761. Highest pre­
vious registration for a city 
election was 700,802 in 1941.
A r e c o rd registration 

means a record labor vote.

DUBINSKY BACK
CINCINNATI (LPA) — 
David Dubinsky, president of 
the Int’l Ladies Garment 
Workers Union, was re-elect­
ed to the AFL executive coun­
cil at its quarterly meeting 
here.

30 Percent Increase, 
Lower Car Prices With 
More Profits Possible
Vandenburg
Fired From
Time Dept.

The actual figures on how General Motors can grant a 30 
percent wage increase, cut 1946 car prices and still effect a 
big increase in profits were made public Wednesday by 
Walter Reuther, UAW-CIO vice-president.

Asks Three-Way Split

Five days after timekeep­
ers at Oldsmobile voted at an 
NLRB election to be repre­
sented by the UAW-CIO, V. 
E. Vandenburg, who helped 
organize them,-was fired from 
the department. He is editor 
of the Lansing Labor News, 
which lately has been critical 
of General Motors’ defiance of 
the NLRB and the union.

When he asked what inci­
dent brought this action, he 
was told by the general sup­
ervisor of the time depart­
ment that there was no spe­
cific incident but that his at­
tendance record was bad and 
that he lacked interest in his 
work. Realizing his health 
was causing him to lose some 
time, Vandenburg had re­
quested a 30-day leave of ab­
sence but was refused.

Though he was released 
from the time department 
last week Wednesday, Van­
denburg still didn’t know a 
week later whether he was on 
or off the payroll. He hadn’t 
been asked to report for work

Vandenburg Is 
Made Chairman

If Oldsmobile sought to 
remove V. E. Vandenburg 
from the timekeeping de­
partment before he could 
be elected to a union of­
fice they 'will be disap­
pointed to learn that time­
keepers attending the two 
meetings last week Thurs­
day unanimously chose him 
for chairman of the five- 
member committee that 
will officiate for the group.
An election was sched­
uled for this week Thurs­
day for those nominated 
for the other four positions 
on the committee.

and hadn’t received an offic­
ial notice of his termination.

Intl. Rep. Lyle “Rocky” 
Stone called it one of the most 
flagrant acts of discrimina­
tion he had even seen for un­
ion activities and sent a reg­
istered letter to William Ma­
honey, personnel director, re­
questing a meeting between 
company representatives, 
members of Olds Local 652 
top committee, Vandenburg 
and himself to discuss the 
matter.

At the time this edition 
went to press Wednesday no 
answer had been received.

“This case will be car­
ried just as far a necessary 
to bring justice and to es­
tablish the rights of any 
or all Oldsmobile office 
employees to organize and 
be represented by a union 
without jeopardizing their 
jobs,” said Stone. “This is 
not a privilege granted by 
the company as it sees fit, 
but is a fundamental Amer­
ican freedom guaranteed 
by federal law”

These figures were set forth in Part II, Section 2, of the 
Union’s economic brief, presented in Wednesday’s negotia­
tions with the corporation in Detroit. Reuther proposes that 
the corporation, public and workers all benefit from increas­
ed production, rather than just the corporation alone, which 
would lead only to anther depression and economic chaos.
“Increase of output over 1941 by 50 percent( corpor­
ation estimates 72 percent) will increase profits by a 
minimum of 50 percent, to a total (in 1946) of $648 
million” the Brief continues. This figure allows for 
10 percent in material costs and 30 PERCENT IN 
WAGE INCREASES. Profits after taxes would come 
to $393 millions.

$210 Million Profits Left Over

From that amount, the Union deducts $183 millions, the 
average annual GM profit after taxes for the 1936-39 period, 
leaving $210 millions to be split between additional profits 
for stockholders and a reduction in car prices. Added to the 
$183 million already set aside, stockholders would receive a 
total of $288 million, compared to the highest previous pro­
fit of $276 million in 1928 and to an average of $177 million 
over the last ten years.

"The $105 million allotted for reducation of prices to 
consumers would be available for that purpose on a pre-tax 
basis, since GM income taxes would be reduced by such 
action. On a pre-tax basis the $105 million is equivalent to 
$164 million,” the Brief states.

Could Cut Chevrolets 13%

“Assuming,” it continues, “that postwar sales will be 50 
percent greater than the best pre-war year, and that Chev­
rolet passenger cars account for 40 to 50 percent of GM 
total sales, the $164 million available for price reduction 
would permit a cut of 12 to 13 1/2 percent from the 1942 
price of Chevrolets.

“This would cut approximately $100 from the $800 price 

of Chevrolets in 1942, f.o.b. Detroit.”

The Brief then states that if the 30 percent increase 
were applied to salaries, as well as wages, net profits would 
amount to $218 million and Chevrolet prices could be re­
duced approximately $65. A profit of $218 million is well 
above the last ten-year average, having been exceeded only 
in 1927, 1928, 1929 and 1936.

Hits “Alice in Wonderland" Nonsense

“This is not an 'Alice n Wonderland' theory, as an 
anonymous GM spokeman said in trying to brush off 
the proposal for a three-way split of profits," the 
Brief says. “Rather, it is a glimpse of our industrial 
system's great potentialities for workers, consumers 
and investors.

“This is the U.S.A. in the year 1945 and the outcome 
of these negotiations with the nation's greatest corpor­
ation can mean a major defeat or victory here at home 
in the final winning of the People's Peace and the Four 
Freedoms, including Freedom from want and fear, for 
which the war was fought and won.”

Army Against Unions 
In Occupied Germany

WASHINGTON (LPA) — 
The very movement that is 
most staunchly anti-Nazi is 
receiving very little encour­
agement from American Mili­
tary Government authorities 
in Germany, charges the AFL 
publication Labor’s Monthly 
Survey in its current issue.

“Before Hitler,” the AFL 
statement points out, “the 
labor movement was one of 
Germany’s strongest demo­
cratic forces. Hitler did all in 
his power to destroy it. To­
day German unionists can 
take leadership in rebuilding 
democracy.

Despite the renewal of ac­
tivity by German unionists, 
the Survey goes on, “very 
often the American Military 
Government has refused to 
authorize union organization 
or to heed the suggestions of

these union anti-Nazi com­
mittees . . . This policy has 
stifled the rebirth of democ­
racy and prevented the elimi- 
lation of Nazis.”

UNION FOREMEN
DETROIT (FP) — The 
Foreman’s Assn. of America 
(unaffiliated) will hold its 
fourth annual convention in 
Detroit Dec. 8, representing 
over 40,000 members in 270 
chapters throughout the 
country.

No Cases Wanted

WASHINGTON (FP) — 
The Natl. War Labor Board 
announced that it would ac­
cept no new cases or appeals 
in order to wind up its work 
by Jan. 1.

Discrimination

WASHINGTON (FP) — 
Refusal of the Daughters of 
the American Revolution to 
let Hazel Scott, Negro pianist, 
perform in Constitution Hall 
brought a slap from Pres. 
Truman recalling that the 
fascists of Nazi Germany 
used racial discrimination as 
one of the first steps before 
throttling democracy.

Economic Crisis

WASHINGTON (FP) — 
Only immediate and substan­
tial wage increases can revive 
the shrinking purchasing 
power of the U. S. and main­
tain the security and pros­
perity if the average Ameri­
can family, CIO Pres. Philip 
Murray said in a nationwide 
radio broadcast.

World War II were picketing 
the Daily News office, arous­
ed by its consistently fascist 
editorial policies.

SUPPORT THE 
COMMUNITY WAR FUND

Ford Workers In Canada On Strike

Marching through the streets of Windsor, Ontario, members of UAW-CIO Local 200 form picket 
lines around Ford plants. Strike action, involving 10,000 workers, followed stalling of their wage 
demands.

—Federated Pictures

Admits Writing 
Lies In Column

NEW YORK (FP) — John 
O’Donnell, N. Y. Daily News 
columnist who was awarded 
a Nazi iron cross by Pres. 
Roosevelt for “services to the

company’s income during the 
Army’s occupation. Avery 
told the War Dept he would 
be willing to pay only $719,- 
320 of this debt.

Meanwhile in Washington 
the Justice Dep’t asked the 
Supreme Court to dismiss an 
Avery appeal which sought 
to rule the government seiz­
ures illegal. Union and gov­
ernment officials reached one 
definite conclusion, however; 
the period of government 
seizure, was only a lull in the 
storm that is already starting 
to blow full blast from 
Avery’s direction.

axis,” confessed in his column 
Oct. 19 that the “facts” on 
which he based a recent Jew- 
baiting attack were “untrue.”
O’Donnell’s Oct. 3 column 
had attributed removal of 
Gen. George S. Patton jr. 
from the military administra­
tion of Bavaria to the influ­
ence of four persons: Sec. of 
Treas. Henry Morgenthau jr., 
Supreme Court Justice Felix 
Frankfurter, CIO-PAC 
Chairman Sidney Hillman, 
and David K. Niles, adminis­
trative assistant to Pres. 
Roosevelt.

In the language of native 
fascists such as Gerald L. K. 
Smith and the Rev. Charles 
Coughlin, O’Donnell had re­
marked that “Christian Amer­
icans” would find it difficult 
to recognize the names with 
which some of the four had 
been christened. They “got” 
Patton because he slapped a 
Jewish soldier, the fascist

columnist said, and because 
Patton referred to the 
soldier’s Jewish ancestry.

Admitting he had not 
checked the story thoroughly 
before printing it, O’Donnell 
said on Oct. 19 he had dis­
covered the soldier involved 
was of German descent, a 
member of a protestant 
church, and that three of the 
four public officials he had 
named categorically denied 
his false charges. The fourth 
was Justice Frankfurter, 
whose judicial position re­
strained him from comment­
ing.

“On the evidence, our 
statements in Capital Stuff 
were untrue,” O'Donnell 
admitted. “We regret hav­
ing made them” It was the 
first time he had ever 
apologized for a falsehood 
in his column.
As the paper appeared with 
his retraction, veterans of

Avery Defies 
Government

CHICAGO (LPA) — The 
fight is on again between the 
nation’s Number-1 labor bait­
er, Sewell Avery, and organ­
ized labor.

The only question now is 
whether President Truman 
will tolerate more defiance 
by Avery of the U. S. govern­
ment.

Montgomery Ward proper­
ties here and in six other cit­
ies were returned to Avery’s 
control after 10 months op­
eration by the War Dep’t. 
They were seized by order of 
President Roosevelt after 
Avery refused to comply with 
a War Labor Board order 
which called for wage in­
creases, union recognition 
and maintenance of member­
ship.

Renewed war broke out 
when Montgomery Ward an­
nounced it would immediate­
ly stop maintenance of mem­
bership and dues checkoff 
which were instituted during 
Army operation. Avery now 
wants to argue in the courts 
that the Army’s action was 
illegal.

On the CIO side, Irving 
Abramson, director of the 
CIO Montgomery Ward Or­
ganizing Committee, charged 
that it was “a gross miscar­
riage of justice” for the gov­
ernment to turn back the 
properties to Avery without 
forcing the company to pay 
more than $1,000,000 due in 
back wages.

“The government is in de­
fault of its own directives,” 
according to Abramson. 
President Roosevelt’s seizure 
order on Dec. 27, 1944, called 
for retroactive pay to war 
workers in four cities. Abram­
son said that Wards’ net pro­
fits totalled $18,816,102 dur­
ing the first six months of 
this year while the properties 
were being operated by the 
Army.

Headaches grew for Avery 
as the War Dep’t filed a 
claim for $1,200,000 expenses 
which were not met by the

LANSING LABOR NEWS, INC.
MAIL ADDRESS: P. O. Box 657, Lansing 3, Mich.
OFFICE: 109 E. South St. — Phone 2-9621

Entered as second-class matter April 13, 1945, at the post office at Lansing, 
Michigan, under the Act of March 3, 1879.

A non-profit newspaper dedicated to the interests or the commun­
ity and to the interests of labor here and everywhere. Published 
every Thursday at the Lansing CIO Council headquarters by the fol­
lowing incorporated body, representing local voting to participate.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS
PRESIDENT—Ernest Miller (Reo 650). VICE-PRES.—Maurice McNaughton 
Fisher (602). SEC.-TREAS.—Kenneth McCreedy (CIO Council). TRUSTEES— 
George Jakeway (Fisher 602). MEMBERS—Robert Richardson (Olds 652), Earl 
Watson, Charles O’Brien (Reo 650), Maurice Mac Naughton (Fisher 602), V. E. 
Vandenburg (CIO Council), Peter Fagan, Adrian Jensen (Olofsson 728), Arthur 
Chappell, Woodrow Brennen (Dairy 93), James W. Roberts, Dean Reed (SCMWA 
276); Louis Newmark (SCMWA 406): Earl McClure, Melvina Stevens (Hill 
Diesel 646). ASSOCIATE MEMBERS—Mrs. Robert Atkinson (Olds Aux.), Mrs 
Harold Wilson (Olds Aux.), Mrs. William McCurdy (Fisher Aux.), Mrs. J. B. 
Eno (Fisher Aux.), Mrs. Evelyn Moss, Mrs. Etta Kenyon (Local 93 Aux.).

EDITOR — V. E. VANDENBURG

SUBSCRIPTIONS — Included in the dues of participating locals. In­
dividual subscription, $1.50 per year by mail.

CONTRIBUTIONS—Should be typed double-spaced on one side of paper 
and signed with author’s name, phone and address. Name will not be used 
if requested. Notes on news not written up but containing complete names 
and all the facts are acceptable too. Mail all contributions to Lansing Labor 
News, P. O. Box 657, Lansing 3, Mich.

DANGER SIGNALS AHEAD

Fascist Minded Americans 
Planning A New Party

By H. DEAN REED 
Lansing PAC Director

Many people do not know it, in fact very few, but there 
is,in the offing the formation of a new “Nationalists Party.”
One of the two main leaders in the formation of this party 
is former Senator Robert R. Reynolds who is seeking to weld 
the discontented groups of the country into an organization 
which he hopes will become a dominant force in American 
politics, and who will make a bid for Congressional seats in 
the elections of 1946. Not only that but he hopes to have 
enough strength by 1948 to influence the next Presidential 
election. 
 The other important leader in the movement is that rabble- 
rouser, Gerald L. K. Smith, founder of the America First 
Party. Very little has to be written about Smith. Most of 
you know his activities. You know what happened to him 
in California; you know about the Detroit affair where he 
spoke to 2,000 people while eight thousand people picketed 
the place, many of the CIO members. I understand he is 
to speak in Lansing before long.

There are many other leaders in this organization of which 

I will write about in another article later.

Glorifes Hatred and Dictatorship

It might be well to mention that this party is being formed 
on a platform or program of racial hatred exploitation of 
labor strife and the glorification of dictatorship.

The danger of fascism is facing the United States today 
also. In a former article in this paper “Facts about Fascism” 
I explained in detail the dangers. I whote, and I quote “that 
the strength of Fascism rests upon, and is directly propor­
tional to the strength of the privileged classes of the world” 
. . . The Fascists oppose any change in the world order which 
would make the world more democratic.”
Fascist Minded People

The leading Fascist organization in the country is the Na­
tional Association of Manufacturers. Second is the group 
of chain publishers, Hearst, Patterson and McCormick. Oth­
ers who are Fascist minded are Rev. Gerald L. K. Smith, 
Father Coughlin, elements of the Christian Front, Ku-Klux- 
Klan, Senator Tom Connally, The Texas poll taxer of anti­
labor bill fame, Representative Rankin, Mississippi, Sena­
tor Bilbo, Representative Hoffman of Michigan and others 
too numerous to mention.

intolerance too, is one of our greatest dangers. Here is 
what Franklin D. Roosevelt said in one of his speeches 
about intolerance:

“Religious intolerance, social intolerance, and pol­
itical intolerance have no place in our American life — 
the kind of world which we, the peace loving nations 
must achieve, must depend essentially on friendly hu­
man relations, on acquaintance, on tolerance, on unas­
sailable sincerity and good will and good faith”

Let’s take the race riots—especially in Detroit. Intoler­
ance in my opinion had a direct bearing on the trouble. It 
probably wasn’t the direct cause of the riots but if the peo­
ples of Detroit had a regard for the opinions and practices 
of others I think possibly the riots may have been prevented.

Coming Elections Important

I have named what I think are three of our main dangers. 
I believe sincerely that we will overcome these dangers, but 
not before we have undergone some real hardships.

The next few months, the elections of 1946 and the elec­
tions of 1948 are going to tell the destiny of this nation, not 
only this nation but perhaps the whole world.

‘The busines of running America—or the whole world 
should be in the hands ,of government, not with the same 
Readers as now in most countries, but with new ones chosen 
by the people as they rebel against old style politics and re­
ject the diplomacy which has kept them fighting continually 
for supremacy or survival in world trade.
 This older leadership seeking to run all nations for big 
profits may have started this war, but it’s the people of 
the world who will fight for the peace, and they may be 
counted on to establish it in the years to come by taking over 
the management of all natural and human resources for their 
common security.

RENT CONTROL
WASHINGTON (FP) — 
OPA Administrator Chester 
Bowles has flatly refused to 
drop rent controls on homes 
renting for $75 or more a 
month as he was urged to do 
by the Natl. Assn, of Real 
Estate Boards. Faced with a 
widespread campaign among

real estate leaders to lift con­
trols, Bowles called the plan 
“fantastic” adding that “the 
proposal is obviously discrim­
inatory and is one more at­
tempt on the part of some 
leaders of the NAREB to 
break down the rent control 
structure and bring on infla­
tion.”

SUPPORT THE 
COMMUNITY WAR FUND

Radio Music 
Case Goes To 
War Labor Bd.

ATLANTA, Ga. (FP) — A 
test case on whether a radio 
station must employ local 
musicians to compensate for 
technological unemployment 
was submitted to the Natl. 
War Labor Board by the 
fourth regional WLB here.

Regional WLB Chairman 
M. T. Van Hecke said the dis­
pute, involving Station WDOD 
at Chattanooga, Tenn., and 
the American Federation of 
Musicians (AFL), presented 
an issue which should be de­
termined on a nationwide bas­
is, since the decision would 
eventually affect the major 
network broadcasting com­
panies and their several hun­
dred affiliated stations.

The dispute arose when 
WDOD’s contract with the 
union expired and seven staff 
musicians were laid off. The 
union asked the WLB to or­
der extension of the contract 
pending further negotiations 
and order the station to main­
tain its full staff.

AFM Counsel Joseph Pad­
way told the board during a 
public hearing that the musi­
cians would put themselves 
out of business in all local 
radio stations of the nation if 
they permitted a very small 
number of musicians to play 
over the networks to more 
than 700 radio stations of the 
country without demanding 
that each local station employ 
staff bands. Padway said:

“The musicians union is 
the only craft known which 
manufactures the product 
Which puts itself out of busi­
ness. This is suicide and we 
contend we have the right to 
quit committing suicide. The 
only way to prevent putting 
ourselves out of buiness is 
either by collective bargain­
ing, to keep our men employ­
ed on radio station staffs, or 
to refuse to play network pro-

TRUMAN

(Continued from Page 1)
alongside of the President’s 
statement that “Russia is 
headed to surpass the U. S. 
in the development of the 
atomic bomb. And that we 
have probably 10 years in 
which we might possibly keep 
ahead of Russia.”

Arms Peace Is On
“The President nodded, in­
dicating that he was famil­
iar with that statement. I 
said, 'Then, Mr. President, 
what it amounts to then is 
this: that the armament race 
is on, is that right ?’ His reply 
was 'yes’ but he added that 
we would stay ahead.”

After drawing from Tru­
man the statement that he 
relied on the advice of Dr. 
Vannovar Bush, who directed 
the work on the bomb in the 
Office of Scientific Research 
& Development from the end 
of 1941, the conversation 
changed to world government. 
The following is taken from 
the visitor’s manuscript of 
the conference.

World Government
“The President then pro­
ceeded to state that world 
government was only a theo­
ry; that this nation was one 
of the few in which individ­
uals enjoyed any freedom. I 
believe that he said that pos­
sibly in Great Britain and Bel­
gium and France before the 
war, I am not quite sure about 
the other countries he men­
tioned.

“He then proceeded to re­
fer to the vast population of 
India, I have forgotten the 
figure he mentioned, and to 
the 400 million Chinese who 
are incapable, he said of dis­
charging the responsibility 
world government would en­
tail.

“He said that in Russia 
there was no individual free­

by Guildsmen in the circula­
tion department,” the Guild 
Reporter said.

Probably the most heart­
breaking discovery for the 
anti-union publishers was 
that “little effort was made 
to get ads for the first issue, 
but when the first issue ap­
peared, merchants stained 
bringing in copy and inquired 
for rates and space.”

Denied Hall

SAN DIEGO (FP) — Use 
of a city school auditorium as 
a sounding board for Gerald 
L. K. Smith, notorious Amer­
ica First leader, was denied 
by the board of education aft­
er the “Ham and Eggs” Pay­
roll Guarantee Assn. sched­
uled two appearances for 
Smith here.

NEW WEAPON
Union Busting
Papers Busted

WASHINGTON (LPA) — 
The CIO’s Americn News­
paper Guild and the AFL’s 
Typographical Union, when 
they work together, have a 
weapon against union-bust­
ing employers that no other 
unions in the country have. 
Newspaper publishers were 
slowly and reluctantly ab­
sorbing that fact for the sec­
ond time last week.

Steel workers can’t man­
ufacture steel if they’re lock­
er out, nor can miners or auto 
workers turn out coal or ve­
hicles. But CIO newspaper­
men and AFL compositors 
and pressmen can turn out a 
paper that could threaten the 
very existence of a daily that 
refuses to bargain collective­
ly with its employes.

The frightening truth of 
this was first emphasized in 
St. Louis recently when the 
newspaper and printing 
unions were locked out and 
turned out their own daily— 
which was grabbed up from 
the news-stands faster than it 
could be printed.

The second instance occur­
red in Quincy, Mass., last 
week when locked-out Guild 
and locked out Typo mem­
bers of the Patriot Ledger 
got together to publish a new 
paper, the Quincy Journal. 
The anti-union Patriot Ledg­
er, as the result of combined 
AFL-CIO action, ceased pub­
lication on Sept. 28, the first 
time it failed to publish in 108

The AFL-CIO’s new paper, 
The Journal, established its 
city room in a Quincy gym­
nasium. “The ITU is setting 
the paper in. two Boston 
shops, turned over without 
cost, and printing in a third 
Boston shop. Distribution is

GM SAYS

(Continued from Page 1)
vote or why our plants and 
other properties should be 
used for conducting a vote 
which has as its purpose the 
threat of closing—or the ac­
tual closing—of our plants.

“At the request of the 
Board we are furnishing com­
plete seniority lists and lists 
of temporary employes who, 
while not on seniority lists, 
are nevertheless currently 
working in GM plants. These 
lists include some 75,000 em­
ployes who are on military 
leaves of absence as well as 
many thousands of employes 
who have not been working 
during this temporary period 
when our plants are being re­
converted to peacetime pro­
duction.

“We assume that in asking 
for these lists that the NLRB 
considers these employes en­
titled to cast a ballot. We 
agree with that position for 
the reason that while many 
of these employes may not 
now be actively working in a 
GM plant, any strike which 
may result from this vote 
would have a serious effect 
upon the possibility of their 
return to work in a GM plant 
and the date of their return.”

Gerald Smith 
Draws 20,000 
—On Outside

LOS ANGELES (FP) — 
This city witnessed the largest 
picket line in its history Oct. 
17 when nearly 20,000 people 
turned out in a demonstra­
tion against a Gerald L. K. 
Smith meeting.

Four abreast, the demon­
strators marched in front of 
the Polytechnic high school, 
where Smith was giving out 
with his usual anti-Semitic, 
pro-fascist ranting to an 
audience of elderly people 
under the banner of the Ham 
& Eggs pension movement.

Joining in the tremendous 
picket line were leading 
labor, civic, political, Negro, 
Jewish and veterans organi­
zations. Noise of their shout­
ed slogans, songs and boos 
penetrated the high school 
auditorium, obscuring Smith’s 
words.

The demonstration was Los 
Angeles’ second greeting to 
the America First leader, who 
hopes to use California as the 
base for his facist movement. 
His previous visit here a few 
months before was countered 
with a broad anti-Smith mass 
rally whch drew three or four 
times as many people as 
Smith attracted into the big 
Shrine auditorium a few 
blocks away.

dom. At that point I inter­
rupted to state that I had not 
of course been to Russia and 
again know only what I had 
read, but that I had the idea 
that by raising the lot of the 
masses of the people in Rus­
sia, those in the bottom strata 
of society, it resulted in the 
enjoyment of a very large de­
gree of individual freedom in 
Russia.

Only A Theory

“The President said that 
maybe we could get world 
government in a thousand 
years or something like 
that, but that it was noth­
ing more than a theory at 
the present time. I told him 
I did not share that view.

... “I said that in the pro­
duction of the atomic bomb 
there had been compressed 
scientific development that 
normally would have taken 
decades; that this was done 
under the pressure of war, 
great danger and urgency; 
that I felt that if civilization 
is to be saved from disaster 
it will be by the compression 
of political development in a 
comparable period; that some 
how or other we must find the 
way to do this by arousing 
public opinion.

“The President again ex­
pressed the thought that 
world government was out 
of the question.

. . . “Thereupon I again 
thanked the President and 
left. He was alert, smiling and 
gracious. His attitude appear­
ed to be that of a man who 
has made up his mind and 
was serenely confident of the 
correctness of the decision 
which he had made.”

Coal Strike

WASHINGTON (FP) — 
Two days after the govern­
ment failed in its efforts to 
mediate the soft coal strike 
which shut down more than 
1,000 mines, Pres. John L. 
Lewis of the United Mine 
Workers (unaffiliated) ab­
ruptly ended the 24 day old 
stoppage. The strike was call­
ed to win recognition of fore­
men and supervisors organiz­
ed by UMW Dist. 50.

Packinghouse 
Workers Win

CHICAGO (FP) — First 
victory in the United Packing­
house Workers (CIO) wage 
campaign was announced here 
by Pres. Lewis J. Clark, who 
said an agreement had been 
reached with the Geo. A. Hor- 
mel Co. at Austin, Minn.

The pact provides a $7 
weekly increase in the basic 
weekly wage, equivalent to a 
17 1/2 c hourly adjustment. The 
union’s general demand on the 
industry calls for a 25c hour­
ly increase and provides for 
17 1/2 c of this amount to be 
made effective at once and the 
remaining 7^c to be held in 
abeyance until the issue is 
settled on a national level.

WLB Tells Truman Good-Bye

The War Labor Board, storm center of thousands of disputes during the war years, vot­
ed itself out of existence by Dec. 15th. In a farewell visit to President Truman the AFL 
and CIO members reflected on the countless hectic battles that raged around them. Front 
row (1. to r.) are Frank P. Graham (public member), John W. Snyder, director of Office 
of War Mobilization; President Truman; Labor Secretary Lewis Schwellenbach; Lloyd K. 
Garrison (new WLB chairman); Back row (1. to r.) John Leonard, Vincent Ahearn, Ed­
win Witte, Carl Shipley, Nathan P. Feisinger, Neil Brant, George Barrs, Clarence Skinner, 
Lewis M. Gill, Early Cannon, Ray McCall. (LPA)

Labor Seeking 
Radio Stations

WASHINGTON (FP) — 
At least 19 Frequency Modu­
lation radio station applica­
tions have been filed with the 
Federal Communications 
Commission in the past few 
weeks by organized labor or 
liberals friendly to the cause 
of labor.

A check of FCC records 
Oct. 9 showed that in addition 
to the 4 applications filed by 
the Intl. Ladies Garment 
Workers (AFL) for stations 
in New York, Philadelphia, 
Boston and Cattanooga, 
Tenn., that its opposite num­
ber in the men’s garment 
field, the Amalgamated 
Clothing Workers (CIO) has 
4 applications pending.

The ACW, headed by Pres. 
Sidney Hillman, is seeking

stations in Philadelphia, 
Rochester, N. Y., New York 
city and Chicago.

Another CIO union with 
applications on file is the 
United Auto Workers, seek­
ing stations for FM broad­
casting in Chicago, Newark, 
N. J., Flint, Mich., Cleveland, 
O., Los Angeles and Detroit.

One of the most unusual 
applications is from the Hol­
lywood Community Radio 
Group, which is composed of 
AFL and CIO backers at Los 
Angeles.

OVERTIME PAY

WASHINGTON (FP) — 
A proposal by the Carnation 
Co. of Milwaukee, and its sub­
sidiaries to quit overtime pay­
ment to salaried workers was 
denied by the Natl. War 
Labor Board Oct. 9 with in­
dustry members dissenting.

Took A Walk
CHICAGO (FP) — Anti­
labor leaders in the American 
Veterans of World War II 
took such a trubbing in the 
organization’s first national 
convention just concluded 
here that they walked out and 
formed a rump outfit to carry 
on labor-baiting.

Labor Editor Mourned
CLEVELAND (FP) — Or­
ganized labor here mourned 
the death of 80-year-old Max 
S. Hayes, dean of labor edi­
tors.

Big Tax Relief
For Millionaires

WASHINGTON (FP) — 
Under a gag rule engineered 
by its ways and means com­
mittee, the House passed a 
tax relief bill Oct. 12 that cuts 
$45 off the payment of the 
family man earning $2,000 a 
year, and gives relief of $450,- 
000 to persons earning $5 mil­
lion a year.

The vote was 343 to 10, 
with 6 Democrats, 2 Republi­
cans, 1 American Labor Party 
and 1 Progressive in the oppo­
sition, while another group of 
13 voted for it but signed an 
explosive statement charging 
the measure “gives the lions 
share of income tax forgive­
ness to those who do not need 
it.”

It was officially estimated 
that the Doughton tax relief

bill trims federal taxes by 
$5,350 million, of which $1,- 
888 million will be saved cor­
porations and $2,627 million 
to individuals.

SEVERANCE PAY
NEW YORK (FP) — The 
federal government would 
now have $1 billion or more 
for severance pay or unem­
ployment insurance if Pres. 
Roosevelt’s program for a 
$25,000 ceiling on individual 
income had not been ditched 
by the business-lovers in Con­
gress, analysis by Labor 
Research Assn. showed.

TEAMSTERS WIN
DENVER, Colo. (FP)—Six 
hundred teamsters ended 
their 12-day strike Oct. 16 on 
the promise of 17 trucking 
companies to pay wages ac­
cording to a War Labor Board 
directive.

Please, Somebody
Should Tell Him!

WASHINGTON (LPA) — 
One of these days, Sen. Clyde 
Reed (R., Kan.) is going to 
call himself to order and hold 
a meeting of the standing 
Committee on Enrolled Bills, 
the Associated Press reported 
last week. Reed now is the 
only member of the commit­
tee. There are two Democratic 
vacancies.

The Kansan said the com­
mittee hasn’t met for seven 
years.

“What is it supposed to 

do?” he was asked.

“Doggoned if I know,” said 

Reed.

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