Indianapolis Times, Indianapolis, Marion County, 17 July 1942 — Page 14
ROY W. HOWARD RALPH 1 BURKHOLDER MARK FERREE President Editor Business Manager ol (A SCRIPPS-HOWARD NEWSPAPER) ‘Price in Marion Coune ty, 3 cents a copy; delive ered by carrier, 15 cents
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«gp RILEY 5351
Give Light and the People Will Find Their Own Way
FRIDAY, JULY 17, 1942
THE WLB’'S WAGE POLICY : HE war labor board, in ordering a wage increase of 44 cents a day for the 157,000 employees of the little steel companies, has undertaken to lay down a national wagestabilization policy. : In substance, it asserts that workers are entitled to wages 16 per cent higher than they had on Jan. 1, 1941, to compensate for the 15 per cent increase in the cost of living between that. date and May 1, 1942. One immediate reaction, we suspect, will be a sense of public apprehension that this policy may create more problems than it is likely to solve. The four board members appointed as representatives of the public, however, appear confident that they have devised a formula to make effective the wage point in President Roosevelt's seven-point program for preventing further price inflation. Chairman Davis predicts that it will “lead to a ‘terminal’ for the tragic race between wages and prices.” The four industry members, although at first they had opposed any little steel wage increase, concurred in the order, concluding that it provided a “reasonable and justifiable solution.” ~The four representatives of organized labor dissented violently, insisting on the full increase of $1 a day. ® os = ® x5 = THE WLB, though granting less than half of the increase demanded, ordered the companies to accept a main-tenance-of union-membership plan, a checkoff system for collection of union dues, and a guaranteed minimum daily wage in signing what will be their first contract with a national steel union. Obviously, any wage increase to steel labor is inflationary. It adds to the purchasing power of workers already among the highest paid in industry, at a time when the supply of consumer goods is shrinking rapidly. And, unless congress shows more tax courage, the WLB’s suggestion that surplus purchasing power should be drained off through taxation, rather than being regulated by the board, will not have much practical value. We can understand the policy as it may apply to cases of the sort that reach the WLB. War industries generally can charge wage increases to the government, by using money they otherwise would have to pay in taxes—which is what the steel companies will do—or by adding the cost to the prices of munitions. If unions will be satisfied with what the board grants, war industries can pay, and only. the taxpayers will suffer. : : ” o . ” » ®. Sid UT we cannot understand its application to the millions of workers whose wages are not 15 per cent higher than * they were 18 months ago. Are their standards to be repaired? Does this new
policy mean that the-government wants the wages of all |*
Americans raised to 15 per cent above their level of January, 1941? If so, how can that be done, and what will it cost, and how can employers already going broke afford to pay the bill? Or does the policy apply only to war-industry workers represented by strong unions? If so, it seems grossly -unfair to the unorganized. “There must be wage ceilings if the president's program is to succeed. But we still believe that providing them is a task for the president and congress.
HERE'S TO YOU, PROFESSOR =
GIVE a hand to Kay Kyser, the drawling orchestra leader, who this week showed Indianapolis how to work for the
war effort. Kyser had a whole week's shige program here—five shows a day, which is work in anybody’s language. And to those five-a-day performances, he added two giant bond rallies on the Circle. He helped sell a total of something more than $308,000 in bonds. : And then he moved over to the Service Men's Club to give it a rousing send-off with his radio program. » * Thank you, Kay Kyser. It’s more than an example— it’s an inspiration.
CHISELING AT NELSON SX months ago the president concentrated responsibility for the war production program in Donald M. Nelson. Remarkable progress since then has demonstrated the wisdom of the step, just as discouraging results earlier had proved the ineffectiveness of divided responsibility. But now a group of farm senators proposes to start chiseling away Mr. Nelson's authority. They are displeased because his plans for making ‘synthetic rubber call for use of farm products as the basic material for only about one-fourth of the total production. So they are deménding a law to create a new, inde- ; pendent agency with power to commandeer all the critical materials it may consider necessary to make out of farm products. enough synthetic rubber for all military and civilian neegls. Mr. Nelson’s synthetic program is not as large as he
or we would like it to be. It does not contemplate using all
the processes that may have merit. It promises no miracles. If it were possible for it to be planned all over again from the beginning, it might be changed in many respects. But it has been planned. It is under way. It will use all the critical materials that Mr. Nelson and the army and navy believe can safely be diverted from other urgent needs. If the farm bloc wants the war production board headed by a man who will yield to political pressure, someone who will change his plans whenever a powerful group clamors to have 4 néw idea adopted, it should demand that the president fire Mr. Nelson. It would not dare to do that. t should not succeed in its attempt to deprive him of full bility for the synthetic-rubber pregram. Once
that sort of thing would soon have us back where
Mail rates in Indiana, |
— ch Fair Enough By Westbrook Pegler Frise So ol NEW YORK, a 17, ~— Some time ago a Negro boy whom I have known about three years - came to New York with his regiment and telephoned his uncle, who is one of my close friends, to gay that he had a few hours in town before embarking for an un‘known destination, somewhere oversea. The boy is only 18. He is an orphan and a volunteer soldier who might have waited for the draft and might have tried to make himself indispensable at a’ bench or lathe in some war factory. He enlisted last fall on his own decision from motives that make him a worthy comrade-in-arms of Butch O'Hara, or Colin Kelly or Douglas MacArthur and to the approving and proud surprise of his uncle and aunt, who are his only living adult relatives. He had lived with his old grandmother in the outskirts of Jacksonville, . until she died, in a region which must have b a
my Jacksonvill His uncle then brought the orphan to New York and put him into a suburban high school for a term or two, where he did all right. Then abruptly, he quit and got work at a succession of such jobs as are available to Negro boys. He was now on his own and free to go helling around the drinking joints of Har lem until all hours and fo get into trouble and, in some reckless or accidental adventure, establish a permanent police record as a bad actor, if he felt so inclined. :
What Will He Come Back To?
BUT LAST FALL he enlisted and was sent to a number of army places before he found himself back
in Florida driving s big truck. He didn’t tell me, he.
didn’t have to tell anyone, because everybody Knows that, although he was an American soldier in the uniform of his country, in Florida he still found himself in a class below that of the most treacherous un- | discovered traitor of the: German Bund and barred not only from the haurits of the white civilians whose lives he had volunteered to defend with his life, batt forbidden even to buy a sandwich or a glass of milk in a white restaurant. Nevertheless, at the very moment of embarkation for a voyage through dangerous waters to face other dangers overseas, he not only was uncomplaining but happy and anxious only lest his uncle worry about him
Now, assuming that this boy comes back from the war to a victorious country, what status will he come back to? Will he be Niggerized again and restricted to menial jobs, Jim-Crowed and driven back to the dreadful ghettos of our cities or will he be treatéd as an American?
"A Dirty Deal That Cannot Go On™.
I DOUBT THAT consciously this boy has any idea oe in fighting the foreign enemy of his country and of all freedom he is fighting a special fight of his own people for a decent measure of opportunity and consideration from the white Americans. But shame, if no other force, should compel the white American to face at last the fact that this boy and his people are the victims of a dirty deal that simply cannot go on. : His patriotic offer of his life cannot be accepted in human decency if, when it is all over, he is to be barred absolutely from all decent and pleasant surroundings for his home by reason of his race, barred from the trades and the factories and, in politics, only exploited as a club in the hands of one faction to beat another. The injustice to the Negro peoplé of the United States is more a matter of superstition, tradition, jgnorance and indifference than of conscious cruelty in the hearts of the white men. “If IT were a Negro I would live in constant fury and probably would batter myself to death sgamsi the bars inclosing my condition. ‘ I would not be a sub-American or i sub-human being, and, in docile patience, forever yield my rightful aspiration to be a man, to work, to progress and to move out of the slums; yleld even to strangers come from other countries, including even strangers who had fought against me in the wars.
Editor's Note: The views expressed by olumnists in this newspaper are their own. They are not necessarily those of The Indianapolis Times, 7
True Air War
By Major Al Williams
NEW YORK, July 17~"“Bomb-
ing can never win a war,” some people keep saying. That is the next “can’t be doné” that must be broken down by sound reasoning 50 that the best allied brains will get a chance to win a war that doesn’t seem to be so easy to win any other way. In the first place, the winning of this war by bombing has not yet been tried. None of the belligerents has actually carried any air attack through to a conclusion which might be termed an effort to ‘win the war by bombing. A true air campaign aimed at winning the war will have to be managed in an entirely different fashion than anything staged so far. The prepara< tory stages will have to be planned on a far greater scale. Ground facilities will have to be expanded and perfeeted. At the moment no such air effort, However gigantic, can be successful against either the United States or Japan. : The war in Europe might be ended by the fall of England, and certainly would be ended by the fall of Germany, just as the fall of Japan to air bombardment would assuredly end the war in the Pacific. But no full-out, continuing air bombardment effort to bring a final decision is likely to be attempted by either England or Germany until after a comparatively long period of air inactivity.
Hammer and Keep Hammering
BRITAIN HAS LONG since reached her peak of aircraft production, and -Germany probably is just about reaching hers now, while America it only gete ting into full stride. Waiting is difficult, but I be lieve it is certain that our American air forces will make the greatest and all-air campaign t6 win this war, and actually win it that way. With more materials,” greatet mass production facilities and practically unlimited and well adapted manpower for the creation of an air strength greater than any other nation on earth can muster, we will create that strength and some day we will use it. ‘ The axis launched about 23,751 air raids against
strongly fortified Sevastopol-T700 air raids a day, one | |
bomb every 10 seconds,
How long do you suppose Germany's or England's ||
industrial regions would have survived under such an air hammering continued to a decision? Eventually we can hammer our enemies just that hard and keep hammering until they are knocked out. ; Py man who today says it can’t be done is
ab
So They Say— God and time and Russia are on our side —Assoc- : ste Justice James » Byrnes, suprens court. i
ramshackle, smelly slum if I know :
I wholly
disagree
Lith what you say, but will defend to the doch jour right to say it.—Voltaire.
“WE ARE BOONDOGGLING THROUGH RUBBER PROBL By Hal J. Wilson, 2630 Southeastern ave.
according to what we are told. We are boondoggling, or whatever you may call thi§ wrangling, over who or what corporation is going to get the monopoly on synthetic rubber while our precious stack of rubber dwindles. We even threaten to confiscate all private rubber (all, of course, except government officers’ and politicians’). Our boys are fighting in every corner of this greatest of all wars. They are giving a good account of themselves. . Are we going to let them down? Are we, for a few paltry dollars, going to let their lives de sacrificed in vain? Are we fighting for freedom and world peace or are we fighting for monop= olies and the almighty dollar? Let’s quit this squabbling and strife at home for politics. Let us
say less and do this the American
way. Let's gf. Let's win this war quickly. Don’t expect George to do it. It's your job and mine. Let's
0. I also want to commend John PF. Carlisle for some sound logic in this column of July 13.
s * # = “MOVE FOR WAGE CONTROL TRIUMPH FOR DEMOCRACY" By J. L. B., Indianapolis Although interpretation may be premature at this time, it would seem that President Roosevelt's accession to the public demand for a freezing of wages signals a vast triumph for democracy. Should the president sincerely carry through to the active stage his indicative recommendations, he will lend to the American people an inestimable encouragzment to “dig deeper” into the war against the axis oppressors, by having given them evidence that he expects all groups to share in the essential sacrifice necessary to victory. From the oufset of the president's program against inflation, economists have insisted that control of wages was a fundamental factor guaranteeing the success of that program. The people so insisted. Congress so insisted. Yet the president delayed action, consistent with his administrationold poiicy of coddling labor. Inferentially, if not directly, he maintained the stubborn viewpoint
“Nero fiddled while Rome burned,” |
(T me] foods are invited to expracs their views in these coliimns, religious controversie;: excluded. Make your letigis short, so all can have a chance. Letters must be signed )
that ceilings could be maintained n and consumption while wages ere left to the caprices inist ‘ation-appointed boards in glove with labor th of whose motives were discolyrad by the selfishness of personal aggrandizement, In a sense, the American people
voritism on| he part of President
equal e while permitting ian to ravage a producer’s payroll whiz restricting the producer’s proiiis sometimes to strangulation levels. | Congress | was conscious of the people's fee! gs. Congress was Impressed by its own inéffe ¢ualness in carrying through a program in which the strongest Hak was the weakest. The American people demanded action of congress. Congress (demanded action of the president. | The pres cent has acted—maybe. * = =» “GET BUY ON RUBBER CONTRAC 3, JESSE JONES” By H. E. Ma:thall, 37 W. 21st st. d another Pearl Harbor to sn¢ > us awake to the fact that while we sit blissfully by hoping something will be done about the rubbei situation; the Hon. Mr. Jones whe is the man that could get the j¢b done, but who is unwilling to sward the contract for synthetic ober to anyone but the Standard (il of New Jersey and their affilit,\2d companies, even after being told :y other companies that they were prepared to make synthetic rul within 60 to 90 days after giver. the go sign and by the end of 1943 could be producing at least. 100,003 tons. Now if ow the American people they con't give a damn who makes the :ubbeér just so it is made
quick enoti; ih to be used in our war
efforts.
If this i contract is not let to
Side Glances—-By Shall
‘drowns.
those companies who can produce the quickest rubebr at once and our boys suffer from this neglect, then the party or parties responsible should be tried and convicted of treason because that is what it amounts to. Now is the time to get after this problem before we get too little too late; remember France, her politicians caused her to lose the war, and to date we are not winning and we won't win if we continue to. allow this political playing around with our safety; so let's get busy and do something about it; we still have time if we start now. ” ” 2 ® “DON’T BE A SABOTEUR!
KEEP OUT OF ACCIDENTS”
.|By Allan Ls Verne Swim
Mazie was a dizzy blond. She did things in a slap-bang manner. 8he was the life of the party. She wasn’t very capable as a homemaker, Maybe that's why Joe married her. He was & serious young man-— ah efficient workman. When we went to war Joe got a job in a war plant and soon was given an important supervisory position. Joe's
duction. Mazie said the war was “gosh awful!” She said she was proud of Joé and that the axis didn’t have a chance. She, however, didn't do a thing to aid the war effort— except, maybe, cheer Joe up when he came home. Mazie went slap-bafiging down the street in her car one afternoon. There was a crash. She was killed. Joe was away from the job five days. When he returned he was like a man walking in a dream. Production of his unit dropped sharply, curtailing the flow of munitions. Joe wasn’t to blame. It was Mazie, the dizzy blond who made Joe happy while she was alive, who became an unintentional saboteur when she died. Pecause the average man is unable to divorce his home life from his job there are many cases like that of Mazie and Joe. The daughter of a war-plant worker falls and breaks her arm. Her. injury isn’t serious. But father’s work will suffer just the same —if he’s the average father. The aged mother of a munitions worker injures her back. Her son, worried about her condition, makes mistakes that retard production. The brother of an aircraft welder The workman can’t keep his mind on what he’s doing and ruins an important plane part. Accidents are retarding war pro-
| | duction so seriously that many or"41 | ganizations are devoting much time ! | and money to their prevention.
Surveys show that injuries to families of workmen often cause
\#% | |as much delay in war work as
injuries to the workmen themseives. This means that millions of Americans can help defeat the axis —simply by being careful, not beng unintentional saboteurs! 2 ” s
‘UNVARNISHED TRUTH
i | [NEVER LEAVES STAIN
:} | By C. G., Indianapolis
1 | polish.
. People who really do the most,
1 kick the le
When ple get rusty they need "The unvarnished truth never leaves a stain. The WEAK days are those we
¥ . | dread.
Goin’ up hill sure drags some folks down. Sowin’ wild oats is sort of green. After folks paint things red they
|| usually feel blue.
DAILY THOUGHT Keep thee far from a false mat-
ter; and the innocent and righe-
ous slay thou not: for I will not justify the wicked. ~Exodus 23:1.
guilty
unit held the plant record for pro-| §
lies can work miracles.
‘may be fair but is ce:
OH, THE blind nd counsels of the |
In Washington
| By Peter Edson
WASHINGTON, July 17.—Cone greesman John M. Tolan’s committee investigating migration of war workers will have a .report on mobilization of manpower within the next couple ofy weeks, and one of the points it’ will stress is a stronger organization of local transportation co-or= dinators, or czars, with more authority. to regulate everything from the trolley system to share-your-car clubs. ° Thus far, the office of defense transportation has tried to handle this problem on a voluntary, cooperation basis, in so far as passenger transporta« tion is concerned. In April, ODT Director Eastman sent out letters to all the governors and to some 1000 mayors in cities of over 10,000 population, asking them to set up lodal transportation boards to work under the state traffic advisory committees created at the request of the secretary of war to; facilie tate troop movements. - Over 500 cities complied with this reniest; bus
| performance has been spotty.
Only real control which ODT has is wilireck, through gasoline and tire rationing. The Tolan committee probably will recommend tougher local control.
The Business Man and WPB
DONALD NELSON'S reorganization of the WPB makes little difference to the business man having to negotiate witih WPB. Chief importance of the re
organization is in strengthening. the policy-making
setup, and business men coming to Washington will in most instances deal with the same policy they dealt with previously, allowing for the usual frep quent and at times confusing shifts of personnel in government administrative jobs." Only place the local business man can benefit from the Nelson realignment is through greater ree sponsibility given to the 13 regional WPB offices.
When these regional offices function as they should, "
business men should be able to carry on most of their dealings with the board at the regional level,’ making trips to Washington less necessary.
Billeting on the Program?
NO DEFINITE POLICY has been decided on, but - government housing officials, up against it in’ trying to provide adequate shelter in some war production areas, are seriously considering resort to billeting. ' : If such a program should go through, your spare room might then be drafted for some war worker's occupancy for the duration. Difficulty of billeting is that householders won't like the idea of being told to take in roomers. If such a program can be put over, it would hava to be on a voluntary basis, appealing to the patriots ism and natural sympathies of citizens.
Mr. Ford . . . and Mr. Douglas
DEMOCRATIC POLITICIANS are whispering that the reason Henry Ford wouldn't allow government housing developmeént near the Willow Run bomber plant near Ypsilanti, Mich. is that the Republicans feared to bring that many new C. I. O. and therefore Democratic voters into & community now considered safely G. O. P. . Melvyn Douglas, movie star director of the OCD’s artists’ and writers’ bureau, is heading back to Hollywood for six weeks to make another movie and enough money to enable him to return to Washington for the government without compensation.
A Woman's Viewpoint ~ By Mrs. Walter Ferguson )
I WISH YOU'D listen. Six vete erans of Alimony Row in Chicago county jail have been released to fight against the axis. Their former wives, heretofore implacable in their stand fog exacting the last ounce of cash, but now moved by a magnificent patriotism, have stated their willingness to accept a negotiated peace if their incarcerated mates will shoulder arms in defense of country. ‘Magnanimously they waived aside all right to alimony payments for the duration. One wonders what thoughts must afflict the gen= tlemen. Having been victimized by the most ridiculous and inhuman law ever written on the books of a free people, they must féel, in their sadder moments, that they go forth to make the world safe for golddigging women, which, as I guess, would hardly ‘ine spire them to brave deeds. I have been told by lawyers that jail sentences for stingy husbands who refuse to support their fami« “The law,” they say, “is a good persuader and induces masculine generosity.”
I's Degenerated Into a Racket ;
BUT DAY-BY-DAY évents of the last two decades cast a glow of absurdity over the alimony business.
It is a reform which speedily degénérated into a racket. Future historians, if honest, must record that nd who were willing to stay in jail rather than pay what they considered an unjust tax also served the great cause of freedom. Perhaps their sacrifice will release sons and grandsons from the persecutions of a custom which inly, incompatible- with the times. : News of men held in jail for non-payment of alimony makes ludicrous reading in these’ days when women of the nation are signing up for service on the battle fronts. The Women’s Party and Alimony Row ‘in county jails cannot consistently exist in the same country unless we have completely lost our mental balance and our sense of humor.
Questions and Answers
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