AMERICAN PROBLEMS OF TO-DAY

Dominion, Volume 30, Issue 173, 19 April 1937, Page 8

AMERICAN PROBLEMS OF TO-DAY

Epidemic of Sit-down Strikes STRUGGLE OVER SUPREME COURT Current events and problems of general interest in the United States of America aro discussed in letters received in Wellington by the secretary of a New Zealand organisation from one of the leading university men in America. Reference is made by the writer to the sit-down strikes and the struggle over the Supreme Court in connection with the New Deal legislation. “Our national problems at the moment centre around President Roosevelt’s attempt to pack the Supreme Court with his henchmen so that he can get favourable decisions for some of the New Deal legislation, and an epidemic, now assuming serious proportions, of sit-down strikes,” says the writer in a letter dated March 15. “I have just received a letter from a friend in one of the largest department stores saying that he and other executives expect momentarily that strong armed men will come in and block the store doors, shoo out the customers and force tile management to deliver up the business and the keys. If this comes he expects the strong armed men will represent perhaps 150 out of about 7000 employees.” Governor Loath to Use Force. In a letter written on March 23 the writer says that the strike situation in Detroit seemed to be getting worse rather than better. “The Governor of Michigan,” he continues, “has been loath to use force in ejecting the sitdown strikers and has given the impression of siding with them rather than against them. At Flint, a few weeks ago, he refused to enforce a court order directing the sit-downers to evacuate the plants, but the strike subsequently was settled by a negotiation between General Motors executives and the unions without difficulty or bloodshed. “The outcome of the Flint strike was accepted by the workers as a victory, even though careful inspection of the actual agreements suggests that the victory was more imaginery than real. The most important result, however, was a substantial increase in the faith of workers in the effectiveness of the sit-down technique. This has resulted in a perfect epidemic of sit-down strikes, especially in the Detroit neighbourhood, whbre I believe there are 30 or 40 now in progress. The city authorities seem to feel that the situation will get out of hand, and have begun ejecting sit-downers, especially where the number of people involved is small. The mayor and police have been using the argument that many of the smaller strikes have been started by racketeers and are in no sense bona fide. Orders for Ejection. “Along with these smaller strikes, however, there is a very large one in progress in the Chrysler plants. The company has secured court orders directing the men to evacuate the plants and directing the civil authorities to eject the men if they do not evacuate the plants. The governor is not permitting the use of troops to force the men out, and hence we are witnessing a fairly general disregard of the constituted authorities. “Much as many of us sympathise with the position that labour should be better paid and have easier working conditions, it seems that the country may have to pay altogether too high a price for such improvement in the workers’ lot. We, however, appear to be on the threshold of reaping some of the whirlwind .which has been sown by the inflammatory words and actions of some of our Washington demagogues.” Indefensible ProposaL After referring to the struggle over the Supreme Court and the statement against the Roosevelt proposals by the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, My. Hughes, the writer says: “Whatever one may think of the desirability of the New Deal legislation, and much of it clearly has been good, this latest proposal to pack the Supreme Court seems to be entirely indefensible. Not only does it open the way for present and future gentlemen with dictatorial ambitions to proceed to achieve their ends with the form but not the substance of legality, but also it encourages the very type of disrespect for law and order which is to so large a degree responsible for the difficulties in Michigan. “And you see our problems of the moment cut pretty deeply. To give us a few additional worries, we are having some rather definite price rises which make us wonder whether our big credit base is beginning to make itself felt and whether we are going to be able to prevent some serious inflation.”