U.S.A. STRIKES

Greymouth Evening Star, 2 October 1933, Page 7

U.S.A. STRIKES

LABOUR’S RIGHT TO ORGANISE REJECTED BY EMPLOYERS [BY CABLE —PRESS ASSN. —COPYRIGHT.] NEW YORK, September 30. President Roosevelt announced tonight that an agreement on hours and wages had been worked out and signed by him earlier in the day, bringing the mines owned by the iron and steel companies of Western Pennsylvania under the Bituminous Code. President Roosevelt expects this pact to bring about the return of some 75,000 miners to the pits on Monday. It was a day of mixed fortune, but of continuously furious activity for the American Recovery Plan to-day.

Probably the most revelatory development was the opening of the battle over the first order on the Organised Labour Movement, that promised to force a decision as to Labour’s right to organise, and to provide a crucial test, of the N.R.A. Whereas the signing of the Coal Code on September 21 had apparently settled the coal mining situation, a troublesome unregulated sphere remained, namely, the case of those coal mines that are owned by the large steel companies, where strikes, accompanied by violence, had' continued. Despite President Roosevelt’s announcement, cabled earlier, it appeared to-day that the steel companies, while accepting the Coal Code, declined to accept the feature calling for negotiations for an agreement with the United Mine Workers’ Union. The steel companies intimated that they considered this step as entering a wedge towards the unionisation of the steel industry itself. While Mr Johnson to-day worked desperately to ..compromise the issue between the disputants, 25,000 striking miners in Western Pennsylvania, on a poll, declared their refusal to return to work on Monday. The United States Steel Corporation have issued a statement declaring their readiness to pay the workers high wages, to maintain favourable hours and working conditions, and to observe all of the provisions of the N.R.A. Code applicable to them, but they remained adamant on the unionisation issue.

LABOUR DISSENSIONS. WASHINGTON, September 30. Events are moving rapidly towards a crisis in the American Federation of Labour itself in connection with serious jurisdictional disputes and strikes, which threaten to weaken and undermine its . prestige and influence, and to obscure its future course of action. The carpenters and ironmorkers are engaged in a bitter struggle concerning the jurisdiction as to public building, namely, as to which shall have the right to install certain kinds of equipment. This dispute has reached the point where Government mediators have been called in. Furthermore, blame is more and more being attached to unions for a wave of strikes which has hit the country.

Mr Green (President of the Federa-

tion of Labour) to-day issued' a statement of admonition, calling upon Labour to be patient, and to mediate in disputes. He says that the right to 'strike involves so many serious considerations that it ought .to be utilised only as a last resort.

FORD WILL FIGHT. NEW YORK, September 29. While the national strike situation became more acute with three thousand striking miners storming the Carnegie Company’s steel plant at Clairton, in Pennsylvania, and with additional Westtern Pennsylvania mines being shut down, Mr Henry Ford’s situation has continued to hold the centre of interest. The Edgewater Ford plant, officials discharged' 311 workers for striking, and they began to replace them. At the same time, the strikers announced plans for an automatic invasion of Detroit City so as to extend their picketing operation to the main Ford establishment. Efforts to submit the Ford plant dispute to the N.R.A. Labour Board at Washington were continued, but a report from Detroit states that Mr Ford is prepared to close every plant of his Company in the country if the strike ever should spread from the East. It is stated that Mr Ford will not. be coerced by what he calls strike agitators, 4 “APPLE” WAR. VANCOUVER, September 29. Fifty women and' children lay prone on railway tracks, and thereby won a victory in the co-operators’ war against the independent apple growers in the Okanigan Valley. The women prevented a locomotive from moving six cars of apples for a time long enough for the officials of the Cooperative Union to rouse a Judge from his bed and secure an injunction restraining the railway from moving the fruit.

LOANS TO INDUSTRIES. ? WASHINGTON, September 30. The Reconstruction Finance Corporation has announced that it will, within twenty-four hours, arrange to extend' to business and to corporations their necessary credit by means of loans to banks and to financial institutions on the latter’s preferred stock. The funds so provided could then be reloaned to the business men and those needing credit at 5 per cent, for a short term loan, and 6 per cent, for long-term loans, the intermediary banks and financial institutions receiving 2 per cent, commission, and the borrowers merely signing notes bearing the endorsement of the banks and financial institutions; This is expected to aid' the desired large scale credit expansion.

WINTER RELIEF SCHEME.

WASHINGTON, September 30.

From Hyde Park, where the Presi•dent is spending a vacation, there came word that the Federal relief programme has been shorn of red tape in the interest, of feeding and clothing and of providing fuel for needy people during the coming winter. The programme will be put into effect within a week.

The Federal Government is to contribute 330 millions of dollars; which with the State funds and local funds, will bring the relief expenditures con-

templated to 700 millions. The aim will be to provide shelter, warmth, adequate raiment, and a balanced diet.

N.Z. SCHOOLMASTER’S VIEWS.

OPTIMISTIC ABOUT SCHEME.

AUCKLAND, October 2. “The N.R.A. economists are of opinion that individual acquisiteness has gone for ever, and that the paramount consideration of the future is community advantage. They hold this is not an isolated incident, but is something indicative of a revolution in social order,” said Mr Frank Milner, C.M.G., Rector of Waitaki School, who returned to-day, after representing the Rotarians at the International Convention at Boston. He afterwards attended the Institute of Pacific Relations Conference at Banff (Canada), and then enaged in a lecture tour throughout the United States. He said that the American people were voluntarily allowing themselves to be disciplined because they believed President Roosevelt represented honest leadership. After referring to Mr Roosevelt’s immediate action on taking office, Mr Milner 'said: It has real-

ly been an example of how democracy can function in a crisis by means of benevolent despotism, with constitutional safeguards. America was showing how democracy by a system of paternal legislation, can be preserved in toto. In the past, the United States

has been most tenacious bf individual rights- and resentful of any form of dictation, but under N.R.A., the people had cheerfully agreed to observe the hours of work and rates of pay prescribed by this new form of government. It was the most extraordinary spectacle the world had yet seen. It was the via media between Fascism and Communism. No monarch in the world had such unlimited powers as Mr Roosevelt. They were willingly given and the people appeared to be amply satisfied with what was being done and it could be strictly said it was the will of the people. When Mr Roosevelt took office, the unemployed numbered about 15,000,000. Five millions had since been given employment, and it was estimated that four or five millions more would be employed by next February.

Mr Milner said the most dramatic incident at the Banff Conference was a full dress debate on the N.R.A. between British economists, including Professor Gregory, who scathingly attacked it, and three Americans, who defended it. He (Milner) had concluded that the British economists failed to attach proper valuation to the dominant human or psychological factors. It had to be remembered that

the American people had suffered such a stunning paralysing shock, that above all else it was necessary to establish confidence and a sense of social security. Lawlessness was imperilling the security of the nation. It was impossible to face another Winter with 15,000,000 unemployed. The magnetic leadership of the President immediately produced positive and beneficial results.

MR FORBES’ COMMENT.

CHRISTCHURCH, October 2.

“Judged by our own standards, one would be doubtful of the success of the American plan, but when you are in a desperate position you have to do many things you would not, do otherwise,” said the Premier at a wel-. come tendered by the people of Cheviot on Saturday evening. His visit to America had been interesting, he said, but at the same time it was very difficult to see how they were going to make a success of their big campaign. It all depended

upon the expenditure of money. He had discussed the matter’ with several prominent men in America, and they told him that the plan had got markets moving, whereas there had been stagnation before.