Walter P. Reuther Digital Archive · Debate; Town Meeting of the Air ‑ National Defense

Title

Debate; Town Meeting of the Air ‑ National Defense

Description

box: 540
folder: 1

Date

1941

extracted text

MARCH

24, 1941

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BULLETIN

TOWN

OF AMERICA’S

MEETING

OF THE AIR

Reg. U.S. Pat. Off.

What Should Labor and Industry
Contribute to National Defense ?
Honorable HAROLD E. STASSEN
Governor of the State of Minnesota
WALTER

P. REUTHER

ERNEST

L. OLRICH

Broadcast from the Municipal Auditorium, St. Paul, Minnesota,

March 20, 1941, over the Blue Network of the National
Broadcasting Company

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COOPERATION

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NATIONAL BROADCASTING
UNDER THE DIRECTION OF

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COMPANY

NE of the earliest forces for political education and
action in America was the “meeting house” in which
every citizen had a voice in his government. “America’s
Town Meeting of the Air” is the modern adaptation of
this idea, brought to Americans everywhere through the
in its sixth season,

this

program is broadcast in codperation with the NATIONAL
BROADCASTING

CoMPANY

from

the

Town

HALL,

New

York, on Thursday evenings from 9:35 P.M. to 10:30 P.M.,
E.S.T., over the Blue Network.

As a result, there are Town

Meeting listening-dis-

cussion groups in homes, community centers, libraries,
schools, churches, and wherever citizens gather. ‘Town

Hall has set up an Advisory Service which supplies
hundreds of these groups in all states with complete
background materials in advance of each program. Individuals interested in keeping abreast of vital problems
may enroll in the new course in Current Issues, offered
to adults at home through both mail and radio.
Additional information may be obtained from Advisory Service,
Town Hall, 123 West 43d Street, New York, N. Y. Watch your

local newspaper for weekly Town Meeting subjects.

Town MEETING is published weekly for 29 consecutive issues, beginning in
November, by Columbia University Press. Publication Office, 2960 Broadway,
New York, N. Y. Editorial Office, 123 West 43d Street, New York, N. Y. Subas second-class matter November
scription, $2.75 a year, roc a copy. Reéntered
23, 1940, at the post office at New York, N. Y., under the Act of March 3, 1879.
Copyright

1941 by The Town Hall, Inc.

OF

BULLETIN

AMERICA’S

ELEANOR

V. DENNY, JR., MODERATOR

instrumentality of radio. Now

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MARCH

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TOWN

MEETING

WILLIAMS,

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THE

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EDITOR

VOL. 6, NO. 19

24, 1941

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‘America’s Town Meeting of the Air”’

What Should Labor and Industry
Contribute

to National Defense?

Announcer:

HAT Should Labor and Industry Contribute

to

National Defense?’ From St. Paul, Minnesota,
center of agriculture, industry, and transportation for
the great Northwest, “America’s ‘Town Meeting of the

Air’ brings you another most timely discussion of a subject vital to our national defense.

The Women’s Institute of St. Paul, assisted by the
local Town Hall Committee, has assembled an audience

representative of the liberal commonwealth of Minnesota, which is taxing the capacity of our Municipal
Auditorium.

Labor

unions,

and

business leaders, men

women from all walks of life and of all shades of opinion
are assembled in Town Meeting to consider tonight’s
important question. On the stage and in the audience
are many members of both Houses of the Minnesota
legislature which is now in session in St. Paul, together
with the elective officers and members of the Supreme

Court. And now, on behalf of the Women’s Institute of

St. Paul, it is my pleasure to present the founder and
3

New

York,

Mr.

George

Moderator Denny:

Good evening, neighbors. It is a long way from Seattle

to St. Paul, but I understand that this state takes second

place to none as a paradise for skiers and fresh-water
fishermen. I only regret that I have not had time on this
trip to put the hills and streams to the test, as I did in
Seattle, but, from my trip last summer, I can bear witness

to the fact that your claims for an all-round vacation
land are not unfounded.
Such a country produces sturdy people, as is shown
by the courageous way in which you have attacked your
problems of social legislation. Your Industrial Relations Act, which, as I understand, is serving as a model

for legislation in more than twenty other states, has
focused nationwide attention on Minnesota. It is a
great privilege to have as leaders in tonight’s discussion
the father of this act, your distinguished Governor, the
Honorable Harold E. Stassen; a leading Minnesota industrialist, Mr. Ernest L. Olrich, president of the Muns-

ingwear Corporation and State Defense Codrdinator;

and Mr. Walter P. Reuther, vice-president of the United
Automobile Workers’ Union, C.1.O.

In the traditional American spirit of frank and open
discussion, we are asking you gentlemen to give us the
benefit of your opinions on the vital question: “What
Should Labor and Industry Contribute to National Defense?” The President of the United States has said that
this nation is calling for an all-out effort for all-out
defense. He has called for sacrifices which all of us will
feel in our daily lives, to the end that we may be in truth
the arsenal for democracy. Mr. Walter Reuther, because

4

labor, may I call on you first?

Mr. Reuther:

Mr. Denny, fellow Americans: ‘The all-out defense of
America must be carried out on two major fronts: the
production of physical defense, and the building and
maintenance of national morale and the will to defend
democracy. To neglect one or the other is to defeat our
ultimate objective. The implements of war will not defend America unless our people are convinced that their
way of life is worth defending. American labor offers
its wholehearted codperation in making America the
arsenal of democracy, and in extending all aid to Britain
short of war. All that labor asks is intelligent planning,
a voice in matters of administration and policy, recogni-

a

4

i

aratemet

Hall,

ee

V. Denny, Jr.

of ‘Town

tion of its rights, maintenance of established standards,

and an equitable share in the earnings of industry.
To insure maximum production with minimum delay industry must give up the idea of “business and
profit as usual.’”’ Labor feels that the failure of industry
to recognize that defense production is not a part-time
job, which can be taken on in addition to normal production,

constitutes

the most serious threat to the de-

fense program. In the auto industry, preparations for
new models are proceeding in the usual manner. ‘Tremendous potential productive capacity remains completely or partly idle in order to protect the competitive
position of the corporations. This attitude on the part
of industry is forcing the construction of new factories
and machines which duplicate existing idle production
facilities involving tremendous costs and delay.
To cover up for its failure to meet the demands of
defense production, industry has tried to place the
blame on the limitations of the forty-hour week and

ae

president

you have a forthright statement to make on behalf of

ee

and

Meeting of the Air,”

5
Ne

Moderator of “America’s Town

en RMT BO TI so i

upon the fact that labor still has the right to strike for
higher wages and better working conditions.
What are the facts on the strike situation? Business
Week of March 1 states the case accurately: “There have
been fewer man-days lost in strikes than in any other
comparable period since the passage of the Wagner Act,
but headlines make better reading than historical facts.”
The Bureau of Labor Statistics has just released figures
that 130 times more man-days were lost through injury
and idleness and illness last year than by strikes. ‘This
indicates that national defense would be well served by
more attention to anti-injury and anti-illness measures.
Reactionary antilabor forces are exaggerating the
strike problem in the hopes of securing repressive labor
legislation. American labor will make every effort to
adjust industrial disputes through the democratic process of collective bargaining. Labor, however, will not
surrender its right to strike. To ask that is to violate a
simple and fundamental democratic right, the right of
workers as individuals or in groups to withhold their
labor unless they receive a satisfactory price for it.
The answer to the strike problem is not legislation
but real collective bargaining based upon full recognition of labor’s right and labor’s status. Industrial democracy through effective collective bargaining is the only
basis upon which free American labor can codperate
wholeheartedly in the achievement of maximum production. Industry could make no greater contribution
than to recognize that principle. The alternative is dis-

satisfaction, dissension, and the consequent breakdown

of productive machinery. At the present time, management trouble is more responsible than labor trouble for
industrial unrest. This is evidenced in the present situation at the Ford Motor Company,

the Bethlehem Steel

Works, and the Allis-Chalmers Company.
6

Is the compulsory cooling-off period the answer to the
strike problem? Those who advocate this procedure do
not know the facts. American labor agrees to advance
notice, and periods of negotiation prior to strike, because that is good common sense. Contrary to certain
reactionary gentlemen, American labor does not strike
for the love of striking. Under the auto workers’ contract with General Motors sixty days’ notice must be
given before the contract can be terminated. Similar
periods—call them cooling-off periods if you care to—are
incorporated in hundreds of other C.I.O. contracts.
Let us take as examples certain situations that have
been used to advance the position of compulsory coolingoff periods. In the Vultee strike, which made

headlines

for many days, the employees concerned had cooled off
during nine weeks of negotiations before they were
forced to go on strike. At Allis-Chalmers, where the
strike still continues because the management has refused to accept the settlement proposed by the Office of
Production Management, the union negotiated five
weeks prior to strike action. At the International Harvester plant at Fort Wayne,

Indiana, the workers nego-

tiated for better than six months before they finally
were forced to take strike action. At the Ford Motor
Company

in

Dearborn,

Michigan,

the

workers

have

been subject to intimidation, physical violence, and
discriminatory discharge in violation of the Wagner
Act. The Ford workers had been cooling off for the past
two years trying to establish simple machinery for collective bargaining. I should like to ask those who propose compulsory cooling-off periods for labor if that
would solve the present management trouble at the
Ford Motor Company?
Certain selfish, un-American interests are trying to
deny labor its fair share of the earnings of industry.

7

These

interests,

in the words

of President

Roosevelt,

are clipping the wings of the American Eagle to feather
their own nests. According to the March “Business Letter’ of the National City Bank, the profits of 925 major
corporations in 1940 were 27 percent higher than in 1939.
Aircraft and aircraft parts companies increased their
profits by 290 percent; railway equipment did 240 percent better last year than in 1939; iron and steel increased
their profits by 98 percent last year; and the profits of 14
automobile companies totaled $242,000,000. ‘hese are
net profits after all Federal taxes were deducted.
‘There has been no comparable increase in wage rates.
The defense of democracy cannot be divorced from
simple economic justice. American workers have every
right to participate in the increased earnings of industry. Ihe cost of living is rising, profits are increasing,
and labor will insist that wages at least keep pace with
the cost of living and reflect increases in profits. Failure
on the part of management to fairly share these increased
earnings with their employees will place the responsibility for what may result squarely on the shoulders of
such selfish management. It will indicate that business
is not willing to meet our present-day industrial problems in the spirit of democracy.
American labor believes in democracy. It wants no
part of Hitler, Stalin, or Mussolini.

It knows

that the

hope of America lies in the preservation and extension
of democracy through speedy construction of defense
material, through aid to England, and through the practice of democracy at home. I thank you.
Moderator Denny:

Thank you, Mr. Reuther. Now, Mr. Olrich, as president of Munsingwear, Inc., and State Defense Coérdi-

8

nator for Minnesota, will you give us a businessman’s
view on this question, “What Should Labor and Industry Contribute to National Defense?”
Mr. Olrich:

Mr. Denny and fellow Americans: Industry must not
and will not exploit the present emergency by exacting
excessive profits, but it must be permitted a reasonable
return for rendering an efficient economic service commensurate with the risk entailed.
The investment in new plants and expanded facilities
to be used only for armament production will be of no
use after the present crisis passes. Gross income is not
net income and the astronomical figures of Government
contracts let do not necessarily indicate astronomical
profits. Industry must earn a reasonable profit or industry will cease to exist. No one will invest in a profitless enterprise, and as our present economy was built by
the reinvestment of profits from industry, in industry,
and by industry, it must continue to earn a reasonable
profit if it is to go forward. Present and future income
and excess profit taxes will deter profiteering.
Recent Federal legislation has accelerated unionization of labor. Still greater opportunity for unionization
has been given by the rapid expansion of industries and
the step-up of industrial activity for defense orders on a
“must be produced at once” basis. Labor leaders are
aware of the opportunity and are making the most of it.
This places tremendous power in the hands of a few
men. This power can be used wisely or “otherwisely.”
It is a threat to our industrial system of free enterprise
if “otherwisely” used.
Some industries have already felt the weight of this
power. It is industry’s duty to require organized labor

9

to accept and rise to the responsibility which this power
imposes. Industry must, however, collaborate with accredited national labor leaders so that the regional and
local leaders and the rank and file shall not abuse their
new power, power which stems from their ability to
exert the weight of mass action.
This is a mechanized war. The emphasis is upon materials rather than upon men, and nothing should be permitted to interfere with production. While defense
materials are made in private plants, they are required
by the Government for the public’s protection, and
therefore a strike in defense industries can only be construed as a strike against the Federal Government. Inequities and controversies will arise, but the public has
a right to demand that these differences be adjudicated
by mediation without either stoppage or slowing down
of production of defense requirements.
Industry and labor should initiate a program of mediation for the settlement of all differences. It has been
stated that certain labor organizations consider a law
creating a mediation board and its implications as class
legislation and unworkable. Why? By a law we mean a
rule of conduct, and conduct depends on motive and
intelligence. Labor and industry surely include within
their ranks enough intelligent men with honorable motives to draft a sane, workable law.
The

Railway

Labor

Act, with

its mediation

board,

has practically outlawed strikes in that industry. Industry has learned through experience that an aroused
public soon corrects abuses of power. Why shouldn’t
labor profit by industry’s experience? ‘The men at the
head of great unions must meet their responsibilities,
and even though labor finds the training and development of leaders a slow and toilsome process, the public
has a right to demand that labor control and discipline
10

its new members unaccustomed to organization and the
duty it involves.
The right to strike imposes a serious responsibility.
If all persons

were

to exercise

it indiscriminately,

we

should be in a sorry plight. Consider what would happen
if nurses and doctors and hospital attendants organized
and called a strike with no formula for mediation. We
would be scandalized if the undertakers walked out on
a corpse. Funny? But consider the implications.
Industry should support the delegation to our Chief
Executive of all powers necessary to bring us safely
through

our present crisis, with such safeguards, how-

ever, around that delegation or assignment of unusual
power and authority that when the present crisis is past,
government under constitutional authority shall be returned to the people, and the legislative, executive, and

judicial departments shall again function as prescribed
by our Constitution with full checks and balances.
I say this because experience has taught us that, ina
time of national emergency, we are prone to be guided
by emotion rather than by reason; and we may surrender
those rights and privileges that make our way of life so

worth while, but which, once abandoned, may never be

recaptured.
Our American system of private enterprise is a delicately balanced system of human relationships. It is a
product of many years of trial and error. It has made us
the greatest and most envied nation in the world. It has
contributed more to good living than any other economic system in history. ‘Today its progress is hampered
by Government regulations and burdened with a heavy
tax load exclusive of defense levies. It is being challenged
by the demands of organized labor, upon which there are
not imposed the same sobering restrictions and the same
financial responsibilities as upon business. These de11

Ieee

mands are for too rapid so-called social reforms. Unless
we go more slowly in our demands for reform, and permit industry to adjust itself to the impact of the vast
changes that have been made in our social order in the
past few years, we may destroy our present system. Each
successful assault upon our present system of private
enterprise brings nearer that Government control which,
clearly, labor likes even less than does industry.
And

after

the

war,

what?

What

is to come?

Wise,

capable, labor-minded industrialists, if they are truly

wise and capable, will join with wise, capable, businessminded labor men, and wise, capable and impartial

Government authorities in thinking about and planning a course of action to pursue in that grave period of
reconstruction which will follow our present armamentmade

prosperity.

now!

‘his

should

be done

now—I

repeat,

Our great economic progress has resulted from sound
technological destruction in industry. Science, research,
and invention destroy old industries by creating new
ones. For example, the wagon- and carriage-building
industry was destroyed by the automobile industry. But
our present prosperity is based upon a more terrible
destruction, a war destructive of life and property by
implements and machinery of destruction which can be
made into nothing useful for peacetime purposes.
When this world cataclysm is ended through victory
for one or exhaustion of all engaged in the war, when
millions of fighting men return to ways of peace, when
armament production ceases and the consequent un-

employment

begins,

when

the

world-wide

economic

struggle for survival starts, with no holds barred, then
our present social order and our system of private enterprise will be seriously threatened. Industry must plan
against that day if it is to survive.
12

Moderator Denny:

Thank you, Mr. Olrich. Now, there is a third party to
this discussion tonight, and that is Government. Governor Stassen, among the many things you have accomplished as Governor of this state which have made you
one of the distinguished Governors of this country, was
your sponsorship of the Minnesota Industrial Relations
Act. We call on you at this time.
Governor Stassen:

Thank you, Mr. Denny, and good evening, fellow
citizens. If I were to ask the question tonight: Should
we make sacrifices in order to rapidly and efficiently
build the nation’s defenses and to aid the defenses of the
democracies?—and then if, after asking that question, we
could reverse the magic of radio and turn these microphones in the hall into a receiving set and turn the
millions of radio receiving sets throughout the land into
microphones,

we would

hear booming

in upon

us the

resounding answer, “Yes! By all means!” But then if we
take the next step and start to ask about specific sacrifices
of groups of our people, we would start to get the “‘yes,
but” answers; the answers, I think, rather typified by
the discussion thus far this evening, where labor speaks
primarily of what management ought to sacrifice,
and management primarily about what labor ought to
sacrifice.
I say that the time has come, if our democracy is to
rise and meet the challenge and the threat to it, to be
frank and specific about sacrifices. ‘The leadership of
America should say what sacrifices are necessary in these
critical

times,

and

public

opinion

of America

should

rise to bring them about by democratic processes.
We all recognize the urgent need of speed and efht3

ciency in building up the mechanical means of defense.
The tempo of that preparation should not be the speed
which we think is required for our own territorial defense, but it should be with that rapidity, that tempo,

which the needs of the other democracies of the world
require. For that purpose the greatest possible speed we
can make will still be none too fast. (A pplause)
And what does this mean specifically? ‘This means that
capital and management must take the position that,
where speed and profits clash, speed should be given the
right of way. Thus, first, a larger percentage of the prime
contracts issued for national defense should be farmed
out to small subcontractors, to utilize the total produc-

tive ability of our country and to speed up the ultimate

volume of defense production, even though that process

cuts down the profits of the prime contractor.
Second, large numbers of apprentices or helpers
should be placed alongside of the skilled workmen in

our

factories,

even

though

their

compensation

takes

away profit, in order to train them for future needed
expansion.
‘Third, ordinary commercial production must be permitted to lag in order to speed defense production, even
though this eats into the profits.
Fourth, capital should voluntarily agree that if their
net profits in 1941, after paying increased Federal defense taxes, are larger than their net profits in 1940, they
will share that increased profit through bonuses to their
workmen.
But now, labor must likewise respond. In these past
two months, there have been too many strikes in vital
defense industries. hese have been a very serious factor
in delaying national defense. I noted that Mr. Reuther
tonight rather minimized the number of strikes and the
difficulty in that respect in this country, but in backing
14

up his statement he went back again to 1940 and the
statistics of 1940. There was no real trouble in national
defense strikes in 1940, but there has been serious trouble
in national defense strikes in January and February and
March of 1941.
The best statistics available indicate that the loss and

delay through strikes in January of this year were over
double that of January of last year; in February of this
year the loss was three times as great as in January;
and thus far in March the loss is still greater than in
February.
The only accurate, up-to-date statistics that are available are the Army contracts which show that almost
1,000,000 man-days of work have been lost thus far this
year. Apparently the total loss through strikes is running
about four times the Army loss, in the last figures that
you can get from the Department of Labor—and the
Department of Labor said that their next statistics for
February wouldn’t be available until five days from
tonight. Apparently, at this four times ratio, 4,000,000
man-days of labor have been lost in this country from
January 1, 1941, up to tonight, and much of it at the
most vital defense production points.
A clear example of the effect of these stoppages is
shown by the fact that thousands of workmen worked
hard and fast to finish ahead of schedule the Radford
powder factory, because we have a real shortage of
powder in this country; they opened the plant the other
day with a great fanfare, but the production will be
only one-fourth of what it ought to be, because the
necessary generators have been tied up in the AllisChalmers plant in Milwaukee by a strike since January
12. We speak of morale of workmen, and I agree that

that is an essential element of the situation, but is it a

contribution to the morale of the workmen who worked

=o

on the Radford plant to finish it ahead of time, to have
their work nullified by what happens in another defense
production industry?
I suggest, therefore, that either labor and capital
should agree, or legislation should be passed to bring
about these solutions (and when I speak of them, I
recognize that the great majority of both labor and
industry

has been

doing

a splendid,

magnificent

job;

but we must approach the problem of the remainder):
First and foremost, that no jurisdictional disputes between branches of organized labor should be permitted
to cause any stoppage even for one hour of a national
defense project or production; and, specifically, the
president of the A.F.of L. and the president of the C.1.0.
should agree on an arbitrator; that arbitrator should
decide jurisdictional disputes in defense production
while the production continues.
Second,

both

the

A.F.ofL.

and

the

C.I.O.

should

agree that no strikes shall be started on a national defense project without first giving thirty days’ written
notice to the Conciliation Service of the United States
Government.
Mr. Reuther says they have given a lot of notice to
management in the extended controversies, but the
notice is needed to the general public, represented by
the Government, so that the public, sitting in on the

conference

bring
labor
both
make

through

the

Government

conciliator,

can

the two sides together. Both management and
frequently are aided by a cooling-off period, and
make concessions that they would not otherwise
if public opinion were not brought to bear.

Now,

if labor

and

capital

will not agree

to such

a

plan, I am convinced that it should be provided for by
laws of the Congress. We in Minnesota have had that
plan in the last two years, and in the last four months
16

in Minnesota, with a half-million men in the industries

covered by unemployment compensation, only ninetynine men have been involved in strikes in our state.
Ninety-nine men out of a half-million workmen!

And while we approach this problem, let us all remember this: that the message comes down through the
ages that the price of liberty is worth while. It is worth
the price, to free men and free women, to make sacrifices.

‘Thank you.

Moderator Denny:
‘Thank you, Governor Stassen, and Mr. Reuther, and

Mr. Olrich, for illustrating the validity of the Town
Meeting method. At this time we invite all three of our
speakers to come up here around the microphone and
see if we can iron out some of our differences. Mr. Reuther, perhaps I had better stand between you and Mr.
Olrich. But, in any case, since you were the first one to
speak, perhaps you have a question either for Mr. Olrich
or the Governor?
Mr. Reuther:

I should like to ask the Governor a question. I want

to agree, first, that in most cases labor and management

are able to get together; but I should like to ask the

Governor what he would do with a company like the
Ford Motor Company, which has violated the Wagner
Act, and refused to make motors for England? The personnel director of the Ford Motor Company was quoted
in Time magazine last night as saying that if and when
the union wins an election, they will negotiate until hell
freezes over, but they won’t give the workers anything.
Now, what would Governor Stassen suggest that we do
about Mr. Ford?

17

Governor Stassen:

Mr. Reuther:
General Motors in the year 1940 made $970 profit per
employee.

I would proceed with your legal remedies as you are
doing, as you have done in getting a decision recently
from the United States Supreme Court. I would use
those democratic processes, but keep the production
going in anything that Ford is now producing in national defense. (Applause)

Mr. Olrich:
Mr. Reuther,

Moderator Denny:

Mr. Reuther:

Mr. Reuther:

Mr. Olrich said he thought that labor ought to participate in the earnings of industry. I agree with that.
I would like to ask him whether he thinks that the
in the United States Steel Corporation,

which

$112,000,000 last year, ought to get a wage in-

made

crease?

And

whether

the workers

number

of

employees

and

the

amount of profit per employee have no relation to in-

vestment

in the business.

If you take all those factors into consideration, Gen-

Have you another question, Mr. Reuther?

workers

the

in General

Motors,

eral Motors still stands as the biggest money-making
institution in the history of the world, and that is why
we think we are entitled to a wage increase.
Moderator Denny:
We ought to have somebody here from General
Motors, if we are going to discuss General Motors.
Governor Stassen:

whom I have the opportunity to represent in negotiations, also ought to get a wage increase out of the
$195,000,000 that General Motors made last year?

I think this exchange just shows that Government and
the public ought to be represented and sit in between
business and labor.

Moderator Denny:

Moderator Denny:
Mr. Olrich, have you a question that you would like
to ask either Mr. Reuther or the Governor?

Mr.

Olrich,

you

have

General

States Steel on your hands.

Motors

and

United

Mr. Olrich:

Mr. Olrich:

The amount of earnings has no relation to a rise in
wages. Earnings can be great or they can be small. If they
are great, probably the company is great, the investment
in the business is large, and there are a large number of

Mr. Reuther, you stated in one of your remarks, that
in one company the profits were 290 percent greater
than they were last year. ‘I'wo hundred and ninety times
nothing can still be nothing.

employees. How much, Mr. Reuther, would each workman receive, if all of the earnings of General Motors or

Mr. Reuther:

the other company you spoke of were divided among the
employees?
18

I agree with you, but the mathematics didn’t come
out 290 times nothing. They came out 290 times a substantial profit last year.
"9

a

a

\

Mr. Olrich:

Governor Stassen said that all profits over the year
1940 should be divided equally between capital and
isn’t a fair statement,

That

labor.

is it, Governor,

be-

cause you have to know what the base was before you
divide the increase?
Governor

Stassen:

I said the increase, after the Federal taxes and every-

thing else was paid up, ought to be shared; and the base

on which it should be shared should of course take into

consideration what the original profit percent was.

Mr. Olrich:

The Government in its excess profit tax figures an
average of five years; 1940 might have been one of the
few lush years, if there has been a lush year since 1929.
Governor Stassen, are there some questions you would

like to ask these gentlemen?
I would

Stassen:

like to ask Mr.

Reuther,

specifically, if he

doesn’t think the employees at Allis-Chalmers, and the
public, and the Government would have been better
off if the employees had kept working, and the Government were now down there with management and labor
sitting around a table settling the problem, while production and wages continued?
Mr. Reuther:

I want to say that I think in every case labor is desirous
of getting together and working out industrial problems
without the necessity of strike action. But what are you
20

Governor

If

your

Stassen:

facts

are

correct,

which

I

do

not

know,

wouldn’t those facts be brought out to the public if
you had conferences with the Government during the
waiting period? ‘Then the force of public opinion would
bring about a settlement, whether it is management or
labor that should give in, or both, in part.
Mr. Reuther:

Moderator Denny:

Governor

going to do when you are faced with a problem where
management is just going to hang on? Right now it is, as
a matter of fact, the Allis-Chalmers management which
is responsible for the continuation of that strike, because
they have refused to accept a proposal submitted by the
Office of Production Management which the union has
accepted. We are willing to open the plant up tomorrow
on the basis of that settlement, and the company won't
do it.

Labor is not afraid to lay its case before the public,
because when we are right we want the world to know it.
If we are wrong, we ought to know better than to go
on strike. We are not afraid to lay our case before the
public, and in the Allis-Chalmers case we have done that.
Father Haas-was in there, representing the Conciliation
Service, Mr. Steelman was in there, the chief conciliator

of the Department of Labor. The case was discussed
with the Office of Production Management. They know
our case, but the company still says “No.”
Governor

Stassen:

‘That hasn’t been the publicity that has come out
of Milwaukee. ‘The publicity has indicated difficulty
on both sides, including the side of labor, and their
demands.
21

a

Mr. Reuther:

I would like to have the Governor call up Washington
when he leaves this meeting and ask Mr. Hillman or
Mr. Knudsen if the union hasn’t accepted their proposition, and management has turned it down.
Governor

Stassen:

You talk about General Motors and United States
Steel. Don’t you attribute any of the success of those
- corporations to management?
Mr. Reuther:

I think that the
done a splendid job
mobiles, and I think
that job. I think we
that, though. »
Governor

General Motors Corporation has
of organizing production of autothey are being paid very well for
ought to get our share along with

Stassen:

I think the Automobile Workers’ Union has done a
pretty good job of organizing, too.
Moderator Denny:

This seems to be a good place to stop and turn the
question period over to the audience, for I see this audi-

ence of 3,000 people sitting on the edges of their seats.

Man: Doesn’t the Governor believe that the country
would be better off without any labor unions at the
present time?
Governor Stassen: No, definitely not. I am for organized
labor, and I think unions have made great advances,
but I think the great power that they have, which has
led to the advancement of labor, should be very carefully used in times of emergency such as this. Other22

wise the abuse of power frequently causes the loss of
gains that have been made over a long period of years.
But I am for organized labor as a means of the workingman’s advancement.
Man: I should like to ask Governor Stassen if he does
not think that these waiting periods would be more
serviceable in the settlement of disputes between management and men if the management and the men
were organized to discuss noncontroversial questions
before they come to the struggle over some controversial question?
Governor Stassen: You mean if there had been an existing relationship of discussion between them? That
would be preferable, but regardless of what your background is, progress should be made, and the Govern-

ment and the public are interested in that progress.
Hence,

we

call

the

conferences

these

last

four

in

this

state.

One

hundred and fifty-five disputes have been peacefully
settled

in

months,

while

practically

none have got to the stage of strikes in Minnesota.
Man: Mr. Reuther, you said that the Production Management Office told the Allis-Chalmers Company to
go ahead with a proposition that was satisfactory to
the union. How would you have felt if the Production
Management Office had rendered a decision that AllisChalmers was right? Would you have gone ahead with
their proposition?
Mr. Reuther: If not, then we would have had to accept
that responsibility in the eyes of the American public.
Man: Mr. Reuther, granting that labor is on the short
end of the deal, is the right to strike the only weapon
with which labor can fight to achieve justice?
Mr. Reuther: Firstly, labor hopes it can settle disputes
over the conference table in the American democratic
manner. When that fails and we try to conciliate and

23

mediate, using all the Government agencies, and every
attempt has failed, then there is only one thing left to
do, if management won’t go along with a fair proposition: that is to quit your job.
Man: Mr. Olrich, why don’t we conscript industry just
as we conscript labor, and be done with all this talk

about fair profits for industry and such things as that?
Mr. Olrich: Industry can be conscripted. If a man refuses to turn his plant over to the Government for the
production of defense materials, the Government can
take that plant away from him and make him produce
materials for the Government at the price that the
Government thinks is proper.
Moderator Denny: The man implied that somebody was
conscripting

labor.

Labor

hasn’t

been

conscripted,

has it?
Mr. Reuther: I suppose he meant that labor is being
conscripted in the armed forces.
Mr. Olrich: Industry is contributing its share in conscription of armed forces, too.
Man: I would like to ask Governor Stassen a question.
He made a suggestion that labor would share in the
profit of a business at the end of a year in the way of
a bonus. I would like to ask the Governor if it hasn’t
been labor’s experience that after the end of any
period of time, perhaps not all, but the majority of
industry have found a way of getting all they can and
canning all they get?
Governor Stassen: I would say that your statement was
not correct and that labor has shared in the advancing
income of industry, and so has Government shared in
it through very much increased income taxes; but
further I would state that it is this unusual situation
where industry does not know what it will make
out of defense contracts that ought to be adjusted, so

we don’t have the dispute resulting in production
stoppages.
Moderator Denny: Mr. Olrich, you wanted to comment
on that.

Mr.

Olrich:

The

Du

Pont

Company

has

$25,000,000

in its employee retirement and pension funds from
profits dedicated to the employees.
Man: Governor Stassen, you say that you are for labor.
Why,

then,

did

the American

Federation

of Labor

and the state C.I.O. ask you to repeal your antilabor
actr

Moderator Denny: Did they, Governor, and why? What
does he mean by the antilabor act?

Governor Stassen: In the first place, of course, we have

no antilabor act. It protects the rights of both industry and labor, and I would say that check-ups indicate
that the rank and file of both organizations of labor
are in favor of the settlements in this cooling-off
period. Consequently it is a matter of whether some
of the leadership, for political purposes, wish to make

attacks on the act. In fact, after a recent dispute was
settled, I received a telegram from the United Mine

Workers

of America, wiring me, “We

have accepted

the contract made out in the thirty-day period unanimously. Deep appreciation for your personal efforts
and those of the commission during the thirty-day
period.” ‘There have been frequent instances of that
from labor.
Man: I would like to ask Mr. Reuther if he feels that in
defense production labor has a right to go out on a
strike over a jurisdictional dispute?
Mr. Reuther: I think labor within its own family ought
to be able to work out its own problems inside of its
family, as any other normal American family ought
to do. I think that every effort ought to be made to

25

24

FEST

SE

SE

ESRD

work out those problems, and you will find that most
of the jurisdictional strikes are within the A.F.of L.
The industrial form of organization minimizes—
(Cries of “No’’) In the auto industry, we have a contract covering more than 160,000 G.M. workers in
seventy-four G.M. plants, and in three years not one
minute’s time in that industry has been lost for jurisdictional disputes, because we have got industrial
form of organization; there is no fighting about
whether this worker has to pay dues in this union or
that union. I think the bulk of the jurisdictional
strikes, certainly the one in Dayton tying up the airport there, and the one in Detroit tying up the new
Chrysler tank plant, are A. F.of L. The one in Detroit
is between the Machinists’ Union and the Electrical
Union.
Man: I would like to address this question to all of the
speakers: What will the Lease-Lend bill do in changing this national defense strike figure?
Governor Stassen: The bill as such should have no particular effect, except that it will call for more defense
production, and it is going to be a matter of labor
and management

and Government

as to what that

means in terms of stoppages.
Mr. Olrich: I think that is essentially correct. ‘The volume of defense production will be stepped up much
quicker.
Mr. Reuther: I agree with both of them.
(Editor’s Note: The next question was inaudible through
the microphone, though it was heard on the platform, and
Mr. Reuther answered it as follows:)

Mr. Reuther: I suppose you mean on the matter of
strikes. First of all, I think organized labor is making
a more determined effort now to try to avoid strikes
26

than it would in normal periods; that is why labor is

trying to exhaust every possible means of working
these things out. The reason for that is this: we know
that unless labor in America and industry in America

can work out a democratic method by which these
sorts of things can be worked

out, then

the Hitlers

and the commissars are going to do it for us.
Man: This question is to the Governor and any others
who wish to comment on it. A national magazine recently carried an editorial saying that of the workers
employed in the United States today in defense industries, only twenty-five hundredths of one percent
are affected in strikes involving the national defense
program. Why are we so acutely concerned about that
small minority in the whole program?
Governor Stassen: Those were the figures on just eleven
industries in 1940, and did not at all take into consideration the real wave of strikes that started in 1941.
Moderator Denny: Mr. Reuther, do you want to
comment?
Mr. Reuther: I think there is one thing the American
public has a right to know, and that is that the amount
of man-hours and machine-hours that are being lost
because industry is following the practice of ““business
as usual’ are 1,000 percent more than the hours lost
during strikes, even using the figures that Governor
Stassen used. The auto industry is not contributing
more than 10 percent of its potential production
capacity to defense work, and so labor says, “Why
should we get so excited about a few strikes here and
there, when industry is not making a

sincere effort to

mobilize its defense capacity for the defense program?’
Mr. Olrich: I won’t agree that industry isn’t doing all
that it can for defense work. There has been no record

at the present time in the public press of any industry
27

ment situation, even allowing

refusing to do that which the Government wants. As
for percentages of the number of people that are on
strike, just remember your carburetor is only a small
part of your automobile,

your car doesn’t run.
ee

ee

va

oS Sora

ere

ny Te eta ae

words were indistinguishable through the microphone.
Reuthe
r’
euther

#

l
y
follows:
1Sply tOLOWs:)

Mr.

ernor Stassen for helping us to consider this problem

from many angles. We admire your courage and your

cooperation and your willingness to discuss this vital
;
question frankly and openly by the Town Meeting

method, and we hope we may have more such meetings.

that industry bears that responsibility. In the aluminum industry there is a tremendous shortage of magnesium, especially; and the reason we have a shortage
is because

.

I want to thank Mr. Olrich, Mr. Reuther, and Gov-

i

Mr. Reuther: I want to say, first of all, that I don’t think
we should take the word of the spokesman for the
steel industry. There is going to be a real shortage
of steel when the defense program gets into full swing,
and I think we ought to point out, in this connection,

of magnesium

up by the Army and 2,000,000 by increased industry?
Moderator Denny: I am afraid, my friends, that that
_ isn’t our question for tonight, and our time is up.

but if it doesn’t function,

(Editor’s Note: At this point a question was asked of con-

1,000,000 to be taken

the Aluminum

Company

was conspiring to hold down the production of mag-

nesium. What do you think the production is? In the
year 1940 we produced 6,000 tons of magnesium. Germany produced 50,000 tons. In 1941 the estimated
production of magnesium in America will be 12,000
tons, as compared to 100,000 tons in Germany. The
reason for that is, the Aluminum Company conspired
with the German industry to hold it down; that was
brought out in the trial in Washington. You can get
the report issued by the Department of Justice on
January 30, 1941. ‘The papers don’t talk about these
things; but when twenty-five workers go on strike, it
is a headline.
Man: I would like to ask this of all three gentlemen:
There are 8,000,000 unemployed people in the United
States; by what or how can we solve this unemploy28

am
oo
Next week your ‘Town Meeting will originate in the
heart of agr icultural America, - Des Moines, lowa,
where we will consider the question: “How Does This

War Threaten the American Farmer?” Our speakers
will be Mr. William W. Waymack, of the Des Moines
Register; Mr. Clifford Gregory, editor of Wallace’s
Farmer; and Mr. Dan Casement, farmer, of Manhattan,

Kansas.

29

The Listener Talks Back

BIBLIOGRAPHY

SELECTED

(Town Hall makes every effort to find available material on all sides
of the question discussed. All publications listed may be purchased
Town

through

Hall Bookstand, 125 West 43d Street, New

SHOULD

WHAT

AND

LABOR

~ NATIONAL
CURRENT

INDUSTRY

CONTRIBUTE

York.)

TO

DEFENSE?

ARTICLES:

“NOTHING SERIOUS.” (Time, March 10, 1941, p. 16. See also “Whispers in the White House,” pp. 14-15.) Reports William Knudsen’s

recommendations

on

industrial

labor

altercations;

and

predicts startling shake-up of entire defense production administration.
No WALKOUT ON LABOR Po.icy. (Business Week, March 1, 1941,
p. 15.) Reviews the effect of recent strikes on production of defense materials.
LABor’s PLAN: 500 PLANES A Day. (The Nation, December 21, 1940,
pp. 624-25.) Presents the Reuther plan as backed by the C.I.O.

DEFENSE AND THE SLAVE-MEN by Max Lerner. (New Republic, December 30, 1940, pp. 897-98.) Insists the present situation is not
to be blamed on labor.

ORGANIZED
Graphic,
ments for
Act to all
program.

LABOR AND DEFENSE by Beulah Amidon. (Survey
January, 1941, pp. 9-13; Pp. 45.) Presents the arguapplying the principle of the Railway Labor Disputes
industrial controversies for the duration of the present

PAMPHLETS:

Labor AND DEFENSE. (Free distribution. Write the Labor Bureau,
Washington, D. C.)
WHAT THE PuBLIC THINKS OF NATIONAL DEFENSE. (American Institute of Public Opinion, 110 East 42d Street, New York City. 5c.)
The opinions of the man in the street, as collected and published
by the Gallup polls.
(Note: A discount of 10 percent on all pamphlets may be obtained
by ordering direct from Pamphlet Distributing Company, 313 West
35th Street, New York City.)
BOOKS:

LABOR AND NATIONAL DEFENSE by Dr. Lloyd G. Reynolds. (T'wentieth Century Fund, 330 West 42d Street, New York City, March,
1941. $1.00.) Predicts that rivalry between C.I.O. and A.F. of L.,
rising prices, and bigger industrial profits may result in more
strikes, and scoffs at the theory that legal prohibition of strikes
is the way to solve the problem in a democracy.
Lasor’s Civit War by Herbert Harris. (Alfred A. Knopf, 1940.)
Analysis of the rift between the two great labor organizations.
30

Town

MEETING

intends, whenever

possible, to devote

its final sec-

tion to comments from listeners. We regret that all the comments
we receive cannot be printed. The limitations of space and the mass
of mail received after various broadcasts combine to make impossible as full a representation as we should like. The editorial office,
however, will be on the lookout for significant comments about
each broadcast. As many of these will appear as space allows.
You are, therefore, urged to send in your opinions, pro and con,
on

the various

subjects discussed.

Contributions,

however,

should

be limited to one typewritten page or its equivalent, and contributors are requested to mail their comments not later than the Saturday following the broadcast. It is understood that The Town Hall,
Inc., may publish any letter or comments received by it. However,
the names of contributors will not be published.

ROM Philadelphia comes this comment on the quesFics discussed on the March 13 and March 20
broadcasts:

I believe I heard it stated that in the conquest of China by
Japan there were no protests made.
How about the Stimson doctrine of the open door? How
about the protests made for the. United States by Senator
Borah to Great Britain?
How about the London naval agreement of 1930? When
Japan wanted it modified to give her naval parity with Great
Britain and the United States, and that modification was refused, she denounced both nations and started a naval race
with her more wealthy competitors in the Pacific.
Washington knew all that. Why did the United States keep
furnishing Japan with the materials of war for the past ten
years?
On the very date of your March 6 broadcast from California, a cargo of sugar was being unloaded in Philadelphia
ports, in order to reload a cargo of glycerine for Japan, to
beat the deadline. Whom does the United States think Japan
will use these materials on? The sooner a showdown with
Japan, the better.
31

Another comment, from Chicago, says:
So far as I can see it, the dangers to come from the Far East
will be caused by the neglect of our duty to China and China’s
sufferers. We have helped Japan in all her crimes against
China. Our help has enabled Japan to rob us of all our business, social, or religious investments in East Asia—a very
stupid policy for our Government, led by our blind Senators
and Congressmen.

This letter from Evansville, Indiana, came in advance
of the broadcast this week on “What Should Labor and
Industry Contribute to National Defense?’’. We add it

here

to the discussion

of this subject in St. Paul, as a

personal point of view expressed by the writer:

“What Must Labor and Industry Contribute to National
Defense?”
1. They must provide unity, understanding, codrdination,
good will, codperation.
2. ‘They must provide craftsmanship and workmanship superior to the Germans’.
3. They must provide self-sacrificing patriotism; necessities
for others before luxuries and wealth for self. The interests of
the

nation,

the

cause

of freedom,

liberty,

life for millions,

must come before personal expansion.
4. They must provide a dollar’s worth of service and of
goods for every dollar received. When billions are appropriated nearly every week,

when

mass

construction,

expansion,

and mass production are rushed into, there are manifold dangers of squandering and misspending—as happened during
the last war, under Wilson. .. .
The

one real argument

for a change last November,

shadowing all others, was the need in Washington,

White

House,

in the Labor Department,

over-

in the

in the Department

of Justice, in the Department of Commerce, and at the head of
the Houses of Congress, for capable, honest, sincere men who

could get things done, done well, and done in time, should
war threaten and come. It seems to me that Roosevelt only
32

messed about from May to January, while nations fell. After
it was too late to get help to England and before the spring
offensive, then he began to do things. He did frighten and
stampede and propagandize America into the Lend-Lease
bill. But what good is it to England to have large orders
placed here, and for us to make huge appropriations, if the

work is held up by labor? ...

Millions of professional workers, and skilled and common

laborers will go through this war with living expenses rising
while their income remains the same. Millions
of young men
joined the colors, often at a cost of personal denial and sacrifice, to fight for their country, with a few dollars a month as
pay. Yet a few workers in war industries—relatively, they are
few—getting high wages under reasonable working conditions
are heartless, selfish, un-American, and unpatriotic enough to

strike, to take advantage of a national crisis, at a time when
we are attacked from within and threatened from without.

‘These men, professing to be Americans, have the audacity and
the shame to knife the hand that feeds them, the hand that

gives them liberty and the highest and best working conditions of any nation in the world. The wanton neglect of the
Labor Department, the continuing quarreling of the A.F. of L.
and the C.I.O., and the indifference of most of Congress make
strikes an encouragement to Hitler.
If and

when

war

comes,

America

will

be

caught

in the

hands of organized labor, which may dictate its own will. It
is not too wild to suggest that we may hear of explosions,
sabotage, and violence in American vital industries.
This is no time to think about getting rich. If labor and
business were wise, they would think of the depression, the
unemployment, and the chaos that will plague the world
when the war ends. If business and labor want to squander
billions now just for selfish ends and forget the unborn generations which must suffer for our folly, they are unworthy of
the free air over America.
I would like to see business get a square deal from the New
Deal. I would like to see business be honest with labor, and
honest in giving a real dollar’s worth of goods for every dollar

33

spent. Congress ought to do more than hand over billions. If
the President has no time to check up, Congress ought to. Rearmament in the hands of competent businessmen could save
us many billions out of the $150,000,000,000 America will
spend to cover the blunders of France and England, and to
stop Hitler.
And

in

Pittsburgh:

conclusion,

this

remark

from

a listener

in

Glad to hear you'll be on the air for six more years and just
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War
1. Is This Our
Mary Hittyer, KINGMAN

- How
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V. KALTENBORN

H.

A. A.

in the Americas?

Kind of World Order Do We Want? H. G. Weis, Hu Sutin, Ray

What

JOHN T. FLYNN

Wixzur,

Lyman

NJOH
NE
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Bro
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Cla
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Jap
and
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SMITH,

AuRA

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Aggression

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BERLE,

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STANLEY

CHESTER,

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Def
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Nat
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How Can We
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FORD, BOAKE CARTER, JAY FRANKLIN

Is Youth’s

What

Camps

Our

Will

Cor.

in Defense

Build

Citizen-Soldiers?

Wirt1amM

ACHESON

DEAN

10. Should

NorMAN

THOMAS

11. Does Our
Town

Hall

Puirie

F.

14. Second

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Adopt

We

Cart

Session
La

the

on

FoLiettTe

ZEmIDLER,

to the

President’s

Future Welfare
Audience

F.

Draper,

H.

Essential

Defeat

Is a Hitler

of Democracy?

Role

CuTTEN,

BARTON

GrorceE

BowMaNn,

2:

Meet

We

Should

BREWSTER, JR.

Demand

President’s

JR.

ALBERT

Crarence

United

McFappDEN

A. Dykstra,

States?

Lend-Lease

D. PEPPER,

Craupe

Plan?

VERNE

IsataH

MarsHALL,
-

Kincpon,

Franx

a British Victory? Discussion by the
Lend-Lease

L. Ickes,

Plan. Harotp

,
puvs
HIin
e
ric
Mau
wr,
Sto
anp
LeL
?
War
This
in
ke
Sta
at
Are
es
Issu
t
Wha
13.
GerorcE E. Soxotsky, LAWRENCE DENNIS

mpTHo
y
otu
Dor
?
Now
te
Uni
es
aci
ocr
Dem
g
kin
pea
h-S
lis
Eng
the
14. Should
sf
R
AHE
SON, JOHN A, DAN
JOHN
GE,
RID
ETH
k
Mar
LL,
DWE
CAL
e
kin
Ers
le?
Peop
ed
Unit
a
We
Are
15.
TEMPLE

Graves,

II

16. How Should the Movies Aid National Defense? WaLTER WANGER, ROSALIN
RussELL, DonALD OGDEN

17. Is War
Maj.

with Japan

Gen.

Davin

STEWART, MANCHESTER Boppy

.

Inevitable? CuesrER H. Roweiit, Tutty

P. Barrows

C. KNoLEs,

18. Shall We Guarantee Peace in the Pacific? James A. B. SCHERER, RALPH
TOWNSEND,

CHARLES

E. MARTIN

COLUMBIA

Morningside Heights

UNIVERSITY

PRESS

New York

TRUSTEES

é

1

0

Wy

N

es

A

}

i

9

ARTHUR E. BESTOR, Chairman of the Board
MRS. RICHARD C, PATTERSON, a
Caidovinain

Ine.

MRS.

a

An Educational Institution Founded in 1894
as

The

123 WEST

for Political

League

GEORGE V. DENNY, JR.

President

CHESTER

WILLIAM

IVA NICHOLS

ron?

ne nrnreree

MRS. VICTOR

Treasurer

Director Emeritus

'

SIMON

S. J.

STEINHOFF

ROBERT

G, MEAD

SAMAROFF

OLGA

STOKOWSKI

THOMAS

DOROTHY THOMPSON
MRS, JAMES

H. VAN

FREDERIC A. WILLIS

JOSEPH M, LEVINE

Comptrotior

D. REED

NORMAN

Ex officto

H. JACKSON

PHILIP

CHARLES WILLIAM TAUSSIG

G. HEISER

ROBERT

B. ODLUM

MME.

GUGGENHEIM

STANLEY HIGH,

FLOYD

NEUSTADT

DAVID SARNOFF, Ex officio

JOHN W. HANES

ROBERT G. MEAD

| ROBERT ERSKINE ELY

D. SNELL

MRS.

le

sai

ARTHUR E. ORVIS
HARRY A. OVERSTREET
MRS. CHARLES POLETTI

I. GANNON,

MRS. ELGIN R. L. GOULD

OFFICERS

JR.

MRS, SIGMUND

CHASE

DAVIS

REV. ROBERT

\

sg

MRS. ALBERT L, DEANE
GEORGE V. DENNY, JR.
MRS. CARL EGGERS

CITY

43rp STREET, NEW YORK
Telephone: WIsconsin 7-500

WOODBURN

GAYLORD

ROOSEVELT,

Cie

Cae

HARRY

Education

THEODORE

WENDELL

ALEN

L. WILLKIE

FREDERICK H. WOOD

DIVISION

FORUM

RADIO

March

1941

11,

Director

MARIAN 8S, CARTER,

EDNA SANDGREN, Secretary

Mr. Walter P. Reuther
United Automobile Workers
281 West Grand Bivd.
Detroit, Michigan
Dear

Mr.

Reuther:

Mrs. Carter thought you might be interested in knowing something
about the radio audience which listens each week to "America's Town Meeting
of the Air" and in seeing the materials which are sent to our discussion
£roups.
Aside from individual home listeners, a large portion of our audicomposed of listening and discussion groups some of them formally,

ence is
Through our
others informally organized.
the direction of Chester D. Snell, groups

Hall

Associates

pege

Each week in advance
giving the background and

and

a who's

these

who

services

Meeting",

upon

of

are

payment

the

of nominal

speakers,

Town Hall Advisory Service, under
affiliate with us by becoming Town
annual dues.

of the broadcast,
these associates receive 4
issues, a bibliography for suggested reading

for

attached.

)

the

next

week's

broadcast.

Copies

of

The Columbia University Press, publishers of our bulletin "Town
will send you twenty-four copies of the March 20th "America's

Town Meeting of the Air" broadcast on the
Industry Contribute
letins will contain
the program as well

period.

"What

Should Labor

and

These bulto National Defense?" for your personal use.
your address and the addresses of the other speakers on
as complete transcriptions of the question and answer

:

AMERICA’S TOWN MEETING OF
Presented by Town
Hall

subject

Sinferely

rs,

Secretary

|

THE AIR — THURSDAYS 9:35 P.M., EST. —
in cooperation
with the National

WJZ AND THE BLUE NETWORE
Broadcasting
Company

MEETING

CONTRIBUTE

TO

NATIONAL

19th Meeting,

£ 1 aC

%,

March 20, 1941

4

PEUFEET
LPU
EP Eta
PVae

PEPER
E Ee AEE MUPPET

LEED

DEFENSE?

TOWN

HALL ADVISORY

The

TOWN

HELELOV EC ESP

CEERE EET ELTA

TEER EE

REO OULHEESERER RSL OD TEE THLED SOUT RE ROGET SLED DS ERO CRE

ADP EEE

T AEE

OPED

EE EATER

RA TT PERE

SLSPORMEASEP DUCA

T EEE SOTA

ADEE

LETTER

HALL,

SERVICE,

Inc.

Now York, N. Y.

ESTAS ODPERLUGRORDESEROUGRLS ROSS CLES CELPCRERSEATRCEGSELEROSCDODEOGGRORGERRERDR ESET SOCRI CET

EAL EG EPP E RT CT EEA

OPE peat
~

BROADCAST

TO

ORIGINATE

IN

ST.

PAUL,

MINNESOTA

~

PLOLEPA AEP EE LUT ERT

CURL AEE

EPL EPEAT EET EA ERE REDE PURER TETL ATLA

DEAE

TEED

P EAA PEGE EERE TAAL EGLO

OETA TATTERED

ALTA

peace

deel

The American public looks abroad, and sees the spread of the world conflict to
new theaters, raising new threats to its peace of mind.
It surveys the home town
headlines, and notes daily walkouts and strikes on defense projects up and down the
land.
Sold to the hilt on total defense, the public demands to know why the job is
being held up, and who's to blame.

Stand:

Leaders

are

of

the

many,

CIO

and

conflicting:

(Congress

of

Industrial

whose

membership

against

grievances

various

list

production,

largely engaged in defense
According to the CIO;

Organizations)

SE EAT RT TL ETERS EPS A THERESA

Labor's

answers

is

Industry.

Sette ttees? PEGSUESERR TAREE

The

for

Industry

have

widely so

as

to prevent

bottle-necks,

with

Stand:

spokesmen

blame,

but

some

have

talked

not

been

back,to

so

this

vehement

effect:

as

Labor's

leaders

in

fixing

Labor is using the emergency to prosecute union organizational drives in
industries which it was unable to penetrate in peacetime, and is brandishing

the

strike threat to enforce dictatorial demands,
Labor even declines to participate in 30 or 60 day "cooling off" periods
for mediation of disputed points,
Labor's insistence on the short work-week produces a "blackout" on defense
production from Friday night until Monday in many important plants,
~
Rivalry

important
The

between

job

Government:

President

a complete

CIO

and

Roosevelt

was

of

shake-up

national

of

the

American

rumored

Copyright,

a

ln Aa

of

preparedness,

entire

This Service

Federation

(Time

defense

Labor

Magazine,

is

March

administration.

holding

10,

1941)

up

the

all-

to be planning

(over)

ESOL ESC POPE TORS SERES
ORCS SERGE
T
PSEHRDEPCDLCTO
ERS USE ER
TTR
ERP ETO A RPP DRED ECTS CRUDE AFOSR UP ELE TORE SOGRUOSEOO
COED SER
SHDES
SS TEEUA GREE
CR
ERELE neseneyiare tS

940,

or parts thercof,

by The TOWN

HALL,

msy not be reproduced

Inc.,

All rights resarved.

in any fori

:

without permission.

TERA
PEDEE

contracts

result that Big Business is getting far more than it can handle.
It refuses to modernize production methods and to employ additional workers
speed up the job and, incidentally, reduce the army of the unemployed,

Industry's

the

allocate

Aoeuynuranaensncansnsoereagvagpnadascentocersesnesesperzanaeragaueetedsoedcaserostanevarererenearsanseseatgetesesvstesaaesseaavasyaeys

to

to

?

the

It refuses

a Ee

Industry sees this program as a golden chance to reap huge profits,
It refuses to share these profits fairly with the workers.
and
It is trying to seize the emergency to outlaw Labor's right to strike,
to rob Labor of its gains in wages, hours, and in bargaining and working conditions.

¢¢

TOGESSSESPDISECHERAPORROPEDESEOREORERESOESOURSEGDEECESSE OSE RSERRSUOESSE PERECEDESOOCECOEAATOOUGE
OP ESMESSEURUAROSERASS

STROUR
SCHERER
SR
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T TER RCETERR
OR
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GET TAR SO
EET ERROR T
EEE EER: TEACEOESERUPURSTOREES SSSR PSCRERESELIOCEELEAD DC ORESCLRORU ERTS LOSE STEELER

AIR’

123 West 43rd St.,

SRORECDUSEIORTO
ROGER
RGEEO
EG EOCR AERC RRERS
LUC ERR EL ATS ECP
SUSDO
EGN SSSA A TERS
CROTE
ELT OPER TATTLE ROAR OTE PA ROAD

thi
lsat

THE

»

WHAT SHOULD LABOR AND INDUSTRY

CRUSUGRUTODEECEOT ELE DERUESPERCS CHER UTED ERE SUEDE RT OR TEC ERLE SOC RE TEEPE ERO T SESS U POPS T OVE

eo.
tiene

OF

TERRE Gg y,

titervert ust

TOWN

EOD OCOCEDSULERCUULCOGSCERCEET SECEDE EITEU

fee

“AMERICA’S

of Topic

TT OTA EP ESTES ERE EER EE ESTOS A PERSE PEER L ELE ERT ORES ERED CPPS ORDERED OREO ED REELS ODER ESSERREGOED SRUSOGTAGEEURTEL
RL cadet
TR TTR T SCRETURE

COSASODPEEOGNTROSASOTSEOEESONTGEESSCCULELO DCT OE SELER EOS DEARESRSELERERSIOOEIERS CURSES Sits e

TO UECHEECOUOOEOOUDELS GREED EG SNAS UP OALE DOPOD AEEPLOGE PDD EDORGOUT ORC RRS TIER CGV OO ROGGE AS RESCUES USTSRERG ORES LE SERED CRETE: EUCSCUDAGRLA
SERED EEG ROOCUESUR
T
OD RL ODER REET SUERTGUOOETRUCRGRGEROUONRPONUDURSEORG

and Issues

44

Service #1 + Background

William

Knudsen

and

personally maneuvered
Steel

for

the

1940 had been

as much

"not

The
the

agencies

successfully

delay

as

distressed

strikes

by the

patriotic
Whether

in

terms

should

not

measure.
Industry

sent

reported

settled;

in defense

situation."

charge

surrender

its

the

Office

to

consider

industries,

that

that

and

95 per

industrial

work;

that

prise,

Production

nine

cent

of

right

to

strike

designed

threatened

had

Knudsen

counter-charge,

Management

on Bethlehem

bills

accidents

Messrs,

should not be thinking more
profits, for the national good and

of

of

14,000 men back to work

started

in defense

Public:
But amid the volleys of
people wondered whether:
Labor

that

Committee

disputes

Administration

Hillman of

a "truce"

war orders.
The House Judiciary

"cure~alls"

Sidney

cost

and

strikes

defense

four

Hillman

of reassurances

on

as

times

were

and

production,

in

scares,
as

a

in terms of service and less
for the future of free enter-

Whether perhaps the Government itself hadn't better put both Industry and
Labor on a "subsistence" basis comparable to that of the drafted soldier,

until the
Whether
had to be

emergency is passed, or triumphantly met,
a Democracy could really compete with a Dictatorship
done with quick efficiency on a tremendous scale,

when

things

Many of the public were in a mood to demand drastic action at Washington.
Others felt that the program was proceeding with remarkable dispatch in most respects, and deplored any suggestion that democratic processes be tampered with under

the

excuse

of

importance

of

the

emergency.

the

job

at

hand,

But

the

Questions

1,
ee

4e

36

was

for

Group

unanimity

pressing

on

necessity

for

two

its

points

- the

supreme

accomplishment.

Discussion

Do you think that the theoretical benefits possible through conscription
of Labor and Industry for defense outweigh in value the possible hazards
of introducing the dictatorial method into our democracy?
Can an efficient national rearmament program be carried out without conscription - that is, dictation by government of Labor's wage and working
conditions and of Industry's profits and methods? ©
Do you think Industry or Labor is principally at fault for the strikes

and

“bottle-necks"

that

have

hampered

Questions
1.
2s

there

Flease
Do you

has

Do

summarize
think the

been

you

among

right

think

soldier

or

the

and

for

our

defense

Individual

effort

to

date?

Study

the remarks of our speakers, devoting 100 words to each,
Government's policy of administering the defense program
wrong?

division

civilian,

Explain.

of

sacrifice

Capital

is

now

and Labor?

fairly

or

unfairly

drawn

Service
#2
Suggeste
d
Readings
on
the
Topic
(stonssnsanssuavanenarccccaneaoronecncavequcscansensneonsaneivoscocgsnocsuacacssacenscogaccnsnerecsenecaenennsonscantacionecceucesanssianeayeunpendarsanensegecogtaananononsnengucouagcoasogeusoeanecnngonedsetuccnocvancuacantosessncansesoN sian,
sw

49 ‘,

% | 73

March 20, 1941

7é

a

Hepa an®

ee

SOLSHECETCRGELE
Cae a get aaa TTATT
radieeceseet
Sal

SRS AIRSSILOLEL SCAT ISIOLLOLIITELIL
iit
ICt
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tiiiisi
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CLASSESET
AOELE RLS
ET
RR Tesi
ER
sesesaae

217%

19th meeting,

- “AMERICA’S TOWN MEETING OF THE AIR”
=

‘

WHAT SHOULD LABOR AND INDUSTRY
CONTRIBUTE TO NATIONAL DEFENSE?
The

SERVICE,

ADVISORY

HALL

TOWN

TOWN

HALL,

123 West 43rd St.,

Inc.

Now York, N.Y,

altercations;

Gas

predicts

of

AVIATION.

startling

|

ON LABOR POLICY.

effect

recent

description

LABOR'S PLAN:

of

on

March

the

1941,)

many

sents the Reuther plan
plan's acceptance,

AND

DEFENSE

POLICIES,

THE

the

The

facets

SLAVE~MEN

as

of

backed

by Max

8.)
Declares Labor usually
present situation is not to
of

Office

(Business

purposes,

See

also

entire

defense

1,

"Whispers

our

huge

by

the

and

(New

February

Management

to

|

21,

1941,

obtain

ORGANIZED LABOR AND DEFENSE by Beulah Amidon.

labor

production

Reviews

admin-

the

1940,

program,

problems

Republic,

15,

on industrial

15.)-

aviation

the

in

in the White

is given over to detailed

December

CIO,

p.

materials.

military

(The Nation,

defense

1941,

entire magazine

gets the run-around
be blamed on Labor.

Week,

Production

of

March

of

Lerner.

i ssataaheeneitl Rediaomnenesielltiatteta on odh Pete ditiadiemtee
denennane
emeedte
nn
end

of

16.

shake-up

production

500 PLANES A DAY,

DEFENSE

p.

(Business Week,

strikes

(Fortune,

1941,

Reports William Knudsen's recommendations

istration.

NO WALKOUT

10,

p.

of

war

15.)

624-5.)

30,

1940,

and

for

veythy semtareGrtoraencradentnnntine
aphic,somite
(Saa.urFersaneanll

the

pp.

insists

Discusses

priorities

Pre-

confronting

December

time

pp.

the

national

January,

897-

the

efforts

defense

1941,

pp. 9-

that leading steel executives have been
and so caused serious bottle-necks,

Pamphlets:

LABOR

WHAT

AND DEFENSE.

THE

PUBLIC

110 East

(Free

THINKS

42nd Street,

OF

distribution.

NATIONAL

opposing

Write

DEFENSE.

New York

City.

March

5¢)

1,

demands

the Labor

(American

The

(NOTE:

A discount

(

direct

Institute

opinions

West

42nd Street,

pp.

239-40.)

greater

Public

of the man

and

production

Washington,
of

Charges

D.

Opinion,

in the

Lewis.

C,.)

street,

(American

Affairs, 1734 I Street, Washington, D. C.
75¢)
The preparedfour angles ~ financial, economic, industrial, and labor.

from

NATIONAL

for

Bureau,

as collected and published by the Gallup polls.
ECONOMIC MOBILIZATION by Professors Loch, Lange, Harbison

Council on Public
ness problem from

1941,

of 10 per
Pamphlet

DEFENSE

by

cent jon all pamphlets

Distributing

Dr.

New York City.

Lloyd

G.

March,

Company,

Reynolds.

1941,

may
313

be

obtained

West

35th

(Twentieth

$1.00,

by ordering

Street,

Century

at bookstores

N.Y.C.)

Fund,

)

4330

or direct.)

Predicts that rivalry between CIO and A.F. of L., rising prices and bigger industrial profits may result in more strikes, and scoffs at the theory that legal
prohibition of strikes is the way to solve the problem in a democracy.

LABOR'S

rift

CIVIL WAR by Herbert

between

a& peace.

the

two

great

Harris.
labor

(Alfred A.

organizations,

Knopf,
and

1940.)

emphasis

Analysis
on

the

of the

necessity

of

A

(The Nation,

TEED E SER CP RCAC ERGRD LED ACEC eee teatearagreaeage PUGTESET
TORSOSL
TELE SRE
EE
EESDD
Eek eet
EU
sear CE
eaecenTe

CAPACITY by Keith Hutchison.

GOCELESTSSOROL

STEEL

GLeeteeteaapeasege

13, & 45.)
Presents tae arguments for applying tne principle of the Railway
Labor Disputes Act to all industrial controversies for the duration of the pres}
ent program.

fy

i
:
:

and

March

ESOT ASDODERLECEDEER GREE REREDERESSACEAT

House," p. 14-15.) )

= Books:
= LABOR AND

:

(Time,

OTS EETRARREOUEC

"NOTHING SERIOUS."

|

RED TAAEAA DSR EGS ES OTEGSAASRERRED

Articles:

SOOSEGTOGTOTATERERERSEAGESTESE

Current

Fseyseensuaetcueesvereaaventegessngaan

PUCTERSESSOGEGEGGSRLECPOEESODRGTETOUDES ESHOP ELSE REREGUDESEEUCC TOOT ORG EDRSOALATE
SGDORORATELESSERAAEDRSESSORECROSCSEEEREaL

IER EERE

t SACRE

tees ese sett 23

COPPER EUEDOOTEERODSORD CREST ERAS TOPORE ORES U NTRP OR EEA EEE PO RT UR CRETE OL ORES EU ESTEE EOL SCERTS OPED TECS GG SP ROT EO EOD ODEO REEDS ECHOLS OL ODSPEOTELO OER DEROS TERR S ESTER Ge cE PAUERSOPEDELOGRSSSUPEROEOEPEGUCRRCTASDUDEREODSOSQURRECEODOCESECERSPOSEESUAEOSOOETLOARETOPCRURCRTEDE

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OSES EDE ROC SE EPEREER SRDS EFDG ODOT DSOLSGUSOSOSOES GOURD EUSEUDGODESORTEORTEDOADEMAGUQODERGERURONSOEOSEREEAEENCEEESAY®

Copyright,

1940,

This Servico or parts theroof,

by Tha TOWN

HALL,

may not be reproduced

Inc.,

All rights reserved.

in any form without pormission.

XN x

oo
~
a
~~

Peeaee Reels,

TOWN

The

123 West 43rd

esata PEREGCPODEREOCCRASEGTATATLOTOEAT ORR CDOT O LOL ET POE O EPPA RAT OS ROSES ESET ORAL ODER UAC RONTRARD ET PESO ATES C DES TORS PRE RUE

R RUPP EO TPCT EERE E SOR ee TOT Ed eae

GTR D RCH T TEER RTA OE OOH T EPA

St.,

EC UE OA

HALL,

ee

4; 4;

&

SERVICE,

Inc.

Now York, N. Y.

UR EP OO ERE O PEERS ORE OR ORR

So

R ete

key-noter of the
He sprang into

cf Minnesota, was the
Philadelphia in 1940.

HAROLD E. STASSEN - Governor
Republican National Convention at

ADVISORY

national notice for the reforms he instituted in the state government
His famous
after his election as governor at the age of thirty-one.
Minnesota Labor Law provides that neither strike nor lockout can be in-~
stituted until both participants have waited for a ten-day cooling off

of

and his reduction

reducing

aid.

relief

Republican

assault

operating

state

the

win

To

Civil

his

were

against

first

Service

governorship,

the Farmer~Labor organization
Governor Stassen has been an

against
Benson.

led

Republicans,

Guard”

"Old

Stassen

Mr.

Bill,

yearly without

by $5,000,000

costs

the

Anti-Loan-shark

his

Law,

Other

a Young

and

Laer

achievements

notable

is involved).

if the public welfare

days additional

(thirty

period

PREESELETTGGETS caeeeaaareasaaaee

HALL

eaas BELeee ase PSEGEGTORERRTESERELERT
RAT ERT ae aae te SOCHESETTTCETR
Taba sacese

TOWN

rs

=

WHAT SHOULD LABOR AND INDUSTRY
CONTRIBUTE TO NATIONAL DEFENSE?

7

1941

20,

March

44

a

+s

19th Meeting,

~

»

«*
s
ce
Vevegnyvs

Speakers

-

the

_—___

of

.

Who"

EGR Obese
RERR
PORTET OETA CTRL
REAEC
RSLEOS HARE CC
ESOS RECLOCDO
CREQORSAGCODARO

Ak”

THE

OF

MEETING

TOWN

eee

~ "Who's

then

CTURIREGRUCEOLALE
LEDERER ELE e aE Seah aees PISPRLTELETSS

~
om
~

EAE ECE T GAOT OOOH ROT HC URED PER OLO PEGE A TOO RT ELE R EEG RAU ERODED RAO RPER EAGER TORE EO TAT CRT LTT C POORER SCR aot

“AMERICA’S

POCRETOORDOPRS LOR REO TO RUE PTE EDRT ONES

~
-

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PEEREORERESER EE REPEREOOE ELC ED SELECT DEROT EOE

Service

of the incumbent governor, Elmer A.
impressive compaigner since college

days at the University of Minnesota, where he was champion orator and allIt is said of him that he was so active in
university class president.
college business that he had to hire a fraternity brother as personal secrePrior to his election as governor, Mr. Stassen had been county
tary.
attorney of Dakota County, Minnesota, for two terms,

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plants

for the United Automobile
Plan"

"Reuther

and
His

speed

to

Motors

production

by devoting

idle

and has been

carefully

studied

Workers

aircraft

up

of Industrial

Organizations)

Corporation

in General

Organization

is the originator

(C.I.0.),

the mass manufacture of a few standardized
been supported by Philip Murray, president

labor to
plan has

gress

of

of the

facilities

types of planes.
(Conof the C.I.0.

by the

Mr. Reuther believes that a daily
National Defense Advisory Commission.
average of 500 trainer and fighter types could be reached, with the manufacture of the more complex bombers being left to established aircraft

companies.

Many

factories.

Once,

industrialists-have

the practicability

denied

of his

ideas.

FESRETTOCVED
CT

oo

~ Director

REUTHER

Walter Reuther was once foreman of a Ford Motor Company tool~and-die shop,
He
and an instructor in tool-making in Soviet Russia, China, and Japan.
is given much of the credit for the strength of the C.I.0. in Detroit motor

according

William Knudsen tangled in heated
At the finish,
Motors factories.

were

selling

Knudsen

added:

"used

"Yes,

cars for us."
used

(December

to Time Magazine

cars!

debate over union
Knudsen expressed

Mr.

Reuther

Anybody

can

didn't

sell

1940),

430,

Cppyenanaeceenanynaenaveasacgassegngensagesaegaaseeasetgugsersecasgenoy

~

WALTER

he and

matters in General
the wish that Reuther

new

like

this,

cars."

until Mr,

"t,

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Copyright,

1940,

by The TOWN

HALL,

This Service or parts thercof, may not be reproduced

Inc,

All rights reserved.

in any form without permission.

‘“

- Saint

ATR.

minnesota

Paul,

municipal Auditorium

Broadeast

or

National

and

VTCN

Station

over

Company

Broadcasting

Network

Blue

da

What sust Labor and Business
Contribute to National Defense?

Subject:

-

(Ringing

Bell)

must

What

Town iieetint
and

labor

tonight!

Town sieetin'

A

tonight?
|

|

national

$o

businesa contribute

&
ao

x

defense?
Town neetin'

ANNOUNCER:

for

the

grest

selva

Shc

sne

a
:

ae

pamit

es i

fh

ies
ie:
a

ie

timely

wos ¢

by

the

local Town

which is

unions,

Labor

of

taxing the

life and

Town

bubiness

behalf

my pleasure

consider

of the

audicnce

Minnesota

wanieipal

Audi oorium

A

leaders, mon

and wowen

from all walke

-"

i

in
d
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l
b
u
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s
a
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r
a
n
o
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i
of op
tonight's

Women's

to present

of

oe

nesstated

our

of all shades

seating
to

now on

capacity
of

our ‘ietiene’

asseuhled an

comsonwealth

liberal

the

has

committee,

to

Saint Paul,

of
4+nstitute

Hall

of

representative

vital

i aibioet

digcussion of

The Woments

defense.

another

the Air brings you

nooting of

Town

Americats

a

Northwest,

ee.

: Kz

oe

of agriculture,

center

innesota,

transportation

snd

tonight! (Fades)

meebint

Town

tonights

Saint Paul,

From

industry
theag
Soe

THE

OF

wSTING

PORN

AMERICA'S

the

imoortant

Institute

founder

or

question.

and moderator of Al

ti

—
.
r
i
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ur
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George V.
te,

tq.3

it

Baint Paul,

cae

RODERATOR:

Seattle

way frow

a ‘long

is

rt

Neighbors!

Evening,

Good

to Saint Paul but I understand that this state takes a
|

3

water

i

to

4

can

‘

but

:

that your claims

=

shown

x

‘the

in

problems

Relations

the

hig

to

of this

father

ur.

wear Corporation
‘motive

Workers

‘spirit

of

frank

gentlemen

Act, your

od

a
4

is

;

discussion

governor,

& leading iinnesota

:

and

President

of the Union

of “ute

of PeSPel es

the

"what

the

traditional

discussion,

open

and

in

benefit

mast

of your

|

Aueriican
ss

are asking

you

opinicnes

on the

and business

contribute

;

the United states

of
‘The President

to national defense?"

a.

ei
7

“peg

es

2

ee Re Ne tegen

;

TAS

f

ne” Me

€

4

;

e, ec a

i

lahor

we

oe

of iunsing~_

President
Coordinator;

Vice

a

a.

is

and State Defense

to give us

question,

diatinguished

L Ulrich,

Ernest

tonight's

in

has

It

on binnesota.

Stassen}

E.

e

My

fo

Industrial.

Your

leaders

as

have

ur. Walter Reuther,

vital

legislation.

attention

nation-wide

industrialist,
a

suawer

attacked

have

you

which

in more than twenty other states,

the Honorable Harold

ES

la’

Act which,I understand,
is serving
as a model

privilege

great

in

wag

of social

for legislation
focussed

last

trip,

of your people

sturdiness

great

courageous

the

this

trip

from my

time

had

not

have

for an all-year-round vacation land are
The

unfounded.

not

,

the fact

to

witness

bear

I

the test on

to

streams

and

hilis

your

put

that

regret

only

I

fishermen.

—
h
s
e
r
f
d
n
a
s
r
e
i
for sk

as a paradise

to none

place

second

:

has

said,

"the

for

all

ali

of

us

may

be

in truth

out

ir, Walter

nation

is

defense."

will

Reuther,

for

He has called

sata! in

the

calling

our daily

Tercsenal for

an

all out effort

for

lives

sacrifices

to the

end

|

which
that

we

democracy".

heeuss- you have a forthright statement

at

Be

:

‘

as

oe

is

=

J

Rate

4

i

—

7

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7

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5

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F

;

AW

ODERATOR ¢

‘

’

ee

Se. a

‘¢

-

pleasure

in

hs

Coordinator,

"What

-

haa

defense?"

of ninnesote' 8

as originator

*

,

GOVERNOR HAROLD B. STASSEN - 8 MINUTES)

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President of wenaingsear

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presenting Governor ‘Stassen.

a

Seg

at

7

Governor Staesen,

4

ee

es

‘

FE

a

Industrial Relations Act, may we hear frou ‘yout
on

;

j

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business ‘eontribu'e te national

‘And now,

et

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L Ulrich, as

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LK

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Pr

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(aR. WALTER REUTHR - 8 mores}
ha

‘

i

MODERATOR:— ‘Thank you, ue

a)

:

f

hoe ar.

“business man's point of view on this question,

he

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E.

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mil:

Thenk you , “jr. Reuthér!

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‘labor, any I ealn on:

i

a)

(STATON BREAK)

MODERATOR:

Continuing America ts Town uooting of the Agar from ¢ 18
mnfeipal

Auditor

3, 000 people

um

in Saint Paul,

representing

the

“kdinnesota,

where

os cae

over.

great, Horthue rat. are

Ab Hendance discussing the subject,
Beats.

ee

eee

aot

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:

te

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business

ae

con. rivate

ars Uirtoh and: Go

| 7 oe

i ss

ca pean

prea het

ee

MODERATOR:

ing

defense?"

this time, we Anvil te, our speakers,

Governor or jire —

eer

to nations)

Thank you,

oh on what

ee (smaAKERS
wire

be ot

a

tae

bn eines

they have

on nes
t
a

said.

wD, Reuther.

pIseussto- 7 ‘eIHUTES)
+ notice

the audience is vecouing

res tless and would Uke to get in on this tscussion.
perhaps: we had better take their questions

rf

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meeting,

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week'a Progra

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discuasion a 1A8 (411 ho available fer ald listener's at the —
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send all comuuni cations to foun Nall,

43rd St., in New York City.
“and

season,

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ANNOUNCER: «= Noxt week,

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Southern Christian Leadership Conference

Southern Christian Leadership Conference

Southern Christian Leadership Conference

Poor Peoples' Campaign

Poor Peoples' Campaign

Southern Christian Leadership Conference

Southern Christian Leadership Conference

Southern Christian Leadership Conference

Poor Peoples' Campaign

Poor Peoples' Campaign

Debate; Town Meeting of the Air ‑ National Defense

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