800 State Papers and Addresses

INDUSTRIAL UNION COUNCIL, SIXTH ANNUAL CONVENTION
MARYLAND-D. C.
December 7, 1942
Baltimore

It is quite appropriate that your Sixth Annual Convention opens today
for, undoubtedly, December 7 will be always noted in the history of Labor in
America. In passing, I might say in all sincerity, that your organization here
in Maryland, as well as Nationally, may well take deep pride in the very splendid
cooperation that has been advanced in all phases of industry's effort for Victory.

This has been a momentous year in America's history. Fantastic accomp-
lishments have been achieved, through the cooperation of the patriotic men and
women working in America's great industrial plants. It would be worse than
folly, however, to say that enough has been accomplished, or to attempt to give
anyone assurance that we are "over the hill" in the matter of war preparation
and production.

We distinctly are not. You have only to read the front pages of the papers
to realize the gigantic task facing America in this war. Men and women who
have helped to make ships and tanks and planes and guns know perhaps better
than the ordinary sitizen, how many hours of labor are entailed in the produc-
tion of every one of these highly important units. When, therefore, it is noted
that in the African campaign, which, important as it was, is still but one phase
of our far-flung activities, there were engaged approximately 850 vessels,
of which 500 were devoted to the transport of troops and supplies, it is possible,
to gauge the industrial effort entailed.

We all know that to produce those 500 ships and the supplies they carried,
required man-hours to a total that would be staggering to compute. By the
same token, the American expeditionary forces that landed during the past week
at New Zealand was the result of countless hours of labor, and every shipment
to the Far East or to England or to Africa or to Iceland, every offensive under-
taking in Guadalcanal, or New Guinea, or wherever else military tactics may
dictate, is entirely dependent upon, and would be impossible without, the con-
tinuing all-out cooperation of our millions of laboring men and women.

Here in Maryland, we are very proud of the relations existing between
management and labor. Likewise, we are deeply gratified at the results
achieved by the Maryland Labor Victory Board, in the initation and conduct of
which the Congress of Industrial. Organization has played so important a part.

Well may we be proud too, of the momentous contribution made by the men
and women of Maryland in the many great industrial plants located within,
our State. It can be said without fear of contradiction that, in respect to size
and population, there is no State in America that has made a greater contribu-
tion to the industrial productive phase of the war.