TABLE II.-Adjusted average hourly earnings Average monthly increase

The average monthly rate of increase in adjusted average hourly earnings has slowed markedly under stabilization as compared with prefreeze periods, postWorld War II periods, and comparable periods under War Labor Board wage stabilization.

Dollars

Percent

Post-freeze:

January 1951-February 1952.. February 1951-February 1952.. Pre-Korea, prefreeze:

January 1950-January 1951
January 1950-February 1951.
Post-Korea, prefreeze:

June 1950-January 1951.
June 1950-February 1951.

Post-World War II:

January 1948-February 1949.
January 1947-February 1948.
January 1946-February 1947.
February 1948-February 1949.
February 1947-February 1948.
February 1946-February 1947..
World War II wage stabilization:

October 1942-November 1943.
October 1942-October 1943...

1 Adjusted average hourly earnings of production and related workers in manufacturing following January 1950 represent gross average hourly earnings excluding overtime and the effect of interindustry shifts in employment after January 1950. Adjusted average hourly earnings in World War II exclude overtime and the effect of interindustry shifts in employment after January 1941.

1.4

1.2

-.0

Mr. ARNALL. I just do not want to do Mr. Wilson an injustice, .nor do I wish not to acquaint the committee fully with the circumstances that led up to Mr. Wilson's resignation.

I think this is another story, but I think in all justice to the committee, and to Mr. Wilson, and to me, and to Mr. Putnam and others, we ought to know this from one who was there.

As I tell the story, let me say that I have the highest respect for Charles E. Wilson. He is a great patriotic American.

The CHAIRMAN. Do you want to put this on the record, now?
Mr. ARNALL. Yes, sir; put it on the record if you want to.

The CHAIRMAN. Necessarily, we will have Mr. Wilson brought in. Senator FREAR. The question is, What recommendation did Charles Wilson make?

Mr. ARNALL. When this Wage Board recommendation came out, everyone was anxious to acquaint the President with the facts, as soon as they could find out what they were going to be, so Mr. Wilson wanted to go to Key West and talk to the President about it, which he did.

Mr. PUTNAM. I wanted to go along, but there was some misunderstanding.

Mr. ARNALL. So, when he came back, he called Mr. Putnam and me over there I do not think Mr. Feinsinger was present-and he said that he was going to settle the steel controversy and that he had determined the way to do it was to give the steel companies a price increase commensurate with the wage increase.

I listened. He said he told the steel companies that was what was going to happen. And I listened again, because I was naive enough to believe that the man who was supposed to be in charge of the price end of the deal would at least be consulted. I rather thought thatno criticism. It was just my thinking. I was a little hurt about it. But, it was so fast, that I was slow in getting on my feet.

He said:

Now, I want to have a press conference in the morning and have Mr. Putnam and Mr. Feinsinger and you over here and we are going to announce to the press, that everything is all right, that we are going to settle the steel controversy by granting a wage and price increase.

Well, when I got home, the more I thought about it, the more upset I got about it, that I was not consulted in it, and the steel companies had been told that they were going to get a commensurate price increase, with no regard to the standards that we employ at all.

So, I called Charley that night and told him that I just could not go to any press conference where he was going to announce what was going to be done, not having discussed it with me, or even having brought it to my attention until it was a fait accompli; that I was not going to sit there and be gagged by whatever happened.

I do not believe in the Senate anybody casts your vote for you. That is your job, and I thought that was my job.

I called him and said, "I am not coming to the press conference." I then went out to Mr. Putnam's home that evening, because I was very upset about it. I did not see how I could keep a job over there stabilizing prices if there were no standards employed, or rules.

So, I talked with Mr. Putnam about it, and I found that Mr. Putnam had independently reached the same view I had, that that was not the thing to do.