Tool Owner Rucker Finds 'Fascist' Charges at Free Enterprise Address

Rumored riots fizzled to what a Free Enterprise Society official termed "bad taste" last night as 20 leaflet-armed Liberal union members reiterated charges of "fascism" against Allen W. Rucker, who spoke at the Free Enterprise Society meeting in Harvard Hall.

Rucker is founder of the Tool Owner's Union which a New York State Department of Labor Board branded "fascistic" last winter. The board turned down the organizations charter application because, it claimed, final decisions within the Union rested with one man rather than the membership.

In a question period after Rucker's talk on "Communism or Free Enterprise--Which Gives the Worker More?", and in leaflets handed out at the door, the HLU repeated these charges and "challenged" Rucker to deny them.

Makes No Comment

The speaker assorted that his members vet on policy matters, but not on internal affairs, but discussion of Rucker's organization was ruled out of order by the chairman of the meeting, Anthony B. Neidecker '60. After the meeting, however, Rucker declined to comment on the charges "until he had a copy of the by-laws of his organization before him.

Rucker said that tools "now supply 91 percent of productive power" and that therefore the owners of the tools or machines are entitled to profit. "The community must pay for the use of the tools," he said.

Incentive Plan

Rucker claims his "share the production" plan is a method of removing "any ceilings on the incomes of workers." He declined to elaborate on the methods of sharing the production of a plant with the workers in it, inviting the questioner to the T.O.U. office for further information.

The tools of production are not owned by "rich people," Rucker said, pointing out that only 0.3 percent of corporation stockholders have incomes over $10,000. When questioned, he said he did not know how much stock this minority controlled.