The Colorado statesman., 1917-08-11
MOBILIZATION OF
WORKERS STUDIED
Uncle Sans Experts Investigate
Methods Used in European
Countries.
cOkpULSION IS DIFFICULT
Great Britain Decided That Labor
Could Be Managed Best During
War on Basis Of Agreement
and Volunteering.

and Volunteering.
Before the entrance of the United
States into the great European con-
flict experts of Uncle Sans depart
ment of labor had been watching the
labor conditions in European countries,
and now, since this country is actual
ly involved in the war, the results not
ed are of especial value, inasmuch as
in many instances the United States
can follow the steps of its allies in
working out the industrial situation.
1t was found during the course Of
the investigative work that u primary
problem confronting Great Britain was
to determine whether compulsion
should be attempted, in an effort to
mobilize it's labor forces for war pur-
poses, and, IL so, to what extent. For
the purposes of rapid and effective
mobilization the use of some form of
compulslon, exercised by a central d.
/ recting authority, suggested itself as
having many advantages. In practice,
however. the problem proved more
complicated than 1t might appear on
the surface.
Defends on National Policy.
To large extent, so 1t was found,
the success of compulsion depends up
on the social conditions and immediate
history of a people. If a nation has
been schooled to the idea of universal
military compulsion, either as set
national policy or as result of the
] n
exists machinery to deal with the dis
tribution of men not only for military
purposes, but also for industrial pur-
poses, then some of the difficulties in
the way of compulsory labor mobiliza-
ton are removed. Thus it appears
that the principal continental bellig-
erents have, generally speaking, adopt
ed compulsiOn both for military and
for civilian purposes.
Even so, the experience of these
countries, in so far as information is
available, would seem to indicate, say
Uncle Sans experts, that civil compul-
sion is by no means an easy thing to
maintain over a long period and Is, in
any case, difficult thing to administer.
AS illustrating the latter point, it is
pointed out that the strain of industrial
compulsion is undoubtedly beginning
to make itself felt in Germany. While
credence need not be given to exag-
gerated reports of industrial unrest,
the labor experts say, and while full
allowance must be made for conditions
which obtain in that country, 1t is still
apparent that the system of martial
| Ia in, iHyi1 in
to exhaust the patience and to initiate
against the most successful output of
n people, even though they have been
long accustomed to obedience and au-
thority.
Difficulties in Way.
As to the difficulty of administra-
ton, however well France and Ger
many may have utilized their resources
in man power in the early stages of
the war, it seems to be admitted that
the mistakes made by both of these
countries were considerable. In other
words, that desire of placing every man
at his right post has by no means been
achieved by the continental powers.
Indeed, so our own experts say, the
difficulties of the effort to do this on
large scale have been shown to be
overwhelming by the experience of
Germany in its attempt to control
labor under the auxiliary service act.
1t would appear, therefore, from all
available information regarding expe-
rience in the present war, that COM
pulslon of labor generally is by no
means the complete solution of war
time problems in any country, say the
government experts. 1t may be safely
said that the industrial organization is
so complex and reacts in so many thou
sand unexpected ways that no central
organization can be built up in time of
stress which would make the best pos
sible use of each Individual unit. The
experts believe that this is particularly
true of country like Great Britain,
where the idea of compulsory service,
even for purposes of national defense,
was entirely alien. With this in mind,
the British government confronted by
the immediate question, decided ut the
outbreak of the war that 1t was only
upon basis of agreement and by vol
unteering that the labor of the country
could be managed.