The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1918-09-04
ESSENTIAL WORK FIRST.
STATE ADVISORY BOARD TO EN-
PLOYNIENT SERVICE MEETS.
War Industries Should Go Ahead Re-
gardless Of Inconvenience to Nom
Essential Work.

Columbia, Aug. 30.-Manifestiag
quiet determination to carry into ef-
feet all rulings Of the war industries
board which look to an increase IN
the producing power of the natlon'
the State Advisory Board Of the UNI
ted States employment service heio
an important meeting yesterday
morning in the Loan and Exchange
bank building.
The meeting was for the purpose
of looking into the labor SITUATION;
for trying to get a line on essentlal
and nonessential enterprises; Tor
planning some method by which men
who are at present engaged in nom
ESSENTIALS may be induced to give up
Jobs which are not yitally important
in war times and take jobs where
their country needs them and where
thew can do some work for victory.
The soft drink dealers and manu-
facturers, the bell hops in hotels VINO
thrive on tips, the transfer men, the
pool room loafers, the one horse frult
stands. the idlers around depots ana
the negro who wrote the Employment
Service that he would do government
work for $50 per week all came III
for consideration.
Again and again it was brought out
that when the matter OF war work Is
properly presented, when men engag-
ed i'm non productive work are
brought to see the real need OF their
services by the government, when
LOYALTY to country and the boys at
the front is stressed, the response is
immediate and gratifying. Some men
will have to be forced into the war
work, but patriotic appeal in many
cases has the desired effect according
to information brought before the
board.
Governor Manning, who was pres
ent by invitation, sized up the view
taken by the Advisory Board pretty
accurately when he said eve must lay
aside selfish consideration and r
sonal gain, and put our hearts into
winning this war and to do it, work
Is necessary"
Another gentleman present, VINO
was evidently thorough convert to
the work or fight plan of the gov
ernment said men engaged in nones-
sential work such as selling sort
drinks or driving transfers ought to
be told plainly that they could either
get out of their present work and get
into something that has to do with
the winning of the war Or else report
to their local board.
The use of employment cards, by
which men are required to hold a
card signed by their employer showing
the nature of the work being done
and the number of days worked, was
considered when the question Of get
ting rid of idlers was being consider
ed. The Greenville ordinance was re-
ferred to and the disadvantages OF the
card system considered.
Mr.. Montgomery. of Spartanburg,
who hasst heSnowIedge hat comes
from long experience in dealing with
labor, said fthat the mills were pro-
ducing rs TO SO per cent. of normal
production. Some mills are actually
doing war work for the government
suah as making duck while others
are making cloth necessary to clothe
the world.
He said some mills were showing a
tendency to drift away from war work
owing to the delays and red tape con-
nscted with government contracts.
The vague line between essential
and nonessential work received con-
sideration and an effort to make up a
list of industries that are essential
and another list Of industries that are
not esst ntial in war times was made,
but it was decided that the war in
dustries board in Washington would
be consulted in regard to the matter.
The cottonseed oil mills over the
State which will soon be in operation
will require about $500 men to run
them. Floating labor will supply
about 500 men and the others will
have to be secured from non-eSsen-
tial industries.
Many other industries that are es-
sential are short handed, and men
must be recruited
The enormous wastage of man pow
er in the State was frequently refer
red to. When the soft drink industry
was under consideration, the board
manifested a desire 70 put on its
fighting togs right away-the labor
necessary to run the bottling plants;
the men necessary to drive the drays
and delivery wagons hauling the soft
drinks; the freight cars that carry
the drinks from places Of manufac-
ture to place of sale; the ice and SUI
gar consumed in their sale and man
ufacture,, and the absolute uselessness
Of the finished product, all came in
for comment that was not gentle.
When the pool rooms came up for
consideration, the same desire to con-
serve man power and put the idlers
and pushers to productive work
was manifest. One gentleman pres
ent said he had seen recently in one
pool room some II or Is men at
about 1870 o'clock in the day playing
the game, and this when ghe country
is calling for all availa BILE man power
TO put it's force into war work.
NM