The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1918-08-23
Must Get War Contracts Controlled
In Washington and Fill Cues
tionnaires on Blanks Not
Received.
INTERESTING SITUATION
Most Of Them In X eokuk Listen to De-
tailed Explanation Of Their I'm
minent Troubles by
Mcnamara.

Nearly a hundred Keokuk employ
ars Of labor met in the district court
room last evening and spent over an
hour hearing what they must DO, OF
have your business go on the bum.
The things for them to do are
these:
Get a war contract let In Washing
ton, so far away that the date OF
opening bids has passed before the
mails can carry the necessary papers
back and FORTH
Fill out and file QUESTIONABLE at
once which was received by only
three out Of the hundred and more
from whom 1t Is required.
Otherwise Keokuk may be drained
OF its labor, and a call has already
been made for 1873 unskilled labor
ers to go from Lee county to other
states to fill war work requirements.
Skilled labor will be included IN
few days, it was officially stated.
The Cause OF the Meeting.
T. F. Brady, chairman OF the Keo-
kuk labor board. presided. and 20
seph II. Mcnamara, of that board
who attended conference OF 1lVe
hundred with the governor ana stats
labor administrator at Des MONIES
did most OF the explaining or the
dilemma in which the audience iouno
themselves
There are 1850 unskilled laborerss
called for from Iowa by the federal
hoard to work in other states said
Mr.. Mcnamara and this number was
apportioned among the counties OF
Iowa which however will each re-
ceive credit for the number now en-
gagged in war work or already FUR
nished as shown by the question
aires not received and consequently
not filed by KeoHuk employers.
They Are Expected Soon.
It developed that those essential
ouestionaires are expected to arrive
in a few days and they will be turned
over to a regional board with head
quarters in Chicago SO that govern
ment contracts may be allotted IN
each regional district to factories
equipped to handle them. The keo-
kuk Industrial association will have
charge of handling these matters for
Keokuk manufacturers.
It also developed that many Of
those at the meeting have little faith
in many government contracts THIS
far west and 1t was pointed out that
the time between asking for bids and
letting the contracts is too short Tor
the mail time involved
Joseph H Mcnamara said labor,
both skilled and unskilled, will be
involved IN the government control
Of labor.
The old designations OF essential
and nonessential work have been
dropped and now the nomenclature
is labor for war work and non-war
work. War work is labor directly on
products used in the war.
The Alarming Features.
The Des Mones conference OF five
hundred considered the whole matter
and sent committee to Washington
to protest against discrimination
against Iowa and the west In war
contracts.
IF we don't get the war contracts,
we won't get the labor" said Mr..
Mcnamara, and the one big prob
lem is to keep the labor here. The
local labor board will determine who
in KeoktIk is engaged in war work.
|. The man not employing labor for
war work will lose his hands. Lee
county is already apportioned lS3
unskiiled laborers called for from
Iowa he said.
MY eyes were opened at Des
Moines and / was really frightened,
said Mr.. Mcnamara, "and If some OF
you don't get into war work your
business will go on the bum"
Unofficial non-war work to lose
labor includes many industries in
addition to shoe shining parlors and
extra clerks in stores.
Iowa has allowed itself to get into
bad shape by manufacturers failing
to fill out and file QUESTIONABLE
sent out late in July he said. A
question elected that only three men
in the room ever received this ques-
tionaire.
eff you can make one hundred per
cent on domestic business and only
seventy per cent on war business,
you had better take the war business,
aside from patriotism" said Mr..
Mcnamara. He read the following
dispatch from Washington on the
leased wire of The Gate City, too
late for publication yesterday after
noon:
No Idle Men to Draw On.
"a present shortage of one million
skilled laborers for war work was
announced by the labor department
this afternoon The labor shortage
is so acute that work on a number
of army and navy projects IS being
delayed No idle labor of any value
exists from which men needed to
keep contracts on scheduled delivery
may be drawn the department said.
NonessentiaI production must be cur
tailed by the wholesale throughout
the nation TO release men for war
work it was stated"
There are to be no retired men In