The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1918-07-26
LABOR MOBILIZATION.
Supplying of War Industries to Be Gen.
tralized Aug. /.


On Aug. /, the supplying of war in
dustries with common labor will be cen
tralized in the y. s. employment service
Of the department Of labor, and all indie
pendent recruiting of common labor by
war industry manufacturers having a
payroll of more than 100 men will be
diverted to the U. S. employment serv-
ice This is in accordance with the de-
cision of the war labor policies board and
approved by the president June II.
The above action was found necessary
to overcome a perilous shortage of I'M
skilled labor in war industries. This
shortage was aggravated by an almost
universal practice Of labor stealing and
poaching.
While the restrictions against the pri-.
vate employment of labor apply only to
common labor at the present time, these
restrictions will, as soon as possible, be
extended to include skilled labor. In the
meantime, recruiting of skilled labor for
war production will be subject to federal
regulations now being prepared.
This drastic change in the nations la
Dor program has been found necessary in
order to protect the employer and the
employed, to conserve the labor supply
of the communities and to cut down un-
necessary and expensive labor turnover
and to increase the production of essen
tials. While essential industries will
be drawn upon to supply the necessary
labor for war work, the withdrawal win
be conducted on an equitable basis in
order to protect the individual employer
as much as possible.
Under the operating methods adopted,
the country has been divided into IL fed
eral districts, each district in charge of
a superintendent of the U. S. employ
ment service The states within each
district are in turn in charge of a state
director, who has full control of the
service within his state
In each community there is being
formed local community labor board,
consisting of representative of the
U. 5. employment service, representa-
tive of employers and a representative
of the employed. This board will have
jurisdiction over recruiting and distrib-
Iuting labor in its locality.
A survey of the labor requirements is
being made, and in order that each com.
munity may be fully protected, rulings
have been issued that no labor shall be
transported out Of any community by
the U. S. employment service without
the approval Of the state director; nor
shall any labor be removed by the serv-
ice from one state to another without
the approval Of the U. S. employment
service at Washington. Every effort will
be made to discourage any movements
from community to community or state
to state by any other service.
This labor program has the approval
OF all producing departments OF the gov.
eminent, through the war labor policies
board.
1t must be understood that farm labor
viii be protected, for the industrial pro-
gram distinctly includes special efforts
to keep the farmers supplied with labor.
The requirement that unskilled labor
must be recruited through the sole agen-
cy of the Z. S. employment service does
not at present apply in the following
cases:
|. Labor which is not directly or in
directly solicited
2 Labor for the railroads
3. Farm labor--to be recruited in &C.
cordanee with existing arrangement with
department Of agriculture.
4. Labor for non-war work.
5. Labor for establishments whose
maximum force does not exceed 100
When the survey of labor requirements
has been made and the aggregate de.
ma nd f1laI lak x.,arty ,.
found, each state will be assigned a quo
ia, representing the common labor to be
drawn from among men engaged in non
essential industries in that state.
These state quotas win in turn be dis
tributed among localities. Within each
locality, employers in non-war work, in
Guiding those who are only partially in
war work, will be asked to distribute the
local quotas from time to time amongst
themselves Quotas by localities and in
dividuals are to be accepted as readily
as they are for Liberty loan and Red
Cross campaigns. This plan of labor is a
protection for all communities.
The object Ia to keep any community
from being drained of labor, and to use
local supply, as far as possible, for local
demand. The situation, however, is such
that in certain cases some men may have
to be transported over long distances
You will note from the above outline
that this is probably the most drastic
action that the government has taken
since putting the national army draft
into effect. The absolute necessity for
this program can be seen when it is real
lied that in Pittsburg, for instance, there
are advertisements calling for men to
90 to Detroit; while in Detroit street
cars there are posters asking men to go
to Pittsburg. This same condition is
apparent all over the United States and
in the consequent shifting of labor
great part of our war effort is dissipat.
ed
This committee requests your united
support and the benefit Of your co-opera-
ton, and we believe this viii help ma
terially to solve the problem which we
face, Leighton p. Slack, Chairman.
Joseph G. Brown, Secretary