Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1918-01-31
u. S. BOARD TO FIX
Continued from page !

and the proper distribution of help viii
follow.
One of the most surprising features of
the report of the advisory committee Is
the closing paragraph which plainly
states that unless n centralized admin
istratIon of production is organized the
whole labor plan rs organized VIII be
insufficient to meet the nations great
war emergency This, in effect, IS de-
cision by the labor experts OF the coun-
try that a munitions chief ot munitions
department is essential If the war ma
terlals are to be produced.
The memorandum after saying that u
plan on the six matters laid befo 1t
has been outlined in response TO the
President order continues:
''In sense he function OF your adj
visory council does not extend to the
confederation of other matters. We
Should however. be neglectful of our full
duty in the case did we not point out
that q perfect administration OF labor
matters in accord with the plan outlined
above would not be sufficient TO meet tire
emergency wh,cL faces the country.
GENERALIZATION IMPERATIVE.
Labor matters do not stand by them
selves. They are phases OF production and
no centralized administration of labor
can be adequate which does not go hand
in hand with the Capitalization OF admin
istration Of production. How this latter
Capitalization is to be accomplished is not
for your council TO consider, but its Iudg-
| ment is clear that failure to secure such
Capitalization spells failure to secure a
sound situation in labor and failure TO
prosecute the war vigorously.
So great is the emergency of at once
taking up the labor problem OF the coun-
| Try and obtaining agreements and guaran-
| tees in order that the necessary workmen
can be modified for the war work that
| the advisory committee points out
| that no problems can be left 10 work
| themselves out.
The committee strongly urges that a
| conference shall be called at once by the
secretary Of labor at which the secretary
of the navy, the secretary of war and the
| chairman of the United States Shipping
| Board shall bc told the object OF the new
| administrative functions of the Depart
ment of Labor and shall give immediate
! proper assurances TO bring about the
/ prompt establishment of the facilities.
With the outbreak Of war England
| forced labor to agree to accept prewar
wages-the increased cost OF living to be
! made up bv bonuses determined by q
government committee every three months.
! II was further made obligatory on manu-
| facturcrs 10 receive no more than one-fIfth
| advance for their products, the cures
being based on those of the two years
previous to war This increased profit
has gone largely into improvements, 1t IS
said.
The British plan has been given weighty
consideration by the advisory committee,
a L. ! Al -.
the establishment already Of labor depart
ments by the Shipping Board, the army
and aircraft tic ials, the plan cannot bo
bodily adopted in this country.
sTRlKEs ARE GREATEST MENACE.
II has been pontd out that the greatest
menace TO America in the war is the ever
present danger Of strikes among labor
employed on war work. The Special com
mittec, to be made up Of the inanufactur-
ers and the labor men, viii be organized,
according to letters sent out by the secre-
tary Of Labor, to reach agreements on
principles and policies ~hlchshould gov
ern their relat ions.
II is said that this committee y alb
asked to draw up wage and working Oh
dition agreements which will guarantee
the nation against strikes during the war
The eight new bureaus of the Depart
ment of Labor by which it is believed the
greater problems of labor control will be
effected are:
Adjustment service to deal with in
dustrial disputes The nucleus of this
service now exists IN the concilatlondI-
vision of the Department OF Labor.
Conditions OF labor service to admins
ter conditions OF labor within bus ess
plants, such as safety. sanitation, u
Information and education divisi N to
promote sound sentiment and 10 pr lde
appropriate local machinery and po, it.S
in Individual plants
Training and dilution service.
Women in industry service To correl-
ate the activities of various agencies
dealing with this matter.
Housing and transportation OF workers
service.
Personal service This may possibly be
fused with the education division.
The existing machinery for the moblliz-
ing aud supplying of workers which in the
nited States Employment Service has
been designated by the advisory council
for this work