The Washington herald., 1918-07-10
BOARDS UNITE
FOR ESSENTIAL
LABOR SUPPLY
War Labor, Employment
and War Industries with
Fuel Heads.

Nonessential Industries must con-
vert their product to war necessi-
ties or face closed doors and a sus-
pension of operations until after the
war.
The War Labor Policies Board. the
L. S. Employment Service. the War
Industries Board and the Fuel Ad-
ministratIon are united on this. Be-
tween them, they control the flow
of raw materials, labor and fuel of
the country. No industry can oper-
ate without their cooperation.
The list of essential industries Of
the government Is not limited to fac
tories turning out war material alone.
but includes-after ships, aircraft, mu-
nitions and army and navy supplies
the industries pertaining to fuel, food.
clothing, railroads and public utili-
ties and collateral industries which
contribute to these, such as tools.
chemicals. feeds and twine, tin and
paper containers. apd an raw mate
rfals and partly manufactured parts
which have to do with the Hsanufacl
ture of any of these. and many other
industries which have to do with the
normal living necessities Of the peo-
pie.
The Industries which are regarded
as nonessential are in most cases
producers of luxuries, whose output
has already been eurtailed and is TO
be curtailed more and more.
U. Q. Chamber Co-operates.
A committee Of the United States
Chamber Of Commerce, i'm conference
with their representatives, has been
advised of this decision, and has
promised cooperation. The Chamber
has issued a circular to its members
advising them of the program.
The War Industries Board has already
classified the essential industries.
The Fuel Administration accepted
that classification and the Labor De-
over the supply of unskilled labor and
allocating it to the war Industries. has
also accepted the classification.
Later the United States Employ
ment Service will probably also take
over the handling of skilled labor.
I'VE did not do SO at this time, !"
says ]. B. Densmore. head of the
bureau and member OF the War Labor
Policies Board, because we did not
want to disturb Industrial conditions
too sharply. nor undertake a1l at once
a job that might break our backs.
Every manufacturer in the coun-
try should know by this time, from
the rating given. him by the War
Industries Board or the Fuel Ad-
ministration, just what, his ranking
is in the eyes of the government as
a war essential.
"Just on that basis he can figure
his labor supply" says Densmore
There will be great shifts of men.
Some employers will lose a fraction
of their forces; some will lose all
The United States will see that the
war industries are cared for first.
Our organization is perfected in
to every State and. city, aid 1t will
be our policy to fill the war needs
for labor from the immediate terri
tory first. We will move out for
men in circles and go no farther
from the objective point than neces-
sary.
ALLEGATION Not Yet.
'Tt might come to the point some
time that we must allocate labor alb
solutely .tol industry, assigning given
men to given industries, but we do
not anticipate it now. There should
never be the need of telling a man he
must work in a certain place or there
viii be no work for him. The prior
tiles program of the government
should make such orders unneces-
sary. Only ,sthe necessary industries
will have raw materials and fuel, and
as the industries from which we
would haye to move labor to meet
the needs of-the essential industries
will be closed for lack of material
and fuel their labor will be free to
be transferred to the more essential
plants.
And IL any Of the nonessential iE-
dustries which still may be permitted
to operate try to steal men by out
bidding the war Industries, all we
have to do Is arrange with the Fuel
Administration to have their coal