Denver labor bulletin. [volume] (Denver, Colo.) 1915-19??, 1918-06-29
PRIORITY
GIVEN WAR WORK
GOVERNMENT PLANS SYS-
TEN OF DISTRIBUTION.
Far Reaching Plan for Recruiting and
Supplying Workers in All Kinds Of
War Production Thru u. 8.
Employment Service.

The federal government is about to
undertake system Of priority distri-
button of the nations labor supply
among essential war activities. While
no official announcement of this far
reaching plan has been made, it can
be stated authoritatively that it has
been agreed upon at conferences be-
tween the war industries board and
the national war labor policies board
Such move is to follow the order
Of President Wilson centralizing the
recruiting and supplying of workers of
all kinds for war production in the
United States employment service. This
order is now being put into effect in
every industrial center. Under the
presidents order, all labor recruiting
is TO be handled by the employment
service. Under the plan soon to be an
nounced all laber is to be distributed
by the government according to the
more vital needs of the industries en-
gagged in war productions. Facts re-
garding the pending program were
learned from officials Of the govern
ment VIII oare dealing directly with it.
Tentative priority of labor has been
fixed on the following basis:
Basis Determined.
!. Emergency feet corporation and
all shipbuilding activities.
2. Interior transportation of rail-
roads, canals and other freight car
riers.
3. Agricultural operations, particu-
larry in the harvest of wheat and corn.
4. Production of coal, coke, petro-
leum products.
8. Munitions and general supplies
for the army and navy.
IT,. ,,fw.-
than this and probably will proceed no
further These five activities are re
garced as the most vital in promoting
the success Of the war and. while
other lines Of business may be re
garded as essential. there is no pros
pect that the government will differ
entiate between them in the distribu-
ton Of whatever labor there may be
left after shipbuilding. transportation,
farming. fuel and munition production
demands are provided for
Ships Get First Call.
The view has been taken by the
government that shipbuilding is in
contestably the most important do
mestic war enterprise. Unless Amer
ica's resources are delivered in Europe
they manifSstly are valueless as a
factor in the fight against Germany.
For this reason shipbuilders are to
have first call upon the available sup
ply of labor. Interior transportation
Is next in importance, for the reason
that the ships cannot be loaded until
the cargoes are laid down at the sea-
board.
Fuel and food really are on n parity
in the matter of Importance, altho the
former is given priority in the matter
of labor because its urodnrfiop "a M
uonwide in its extent whereas the
production of fuel is more sectional
and the number of men needed to man
the coal mines is far less, in the aggre-
gate, than those needed for agricul-
tural activities.
To Classify Non Essentials.
The manufacture Of munitions is
considered in its relation TO the labor
supply, IN its broadcast sense. The
government does not look upon il in
terms of steel plants or arsenals or
shell works alone. but includes ore
productions and various collateral in
terests under the general heading of
munitions and supplies.
In order to enforce priority in the
distribution of labor il is OF course
necessary TO go back to the problem
OF determining what industries in the
United States are essential and what
are not. Those additional workers re-
quired to bring the vital industries up
to full war strength" must be re-
cruited from the non-essential bust
nesses of the country. And one by
one the war industries board is sort
ing out the non-war industries and is
serving notice upon them that they
must cut down their use of labor.