Evening star., 1939-06-18

LONDON Correspondence of the As
eociated Press The managed econo-
mics of Germany and Italy appear to
have suffered few shocks from the call
ing to the colors of thousands of re-
servists during Europes tense spring.
but conscription brings bulky problem
= to Great Britain
Britain, embarking on its first peace
time conscription venture since the
Middle Ages, has the big task of decid-
ing If and how it is to protect the civil
ian interests of the 20-year-olds it is
calling for compulsory military training
The government realizes that the best
and possibly the only way to prevent
widespread dissatisfaction over its con-
scription scheme is to help those called
up to discharge their civilian liabilities
Britain's 100000 prospective military
conscripts are to get the equivalent of
at least IS cents a day and perhaps
more during their six months of train
ing. An original schedule of a shilling,
or about % cents, was opposed in Parlia-
: ment as inadequate to cover tobacco
\ and movie tickets.
Extra Amount for Husbands
Married conscripts, providing they al
lot fraction of their regular pay for
their families, will receive an allowance
Of II shillings (about $500 week for
their wives and additional allowances
for children.
War Secretary Leslie Hore- Belisha has
estimated that consumption would cost
Britain sl0.50O0OO (about $49 ,14O O0O)
this year in addition to s3O,0OO000 (about
$140 400, ,000) to be spent on accommo-
dation and equipment.
Behind the "open-and- censor
ship clamped down on all methods of
spreading public information in Ger
many, competent foreign observers have
discovered that mobilization of reserv-
lists frequently disrupts the working Of
individual factories.
Plants turning out essential defense
material or engaged on Germany's four
year self-suffciency program have no
trouble. Their key men are exempted
from reserve duty.
Man Shortage Experienced.
From factories lacking such preferred
status come frequent complaints that
drafting of reservists causes shortage of
both skilled help and ordinary factory
hands.
Some factories often explain that they
\ cannot deliver certain articles for sew
eral months because they are short
handed
Big Berlin companies that produce
electrical equipment complain that while
they get all the help they need for mill
]. tary orders, departments engaged on
civilian production are seriously under
manned
Estimates of the number and extent
Of orders lost through shortage of labor
are impossible to obtain. Many firms
camouaage the actual situation by say
ing they cannot fill orders because they
are busy on government contracts or
are short of materials
Jobs Must Be Kept Open.
Considerable confusion results from
the government practice of compelling
plants to keep open jobs of key men
called for reserve duty. Only temporary
This ruling applies even to young men
who first serve six months in the labor
service and then two years in the army.
Temporary men taken in to fill va
cancies caused by drafting of reservists
seldom are high-grade men. Because
they know their days are numbered, they
can have no permanent interest in their
work
Germany's military authorities take
pains to draft reservists to duties where
they can use any special training they
may have.
While all reservsts are under military
jurisdiction and wear uniform, if they
are skilled workers they do not have
to drill every day or go through the
merely mechanical operations of setting
up exercises.
Plant Must Pay Part Wages.
While he is on active duty, the plant
employing a reservist who has been
called up has to pay two-thirds of his
wages for the first three months. The
army administration pays 20 marks
(about So a month for each child.
Where reservist's wages are so small
that two-thirds of it won't adequately
support his family, the Nazi welfare
organization National Sozialistische
Volkswohlfahrt or N S. " for short)
steps in with monthly grant up to 125
marks $50.
The reservist himself gets so pfennigs
GO cents as daily wages.
BY making labor service as well as
military service obligatory, Germany has
virtually abolished unemployment.
Concentration on road building, soil
improvement armament designing uni
form making and other essential serv-
ice has created vast demand for labor.
Farm hands are imported from Italy,
Hungary and what used to be Czecho-
Slovakia.
Women are being re-employed in rail-
road and subway ticket Offices, and in
some cities as street car conductors.
Call to the colors carries some privi-