Evening star., 1940-12-17
Miss Perkins 10 Name
Postwar Economics
Committee Soon
Group Would Seek to
Pave Way to Change in
Tempo From Defense
BY OLIVER MCKEE.

Secretary of Labor Perkins will
soon appoint committee to study
the postwar problems of employ
ment and recommend plans to make
as easy as possible the transition of
the country from war to peace
economy when the present emer-
gency ends and defense expendi-
lures are reduced. In addition to
Government officials and econo-
mists, the committee will include
representatives of organized labor
and the States.
In appearing before the seventh
national conference on labor legls-
lation last week, Secretary Perkins
urged that a study be begun lmme-
diately of the problems Of postwar
economic adjustment. The confer
ence authorized her to appoint a
committee on postwar planning.
After its members are selected,
Secretary Perkins will lay before
the committee various proposals
that have been suggested for meet
Ing these problems. The commit
tee is expected later to add to its
membership.
To Cite Need to Public.
One of its main objectives will be
to focus public attention on the need
for preparing plans in advance to
meet the postwar problems of en-
ployment and economic readjust-
ments Cooperation of the States,
Secretary Perkins said today, will
be an important factor in the sue
cess of a program of postwar plan
ming.
Demobilization Of emergency ar
mics will bring with it the problem
of securing jobs for those returning
to civilian life. To reduce unem-
ployment among eX-soldiers to
minimum, it has been suggested
that demobilizat ton be carried out
slowly, and that employment offices
be established in Army camps.
The transfer of workers from war
production areas is another queS-
ton which the committee will con-
slider. Defense orders have boosted
the population of many American
cities. When armament expendi-
lures are reduced, there are likely
to be many idle or partially idle fac
tories. One suggested solution of
this problem is the resettlement of
war workers who cannot find jobs
on land on Government irrigation
projects.
Suggests Curtailed Purchases.
To maintain high level of post
war industrial employment and pre-
vent any sudden decline, Secretary
Perkins has already proposed that
consumers purchases be cut down,
through campaign of education,
thus making available later the re-
lease of a large stored-up buying
power.
Several plans have been advanced
informally to provide defense work.
ers with financial reverses to tide
them over a possible period of post
war unemployment. One is to en-
courage them to save, through the
purchase of savings bonds available
for later purchases Of the neces-
sites of life, and the other is through
the utilization of unemployment in
surance reserves. AS employment
increases under the rearmament
program, the volume of unemploy-
ment insurance payments will tend
to decrease
AS a means Of preventing any
serious shock to the national econo-
my when defense expenditures are
reduced, many Government econom-
lists favor an expanded Government
public works program. The COM
mittee is expected to canvass the
employment possibilities of public
works spending. Under the budget
policy recently announced by the
President. expenditures for non
military public works will be drasti-
cally reduced.