Evening star., 1941-03-21

tHe "A. r. OF IS.
program of organized labor scarcity
and plowing under human skills.
Now one of the points on which
all observers of the European war
are agreed is the supreme impor-
tance of skillS. This is a technical
war, a mechanical war, a chemical
and mathematical war. 1t is a
war Of tanks rather than trenches,
war of quality rather than guam
tity. So 1t becomes a condition Of
national safety-perhaps of ma
tional survival-that the supply of
skilled labor should be enormously
expanded-and the Roosevelt ad-
ministration is actually expanding
that supply.
For example, in what is described
as the Third Battle of Manassas,
the N. Y. A. and the State of Vir-
gln1a are cooperating in a training
school, where 300 Virginia young
sters are learning to use lathes,
drills, electric welders, gasoline en-
glnes. generators, etc. in an in
tenslve years course. From this
school go 10 or Is skilled workers
a week into our defense industries.
The young men are recruited from
the impoverished mountain families
OF western Virginia The training
school is under the direction of E. A.
Jakeman, formerly In charge of the
Norfolk Navy Yard School, and
some of the recent graduates are
now working at Navy yards at
salaries as high as $50 a week.
Program Is Expanded.
This Manassas program is being
expanded to accommodate 500 in
dustrlal trainees. The State of
Virginia provides each student with
$50 month subsistence. Of this.
$40 IS retained for food and of the
$40 balance of spending money"
many Of the boys send SIS home to
thelr families. The N. Y. A. makes
Itself responsible for operating the
School, vocational guidance and
placement services. Incidentally.
thls particular program at Ma
nassas-which is only one of many
such N. Y. A. projects being oper-
ated throughout the country-is
serving to reconcile many Virginians
who have hitherto been violently
opposed to the New Deal and ali
its works.
In thls case, moreover, 1t is only
falr to point out that there has been
no opposition to the industrial G
c. C." from organized labor. nerhans
because the machinists' union is one
OF the most responsible and intelu-
gent crafts represented in the A
OF l.. Moreover, opposition would be
very unpopular since the benefit
70 the underprivileged people of
the State is so obvious and un-
answerable,
Incidentally, the Manassas schoo,
is soon to undertake the training of
radio technicians, for whose services
unere Is growing demand in con-
nectlon with all phases of stream
lined defense.
A Strange Spectacle.
BY contrast there was recent-v
oHered to the Nation the strange
spectacle OF A. F. of L. opposition to
oe1ense housing program which
would provide more work for car
penters, plumbers, plasterers. paint
erS and electricians. This cronned
up IN the recent hearings before
the Senate Committee on BANKING
ana currency on the proposed r
n. A. amendment to do away with
tne !o per cent down payment now
required for mortgages on homes to
be constructed under the Federal
housing Act. This applies to 5000
ooo'ooo OF housing required at ton
speed and was indorsed by the G
I. o. w.
however, the A. F. of L. spokes-
man denounced the plan to offer
more work to the building trades
as "a scheme whose sole nurnose
Is 10 foster and stimulate specu-
4atlon at the expense of the worker
ana ultimately at the expense of
the taxpayer" and charged that II
would lead to Speculative profits"
ana excessive rentals" The only
reasonable conclusion is that this
program, plus the new $50 600 oo0
housing extension bill. will orer
more jobs in the building industry
tnan can be filled by the members
OF what is becoming Americas most
exclusive group-the building trade
unions. In this case, the wav to kiu
tne cat OF skilled labor n1ononoIv
is to choke it with cream For ths
resi-, tne people of this country are
gettlng pretty darned tired of that
!orm OF labor unionism which at
tempts TO hold down the number
OF JOBS and to hold up the public
which Is paying for the defense
4e1Se