Imperial Valley press., 1941-06-20


Missouri Methodist minister, ex-
college president, eX-Farm Security
administrator who in the last war
had the job of trying to instill a
little knowledge of readin and writ
in into illiterate draftees OF 80
army camps, has one OF the strang-
est of all the varied assignments
in the complex defense effort to-
day. He is DR.. Will w. Alexander,
round faced, blue-eyed and pleas
ant. and his title now is director OF
minority groups section in the La
Dor Division of the Office OF Pro-
cuction Management.
If that title doesn't mean much
to you, consider few OF DR.. Alex
ander's pet problems;
In northeastern United States are
thousands of second and third gen.
Grafton Italians, native-born cltlz-
ems whose parents or grandparents
came from Italy. For some reason,
defense industries have been lit
tie skittish on hiring people OF
Italian descent, though Germans
are generally accepted without
question.
The Los Angeles area, which car
lied the heaviest relief load in the
country during the depression. is
bringing in thousands of youngsters
from the plains states. yet it still.
has 10000 unemployed Negroes.
born mechanics of jap
anese ancestry, idle because the
west coast fishing fleet has been
immobilized, can't get jobs in de
fense industries though bearded
Russian ship filters are considered
highly valuable in the shipyards.
Four million aliens, including
more than 100000 refugees from
territory Hitler has occupied, many
of them highly skilled, find it hard
to get jobs because they're foreign
bern.
And so on. Well, you say, what
of it? Let the furrinerS go job
less or go back where they came
from!
PREJUDICE A BOTTLENECK
But it isn't as easy as that. AT
least four million new workers have
to be fitted into defense production
in the next 18 months. Most OF
them must have skilled trades. To
keep men with special Skiils idle
is just as silly as keeping machines
idle. Hence the special assignment
given the minority groups section
to see that there is no manpJWer
going to waste.
Tied up with this minority labor
problem is the problem of defense
industry migration OF labor, keep
ing men on the JOB near home, and
this migration problem has almost
eclipsed the minorities issue.
Take the case of northern con-
tractor building Camp Lee, near
Petersburg, Va. He raided the labor
markets as far north as New Jer-
sey, even though there were many
unemployed Negro carpenters IN the
southern states. Virginia neWspa-
pers and the state chamber Of COM
merCe got after that or, and fixed
it quickly.
West coast aircraft plants have
come into Philadelphia and from
a hotel room employment office
taken out many skilled !aborers
though Philadelphia is going TO
need 10000 skilled workers
Sixty-1ive per cent Of the relief
load in Connecticut mas been the
Of italian descent refer
red to above, yet Connecticut has
an immigration of labor some of
it none too skilled, looking for jobs
in the aircraft and machine indus
tries.
Tenant farmers from all over
are leaving the lanG in what is
termed "perceptible drift" TO seek
the mythical five dollar-a day JOS
in town, creating a housing short
age. adding TO the relief load. con-
tributing to their own unrest.
BIG MOVING DAY
Best estimates now are that some
10000 workers with special skills
will have to be moved, in spite Of
all the sub-contracting that car be
done. California industrial areas will
need 10000. Detroit motors area
may need from 10000 to 10000.
New Jersey 10000. Fort Worth-Dal-
as 1900.
United States Employment Service
nd the state employment agencies
e trying to keep track OF all labor