Evening star., 1942-10-27

farms, it was reported. The labor
shortage on this type of seasonal
farms will be taken care of, 1t was
said, by recruiting and training
women and young people. This
means, as described by Secretary of
Agriculture Wickard recently, re-
cruiting Of industrial labor will be
done in cities instead of In the
country, and 1T means seeing that
all of the country's farm families
are on the kind of land where their
work will be most productive"
Mr.. Stimson's letter to Senate
Minority Leader McNary followed a
suggestion by President Roosevelt
that older men now in the Army
might be allowed to return to civil
ian employ. The cabinet officer
commented that it was rarely ac-
knowledged" that the armed forces
faced manpower shortages.
Blames Wage Differentials.
After citing the tendency to re-
turn soldiers to civil life, Mr.. Stim-
son saidd it had gathered momen-
tum In seeming disregard for the
basic factor from which wartime
labor shortages are derived, since
labor shortages, In agriculture or
any civil occupation, cannot be
traced exclusively, or in any in
stance primarily, to the manpower
demands of the Army or Navy, but
in many instances result from such
inducements as wage differentials
which syphon labor from one pro-
fession into another"
After holding a lengthy executive
session at which secret manpower
data was presented, the Senate Mill
tary Affairs Committee late yester-
day adjourned until next week its
hearings on four manpower control
bills. The secret data was pre-
sented by Col. Sanders, who, at an
open hearing, joined his chief, Gen.
Hershey, in urging that uncon-
troiled enlistments be halted, say
ing that they figured largely in the
manpower shortage.
In order to maintain "the spirit
OF volunteering" however, he pro-
posed that men be permitted to en-
llst, then be placed in reserve status
TO continue at their work until
called in the course of the draft.
Senator Hill, Democrat, of Ala
bama, wondered if a man would
continue to be as efficient at his
factory job, knowing that he would
soon be leaving for the Army. Col
Sanders expressed a belief that a
proper psychology could be devel.
oped to make the system-work.
Mr.. Green said a survey should
be made as expeditiously as possible
OF the available industrial man.
power and womanpower. "All avail.
able workers, both men and women
should be registered and the data
tabulated promptly" he explained
adding that:
THE supply of labor as shown by
the survey should be fully utilized
and exhausted before the job freez.
ing legislation is enacted"
McNutt's Survey Delayed.
Mr.. McNutt stated that the Man.
power Commission had made a sur.
vey and that 1t had 5000 900 cues.
tlonnalres yet to be tabulated. HI
explained that lack of funds hae
delayed compilation. OF the 10000.
600 questionnaires tabulated, only
10 per cent of the workers in non.
essential industry expressed willing
ness to transfer to war work.
Mr.. Green said his federation
would cooperate fully in the reali
, zation OF complete mobilization
when it becomes convinced tina
such action is imperative. He sait
his organization regarded the pro
posed national service bill at presen
as premature.
Mr.. McNutt said any bill approved
by Congress should provide for
single administrative agency ant
that compulsion should include
women as well as men. Asked i
he was indorsing the single agency
plan of the House Special Migran,
Investigation Committee which j.
included in a bill recently intro.
duced by Representative Tolan o1
California, the manpower chief re.
piled:
Il thought the Tolan COMMITTEES
was interested in migrant labor. II
seems to have gotten far afield."