Evening star., 1942-10-20
WASHINGTON, C., TUESDAY
|McNutt, Roosevelt Conference
May Solve Deferment Issues

w "A udClOnal program OF re.
habilitation for physically handi-
capped civilian workers and for re-
turned soldiers and sailors injured in
line of duty.
Protects Seniority Rights.
(lO Preservation OF seniority
rights; guarantee to each worker
removed from a non-essential plant
that he will be returned to his job
when war ends: transportation costs
Of workers from one job to another
be betrayed by the Government;
wage yard-stick which would pre-
vent worker in high wage scale
non-essential plant from being
forced to accept a war plant job at
a lower scale
CID Complete distinction between
war plant worker and a member
of the armed forces.
The latter point is aimed at the
Austin bill, which would amend the
Selective Service Act to authorize
the President, through the machin-
cry of local draft boards, to assign
production workers to any service
in agriculture, industry or other oc-
cupations esential to the effective
prosecution of the war. The local
boards would have the right to per-
NIT or forbid changes In occupations
by persons liable to service as pro-
duction workers.
Senator Austin, Republican, Of
Vermont, has admitted that the
essense of his measure is the equality
Of all men, and he holds that a
decision must be reached whether
1--WE shall give special privileges to
the people here at home who are not
under fire or shall we put ourselves
in the same category as the men
in the armed forces"
He said he realized that such
action implied involuntary servitude,
but I'VE know we have temporarily to
suspend the customary slow process
Of democracy. We are acting now
under selective service bill that
has that for its central theory and
Why should we not 60 on and face
that which we see coming"
The Vermont Senator said he
believed the local draft boards were
best equipped to allocate manpower
and that there is no more demo-
cratic process in America today than
the selective service system"
The United States Employment
Service, which President Roosevelt
has described as the corner grocery
of our manpower system" has re-
ceived instructions to stop handling
orders for domestic servants, hotels.
department stores and from other
enterprises listed as non-essential.
John j. Corson, national director
OF the employment service, has in
formed Congress that I'VE have had
to instruct our Offices when the
housewife calls up and asks for
domestic servant to tell her: I'VE
are sorry but we cannot handle that
order any longer"
Referring to department stores,
Mr.. GorSon said, that it was with
regret that he had to Withdraw the
service of supply help because these
oIoleS IeneQ on the employment
service and was its best customers
in peace time.
Besides the demand for war
workers, Mr.. Corson said he had
to shut off service to on-essential
places because of the "demoralized
condition existing among en-
ployes of the employment service.
The Offices were recently federal
lied, he explained, by an agree
ment reached between President
Roosevelt and State Governors.
Congress, however, has refused to
appropriate money to raise the
salaries of the former State en-
ployes to Federal levels.
So, while the cook-shy house.
wife in Washington and elsewhere
was returning to the kitchen for
the duration, the Senate Military
Affairs Committee had practically
completed arrangements for the
hearings on several bills for man
power control. The hearings will
open tomorrow with Mr.. McNutt
l.