Evening star., 1942-06-07
Rapid Progress Seen
Toward Wartime
Scarcity Economy
Job Control Program
Is Speeded to Avert
Labor Shortages
Special Dispatch to The Star.

NEW YORK, June 6.-The Royal
Air Forces sensational 1,000-plane
raids on Cologne and Essen made
the big headlines this week, but the
day. day adaptation of American
business to the war continued to
make the news behind the headlines,
both for business and the war, says
Business Week in its analysis of the
business outlook today.
Rejecting our onrushing progress
into a wartime economy OF scarcity
the magazine states. the War Pro-
duction Board announced its alloca-
tions classification plan, issued in
structions curtailing new plant con-
struction, cracked down on appeals
for continuing suspended civilian
goods production, added 40 mate
rails to it's previous list of 1873 which
are in inadequate or barely sufficient
supply for war and essential civilian
needs.
Job Control Ahead.
Into the same pattern fit the War
Manpower Commissions pending
moves to halt labor pirating and
freeze war workers to their jobs.
War industry hirings are to be CEN
tralized through the United States
Employment Service. Then, on the
supply side, the millions of workers
offered draft deferment for holding
critical occupations-moStly married
men from now on-will be at USES
disposal for placement in war jobs.
OF course, manpower mobilization
must be made to match other key
stones of labor policy. But the VINO
is moving especially fast now be-
cause events have thrust man
power shortage upon us sooner than
we feared. Industry's production
achievements have exceeded antici-
pations, and employment, instead OF
declining because Of conversion dis
locations, has actually been rising.
Now, with one-way acceleratlon
ahead. some 100000 additional
workers may be in demand by the
year end.
Meanwhile, Gen. Marshall has
said that by January l, 1943, the
United States Army will total 4,500,-
600 soldiers, instead OF 100000.
That implies a further drain Of
1000 900 men into the armed forces.
And, to meet that need for 1000 900
more workers and fighters this year
we have less than 100000 unem-
ployed. Hours of work will length
en-, women and old and young men
will enter the labor market, helping
to close the gap.
But what makes the Manpower
Commissions problem acute right
now is the shortage already existing
in production areas, side by
SIDE with labor surpluses in such
non-war- industry sections as New
York City and the Pennsylvania
anthracite field.
More Price Orders Due.
The Office of Price Administra-
ton is busy with details of admin
istration and policy making. Sup
Elementary orders-to iron out COM
petitive discrepancies existing in
March, to even out profit margins
Through both the roll back" and
the roll forward dD-are now trick
ling through.
But new products and seasonal
goods still present problems. and
OPA must tackle the mounting task
of preventing hidden price boosts
through the roll back" of quality on
the consumer. "upgrading" of prod
ucts by abandonment Of low-priced
lines and the changing of specifica-
tions on established merchandise.
Next week OPA takes its first big
stride towards policing through
Nation wide survey of retail stores
to check the posting of ceilings on
living g-cost items.
Aluminium Output Scars.
Reports of devastating destruction
to German industry and mass mi
grafton from exposed Ruhr cities
have raised again the question of
the strategic Importance of air
power.
And the planes themselves will be
coming off the production lines In
an ever rising flood. The War
Production Board points out that
three of the seven new plants in the
first aluminium expansion program
went into operation last month, and
that the rest will be producing by
August 1-all ahead of schedule.
When the second expansion Is
completed, around the turn of the
year, American aluminium output
will exceed 100000 tons a year,
giving the United Nations an aggre-
gate superiority over Axis capacity
of not far from 8 to /.
What's more, aircraft are helping
TO solve the supply problem in this
global war. Just this week Donald
Nelson created a new committee to
survey what may prove to be revo-
lutionary possibilities in air freight.
Use of cargo planes for speedy
transport of essential materials al
ready is mounting-along the Rus
sian front, on the route to the Mid
die East, perhaps soon to replace
the Burma road traffic to China.
Even SO, Of course, our supply
chiefs will have to rely primarily
on ships for the bulk of our war ef-
fort. For, to duplicate the cargo
carrying capacity of the 100000
deadweight tons of merchant ships
to be built in 1943, all and more of
the 125 900 airplanes that are now
nroiartad for neYt Vaqr would have