Evening star., 1942-11-17
Delay in kobiIizing
OF Womanpower
Asked by Churches
Efforts Urged to Avoid
Serious MoIodjustment
Of Families

OF Families
Demand was made on the Gov
ernment last night to forget about
mobilization Of womanpower for the
war effort-causing serious family
malajustment-until there is full
utilization OF the estimated 5000, ,00c
under-employed colored males Of
the Nation.
Francis w. McPeak of the de-
partment Of social welfare OF the
Washington Federation of Churches,
speaking at meeting of the Mon
day Evening Club at the YWCA,
declared that mot single mother
should be compelled, or even en-
couraged, to leave her home and
children until manpower has been
thrown completely into the war
effort"
To threaten the futures of white
children "by employing their
mothers instead of Negro workers
is a sorry commentary on the in
telligence of prejudiced employers, "
Mr.. McPeak declared.
There Is justification in cases
where the mothers take wartime
jobs out of family economic neces-
sity, Mr.. McPeak said, and for the
children OF these cases day care
must be provided.
Committee to Be Named.
As a. direct result of Mr.. McPeak's
declarations and talks on wartime
lawlessness by DR.. Frank S. Lloyd,
New York University professor now
with the Office of Defense, health
and welfare section, and John
Ihlder of the Alley Dwelling Au-
thority, Harold H. Lund, president
of the club. was authorized to ap-
point committees to study the child
day care and manpower utilization
problems.
"The Government is talking about
providing day care for the District
Of Columbia" Mr.. McPeak said. but
results so far are wanting. Some
people state they fear that such
care is state usurpation of the
parents rights. They ought to re-
member that in wartime the chill
dren's rights to the parents are
usurped."
Parents still bear the final re-
sponsibility for their children and
it cannot be abandoned even at
times such as these, Mr.. McPeak
asserted. Children, he said, take
precedence over pleasures and over
defense activities of dubious
value"
Delinquency Increasing.
Juvenile delinquency is increas-
Ing, Mr.. McPeak said, because chill
dren are being denied the full
amount of association with parents
that they need With parents war
affairs are pre-occupying,' and the
physical and emotional exhaustion
brought about by these efforts pro-
hlbits the calm, steady attention to
children required for proper care
and upbringing.
Mr.. McPeak cited the results of
a personal survey conducted by a
mother in her block in residential
section of the Northwest. OF the
SO families, he. said, the survey dis
closed that both parents were work.
ing in 10 families which had infant
children, and in other families
where there were 10 children of
school age
The recent demand for a 10 pm.
curfew reduced to fundamental i'm
plication, Mr.. McPeak Continued
means'that parents are not spending
enough time at home with their
children. Children have been left
behind in the war effort and the re-
suit is an increase of lawlessness.
We hear, he continued, of mothers
leaving home for war work for no
other reason than that they wanted
to escape it's routine and their chill
dren;" Of physicians testifying that
there were no medical personnel
needs in this community because
they did not want more competition
of certain traction company off,
cials' denying Negroes jobs as
operators, because of their own
rank prejudice"
Bend your conscience whichever
way you may, he said, the "assump-
ton of privilege" has the same
moral value whether it be boarding
rent racketeering, housing code vio-
lations or shifting the bulk of the
tax burden on to the families OF
lowest incomes"
War Unbalances Society.
War always brings about an un-
balancing of society, said DR.. Lloyd
and correction must be done along
comprehensive lines and by al
means "bandwagons" of social re.
form should be avoided. All effort
he said. should be made so that
when the conflict ends there will be
worthwhile heritage" for the youth
Of today.
Mr.. Ihlder predicted that as ra-
tioning increases the black market
also will be extended, because those
who consider themselves law-abidinl
citizens have not the self-restraint
to deny themselves luxurieS to which
they have been accustomed.
They will condemn thieves" he
continued, but they will buy the
product of thievery."
Mrs. Helen Duey Hoffman, direc-
tor of the Washington Housing AS
sociation, was appointed chairman
OF the committee for the next meet
ing when the topic will be "Tht
Family in Wartime Washington.
Mrs. Hoffman and Capt. Rhods
Milliken were named delegates tt
the Legislative Council.