The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1942-10-03
. Clapper
Lewis Cool TO Proposal
Miners Work Longer Hours
Labor Leader Insists
No Coal Shortage Due
Msnpower Problem Hits
Industries Everywhere
Nv RAYMOND cLAPPER


~ RAYMOND CLAPPER
WASHINGTON - The govern
ment Is having John L. Lewis
trouble again.
He Is rescting coolly to the gov
ernment's request that the coal
miners break up their 55-hour
week and go TO As hours during
the war.
When Secretary of the Interior
Iekes. as eo-ordinator of solid
fuels. put the proposition up to
Lewis. the answer was that there
was no shortage of coal and none
in prospect. Lewis said the miners.
who have their annual meeting
next week, would accept the longer
work week only if the government
proved eonelusiyely that it was
necessary and essential to the war
effort.
While that discussion was going
on General Hershey. director of
selective service. was telling indus
try management that it probably
will be left with only half the
number of men it thinks IL needs.
He said we may see the day when
boys and girls will be spending
four or five hours day at essen
tial work. Facts from every source
indicate drastic shortage of man.
power is coming up-and it already
has hit the farms and some of the
metals mines. Hours in most in
dustries have been stretched out
already.
That is the setting in which
John L. Lewis and his miners are
to decide whether TO try to hang
on to their 35-hour week or go to
As. The difference between those
hours is that three men would do
the work of four. It would mean
a Is per cent increase in the use
of mining manpower.
We do have a lot of coal on
hand. In fact that is one place
where We are not caught short. BY
foresight we have managed to get
up now the biggest stockpile of
coal in history. For once we did
not wait until the trouble was on
us-as we did in rubber, and in
steel and aluminium capacity.
Secretary Ickes is still looking
ahead. That's why he wants to
get more coal mined right now.
Because while the stockpile is big
at the moment, his fuel experts
forecast shortage next year. Sec
rotary Ickes is trying to prepare
for the future, and he has been
foresighted enough about affairs
of this war so that he doesn't
have to spend all of his time, as
some do, explaining away negli-
gence of the past.
The mines already have lost
$4,000 miners out of a working
total of 100000. These have VOL
unteered. or been indicted. or have
shifted into other industries such
as ordnance plants and shipyards.
Most of these We're young men,
trained in mechanical mining, and
not easily replaced by the older
pick-and-shovel miners.
Secretary Ickes anticipates in
reference with production from
loss of these highly skilled machine
miners. There will be trouble from
the wearing out of machines which
will be more and more difficult to
replace. Transportation will be
more uncertain because of expect
ed shortages in rolling stock. At
the same time consumption will
increase, partly through acceler-
ated industrial production and
partly through conversion to coal
from other fuels. Those are the
main reasons why the government
Is trying TO take time by the fore
lock and get out as much coal as
possible now through the longer
work week.
This is just one part of this
whole manpower question, which
may easily be the most difficult
one of the war. With the armed
services, war industries and farms
for men 1t is not likely
that there will be any place in the
picture for a 35-hour week, for
coal miners or anybody else. There
was A time when shorter hours
were desirable. When the war Is
over they viii be desirable again.
They can't be justified now on any =
basis.
Mr.. Clapper Is heard on kNO
Mutual broadcast MandaVs and