Evening star., 1942-11-08
! Halt on EnIistments
Impeding War Work
Demanded by Nelson
Emphatic Stond Token
After Receiving Appeal
From lndustrioIists
By JESSE o. IRWIN.

Nelson, War Production Board
chairman, yesterday to take a
more emphatic stand against
voluntary enlistments into the
armed forces.
Displaying a sheath of commune
cations, Mr. Nelson said:
THE food of volunteer enlist
ments in the last three weeks has
hurt war production more than
anything else"
But, he admitted that as the phys
ically able young men were leaving
aircraft plants for the armed forces,
women were stepping into their
places.
He said the West Coast Aircraft
Production Council had telegraphed
him that 81 per cent of each 100
new employees are women. The coun-
Gil, representing the leading aircraft
companies on the Pacific Coast.
said recent new hirings have brought
the total of women in "our COM
panies from 83 per cent of total
factory employees in June to 25.4
per cent in September"
Percentage Increasing.
"This percentage is constantly in
creasing," the councils telegram
stated, and, at the same time, urged
Mr.. Nelson to act against recruiting
because "the number of key produc-
ton personnel enlisting now to Sc
cure ratings in the Army and Navy
is increasing at startling rate"
Mr.. Nelson appeared angry over
this disruption of production and his
emphatic announcement came with
in "a hours after he had testified
before the Senate Military Affairs
Committee that he did not believe
"we ought to dillydally with this
war"
The White House was reported
IN informed quarters to be reluctant
to stop voluntary inductions. This
is attributed to sentiment" They
explain that the President feels it
would be breaking long standing
naval and Marine Corps tradition
to resort to the draft to fill their
needs.
r.,,eoor{ prohIer,S Arise
Co-incidental with Mr.. Nelson's
statement came word Of labor prob
lens in the transportation system
The Office of Defense Transporta-
ton said that eventually at least
10000 women would be holding
down Jobs in railroad shops, terml-
mails and yards and in airplane
hangers. in addition to women Of
flee workers Already engaged in
the maintenance division of the in
dustry are 10000 women, ODT
said, and 10000 more will be called
to replace men entering the armed
services.
From Chicago, the employment
service of the Railroad Retirement
Board announced it had written to
about $4,000 pensioners who once
filled critical jobs in the railroad
industry to ask whether they
wished to return to active duty.
Shortly after Manpower Chairman
McNutt signed a directive yesterday
which put in effect the commission
program for conserving. training
end recruiting labor on dairy, live
stock and poultry farms, Secretary
of Agriculture Wickard said in E
radio broadcast that it was "ar
effort to ease the strain where Il
is threatening the most damage
now"
The fundamental aims of tht
program, Mr. Wickard said, are:
/. To cut down the rate at which
farm operators and workers art
leaving dairy, livestock and poultr.
farms.
2. To recruit new workers to Wort
with the skilled persons who re-
main on farms.
DefermentS Sought.
Mr.. Wickard said, ITO help &C
complish the first purpose. the Sc
lective service system has asked
It's local boards to give occupationa
deferment to necessary men who ar
working on essential dairy, live
stock and poultry farms"
Meantime, the Once of War In
formation, in report on the man
power situation, said this countr.
could meet its manpower problem
without sweeping aside the hlgl
standards which the United State
has set up to protect working mel
and women"
This statement was issued afte
Chairman Reynolds Of the Senat
Military Affairs Committee. whicl
has been holding hearings on man
power bills, said enactment OF com
pulsory legislation was unlikely unit
next year
1t was the first statement issue'
by owl since its director, Elme
Davis, informed Congress that tn
public's confusion over the man
power program was similar to tina
existing during the rubber crisis
The talk about manpoWer Il
America is not interpreted as slgl
of alarm at a serious shortage sucl
as Germany has known for NOR
than three years." the Owl statec
adding:
1T is merely evidence that Amer
lea is preparing to meet a problem
before it develops in serious form.
Much Confusion Found.
Manpower officials have intorme
Congress during the last six week
that manpower crisis would brea
over the country between Decem
her and February. Mr.. Davis sal
his intelligence division had toun
so much confusion existing that h
made a "strong representation t
the War Manpower Commission t
issue a statement clarifying tn
situation. The statement has nc
yet been issued.
The owl summarized the Nation
manpower requirements in this way
Between June. 1910, and Jun'
1912, the number OF persons IN civil