Evening star., 1942-10-19
kanpower Control
Problem May Be
Solved This Week
MeNutt to Testify at
Senate Hearing on Law
To Freeze Men on Jobs
Dy the Associated Press.

SeHute Heorin9 on Law
To Freeze Men on Jobs
Dy the Associated Press.
Some answer to knotty prob
lens involved in any compulsory
rnanpower legislation, including
questions of pay scales and the
individual rights of workers and
management, may be forthcom-
ing this week.
Fowler Harper, deputy chairman
OF the War Manpower Commission,
said yesterday that members of
the Management-Labor Committee,
which advises the commission on
policy, would issue their initial state
ment before the middle of the week.
IN addition, Chairman Paul v.
McNutt, who has declared legisla-
ton empowering the Government to
assign and conflne workers to war
time tasks inevitable, is to testify
before the Senate Military Affairs
Committee, which opens hearings
wednesday on at least four bills for
manpower control.
Policy of Hiring Women.
At the recommendation of the
Women's Advisory Committee of the
Manpower Commission, Mr.. McNutt
cautioned yesterday against unre-
stricted hiring of women.
In statement of policy, Mr.. Nc
Mutt urged that special efforts. to
put women with young children in
jobs "be deferred until all other
sources of local labor supply have
been exhausted"
The recommendation was made,
he said, ''in order that established
family life will not be unnecessarily
disrupted"
At the same time, Mr.. McNutt
cautioned women not to leave their
home towns to seek work or job
training without first registering
with their nearest United States
Employment Offices to ascertain
where work or training was avail
able.
Voluntary Workers Preferred.
He called, however, for intensified
recruiting and training of accept
able woman workers on voluntary
basis In all phases of war produc-
tion and essential civilian activities
where the need has been shown.
The policy statement included
among the basic national stand
ards for induction of women into
the labor market these comments:
Women should be admitted on a
basis of equality with men to all
forms of training and to employ
ment in any occupations in which
'they are or can be fitted" and
should have free access of fore
mems supervisory and technical
jobs"
Wage rates should be determined
ION the basis of the work performed,
irrespective of SEX
Women should not work more
than six days and a total of 48
hours in any week except in emer-
gencies.
Foremost Problems Listed.
officials of the commission, one of
the groups Immediately concerned
with framing legislation for submis-
sion to Congress, listed these prob
lems-on which they said no agree
ment had been reached-as among
the foremost: 5ss q
If the Government is given
authority to place each worker In
the job where he can do most for
the war effort, and if it shifts man
to lower-pay job, should his pay
be cut to that of the new job?
If workers have to be transported
to new jobs, who is to make the
arrangements and pay the bill, and
what is to be done about families of
the workers?
If union workers are shifted from
a closed shop to an open shop, or
non-union workers are shifted from
an open shop to a closed shop, what
is to be done about unionization?
Hiring and Firing Rights.
What hiring and firing rights are
to be left to the employer?
If man is shifted to a new job,
what about his rights in his old job
when he returns to it?
Union officials said labor would
call for more positive use of present
Government powers, more co-ordi-
nation of military and civilian man.
power authority, before adoption of
compulsory job-freezing legislation.
They argued that the President and
various agencies already have au-
thority to handle the problems by
co-ordinated action.
Farm State members of Congress
and farm organizations contend that
the manpower problem is even more
pressing for Agriculture than for in
dustry in view of the draft and the
loss of farm labor to higher paying
factory jobs.
Secretary of Agriculture Wickard
conferred Saturday with Maj. Gen.
Lewis B. Hershey, selective service
director, and representatives of the
Manpower Commission and farm
groups. At that meeting informed
officials said there were these de-
velopments:
A tentative agreement was reached
unOeT WHICH QTdlJ DOdIuS WOulQ
classify workers on dairy and live
stock farms as essential. The basis
for such deferment would be that
one worker Is required for every
eight COWS or the equivalent in other
livestock.
A proposal for granting Federal
subsidies to farm owners to help
them counter the higher wage bids
of industry also was considered.
Economic Director James F. Byrnes
granted Mr.. Wickard board author
ity Friday to regulate wages. The
question in agriculture is not one of
excessive pay but of bringing farm
wages nearer to the level of factory
pay and therefore involves possible
subsidy.
Many steps already have been
taken to meet the manpower prob
lem. which the President recently
said was one of having "the right
numbers of the right people in the
right places at the right time"
Labor Factor in Contract.
W., n~ol,,cfin,, BOARD ot