Evening star., 1942-08-30
Most Federal
Offices Open
Labor Day
District Bronches,
Save Postal Stations,
To Remain Closed

Employees Of most Government
departments, including War and
Navy, will work regular hours on
Labor Day, check-up showed yes
terday.
Other departments and agencies
to remain open as usual include the
Agriculture Department, the Civil
Service Commission, the Office for
Emergency Management, the Post
Office Department, the Commerce
Department and the Maritime Com
mission. The Justice Department
will work with a skeleton force.
Orders issued in most cases were
to the effect that employees should
report on Labor Day unless their
work Is not considered essential, by
supervisors, to the furtherance of
the war effort.
Divisional heads of the Federal
Security and Federal Works Agen-
cies have not yet announced whe-
ther all employees will work.
Left to Chiefs Discretion.
An order from the Board of Dis
trict Commissioners left to the dis
cretion Of departmental supervisors
whether, employees of the local
government will report for work.
Indications from spokesmen Of the
board are that a majority OF the
employees will not work.
District retail stores will probably
follow the usual procedure Of re-
manning closed on holidays. Edward
D. Shaw, secretary of the Merchants
and Manufacturers Association, said
he has mot heard any one express
the intention Of opening on Labor
Day."
According to Vincent G.. Burke,
postmaster, the city Post Office will
open as usual The classified post
Office stations also will be open till
noon, Mr.. Burke said.
Joseph B. Eastman, head of the
Once of Defense Transportation, in
q statement last night requested
that citizens remain at home over
the week end preceding Labor Day
If possible.
He said that If rail and bus travel
rises to higher peak, particularly
In the East and South, serious
transportation jams probably would
result.
"There is no objection to holiday
travel in territories where adequate
passenger facilities are available,
and there are such places" Mr..
Eastman declare, mostly in the
West. However. those contemplat-
ing travel should contact their bus
or rail ticket Office in advance to
find out What the conditions are
likely to be, and the better thing
to do Is to resolve all doubts by de-
Gliding not to travel. ~
"Of course 1t Is just as necessary
to save rubber by avoiding trips in
private automobiles, he added.
Unions to Celebrate.
The American Federation or La
Dor, the Congress of Industrial Or
ganizations and the Railway Broth
erhoods have worked with an inter-
departmental committee formed by
the War Production Board to de-
velop Labor Day celebrations for
organized workers throughout the
country.
Free Labor will win" is a slo-
gan selected by the unions for their
observance OF the Holiday.
The labor movement, and labor's
freedom to organize and improve So
cial and economic conditions, are
high among the things we are fight
ing to preserve" Elmer Davis, di-
rector Of the Office of War Informa-
tion, said yesterday. "It is notable
that only the Axis countries deny
labor unions the right to exist"
WPB Chairman Donald M. Nell
son has asked war industry workers
to arrange their observance of the
holiday in such a way that con-
tinuous operation of critical indus
tries can still be carried on.
Six Liberty Ships named after
heroes OF the American labor move
ment, will be launched on Labor
Day in the presence of labor leaders
and about so national radio pro-
grams, from September to 7, viii
devote part or all of their periods
to labor's part in the war the Office
of War Information announced