Evening star., 1942-09-10
StubiIizinq Labor

A spokesman for the War Man.
power Commission insists that the
recent order designed to prevent
the "pirating" of workers in twelve
Western States does not freeze"
labor. In view of the elastic and
somewhat indefinite qualifications
written into the order, this inter-
probation by the commission spokes-
man probably is correct, but the
order nevertheless is a long step
toward stabilization of employment
in essential industries.
The order is applicable principally
to the numbering and mining indus
tries, which are essential to the war
effort. There are about 100000
workers in these industries in
the affected areas, and the labor
turnover has been about 10 per
cent a month. This migration
of workers from the mines and
the forests to better paid jobs in
manufacturing plants, while per-
fectly natural in the absence of any
restraints, has caused serious losses
In production of lumber, copper,
aluminium and other nonferrous
metals. In fact, this has been car
rled to such an extent that one
ordnance plant in Utah which
hired workers away from the cop-
per mines, has been forced to cur
tail its own output for lack of
copper.
1t is obvious that this trend can
not be permitted to continue un-
checked. The Manpower Commits
sion hopes to stop. it by the order
issued yesterday, which provides.
with certain exceptions intended
to prevent unnecessary hardships,
that workers in the affected indus
tries may not transfer to outside
jobs, nor may employers in those
industries release workers for other
jobs, without first obtaining a GER
tlncate OF separation from the
United States Employment Service;
To further implement this employ
ment stabilization program the or
DER also provides that no employer
In the twelve States, whether en-
gagged in essential or non-e essential
production, may hire any worker
from the industries involved except
on presentation of certificate from
the Employment Service.
The principal weakness in the
plan Is that the order does not rest
on any statutory authority. The
commission believes that it can be
enforced, however, through CO.
operation with the Army, Navy and
Maritime Commission in the exer-
else OF their control over the op-
eratlons OF their contractors. It
may be doubted whether this belief.
or hope, will be realized, because
the urge to migrate to better-pay-
ing jobs will not be easy to coun-
teract. But, should the present plan
fail, it is to be expected that the
commission will seek legislative
sanction from Congress, and it
should be forthcoming.
Before many more months have
passed the probabilities are that this
stabilization program will have to be
broadened to include other areas
and other industries. In fact, a.
representative of the commission,
while asserting that application of
the plan to other types of work in
other States is not contemplated at
present, conceded that the program
should be considered pattern to
be applied to other industries as
labor shortages become more critical
Thus the current effort to deal
with the critical situation in the
West may be regarded as expert
mental in nature. The experience
obtained in all probability will serve
as guide for working out a similar
program to be applied to virtually