Evening star., 1942-04-20
Man Power
Continued From First Page)

'SOHblnueu from f1TSJ rage
from the labor market for services
with the armed forces"
He visualized using women in
industries where they are best fitted
TO serve, utilizing partially en-
ployed workers on full-time basis,
expanding the program of indus
trial training and tapping all avail
able labor supplies, such as the
millions of Negroes and loyal foreign
born workers not now in war pro-
duction."
New Recruits Needed.
He said he hoped that the 49,
600, 900 new men could be shifted
into war production largely by the
conversion of plants and their reg
ular labor force from civilian TO
war production.
"Other workers" he said. will
be drawn from the unemployed. We
shall also need at least several mil
lion new recruits-women, young
people, self-employed persons and
retired workers"
He criticized sharply the policy
of "pirating" labor from one job
to another, as well as "discrimina-
tory hiring practices" which. he
charged, had unnecessarily intensi-
fed local labor shortages.
"At the present time" he said,
many of our war production plants
are obtaining many workers by
'pirating' them from other employers
in the same or related industries.
Labor scouts are now travelling
about the country enticing skilled
workers to leave their jobs for
higher wages without regard for
the essential nature of the work
at which these workers are now
employed. AS matter of fact, one
aircraft producer has hired away
q number of workers employed by
the very nrm which was making
wings for his own planes.
Labor Hoarding Results.
This pirating forces the en-
ployer who may be temporarily
unable to use all his skilled workers
to retain them at all costs lest some
other employer hire them away
permanently. The result is labor
hoarding-skilled workers being held
for future work while nearby plants
attempt to secure such workers
through advertising and labor scout
ing"
He charged that many employers
have assigned skilled workers to
jobs which workers of less skill
could perform, that they have
sought highly skilled workers when
semi-skilled ones were fully quail
fed, that substantial numbers of
skilled workers are engaged in non-
war activities and many are reluc-
tant to transfer because they would
lose seniority rights or because
wages and working conditions may
be less favorable.
How Mr.. McNutt plans to change
this situation was not made clear
today
On the question of social and ma
tai discrimination, he charged that
in one overcrowded war industry
center native white workers we're
brought from hundreds of miles
away, although fully qualified Negro
and loyal foreign-born workers
were available at the plants door
step. In other cases. he said, en-
ployers still turn down qualified ap-
plicants because they are women,
too old or physically handicapped.
Labor Shortage Foreseen.
If this is to be long war-and
I think we must make that as
sumption-we must now face the
fact that we may be confronted
with an overall Nationwide labor
shortage he declared.
The task of manpower mobiliza-
ton will not only involve the prob
lens which have already described
but also that Of planning our labor
supply budget to make sure that
we will be prepared to meet any
general labor shortage which may
occur. Positive action taken in time
will prevent the necessity for more
drastic measures later on"
Avoiding any suggestion of COM
pulsion, he said he did not con-
template a work or fight method of
forcing men into war production.
He said there is already a serious
deficiency in the number of skilled
workers available for industry. For
every skilled tool designer. 81 are
needed, he said, giving as other
examples these ratios of supply and
demand:
Tool makers, IS to !, ship car
penters, I to !; marine machinists
70 to !; aircraft riveters, 4 to !.
Orderly Processes Sought.
Without explaining what steps
would be taken to obtain the most
effective use Of our limited supply
Of skilled workers" he said the COM
mission must make sure that:
/ Employers use their skilled work
ers only at jobs where such skills
/ are required.
/ Skilled workers are hired through
an orderly process guaranteeing
that factories engaged in the most
urgent war production receive first
call on the available supply.
Man power is allocated between
the armed forces and industry tc
provide most effective utilization OF
men whose skills are essential to
1 war production.
He indicated. however. that Il
make full use of presently unem-