The Waterbury Democrat., 1942-05-06

granted to state governors, giving them authority to suspend state laws interfering with the war ef- fort. The majority of the modifica- tions vii come only after action by the state legislatures. Forty-three of the state legislatures meet regu- larly in 1943, five having met this year, but number have held spe- cial sessions to enact emergency war measures. Other special sessions may be called during the remainder of 1942 to enact relief laws or to amend existing codes. It may there fore be six months or 8 year before many of these changes can be made, but taken together they will un- questoinably provide a sweeping change of state and local laws.
 The nature of the changes needed is extremely varied. Most publicity has been given to the interstate trade barriers, hampering the free movement of war gods across state lines. Enactment of uniform limits on load weight and truck length is needed or at least upward revision in states having sub-Standard linli- tationS.
 BLUE LAW
 BARRIERS
 States having Sunday blue laws may have to suspend their enforce ment to permit truckers to haul war goods on Sunday or to permit three shift. seven-day operation of war plants. The II states with laws pro- hibiting the employment of women between 10 D. m. and 6 a. m. may find 1t advisable to suspend those laws to permit around-the-clock war production.
 States which prohibit or restrict the importation of milk or eggs from other states may have to sus- pend these laws in order to make it possible to provide sufficient milk or eggs for the armed forces en- camped within the state.
 With shortages of critical build. ing materials, state or local build- ing codes requiring the use of these critical materials in new con- struction may have to amend their restrictions to permit the use of substitutes.
 These are the types of state laws which must be repealed or amend ed if war production is not to be stymied.
 CALLED
 BY FDR
 The Washington conference of state and federal officials to dis cuss these needed changes was call- ed by the President, and 1t is un- questionably one of the most im- portant conferences of local and national governments ever con- vened.
 A number of state delegations are being headed by their governors, and the 200 or more state officials attending will have the opportunity to meet and talk over the war econ- orny with practically every leader of the war effort in Washington, in- cluding WIPE Chairman Donald M. Nelson, Secretary of Commerce Jes- see Jones, Secretary of Agriculture GlauQe WlchdIN, E1ACC A0AAtAAAaoAG- tor Leon Henderson, Manpower Di- rector Paul V. McNutt, National Housing Agency Director John B. Blandford, Jr., Defense Transporta- tation Director Joseph B. Eastman, Lieutenant General Brehon Somer- we'll, head of the ArRay's Service of Supplies, and numerous other au- thorities on special phases of war production.
 Credit for inception of this con- ference and the background study of state laws which makes it pos- slble goes to the marketing laws unit of the Bureau Of Foreign and Domestic Commerce. Their re- search, now under the direction of Major A. H. Martin. Jr, began as a WPA project to co''ify all the state laws, Recently the work was merged with the interstates trade barriers division under Paul TFlIitt.