Evening star., 1943-03-07
Industry hayCal ,s,;
White Collar Force
Harper Tells Club /.
VINO Deputy choirmon
Sees Need to Follow
King Georges Exompie !

The example set BY the King Of
England In working two nights Q
week in war industry plant may. !.
have to be followed in this country
during the next year, Fowler Har-
per. deputy chairman Of the War
Manpower Commission, told men,
bers OF the Harvard Club at a
luncheon meeting at the Annapolis,
Hotel yesterday. .s!t
The statement came In answer to,
a direct question from the floor
after he had given . general review
Of the manpower problem. :
Yes he replied, I'VE certainly,
may expect = call for white.collars
workers to supplement labor by
working on part-time shifts in in-i
dustry after they have gotten.
through with their daily proies-
sional duties" Z
Under Way In Some Cities.
He recalled such a course already
was under way In some American
cities, naming Detroit and Clevs.
land specifically. =
Mr.. Harper also announced that
II labor demands are met 5000 600
women from all walks Of Life must
enter industry In communities In
which labor is short. These women
will constitute about half the addi-
tional workers needed during the
current year.
Reviewing the manpower prob.
lem, he reported that 9.000, 900 work.
ers, about two-thirds Of whom were
unemployed, were drawn into indus.
try during the first two years Of war,
production. Hall Of the remaining,
5000, 900 were obtained from the
normal intake In the labor market
and the other half were enlisted.
with some effort.
The problem now facing the Ma
ton Of supplying $500. 900 workers,
during the next year, he pointed,
out, must be met without the 6,000,.
000-man reserve that existed In tho,
beginning. II women supply half
this need. he said, the remainder
must be drawn from less essential,
| industry-by voluntary persuaSion,a
by classifying industry on IN essen.
tial and non-esseptial basis or BY the
new 4S-hour week order.
Turnover Is Problem.
Mr.. Harper said the War Man,
power Commission now Is hitting at
the aStoniskingly high turnover In
labor. Much Of this has been due to
the draft. he explained. predicting,
that decrease viii come this year,
because the new labor recruits will
be made up Of women ana Of men.
physically unqualified for military
service.
The deputy chairman termed the
farm labor shortage one q the most:
serious problems facing the country,
but added that its n1AenitudA had
been exaggerated. He said the 1eod-
goal would be reached this year II
farmers planted the necessary sxUpa
and that troops would not hav1 To-
be called In to aid with the harvest.
Ahsenteeism WAS 'citesi BY him as
another exaggerated problem. He
reported that studies made hy the
VINO revealenaA lAtxEs proportion
OF the absences were due 10 cAt1seS
over which, the workers had no
control and sthAt The 1irA1 rsolsttion
seemed t0 shenin tia1fe eenaM CO.
operation between the, aaAeTntiaAnt
ana tho pa15iess. ~ S. - 4,
Mr.. HafreriEAve pecr housing
conditions and lfhE. 1ood Sh11taSe O.
definite causes fer atsenteeiGsn. ne
REVEALED that, IN oHe instances Ia
which absences suddenly splatted In
. West Ceast community, 4, WAS.
found food IVES 20 hard 70 eet that
some women workers were. foeced
to stay home from their j0bs In
order to shop around for eapugh
food to feed their familieS-