Evening star., 1943-04-11
U. 5. 0yerproducing
Materials Of War,
Murray Declares
ClO Chief Sees 650.000
Idle Within Three Month.
With Closing Of PIonts

Idle Within Three Months
With Closing Of PIonts
BY LISBETH SOLLING.
The country soon will face the.
first major unemployment of de-
Tense workers, President Philip
Murray of the Congress OF In
dustrial Organizations declared
yesterday as he predicted that
CSC, 900 war workers will become
idle within the next three
months because of American
overproduction Of armaments.
TT is an astonishing fact that this
Nation in its mad desire to expedite
conclusion of the war has produced
more war goods Alan the United
Nations can use and move than the
United States can transport" Mr..
Murray said. MANY factories are
confronted today with layof1s. The
Army calls it 'cutbacks'."
The CIO head spoke at the May
flower Hotel before the conference
on War and Postwar Demands for.
Trained Personnel arranged by Mrs.
Jouett Shouse under auspices of the
Institute of Womens Professional
Relations.
Cites Specific Cases. &.
Mr.. Murray mentioned specifically
the case of Berwick, Pa, where
seven months ago 1900 workers were
employed in the manufacture of
small tanks. The factory was Or
dered closed down three weeks ago,
he said. In McKeesport, Pa, where
large bombs are manufactured, the
Army Procurement Division has
ordered production halted, Mr.. Mur-
ray said, adding that our Nation
has produced six times more heavy
bombs than can be used" Seventy
five per cent of the 5000 Wokers at
McKeesport will be out of work, he
said.
II am reliably informed that
IS 1000 aircraft workers are going to
be laid OF soon because too many
airplanes of certain type now are
being produced" he said. I'VE have
already made too many small shells,
too many small guns.
Sees CSC, 900 Jobless.
TT has been conservatively esti-
mated that CSC. 900 war workers now
employed will be out of work within
the next three months. The Army
is closing plants down in a great
many places and the workers are
houndering around looking for jobs.
Why the cry of absenteeism when
all records show that the American
wage Garner has increased efficiency
to higher point than any other
country in the world?"
The building construction indus
try was relegated to the scrap
heap by the Federal Government,
Mr.. Murray said, and 1,5OO, 600 en-
ployes in this and related indus
tries will be out Of work In the
future, he predicted.
Fowler Harper, deputy chairman
of the War Manpower Commission
asked at the conference to comment
on Mr.. Murray,s predictions, said
he had not heard about the $50 ,00C
and could use $50, 900 workers if he
could find them.
Effective Manpower Use. "
Boris Shishkin. economist of the
American Federation of Labor, con-
tended that "our foremost prob
lem Of war production this year is
not where to find manpower to dc
war work. but how to put the man.
power we have to most effective
use"
Par too much of manpower al
ready in our labor force is under
utilized. wasted and needlessly de-
stroyed," he said.
During the first year of war six
American workers were killed on
the job for every soldier killed in
action in our armed forces, he
said. -Four million workers were in
jured in industrial accidents. 1865 ,OOO
Of whom will never work again be-
cause they are permanently dis
abled. He advocated increased safe
ty reduced floating unemployment
between war industries and in
creased productivity.
Archibald Mcdonald Gordon. labor
attache and First Secretary of the
British Embassy, said "the needs of
war have made great inroads into
the cultural life of the English
people and We have had perforce to
restrict severely our former activi-
ties tn the field of higher education. /"
Defends Women Workers.
Miss Elizabeth Christman of the
Women's Bureau Of the Labor De-
partment, defended labor. partic-
ularly women workers, against crit
icism because of absenteeism. She
said:
"The simple mechanics Of living
have become complicated. We must
stand in line for ration books, to do
our shopping, to get on a bus. Men
and women working long hours in
our war factories have not COM
planned, but they need more leisure
to look after the needs of life"
The history of manpower problems
In the present war was reviewed by
Mr.. Harper of the Manpower Com
mission. A total of rs speakers. most
of them from Federal agencies. ad-
dressed the two-day conference.