Evening star., 1943-01-24
NanpowerStudy
Laid 10 McNutt' S
Delay on Plan
New Hearing Called
To Find Out Reason,
Austin Says
By JESSE o, IRWIN.

Senator Austin of Vermont,
assistant minority leader. said
yesterday the primary reason for
the Senate Military Affairs Com
mittee's action in reopening
hearings tomorrow into the man
power situation is to determine
why the War Manpower Com
mission, after nine months of
operation, still is without a posi-
tive and definite objective for
the full utilization of the Ma
tion's labor force. =
Should the committee find."
Senator Austin declared, after a
careful exploration that national
service legislation is necessary, it
will most certainly report out such
a bill"
The statement climaxed a fort
night of declarations and accusa-
tions, both in and out of Congress,
concerning the manpower situation.
Attacked by Two Groups.
The House Tolan committee,
shortly after Congress convened,
charged the commission with sub
stituting the word for the deed. and
later the Senate Agriculture Com
mittee accused it of having formu-
lated farm deferment formula so
complicated that the average local
draft board could not understand it.
Last week subgroup of the Tru-
man committee was in secret ses-
sions to determine, among other
matters, the accomplishments of the
commission, and Senator Bankhead,
Democrat, of Alabama informed the
Senate that manpower mobilization
was being improperly handled.
Senator Austin said the Military
Affairs Committee of which he is a
member, was confronted with the
fact that after many months of op-
Grafton, the War Manpower Com
mission is unable to produce mas
ter plan for manpower mobiliza ton.
1t did not have plan when we had
the manpower chairman before us
last October; it has none today.
Officers To Be Quizzed.
Naturally the committee feels IL
Should delve into the size of the
armed forces in order to determine
| the civilian manpower needs to equip
and supply the Army and Navy. At
the opening and subsequent sessions
dealing with the military phase the
committee plans to have ranking
officers outline their manpower OBJ
Jectives. This phase of the hearings
will, of course, have to be secret. The
committee, however, plans to hold
opening sessions as early as possible"
Chairman Reynolds has an
nounced the first witness would be
Lit. Gen. Joseph T. McNarney, dep
uty chief of staff. He said other
Army, Navy, maritime and civilian
agencies officials would be called
later.
Senator Austin said further that
IF only part of the many reports
the committee has received since
its last hearings are accurate, feel
that it is safe and entirely proper to
inform the public now that the Ma
ton has made little progress
towards properly utilizing its war
labor force"
McNutt Sees Progress.
Manpower Chairman Paul v. Nc
Mutt has said the commission is
making progress. though it is hand
icapped by congressional restric-
tions. He recently filled the post
of executive director, but still has
vacancies in the directorships of the
Bureau of Placement and the
United States Employment Service,
important operating arms of the
agency He plans, under congress
sional authority granted last Oc-
tober, to have more than 200 labor
inspectors, but so far has succeeded
in making only one appointment.
THE committee" Senator Austin
continued, has approached this in
vestigation very carefully. 1t has
seriously weighed the question of
jurisdiction. and it has considered
list of some 80 names submitted
by the commission, through the
President, for Senate confirmation.
We are endeavoring to determine
just what the commission plans for
these men to do. 1t is apparent the
commission has reached into some
book and dug up lot of titles. but
so far, no one is able to tell us how
these men are to be utilized.
1T must be clearly understood the
committee has no personal grievance
against Mr.. McNutt. We have no ak
(see MANPoWER, page A-1l)