Evening star., 1943-02-28
Stimson Fovors Law
ToF orce War Work:
48-Hour Rules Issued
Secretary Declares
Present Control
Is Inadequate

Nepol llllS increasing eVldenCe
OF the lnadequacy of present con-
trolls" Secretary of War Stimson
wrote the Senate Military Affairs
Committee yesterday strongly in
dorsing a bill providing for the
compulsory control of manpower.
In a letter to Chairman Rev
nolds, Mr.. Stimson said the War
Department strongly indorses"
bill introduced by Senator Austin.
Republican, of Vermont. and Rep
resentative Wadsworth, Republican.
of New York and urges it's prompt
passage by Congress"
This was the first intimation from
administration sources of support
for the Austin-WadsWorth measure,
which would provide primarily for
voluntary transfer of workers to es-
sential war jobs, but would provide
for compulsion if voluntary controls
fail to bring about the desired re-
suits.
Mr.. Stimson reported present or
Imminent" shortages of labor in ag-
riculture, mining and industry.
Present Controls Held Inadequate.
There is increasing evidence Of
the lnadequacy of present controls
to achieve full utilization of our
manpower and to solve the labor
shortage problem" Mr.. Stimson
wrote Senator Reynolds.
"As result" Mr.. Stimson con-
tinued, lin several instances where
labor shortage emergencies existed,
1t has been necessary to take men
from the Army to supply labor.
This is a practice that is wasteful
and dlsruptive to the Army training
program. AS further result, pro-
posals have been made to give blan-
ket deferment to groups Of workers,
thus limiting greatly the manpower
pool on which the Army depends
for its soldiers"
Senator Austin, who made public
the letter, said he interpreted that
portion of it as opposing proposals
by Senator Bankhead, Democrat. of
Alabama, and others to provide for
the furloughing Of men in the Army
to do farm work, as we'll as pending
proposals for the deferment of farm
workers.
president Roosevelt was re-
ported last week as having ap-
proved plan for the furlouhing
OF entire military units for use,
under regular officers, to gather
seasonal crops.
I'VE must direct adult labor into
essential occupations rather than
keep the men out Of the Army who
are needed for the job of winning
| the war;" Mr.. Stimson wrote.
Registration of Women.
The Austin -Wadsworth bill call,
for national registration of women
| and provides that these women,
along with the men registered under
Selective Service who have not al
ready been drafted, shall be avail
able for compulsory assignment to
war factories and farms where
necessary. President Roosevelt first
would issue call for volunteers to
fill the jobs and If that failed, Sc
lective Service would act through
the local draft boards.
Hearings on the Austin-Wads-
worth bill, introduced about
month ago, are scheduled to open
before the Senate Military Affairs
Committee Tuesday. Senator Aus
tin said number of witnesses had
signif1ed their desire to testify.
I'VE want to hear first from the
people who are going to be af-
fected by this legislation" he said.
This bill sprang from the people,
| and If it is enacted it will be the
peoples answer to the manpower
problem
Mr.. Stimson's Endorsement of the
measure was taken as an indication
that it would have thorough going
administration support despite the
fact that Paul v. McNutt, man.
power chairman, recently told
Senate committee that he intended
to go along with entirely voluntary
methods of meeting the labor sup
ply issue as long as possible.
(See STIMSON, Page A-5D