The Waterbury Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1917-1946, 1943-03-20

EeteF Eus90 J0D with VIM afC
enthusiasm, has hired a smart young
lawyer as his assistant, and Is bon
ing up on all that pertains to avia-
ton, though strictly on ground
school, pre-filght basis.
Almost any day now, you can ex-
pect Josh to make his maiden flight
In one OF them airyplanes. Maybe
they're here to stay.
All honest storekeepers now adj
nit that rationing Is the only cor
rect method TO deal with food short
ages, bat one of the more statistical
ly minded retailers has Just esti-
mated what IL costs stores to handle
the Job on canned goods alone.
There are la stamps q year TO be
handled for each OF l25 million peo-
pie holding ration books. That
multiples to 10 billion stamps a year,
all OF which have 10 be pasted on
cards before they can be turned IN
for new supplies of canned goods.
The government prints The cards,
each OF which holds so stamps.
Divide 10 billion by so and you get
a total Of $50 million cards TO be
pasted up.
Tests have shown that one clerk
can paste up 20 cards an hour
Divide 800 million cards by 20 and
you get 10 million hours OF labor re-
quired, Just 10 paste stamps In books
If clerks are paid SO cents an hour
that means so million labor cost for
stamp pasting.
CONTRACTS EXPIRING
Watch for a shift In War Man.
power Commissions present orders
that no new war contracts may be
placed In areas where there are tight
labor situations and actual man.
power shortages. Reason is that
some contracts on which manufac-
turers are now working may soon
run out, II new contracts can't be
placed In these areas, or II there Is
no backlog Of contracts for future
deliveries on which the manufactur-
ers can plan and rely, they may be
forced to lay off employees or. in the
case OF smaller plants, be forced to
shut down, thus causing actual I'M
employment In areas where there
are supposed to be labor shortages.
Part of the job Of e-scheduling
war contracts, on which War Pro-
ductionBoard's new Vice. Chairman
Charles Z. Wilson Is concentrating,
will take care OF these situations,
see that there is no production ca
pacity lost for mere lack OF q con-
tract.
Said Senator Francis Maloney OF
Meriden. Conn, discussing this prob
lem with WPB Vice-Chairman Will
son: II don't envy you your posi-
ton"
Said Wilson in reply: II don't
think much OF 1t myself"
OVERTIME Is CHECK
Washington manpower officials
expect the 48-hour week order TO be
largely self-policing. The order Is
effective March 81 In 80 critical la
Dor areas and In the lumber and
ferrous metals mining indus
tries generally. but War Manpower
Commission people believe that any
employer who doesn't abide by the
order will probably be reported by
his employees, who will naturally be
interested In collecting all that ex-
ira overtime.
1t Is the intention Of the WMPC,
however, TO grant number OF ex-
emptions. Banks and retail stores.
for instance. might be given blanket
exemption In any area, II they can
show that lengthening the work
week TO 48 hours will unnecessarily
increase costs. provide no extra serv-
ice, and release no employees for
war production. But II will be up TO
every employer TO prove his own
case and get official permission TO
worl; less than "a hours In the crit
ical areas. The area and regional
manpower directors are TO be the
ones who will decide every case
not Washington.
Where the 48-hour week order
will be most binding Is In industries
holding fixed-price war contracts.
which will claim that their contracts
which will claim that their con-
tracts should be renegotiated TO al
low for higher labor costs made
necessary by paying extra overtime.
The headache for enforcement here
will fal. on OfIice OF Price Admins
tration. not on WMPC. Already,
OPA has indicated that II believes
the steel industry Is making enough
money so that It can pay the over
he eNs,taaa