Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1943-01-04
McNuH Tells Industry
10 Expect Huge Loss
WMent 10 Armed Units
Every RepIoeeobIe Male
Moy Be Indicted
Before End Of War
BY JESSE O. IRWIN.

BY JESSE O. IRWIN.
Manpower Chairman Paul v. Nc
Mutt today issued q warning that
the coming impact Of selective ser
vice Withdrawals on industrial per-
sonnet is still not generally realized
Employers must accustom them
selves to the fact that, As the war
goes on, the armed services will al
most certainly claim every replac-
able male employe Of military age
and fitness in every industry, re-
gardless OF its essentially" he de-
clared, adding that: +.
In any average plant, the with
drawals Of l943 will probably be
equal to the total of all previous
Withdrawals since the start OF the
war"
Lists Are Revised.
This statement was made as the
commission revised its labor short
age and supply areas list for guild
arce OF the War Production Board
IN awarding and renewing contracts.
the list plainly shows that man
power Is not a single problem, but
a network Of specific dificulties
arising in communities through.
out the United States, with some
cities suffering from labor shortage
while others have an oversupply.
Thirty-one areas from Buffalo to
Seattle, from San Diego to Panama
City, Fla, from Detroit to Pascal
goula, Miss. and including the Dis
trlct OF Columbia, Baltimore. Elkton
Nd, and Hampton Roads, Va, are
listed as having sent frantic appeals
Tor labor help to the commission,
So acute Is the labor shortage in
these areas, the commission has
asked the WPB not to award or re-
new contracts. ~.
Periodically, labor surpluses, ac-
cording to this list, can be found
in IS communities, including New
York City, Boston, Richmond, Dan
vile, Roanoke, Lynchburg, Grand
Rapids, Kalamazoo, Chattanooga,
Bloomington and Peoria, III;
Muncie, Ind; Birmingham, Altoona,
Scranton, Knoxville, Nashville
Oshkosh, La Crosse, Sheboygan and
the West Virginia cities of Charles
ton, Huntington, Parkersburg and
Wheeling. Labor is so plentiful in
these communities that new war
contracts are urgently requested by
the commission.
Between Group l, where acute
shortages exist, and Group 4, where
unemployment Is prevalent, the
commission classified IS cities where
there exists q current balance of
labor supply, and 81 cities where
there are anticipated balanced labor
supplies. The WPB Is asked to exer-
else caution in awarding contracts
IN these areas.
The commission said it has
modified its standards for classifying
areas to make classifications more
useful to procurement authorities
and to prevent undue hardships to
potential suppliers.
1T should, of course, be realized"
the commission emphasized. that
ofdcials in negotiating war-procure-
ment contracts are guided by many
considerations. OF. which manpower
is only one. The ability of the firm
to deliver or perform q contract on
time and the ability Of a concern to
MI contract with = minimum
amount OF new machinery or equip
ment, and other factors are likewise
important influences"
Using Factory Management and
Maintenance, an industrial organ,
as vehicle to carry a message to
employers, Mr.. McNutt predicted
that a pronounced drop in turn
over" Of industrial personnel would
follow the cessation Of voluntary
military enlistments.
I'VE of the Manpower Commits
sion saw the need for stopping en-
listments and I am gratif1ed beyond
measure that the change has come, "
Mr.. McNutt declared. Employers
will be equally gratified when the
effect of the order becomes evident
They will find, I am sure, that the
rate at which they lose men to the
armed services will become more
stable and practicable, while the
restless tendencies of military age
workers will naturally be stilled.
Pirating Causes Turnover.
Labor turnover has many causes
OF course-not the least OF which
Is pirating. But. in plant after
plant. voluntary enlistments have
made heavy, irregular and often
descriptive inroads on personnel, fire.
quently exceeding selective service
Withdrawals"
The manning table plan is to allow
employers to prepare schedule of
Withdrawals of employees into mill
tary service in the inverse order of
their essentially When a plan pre-
pared by an employer is approved,
selective service local boards are no.
tined that employees listed thereon
should be deferred for the length of
time required to train requirements.
An interim procedure, while man.
ming tables are being drawn up, is
called the replacement schedule, y
a simplified form of the manning
table which temporarily accom-
plishes the same purpose. A broader
object Of the manning table plan,
however, Is to provide data for a