Evening star., 1943-01-07
Senate Group Voices
Doubt Conflicts Are
Ended by VINO Shifts
Charges Services Split
Effort by Concern
Over War Production
BY JESSE o. IRWIN.

BY JESSE o. IRWIN.
A Senate Labor Subcommittee to-
day questioned whether recent
changes in the War ManpoWer Com
mission will do away with COM
promise and conflict" and charged
that the armed services are dividing
their time on the home front be-
tween devising military strategy and
attempting to organize war produc-
ton and manpoWer."
Asserting such is "the method of
partial war, not of total war" and
that it "harbors grave consequences
for the future" the committee pro-
posed legislation to create IAN eco-
nomic general staff" with director
Of war mobilization at the top, di-
rectly responsible to the President.
The report was filed by Chairman
Pepper, after extensive hearings,
with the expectation that the full
committee would hold further hear
ings on war mobilization bill,
which he said he and Senator Kill
gore, Democrat, of West Virginia
would introduce in the new Con-
gress.
Two Withhold Signatures.
Former Senator Schwartz of Wy
oming and Senator La Toilette,
Progressive, of Wisconsin signed the
report with Senator Pepper, but Sem
ator Millikin, Republican, Of Colo
RADIO did not concur. Senator Hill,
Democrat, of Alabama, sponsor of a
compulsory manpower bill in the
last Congress, withheld his sigma
ture because of inability, he said, to
attend most Of the meetings.
In November the committe heard
number of industrial and Govern
ment witnesses, after chairmen of
five congressional committees, in
Guiding Senator Pepper, said they
planned to report out a bill by
December 7 which would centralize
all production. procurement and
manpoWer activities under one civil
ian authority.
This proposal was temporarily
shelved when President Roosevelt
was reported to have proposed CEN
tralization of all manpower activities
in the Labor Department under the
direction of Secretary of Interior
1ckes. The committe chairmen is
sued a statement indorsing the pro-
posal and said they would throw
their full support to Mr.. Ickes.
When Mr.. Roosevelt decided
against reshuff1ing his cabinet to
bring about the proposed manpower
change, the subcommittee again re-
sumed hearings.
Lack of Balance" Found.
In its report the committee said
it found "a lack of balance" in the
war production program and pre-
dicted that production would fall
short of goals unless the problem
OF scarcity in men, materials and
machines was met headon.
After year OF war" the report
stated, the people have learned
that the War Production Board has
not been engaged in the business
of war production. They are told
that the chaos in raW-material dis
tribution. long recognized and ad-
mitted, will be remedied by the cele-
brated controlled materials plan
which will come into full operation
six months from now"
The committee said the WPB con-
trolled-materials plan would act
only as method of preventing the
present inadequate military procure
ment services from paralyzing the
war production program by their
competition and conflict over facili-
ties and materials"
The battle to expand raw mate
rails facilities" it said, has been a
losing fight because of fear of ex-
cessive capacity in the postwar
world" The report added:
Calls Program "Piecemeal."
"One year after Pearl Harbor, the
Nation looks in vain for a unified
program of all-out war production
Each new crisis in production evokes
a piecemeal attempt at solution
ErrorS accumulate and crises inten-
slfy because these attempts are not
part OF comprehensive program.
The constant reshuff1ings in the
Washington war agencies reflect our
failure and not the progressive re-
suits Of experience.
Some people would justify dis
jointed war effort in terms OF speed
and urgency; they show a tragic
misunderstanding of the require
ments of total war. They cannot
support their position with evidence
that the output of war implements
comes up to stated goals. The
record is sharply against them.
The attitude that we can, some
how, muddle through the war with
out proper organization is one which
invites defeat"
Addressing itself to "the sugges-
tion from some quarters that the
military be given complete control
of war production, the committee
said:
The job of the military is to de-
feat the enemy on the field of battle
It's experience, personnel, training
and viewpoint do not fit it for CEN
tralized production and procure
ment planning"