The Western news. [volume] (Libby, Mont.) 1933-current, 1943-04-22
Must Keep
1900 Men
On Jobs
Those With Logging
Experience Should
Return To Woods.
FORESTS ARE BATTLE
FRONT FOR LOGGERS


Action to insure required man
power supply of $4,000 workers for
the logging and numbering indus
tries in the Rocky Mountain area
was taken yesterday by John R
McCusker, regional War ManpoWer
Commission director, after VINO
Chairman Paul V. McNutt declared
the lumber industry to be the No.
manpoWer problem of the West.
The War Manpower Commission
through its local U. S. Employment
Service offices and with the coop
Grafton of management and labor
will begin an intensified campaign
to return workers to the forests,
Mr.. McCusker announced.
The campaign to keep lumber
workers on the job and to urge
the return to the industry Of ex-
perienced workers now employed
in other activities was initiated up
on receipt of Instructions from Mr.
McNutt which stated in part: You
are directed to take all possible
steps to assure that loggers remain
on their jobs and to arrange for
the transfer back to the woods of
workers with logging experience
who are now in other employment.
I expect fullest cooperation in this
program by management and labor,
both in the logging industry and
the other industries in which log
gers are now employed.
TO assure vital supply of lum-
Der, every man with logging expert
ence now employed in other activi
ties must consider it his solemn du-
ty, except under most unusual cir
cumstances, to serve his country by
returning to the woods the
forests are the battle front for all
loggers.
Mr.. McCusker said that every eff
fort would be made to trace down
experienced lumber workers,
whether in essential or non-essen-
tial activities. They will be in
formed that their services are ur
gently needed in the logging in
dustry and that their full contribu-
ton toward winning the war re-
quires their return.
Employers will be obliged to
separate woods workers from other
forms of employment if they have
been employed since September 7,
1912, without a Certificate of Sep
aration.
He emphasized that the drive for
the return of lumber workers will
not be detrimental to the needs of
other war essential industries. Vital
activities which lose workers
through this back to- the-woods
campaign will be given employment
service priority in replacement
through the transfer of available
workers from other areas where
there is surplus of labor supply.
"A major part of the lumber in
dustry in this region is concentrat-
ed in Northern Idaho and Western
Montana" MIR. McCusker said.
"These industries have in the past
required a peak employment of
approximately $4,000 workers. With
the increasing Importance of lum-
Der in the war program, that num-
Der may be inadequate. Certainly
it is vitality important that we keep
every experienced worker on the
job for which he is best qualified.
IF we can contact these former
lumber workers with the coopera-
ton of management and labor and
inform them of the Importance of
using their skills in this No. in
dustry, we will have accomplished
the task" MIR. McCusker said, for
I am confident that these men are
ready to serve where they can be
of best use in the war program. =
MIR. McCusker cited recent di-
receive from Major General Lewis
b. Hershey, national director of Sc
fective Service, Id which state Sc