Evening star., 1943-11-07
Policy Group Urges
|Manpower Solution
Without Compu|sion

TUllCy SOIIlIllCCce Oh Cf1e war MAN.
power Commission yesterday re.
newed its opposition to labor draft
and pledged itself to assist in max
ing a voluntary manpower program
meet the demands for war industry
labor.
Hailed by VINO Chairman Nc
Mutt as the first time that manage
ment, labor and agriculture spokes-
men have committed their organiza-
tions actively to participate in Gre
ating a real network of local man.
power plans" the committees decla-
ration made clear its belief that the
manpower problem can be solved
without "compulsion."
The committee said it believed
that manpower is still being wasted
through high turnover, ineffective
use of existing supplies and IRE.
strictive practices; that large mum.
bers of workers who should do sc
have not yet transferred to wal
work and that vast unused man
power resources of longer hours Of
work. improved performance OF
workers and employable women arr
still available"
Against Broader Controls.
The solution to these problems
the committee contended, depended
on leadership. co-ordinated anc
understood plans and efficient ad-
Iministration and not upon broadenec
control and regulation"
Both labor and management
groups in various cities where vol.
untary controls over the movement
of labor have been adopted have
occasionally protested the controls
but VINO pointed out that the COM
mittees declaration. indorsing man.
power budget plans, apparently
meant the end of this opposition.
Signing the document for labor
were Presidents William Green OF
the AFL, Philip Murray of the CIC
and H. w. Fraser of the Order Of
Railway Conductors of America.
Representing management were
Presidents Frederick c. Crawford OF
the National Association of Manu-.
facturers and Eric A. Johnston ot
the United States Chamber of Com
merce and r. Conrad Cooper, Wheel.
ing Steel Corp executive.
Farm representatives were Albert
is. Goss. master of the Nationa,
Grange; Edward A. O'Neal, head OF
the American Farm Bureau Fede-
ration, and James G. Patton. presi-
dent of the National Farmers Union
Study Incomplete.
Recalling that he had told a con
gressional committee that nationa
service legislation was inevitable, ;
Mr.. McNutt said he now hoped a
labo:' draft would not be necessary
but the job has to be done and il
the only successful way to do it is
national service legislation, that may
have to be our course"
He explained that he had asked
the Policy Committee to study ma
tional service legislation in July
and despite their expressed opposi.
ton to it, they had consented tc
make the study while concurrentll
Iexploring alternatives. The declara
Ition made public yesterday outlined
the alternatives. The national serv.
ice study, he said, had not yet beer
completed.
The committee recommended the
following steps as basic to a work
able manpoWer program:
Surveys Of manpower supplies:
determination Of relative urgency
for products and services in IocaI
areas; surveys of the relative needs
OF employers for additional labor
removal of causes for failure tc
maintain employment levels, con-
ltroled flow of available manpower:
balancing the volume of production
allocated to given area to the
Iarea's available manpower; full in
formation by Government agencies
on what has to be done. where il
must be done and when, leaving the
how to the people OF each COM
imunity.
Agency Survey Asked.
The committee also recommend
ed that more comprehensive re-
view Of Government agencies be
ordered so that chose remaining
persons in Government service who
can be released are made available
to essential industries, including ag-
riculture' and "the volume of Gov
ernment forms, reports and investi-
cations are curtailed so that the
tremendous numbers of personneI
now engaged in preparing and re-
viewing such material can be trans
ferred to useful work"
For their part, the management
labor and agriculture representatives
pledged themselves to take specific
steps to attack the causes of turn
over, assure maximum use of war
manpower. tap new sources of labor