Evening star., 1943-03-11
.WPB Seeks New Plan
To Provide Industry
With Manpower
Original Concentration
Scheme at StundstiII;
May Be Modified
r, he Associated Press

Nation wide concentration"
Of civilian industries, launched
with vigor last summer by the
War Production Board, is at
virtual standStill, and officials
are seeking other answers to the
shortage Of manpOwer, trans
pOrtatlOn, power and materials.
After studying 30-odd civilian in
dustries, some officials are convinced
that only 100000 workers could be
/ freed for essential service if con-
Centration we're pushed to the ulti-
mate on a Nationwide basis.
Instead, the responsible agencies
are considering tackling the prob
/ lem on a regional basis by halting
or curtailing the less essential in
duStrleS IN those areas where man
power is urgently needed for war
work. while letting the same kind
Of civilian plants operate in areas
where the labor and other shorta ges
are not severe.
Differs From Original Plan.
This still is concentra ton of
sort. but a selective kind quite diff
ferent from WPBs original program
of methodically concentra ting one
industry after another by centering
production in a few nucleus"
plants and making other factories
shut down.
Labor instead of materials is the
big shortage looming, and officials
feel the program adopted must be
one which makes workers available
III the areas and numbers needed.
Illustrating the trend, one source
disclosed the War Manpower Com
mission had asked WPBs Office of
Civilian Supply to make available
10000 workers in the Portland and
Seattle areas, centers of shipvard
lumber and aircraft activity. pre-
sumably by eliminating that many
jobs in the furniture and other in
dustries.
The Office of Civilian Supply thus
far has demurred for one reason
because it believes VINO should be
ready to guarantee that all the 10000
men and women who might thus be
gendered jobless would actually have
jobs they could go to at once.
The OCS, while charged with the
duty OF preparing the concentration
program has. incidentally, no powers
to carry 1t into effect, except inso-
far as 1t is able to enlist the CO.
operation of WPBs operating in
dustry branches in following its
recommendations.
Action Expected Soon.
Officials are convinced that the
concentration program. or its euui-
valent under some other name
must be revived. The armed forces
program for 10,8O0.O00 men this year
and the added millions which Man
power Commissioner Paul V. Nc
Mutt has estimated must be recruit
ed for war industry in 1943 means.
they believe, that action must come
soon
Thus far only four Industries and
part of another have been concen-
trated-bicycles, typeWriters, stoves.
farm equipment and the pulp and
paper industry in the Puget Sound
area
One major obstacle is the problem
OF compenSating manufacturers who
close down. It would seem reason
able that the surviving manufactur-
ers, getting all the business, should
share part Of their profits with
those whose investments stand idle
and who must pay maintenance
costs on dead plants and machines.
No machinery for such compensa-
ton exists and John Lord O'Brian,
WPB chief, was reported to have
WPB chief counsel, was reported to
have recently ruled that WPB can
not force one businessman to con-
tribute to another Or participate in
formulation of any such program.