Evening star., 1943-02-03
Few Jobs Open
Here 10 Defer
Draft
Family Men to Face
Housing Shortage in
Nearby War Areas

III NeoIDy WoI Areas
Men in mon -deferrable" activities
here will have to choose between the
draft and jobs In nearby war centers
where a housing shortage exists
when Washington's limited supply
OF essential jobs is exhausted, it was
indicated today.
Approximately $500 additional
workers were needed here in essen
tial work when figures on job de-
mands were compiled for the period
from November, 1912, to April, 1943,
not including replacements and
turnover which, q War Manpower
Commission ofYicial estimated, might
bring the total to 10000 job OPEN
1ngs.
No up-to-date statistics, however,
are available on the number Of men
thrown into the "non-deferrable"
class by the VINO list Of activities
and occupations which men must
leave by April l or face induction
into the armed forces.
'Plenty Of Jobs"
At the same time, there were in
dications that this list was only the
beginning Of an ever-expanding one,
encroaching more and more on the
mo mans land" between essential
Jobs and non-essential ones which
have not yet been so designated and
making more men job-seekers here.
Employment ofacials said that at
present. there are plenty Of jobs"
here In transportation and COM
munications services, food process
ing, public utilities and at small
factories in the vicinity Of Wash
1ngton which are working solely on
war production. The Navy Yard,
it was said, can take on 1000 en-
ployes this month and 1000 within
The next few months, but such
workers, for the most part must be
skflled. g.
I'VE will try to find these men
Jobs locally" said John r. Foy,
acting deputy director of the VINO
regional ONCE here. But We will
have to work in an overwhelming
circle to place them. It must be
understood that Washington iy,not
IN industrial town and Jobs aree|
limited"
jobs for skilled and unskilled
workers, by the thosisaI1ds are Inn
Inediately available In baltimore.
Newport News and Hamp-
;on Roads. but the hitch Is housing. |
u. Turnover IN Baltimore.
H11ae labor market In Baltimore, |
|k. roy said, has reached . point
Vfiere employers will take any one
Who asks for q job. but the turn
yer, blamed principally on tn laek
+ housing, Is tremendous. Over q
dys-morsth period ,is, FOR instance,
lkhough 5000 persons we're hired
d IL Baltimore war plants, the
Gctual increase In personnel was
,nly $500.
It was reported in Baltimore that
Elhe only space available Is through /
ths renting Of large. old homes, /
which afe far from industrial areas |
md to which little transportation is |
available. No single rooms or apart |
nents, 1t was said. are available,
md workers are forced to resort to |
trailers or the "hot-bed" method,
where men sleep In shifts.
In Norfolk, VINO ontcial said,
the rumors Of bad housing or no
housing at all have spread so far
that throughout the entire region
men cannot be persuaded to take
the thousands Of jobs for which
workers are being sought.
iTNen seeking transfer from non-
Bsential to essential jobs are sup
posed to register with the local
branch Of the United States En-
ployment Service.
April Deadline.
II they turn down job offered
by q. 8. e. 8. ind nothing else and
refuse to 60 into a training class to
At them for q war job. they viii be.
reclassified as available for service
by their draft board.
Men In the non-deferrable activi-
ties are given until April l to regis
ter with the employment service and
. 30-day breathing space after that
to get Job If they can show their
draft boards they have registered.
Although they do not have to get
Into an essential activity. they have
been advised to do so since the list
Of non-essential jobs may be in,
creased to cover the job to which
they transferred.