Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1943-07-13
1oca||yNeeded'
Industries Face
Closer Check
VINO Coils for Data
Proving Right to
Special Treatment

A closer check on locally needed"
activities to justify their being given
preferential treatment in recruiting
labor was announced today by the
area War Manpower Commission.
Continuance as locally needed"
activities will be determined by the
extent to which they have elimi-
mated luxury" services and are
sharing their operations to cut down
the amount of manpower needed to
do a minimum job, it was explained.
Restaurants, hotels, apartment
and office building maintenance,
laundries, food and fuel distribu-
ton as industries were blanketed
into the general classification of
locally needed" by VINO several
months ago, mainly on the basis of
statements from the Industries that
they were suffering from the triple
problems of absenteeism, turnover
and labor shortage.
Equal Treatment Promised.
They were promised the same
treatment as activities on the ma
tional list of essential industries,
with a special effort to be made to
solve their problems.
No check, however, was made at
the time as to the extent of their
need for help and whether they were
doing everything they could to help
themselves, VINO officials said.
In order to find out If they are
Justified in continuing to be desig-
mated as locally needed, the VINO
has just sent out QUESTIONABLE
to the associations covering the in
dustries. This has already been fol-
lowed in the case Of the laundries
by specific QUESTIONABLE which
is to be sent to every plant to see
II they are meeting national stand
ards of curtailing services and con-
serving manpower
1T was said that If the industries
or individual plants do not comply
they will be cut of the locally
needed list
Responsibility Fixed.
Responsibility for seeing that es-
Establishments within an industry
comply with the standards lies with
the association involved. it was said.
The QUESTIONABLE asks for the ma
ture of the activity. listing the types
of service rendered, the total esti-
mated full-time employment, the
number of establishments covered. a
list OF special luxury and duplicating
services eliminated the minimum
work week, the minimum wage rate,
the number of establishments which
have iH-plant training programs. the
key skills basic to the activity, with
the number of months required for
training requirements and whether
women can be used and the number
of occupational deferments granted
In the past six months by establish
ments covered by the application.
The only specific QUESTIONABLE
has gone to the individual iaundries.
On the basis of the answers to this
QUESTIONABLE, VINO officials said,
occupational analysts can make
spot checks" to see if individual
laundries are complying.
The five-page laundry question:
naire goes into such details as
whether or not new accounts are
being accepted, the delivery period
promised laundry and dry cleaning
customers. the services offered, how
much ironing, starching, folding and
packaging is still being done: what
appeals have been made for hotels,
restaurants. rooming houses and in
dividual housewives to cut down on
the amount OF laundry they send to
the plants.
Reviews Every Three Months.
VINO officials said the industries
would be reviewed about every three
months to see If they should remain
on the list of "bcally-needed" &C
fivities
There Is some disagreement
among the industries themselves as
to the benefits of being designated
rs locally needed.
Some employers have said they
wanted the designation only to con-
vince their employees that they were
doing war work by remaining on
service jobs. Others have taken the
position that being covered by the
sterilization plan and being forced
to require statements of availa-
bility before hiring new workers
has Just made it more difficult fo-
them to get new workers. A num-
Der have said. however, that they
noticed a decline in turnover be-
cause workers found it more diff
cult to get other jobs without a
statement of availability and were
more hesitant about quitting.
AS far as VINO assistance has
gone, only the restaurants and the
laundries have gotten am direct
assistance so far. The fuel diStri-
button owners, however, have dis
cussed recruiting with the United
States Employment Service and will
meet shortly with area VINO Off