Browning chief. [volume] (Browning, Mont.) 1941-1953, 1943-10-15
ManpoWer-Draft Situation
Is Nation S No. | Problem
Political Shadows Darker Vital Issues Con-
fronting Every Family; National Service
Act Subject of Debate.

BY BAUKHAGE
Ne,os analyst and Commentator.

Situation Is Serious
And yet the manpower situation is
serious. 1t is so serious that it has
long worried War Mobilization Di-
rector Byrnes. Indeed, that is why
he called on his friend, Bernard
Baruch, the unofficial elder states
man of the administration, to advise
him. Baruch advised him all right,
not wisely perhaps, from a political
standpoint, and too well for the SEN
sitive olfactory nerve of Republican
Senator Vandenberg (who used to
be a newspaper man himself). The
willy Michigander scented rodent.
Had he not, you might never have
heard Baruch's words of wisdom.
Among other things, Mr.. Baruch
commented on boarding labor. had
heard of that subject in indignant
letters from the wives of workers
who wrote that their husbands were
paid to loaf. And Senator Wheeler
made similar charges and recalled
that Senator Truman and his
doughty investigators had found a
lot of boarding of labor with (as
Wheeler put it) "employees falling
over each other" and being paid
for on the cost-plus basis.
Testimony before congress had in
sisted that there were no cost-plus
contracts under which labor hoard
ing would be profitable.
That was when Vandenberg arose
and waved the Baruch report which
he had demanded and finally re-
ceived from Mr.. Byrnes.
Mr.. Vandenberg read Mr.. Ba-
ruch's words on the subject of cost
plus:
1.-THE government pays all the
costs, whatever they are. Since the
government is footing the bill, there
is no incentive for the manufacture
ers to economic in the use of ma
terial, facilities or labor. More
workers are hired than needed.
Workers stand idle-it costs the
manufacturer nothing. Much labor
is wasted"
Political Breezes
This is only one item in the long
and fortnight document which has
had considerable publicity. Perhaps
it might have been neglected if it
had not been blown into the public's
face by the political breezes stirred
up by Mr.. Vandenberg. Perhaps Mr..
Vandenberg might not have gen.
Grated those breezes if Mr.. Baruch
had not been pretty critical of gov
eminent agencies that competed for
power; perhaps Mr.. Baruch would
not have been so frank if he had
not thought that, as ne requested,
the report was not for publication.
Mr.. Byrnes, when he sent the doc
ument to Dear Van" at the latter's
insistence, said that it was not in
tended for other than private use
but that it was "a splendid argu-
ment in favor of action taken by the
War Mobilization committee" Tin re-
gard to the labor situation on the
West coasD and he requested that it
be placed in the Congressional Rec
ord, which it was.
And SO there it was for all to see
with Mr.. Baruch, presumably still
the best of democratic pals but also
the severest of critics, lambasting
jealous government agencies and
calling manufacturers "manufactur-
ers" and not productive establish
ments" and apologizing for nobody,
business men or bureaucrats.
Thus the political breezes blow,
sometimes in one direction, some
times in another, though, of course,
in election years the "outs" usually
blow the loudest. They are the
prosecuting attorney, and the ''ins"
are the defense.
However, there is this satisfaction,
blow where it will, it is an ill wind
that blows nobody good.