Evening star., 1943-05-02
By MIRIAM GUTENBERG

A jurisdictional dispute over which
Federal agency should handle the
absenteeism problem, which stalled
the program more than two months,
has been resolved, and the War
Production Board and War Man.
power Commission are both working
on the problem, it was learned last
night.
WPB's 1000 Labor Management
War Production Drive Committees
will work on absenteeism within
war plants while VINO Labor Man
agement Committees are graphing
with the community problems that
cause absenteeism, officials said
Washington is not going to do
all the thinking on this" declared
c. M. Vandeburg, a deputy of the
director of the Office of War In
formation and chairman of the
inter-agency production information
committee which has been making
survey of absenteeism.
Guidebook Is First Step.
"The committee has found thai
absenteeism can be cured with some
help from Government and damned
little interference-on the assump-
ton there are still some people ir
this country who can do their owr
thinking"
First step toward carrying out the
two-agency program is guide book
defining absenteeism, describing
causes and suggesting remedies. The
pamphlet, issued by WPB's Wal
Production Drive headquarters, de.
clares that absenteeism cannot be
"whiteWashed," that it should be
analysed with thought, and not at.
tackled with emotion"
Commenting on the guidebook
which was issued yesterday, WIPE
Chairman Donald M. Nelson said
I'VE feel that it is important to gel
this guidebook on absenteeism into
the hands of the labor and manage.
ment people who can use it mos
intelligently and effectively to helr
solve a vital production problem"
VINO Directions Withdrawn.
A matching effort on the part o.
the War Manpower Commission
will probably be withdrawn. I
was set of directions to regiona
and area manpower officials telling
them how to use community re.
sources Inc combating absenteeism
Principal objections to it, DR.
Ey~o W CNo rtyc n17tnf Nf NTkHTsc n ~.
power utilization bureau, said. were
that it represents no ones ideas
and was too general.
After meeting with VINO regiona
directors who just finished a three.
day conference here, DR.. Spark.
said the regional directors had {
down-to-earth working knowledge
of the problem by areas and plant!
and well help them by specific
examples instead of talking in gen.
eral terms"
Next step on the information side
will be booklet from Owl out.
lining what the community can dt
to halt absenteeism. This is ex'
pected to be ready around May 10
Areas Will Be Examples.
Meanwhile, WPB and VINO com.
mittees will concentrate on about 6
dozen areas chosen for special as.
sistance" Mr.. Vandeburg said these
would then become examples fol
the rest of the country although
each plant and each area had 6
different problem. He emphasized
that steps to combat absenteeisn
within the plants had to come first
Government, he said, could assist
through sending out documentary
films, captured enemy equipment
and similar material to show the
workers why they must stay on Their
jobs but this material, he added
will be useless unless a plant al.
ready has an anti-absentee pro.
gram.
On the community side, he said
Government can assist through Fed
eral agencies on health, welfare ano
housing among others.
Represented on the committee
which he heads are the Army and
Navy, the War Manpower Commits
sion, the Maritime Commission, ths
War Production Board and Owl.
Causes Are Cited.
The WPB pamphlet suggested 9
subcommittee in each plant to gel
the facts, study causes and plar
remedies. Among the causes Of alb
senteeism cited in the guidebool
are illness and accident, fatigue ane
morotony of job, the hours ane
shifts worked by employees, trans.
poltation difficulties, housing, house.
keeping responsibilities, soldiers
home on furlough. poor production
practices, the attraction Of, Ions
week ends and day after pay day
absences, and instability Of nev
workers in industry.
The Labor Management Commit
tees were advised not to be lenient
but also not to "blast at everyon,
indiscriminately" Absences, tn,
pamphlet explained. are divided int,
three groups-the unavoidable. tn,
preventable and the inexcusable. Ii
the latter two groups. the guide
book contended, the committees
1 should get results.
Il Ia - .s.l,