The Hardin tribune-herald. [volume] (Hardin, Mont.) 1925-1973, 1943-07-22
War Man Power Problem
Is Still Far From Solution
National Service Act Held Back; McNutt-
Hershey Conflict Complexities Situation;
Competition Keen as Ever.
By BAUKHAGE
Ne1Us Analyst and Commentator.

WNU Service, 1s43 H Street, NV,
Washington, D. C.
Sorry, SIR" said the waiter on
the dining car, I'VE can only serve
you one cup Of coffee"
Sorry, sir" said a somewhat
weary voice of the hotel room serv-
ice, I'VE can't serve you ham with
your eggs. this is a meatless day."
And so simple, wandering Wash
ingtonian, who had stepped outside
Of the capital for a brief interlude,
found out there was war going on.
Back in the shadow Of the Capitol
dome, I began to wonder whether,
before long, when Uncle Sam passed
his plate for a second helping the
farmer would say: Sorry, sir,
this is helpless day on the farm,
we aren't furnishing food any
more"
When that happens, perhaps we'll
get that national service act.
Behind the delay in settling the
farm-labor problem and the other
problems which have arisen because
the government hasn't had the nerve
to tell anybody but the soldiers
where to 60, what to do and when to
do it, is lot of honest uncertainty.
some inter-departmental friction but
chiefly plain fear of stepping on the
public's toes.
Many believed that the public
aren't afraid Of their toes and are
only waiting to be told what to do
and the real solution may be the one
offered by Wendell Willkie when he
said in his report to the nation that
lit Is up to US to make our leaders
give us more to do
Distribution Problem
We have plenty Of people to "do,"
but we are not distributing them
properly, not giving the right people
the right jobs. We are still letting
people decide themselves what they
are going to do. not telling them
what is the thing they must do to
win the war. When I reported last
on the man-power problem I felt
sure that by this time a national
service act would be before con-
gress. Congress has drawn up sew
eral Of these acts but administra-
ton spokesman have told them mot
yet; meanwhile piecemeal meas
ures are offered.
The story behind the conflict be-
tween Paul McNutt's Man-Power
commission and General Hershey's
Selective Service system is an ex-
ample Of how sand gets into the
gear-box when the President doesn't
clamp down the lid and give orders.
Some of the New Dealers began
to worry about the danger that Nc
Mutt might grow too big politically
and it might be harder job to side.
track him at the 1914 Democratic
national convention than it was last
time. And goodness knows it was a
painful process then. So they con-
trived to hand him the hottest po-
tato. the job that would make more
enemies than any other. head of the
Man-Power commission. The pre-
sumption, according to these not al
together nonpartisan friends of Nc
Mutt, was that he would either fall
down on the job or do it so well no.
body would like him.
Meanwhile the theory was that he
was bound to come into conflict with
General Hershey. One or the other
had to select the men for service:
either McNutt would be given the
power to tell Hershey whom he
couldn't take for the army or Her.
shey would be given power to tell
his draft boards whom they could
take. So the battle was on.
No Separate Systems
Since then McNutt has come out
and stated that he did not believe it
was necessary to set up separate
system OF selection-one for mill
tary, which already exists in the
draft boards, and another to classify
civilian service. But, under White
House orders, he made it plain that
he had no bill to submit to congress.
His labor-management committee
submitted its report directly to the
President
While all this has been going on
the Selective Service system has
been pacing the floor outside the
commissions door. The
commission is supposed to advise
Selective Service but for many
it refused to say aye, yes
or no.
According to Selective Service Of
fcials the moment they had the op-
portunity they submitted a plan to
take care of the one sore thumb of
the man-power problem that threat