Evening star., 1943-01-26
Mckutt and Senators
Confer 7 Hours on
Manpower Problem
Inquiries Stress Raising,
Equipping and Feeding
Large Armed Force
By JESSE o. IRWIN.

The Nations ability to raise
large military and naval force
and to keep it supplied with
equipment and food continued
today to be one of the main
problems being considered by
congressional committees.
Manpower Chairman McNutt was
closeted for more than two hours
with Chairman Truman and other
members of the Senate War Inves-
tigating Committee 1t is known
that the committee was seeking to
learn from Mr.. McNutt the con-
dition of the civilian labor market
The manpower chief has said the
labor force was becoming exceed
ingly tight He has refused to ex-
press publicly an opinion on the
size of the armed forces. He has
met with the chiefs of staff. later
explaining that he had outlined to
them the condition of the national
labor pool.
Appearance Surprise.
Mr.. McNutt's appearance before
the Truman committee was a sur
price, inasmuch as Senator Truman
had indicated yesterday that his
group would shelve its investiga-
ton into manpower problems be-
cause of the activities of the Sem
ate Appropriations and Military
Affairs Committees.
Later Senator Truman explained
that the manpower chief had been
summoned to outline among other
things his and Secretary of Agri-
culture Wickard's plan to raise a
so-called land army of 3,500,000
rural and urban volunteers to plant
and harvest this years crops.
The Missourian added that after
hearing Mr.. McNutt the committee
passed a resolution TO cease it's
manpoWer investigation.
Jacobs Questioned.
Mr. McNutt will appear tomorrow
before the Senate Military Affairs
Committee for questioning on the
Manpower Commissions operating
plans.
Early this afternoon the Military
Affairs Committee was still in execu-
tive session questioning Rear Ad-
miral Randall Jacobs, chief of naval
personnel, and other Navy officers
as to the future size of the naval
forces
Senator McKellar, Democrat, of
Tennessee said this afternoon he
would name later in the day mem
bers of the appropriations subcom-
mittee to investigate all phases of
the manpoWer problem. The Senate
Yesterday vested the Appropriation
Committee with that power.
A substantial increase in the basic
40-hour week to permit the shifting
of 5000 900 workers from industry
to the farms was urged by Senator
Gurney, Republican. of South Da-
kota. member of the Military At
frairs Committee
At the same time, Senator Pep
per, Democrat, of Florida announced
that subcommittee of the Senate
Education and Labor Committee
soon would begin hearings into the
manpoWer situation.
Senator Gurney's proposal fol-
lowed statement by Mr.. Nc
Mutt yesterday that, because of
the growing urgency of the man
power problem, a 48-hour week is
necessary to get maximum pro-
duction with what we have" Mr.
McNutt emphasized that his advo-
cacy of 48-hour week did not bear
any relation to the question of
whether work beyond the present
40-hour week should involve over
time pay. He said he had no au-
thority over wage matters.
LANCER Tells of Shortage.
On the Senate floor, Senator
Langer, Republican. of North Da-
kota said reports from his State in
dicated that thousands of acres of
land would not be put into cultiva-
ton this year because of a labor
shortage. Senator Langer's remarks
led Senator Pepper to assert that
what we need is a clear-cut man
power policy"
Il prefer to see it administrative
conceived and promulgated the
Floridian said, because in that way
it would have greater flexibility and
could be better adapted to the
changing circumstances found in
various sections of the country.
However. think we owe it to the
Government to give notice that if
the administrative agencies do not
prepare and put into effect a sensible
(See MANPOWER, page A-3J