The Waterbury Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1917-1946, 1943-03-01
Manpower Contention
Hopelessly Muddled
McNutt Still Claims Problem Can Be Solved Without
Recourse to COmpulsiOn

4 LACCCoSAOy 4Ok Ab'
The farm deferment bill OH which
the military committee votes today
was sponsored by Sen. John A.
Bankhead, D., Ala, who Is the leader
Of the farm bloc forces who contend
that the United States faces a fam
Inc unless farm labor Is conserved.
The vote on the Bankhead bill
comes in the wake Of a warning by
one senatorial manpower investiga-
tor that limitation of the armed
services, either In numbers or by
defering special groups, would
''jeopardize the winning Of the war;"
Sen. Theodore r. Green, D., r. l., a
member Of the senate appropriations
subcommittee on manpower, report
ing his own conclusions, denounced
the proposal of former President
Herbert Hoover to reduce the size
Of the projected armed forces to
assure an adequate food supply and
pl otested the "defeatist attitude"
toward Americas ability to feed and
supply 100000 men under arms.
These other events are scheduled
for this week In the manpower con-
troversy:
The Senate military affairs COM
mittee begins hearings tomorrow on
the Austin WadSWorth labor draft
bill with McNutt, whose policies
have tbeen under severe fire In and
out of congress, probably the first
witness.
The Senate appropriations sub.
committee on manpower, some mem.
bers of which last week said the
figures OF government officials or
labor supply were conflicting ar1o
confusing, will question Secretary oil
Agriculture Claude r. Wickard on
farm labor problems.
The House votes today on bill
designed to curb absenteeism at
naval depots and establishments by
referring the employment records OF
civilian employees to draft boards
There will be attempts to amend
1t to include all war industries. The
House naval affairs committee
which reported the biyy will hear
Capt. Eddie v. Rickenbacker later
this week discuss absenteeism. For
several weeks he has been con-
demning 1t and advocating q long
err work week with. no overtime
pay.
Various week enud Developments
on the manpower controversy in
cluded
Stimson's endorsement Of national
service legislation as necessary be-
cause Of increasing evidence Of the
inadequacy Of present manpower
controls"
Defense Of the administration
voluntary manpower policy by Dep
uty VINO Chairman Fowler V. Har-
per who charged that the opposition
to 1t stems from those who would
be adversely affected.
Opposition by President William
Green Of the American Federation
Of Labor to "any unreasonable plan
to strip industry Of skilled workers
to build up an excessively large
army"
Proposal by President Edward A.
ONeal of the American Farm Blu
reau Federation to take off the
brakes imposed by the benevolent
government under the pressure OF
ill-advised social reforms. He ad-
vocated 54-hour work week at
standard rates of pay.
Senator Green's report on man.
power was based on several weeks
Of investigation by the appropria-
tions subcommittee. 1t cited at
length statistics which have been
leaking out of the committee for
the past week. His major con-
tentions were that the Army's pro-
gram is not beyond the nations
capacity, that it was worked out
carefully after a year of study by
top military and naval officials, and
that 1t is necessary to put the
United Nations within striking dis
lance of the manpower reserves
available to the Axis.