Evening star., 1944-08-04
Strict Labor Ceilings
Ordered BY Byrnes
10 Boost Output
fContinued FROM First paee. !

1t plain that the force the admin
istration Is empowered to use under
existing law win not be overlooked
+ have authori1ed all Govern
ment agencies to use every avail
able power Of Government Tor the
purpose Of enforcing labor ceilings
he said. "These powers include not
Ionly the control of the now o1
material for uae In manufacturing
but the control Of the use OF fuel
power, transportation, and every
other lawful means Of insuring that
the ceilings are respected and the
war supplies for the men at the
front are promptly met"
In m earlier move to meet one
pressing demand. the War Produc-
ton Board announced last night
that soldiers viii be f,irloughed back
TO tire plants In an effort to step up
the output Of heavy bus and truck
tires by 30 per cent in August and
September.
The war mobilization director
estimated that plants producing
heavy truck and bus tires needed
5000 men and about l 1000 women Ia
boost production TO required levels.
Expansion Of Program.
The new controls announced today
constitute an expansion Of the pro-
gram launched on the West Coast
last fall and subsequently extended
to all critical labor areas through
out the United States. Four labor
areas were established-Nos. l and 2
where there were labor shortages
and Nos. 8 and 4. where surpluses
existed. Production Urgency Com
mittees and Manpower Priorities
Committees were established In
groups and 2, but it was said
today that employment ceilings had
not been established throughout
them.
The Byrnes directive today has
these two major provisions:
Based upon the requirements for
essential production and services
determined by the area production
urgency committees, the manpower
priorities committee In all groups
l and 2 labor areas shall promptly
establish employment ceilings In
war industries to enforce better
utilization Of existing labor, it shall
establish ceilings In less essential
industries which will make labor
available for essential war produc-
ton; 1t shall set manpower pri-
critics, and 1t shall take such other
measures rs may be necessary to
insure proper and full utilizatio OF
existing manpower.
Area, production urgency com.
mittees and manpower prioritie.
committees shall be Immediately es.
tabhshed in groups and labor areas
The area production urgency com.
mittees which will be established
in essential areas are charged witt
the responsibility Of authorizing in.
creased civilian production. No in.
creased civilian production will b<
authorized in the area without thu
approval of this committee. 1t vii
not authorize such production unit
the representative of the VINO
within the area has certified in writ
ing to the committee that labor /
available fer such production with
out interference with local inter
regional labor recruiting efforts"
Has Final Say.
The chairman Of the Manpowel
Priorities Committee also has tn,
last say on conflicts over the utili
zation OF manpower In the othe
areas.
In explanation Of today's ORDER
Mr.. Byrnes said that In the pas
the main concern has been over th'
boarding of excessive labor force'
in war plants and the failure o
some plants to use available man
power.
Ceilings have been placed on wal
plant employment, he continued
and now it is intended ito proceed
vigorously wherever it is necessary
to place ceilings on plants that ar.
not in war production" In othel
words the order hits at the migra.
ton from war industry of thoss
workers who now see peace in thu
ofing and are attempting to get re.
located before the break comes.
In press conference at which thu
new program was outlined, the di.
rector pointed out that in ~-some
places individual shortages were not
bad. but that the cumulative ef1ect
Of the DEFICIENCIES as a whole must
be considered He made public .
list OF more than a score of COM
panies producing truck and bus tire,
which have shortages of men (anc
women) ranging from Is to 8S5.
We are going to handle the prob.
lem in the area where the plants are
located" Mr.. Byrnes said. "We have
placed responsibility on the area
omcials to take all necessary steps
to free from civilian and less essen
tial industries men possessing the
skills required to produce war goods
The placing of these ceilings on en-
ployment may work hardships on
particular concerns and particular
individuals.
I'VE will depend upon local ad-
ministration for the best possible
handling Of the problem, but we are
going to insist that these local COM
mittees in charge of the problem
meet the needs In their own areas
Wherever they have excess man.
power they must accept q quota fol
recruitment in order to meet the
needs of other critical areas where
requisite manpower cannot be
secured.
.The responsibility for manning
our war plants is clear and unmis.
taxable, and it rests with the com
munity. The communities mus
meet the responsibility If We are tt
be able to finish the war without
enacting q universal service law"
Mr.. Byrnes said he thought the
passage of reconversion legislation
would help the manpower situation
Handicapped. by labor shortages
and in some cases by the manpowel
bottleneck in forgings and castings
industry has not been able to shift
production emphasis as rapidly a
the military-impelled by actua
r0n1hat evrnrierrA-haS nvnandnf