Evening star., 1944-04-25
Senator Brewster Asks
Quick Enactment Of
Work-or-Fight Law
BY the Associated Press.

Advocating a new work-or- be
drafted law that would cover
4-Fs and men up to IS who re-
fuse to take essential jobs, Sena-
tor Brewster, Republican, of
Maine, declared today that Con-
gress must move promptly to
halt an alarming" labor turn
over in industry.
Senator Brewster joined with
Senator Bailey, Democrat, of North
Carolina in sponsoring a bill which
would:
/. Freeze" men between 10 and
As in essential work by requiring
them to get local Draft Board ap-
proval before taking other jobs. If
they shifted without Draft Board
approval, they would be subject to
immediate induction.
2. Empower Selective service to
|conscript AIS or any other regis
trants up to As for war essential
jobs whenever a Government Man
power Committee found that labor
needs could be filled in no other
way.
Wheeler Plans Measure.
Meanwhile, Senator Wheeler,
Democrat. of Montana announced
he plans to introduce legislation
soon to prohibit the drafting of
fathers above 80, possibly above
I26."
II know I'll seek to prevent induc-
tion. of fathers over 30 years old"
Senator Wheeler told reporters,
land may make it include those
above 26."
Senator Wheeler, who staged q
long Senate fight last year to pre-
vent the induction of any pre-
Pearl Harbor fathers, said his new
bill would make no distinction be-
tween prewar and other fathers.
"The manpower situation Is so
confused that something should be
done SO that fathers will know how
they stand" he added.
Aimed at Labor H0arding.
Senator Brewster said in a state
ment that his plan would halt labor
boarding and go a long way" to-
ward forcing workers out of nom
Essential jobs and into war-support-
ing industries.
The labor freeze" feature would
apply to industry the principle prev
iously adopted by Congress to keep
necessary workers on the farms, he
|added.
Under the present law farm work
ers become subject to induction if
they take other employment, and
Senator Brewster said this provision
had been effective in keeping 1,700,-
600 workers on the farm.
Apparently referring to previous
organized labor opposition to con-
scription of workers, Senator Brew
ster said, Labor should not object
to plan that will enable unions
to retain many of their members
who otherwise would be shifting
around"
Labor should not object to an
attempt to get men not now in war
work to get into war work." he
added.
Information concerning the men
18 to As presented to Senate and
House Committees on Military AT
fairs reveals an alarming rate of
turnover in essential war industries,
particularly among those who have
been physically rejected or who are
in the 38-to-45 (over-age) bracket.
ut would appear that if such
turnover from causes other than
selective service Withdrawals could
be substantially curtailed, the man.
power requirements would be con-
siderably reduced, and we would 20
a long way in solving the manpower
problems"
In the meantime, Maj. Gen. Lewis
B. Hershey, selective service direc-
tor, said Americas $500, 900 men re-
jected by the armed forces are a
problem serious enough to warrant
the most earnest consideration"
Sees Upbringing at Fault.
i The numbers rejected raise 9
question as to whether or not we
have left physical, mental and emo.
tional development to chance for 6
rather large part of our YOUTH" ht
told the American Association fol
Health, Physical Education anc
LOST RATION COUPONS.
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