The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1944-05-05
News "a
Behind,
THEtfE||E!R!!Hiz|1E!1
released BY western Newspaper Union.
MILITARY AND LABOR
DRAFT SITUATION
By PAUL MALLoN n

Released by Western Newspaper Union.
MILITARY AND LABOR
DRAFT SITUATION
WASHINGTON. - What Is behind
this fantastic draft foolishness is be-
ing explained by all the interested
government bureaus In their own
conflicting ways.
You can get nearly any story you
want, that is, any except the right
one.
Bureaucratic muddling Is the
commonest explanation in congress,
but even this falls short Of account
| ing fully for the depths Of public
confusion in which men are called,
quit their jobs, are sent back, called
again under orders from Washing
ton. You would have to devote your
self seriously to muddling for long
while to get that bad.
Then there is a loud official whis-
per dealing with the grand assault
on Europe and reserves in the Pacif-
ic and Atlantic area. Frankly, 1t
does not explain anything and,
therefore, is not worth repeating
even if it could pass the censor, and
it would not.
Those most intimate with the in
ner situation absolve Draft Director
Hershey Of major responsibility for
the orders he has been issuing and
attribute the mess to struggle be-
tween Manpowerer Paul McNutt
and the armed services. Mr..
McNutt, apparently now, is the man
who is making the manpower de-
cisions, or thinks he is. Mr.. Roose-
welt had the problem in his own lap
| for some months, but is supposed
now to have passed control back to
McNutt.
McNUTT IS OPPOSED
Now McNutt is personally opposed
to the proposed industrial draft act
/ (the national service billy, although
Mr.. Roosevelt presumably still
wants it and the army and navy are
now building up toward another
campaign to justify its passage by
congress.
McNutt takes the position that
such a draft Of labor opposed by
labor, management and most of the
politicians, as well - is not needed,
or at least no need has been shown
for it. The draft policies of the army
and navy frequently appear to be
adopted, with thought of not dis
couraging a need for it.
The plain evidence indicates
clearly McNutt is right. The Cleve-
land economist, Col. Leonard Ayres,
| who set UP the war department
economic bureau at the outset of the
war, says in his current Cleveland
Trust company bulletin:
"This latest manpower crisis Is
largely verbal, and almost surely
less serious than it is claimed to
be-"
He says the peak Of our war pro-
duction probably was passed last
October, and industrial manpower
requirements have declined since
then. He is such an impartial recog-
nized authority that his evidence
seems almost to close the argu-
ment.
Nevertheless, you still have
McNutt and the armed services is
suing conflicting or contrary direc-
tives to the bewildered General Her.
shey. The only way the confusion
will ever be cleared for certain is
to put one man fully in control, al
though it might help if the armed
services lost interest in the labor
draft act.
INNER UNSETTLEMENT
At the moment, there seems no
likelihood that either Of these hopes
can be accomplished. AS revealing
sidelight on the inner unsettlement,
congress recently started stamped
ing toward the idea of drafting the
4-Fs into labor battalions or putting
them to work in industry.
The army seemed to side in with
the notion as a substitute for it's
labor draft act, but the house mill
tary affairs committee hearings
have discouraged action.
It became clear the 4-Fs would
rather 20 into the army than into
labor battalions and also the COM
plexities offered by their various
physical defects cast some doubt
upon the effectiveness of such a
move. The theory of drafting physi-
cal detectives for labor furthermore
gathered some repugnance. The
army thus is falling back on the
labor draft act.
Above all, there seems to be
total lack of excitement about the
whole manpower matter on every
hand, except that of the army and
navy.
Thus, it seems likely that the
existing situation will continue to
drift on its present level, Inducing
men under 26 for battle quotas, and
men older if the changing quotas
cannot be filed otherwise = but with
no labor draft of any kind.
| o o @
! vxwyx 90 nENE AN ALTON