The Waterbury Democrat., 1944-01-28

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 tionuary and controversial meas ure of the entire war, involving as it does the implication that free citizens in a democracy can be forced into work not of their own choosing and for the profit of an- other
 Judge Patterson bases the need for national service on three prin- cipal points:
 l. It would keep labor on the job, stabilizing it, bringing to an end or reducing the terrifically high labor turnover and re-employ- ment rate which is now a constant threat to war production. 2. It would permit every com- munity to mobilize effectively the labor in it's own area, without mak- ing necessary huge, forced migra- tions of labor from one area to an- other.
 3. It would bring an end to work stoppages from any cause what ever - strikes, labor shortages, or the mere desire to get job some place else.
 HOW LAW WOULD WORK
 To the undersecretary of war, there is nothing to be afraid of in a national service law, and he H. Illustrates each of his three main points with specific examples of how he thinks the law would work. When Judge Patterson was in Australia last year, he saw the Australian national service law in action in Sidney, and the simplicity of its operation made an impression on him. There were ships at the wharves that needed loading, but there were not sufficient stevedores. Administrators of the service law called in 400 taxi drivers, who were considered doing less essential work. Out of the lot, 150 were sel- ected and assigned to work on the wharves. and that was all there was to it.
 This law, Judge Patterson points out, was being administered by a labor government. When he asked if there were no resentment against it, he got simple and direct ans wer: They'd rather work on the docks than go fight in the jungles of New Guinea, wouldn't they?" The whole philosophy of the oper- 1 ation of national service laws is summed up in that terse statement, in Judge Patterson's mind. All the objections to it, he sees as petty quibbling over 5-cent-an-h hour wage differentials which to the troops in the field, called on to face death it. self, seem utterly trivial.
 HIGH LABOR TURNOVER
 IN U. s.
 As for the operation of national service law in the United States, it is the undersecretary's opinion that the needs for this legislation, at this time, are totally understi- mated and misunderstood.
 The turnover or quit rate of American labor in war plants is, he says, least understood of all. Nor nal turnover rate in this country is about 2 or per cent a month. It has been as high as 8 per cent a month, says Judge Paterson, and in aircraft plants it has been as high as 10 per cent month. That means a labor force turnover of 120 per cent year - complete new force every 10 months,
 Labor turnover is now greater menace to war production than ab- senteeism ever was. Workers are trained for specific job, which in itself takes time. In two or three months they quit-for any reason whatever-because they're tired of working, because they want jobs in more permanent industries than war production, because they can get nickel an hour more some place else.
 All this results in lost production, which, Judge Patterson believes, could be prevented by national service legislation which could be utilized to keep people on their jobs when necessary.