Evening star., 1944-07-14
Observer Hollis VINO
Job-CIeurunce Plan

JoD-NIe0ronce fI0n
Voluntary System Already Shows
Amazing Results, He Says
By David Laurence
Some of the most undramAtic and
unspectacular activities Of the Govern.
ment are often among the most efYec.
tive and far-reachins.
An example Of this Is the remarkable
work being done by the War Manpower
Commission and it, several branches
throughout the country In trying to
cause workers to flow into essential In.
dustries.
The fact that war production has
Jagged and that manpower d needed
In certain essential industries In order
to supply the munitions required 1t the
battle fronts is accepted here without
debate. There y no overall mAnpoWer
shortase but, - can b understood In
. far.dmS territory like the United
States. the workers may not b living
In exactly the places where they are
wanted.
Rather than undertake enforced mi.
sration or any Of the other courses or
measures that are adopted by totatita1.
ian states In time Of VA, America u
trying . voluntary system, which went
Into eject July /. AL employment
changes must clear through 4 govern.
mental agency.
1t is too early to determine whether
the system will achieve the required
objective, but already some amazing
accomplishments may be recorded. Pre-.
liminary reports show that the public
has co-operated with the plan In q
wholehearted way.
$500 Workers Needed.
What Is needed, Of course, Is between
5000 and 100000 men to staff Ger.
tain important projects and key &C.
tivities. among them rubber and tire
production, ship repair, logging and
numbering, foundry and forge work.
production Of radio and radar, certain
textile plants, particularly those max.
ing tire cord, and also coai mining ana
steel production.
The hope Is that enough men and
women can be furnished to the KEY
activities to increase production. Every
ONCE Of the United States Employment
Service Is equipped with . priority list
Of plants and tries its best to refer the
applicant to the Job opening on the
highest priority list.
The plan has q tendency to reduce
turnover among workers already EN-.
ployed In essential industries because the
red tape involved in changing Jobs IL
such ~ to discourage those who merely
want to change for changes sake. Per.
sons who want to switch Jobs must ex-
plain their reasons for wanting to
change and run the risk Of being told
to return to their former employers.
There are naturally many kinks in
the plan and figures are not as vet
available as to the amount of turnover
from nonessential to essential industries.
omcials here, however, are encouraged
BY the results thus far. Employers are
beginning to find that the program
benefits them greatly because there Is
= trend toward stability.
Dtmculties have arisen not only in
jobs affecting the war effort, but also In
jobs that are indirectly related to the
war effort. Thus in the city Of Wash.
ington. which has an abnormal number
OF inhabitants. and where the feeding
OF war workers has been attended with
much dimculty, there is an easing Of the
sttuation and . So per cent increase in
the applicants for restaurant Jobs.
Ran Gantlet sf Criticism.
When the first announcement was
made Of the plan it ran the gantlet Of
much criticism, particularly that It
might mean resimentation Of all
manpower. But since all the voluntary
features of the earlier scheme known
as the controlled referral program" !"
which worked 50 successfully in tight
labor areas, were retained, q better
understanding of the whole plan Is
apparently being developed.
Reports indicate that the offices Of
the United States Employment Service
throughout the country are filling up
with people who are anxious to 20
~AoAAe "AeA VIC P2OSi OuSG 70
stitute, however. a system that speeds
up recruiting of workers will do no
good unless at the same time total
turnover is reduced.
Gains are being shown all along the
line and 1t begins to look as If more
than $4,000 people urgently needed now
for the critical industries may be re-
cruited on time. The all-out voluntary
system Of controls must be a success or
else the alternative will be an Official
request for national service legislation,
something which labor organizations as
well as many employers hope to avoid.
The present plan, which is to try to
accomplish by volition rather than CO.
ercion the recruiting of needed work.
ers, is a mammoth task of administra-
tion. Paul McNutts organization has
tackled one Of the biggest single per-
sonnel jobs Of the war and one that
will be watched with eager interest by
our military men who are continually
urging more production.
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rronB thu Nsv Vork a.,n