The Waterbury Democrat., 1944-08-21

C. I. O. and railway brotherhoods backed the much more liberal Mur- ray-Kilgore bill. Going now to the more reactionary House. the George bill, if revised at all, stands a good chance Of being made even more conservative in committee and the only chance for getting a bill more to labors hiking will be through White House intervention.
 From the war workers point Of view. what the George bill says in effect to labor. which has been aver aging $45 a week. is: When your war jobs fold. you will have to look to state unemployment insur- ance payments for relief and there you will get from a minimum of $7 week in some states to a mini- mum Of $l6 in others" The na- tional average is about SIP
 HERE ARE SOME
 UNPUBLICTZED ANGLES
 But as mentioned above, this is only one phase of controversy in the reconversion act. War agencies will be studying this legislation for days to find what 1t means for their future. Here are some of the high lights not given much detailed at. tention:
 The bill would kill ofT the OfIice of War Mobilization created by presi- dential executive order in May, i943. now headed by James P. Byrnes. In its place is substituted an Ofilce of War Mobilization and Reconversion -OWMR for OWN. OWMR is given a lot Of assignments to make studies, issue directiyes. recommend legisla- tion. report quarterly to Congress. abolish war agencies no longer needed Just how all this would work out isn't any too clear. Another cute trick in the bill is creation of a three-member Board of Appeals which would probably be swamped as soon as it got going. The act provides that whenever a manufacturer cannot get an allo- cation Of materials for non-war pro- duction because of tine orders of any government agency he may pre- sent his grievances to the Board of Appeals. which may then report to the director Of OWMR and cause him to issue an ailocation order to the director of OWMA relieve hard ship cases.
 Tn the section of the act creating Retaining and Unemployment Ad- ministration. there is provision for paying travel expenses mp to s200 per family 10 move civilian war workers from their present jobs to their original homes.
 gOBLE9S PAYMENTS FOR
 GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEES The three million or more civil ian federal employees would be given unemployment insurance and all other benefits going to employees Of private industry.
 The National Housing Adminis- iFatiOn is directed 10 prepare plans tO aid private housing, but no men ton is made of public housing.
 The Federal Works AdminIslFa- ti0n is authorized 10 aid state and local governments in planning post war public works, but there Is no mention of federal public works, the 1 effAffh eFFAfAVft9 00Nfs N6 hNNN hfi1 federal government out of post war PWA and WPA as well as public housing and direct federal unemployment insurance, In other words this is strictly 8 states rights bill Generalization Of government having been carried too far, the pen dulum swings
 The final section Of the act would direct the secretary Of labor t0 make six months investigation Of guar anteed annual wage payment plans, first br0aehed seriously ky the United EteelyOrkeTs' Union as part of their plan t0 break the Little Steel formula,
 This puts aH unwanted baby on the doorstep of the next adminlstTa- ton, More than that, it shOYes a foot in the daor t0 make the next administration take this precious bundle and do 6nmelhlng ahnlIL II