Evening star., 1945-08-18
President Pushing
liquidation Of
Civilian War Agencies
BY JAMES Y. NEWTON.

civilian war agencies, just as he
ordered for the War Labor Board
and a return to normal Govern
ment as soon as possible.
The President is said to feel that
the longer the war agencies remain
in existence the more danger there
will be of his administration en-
countering trouble. Permanent
Federal departments will take over
unfinished war business under the
plan.
Secretary of Labor Schwellenbach
was said to favor termination of
WLB as soon as the Japs surren-
dered, but Board Chairman George
w. Taylor and Economic Stabiliza-
tion Director William H. Davis won
a brief stay for the agency. The
Secretary felt there was no place
for WLB orders to industry and
labor in peacetime economy.
Approximately 1,l00 field employees
of the Office of Defense Transpor-
tation will be laid off within the
next 80 days as the agency closes
48 district and field offices and
trims personnel in remaining units,
the ODT disclosed today.
ODTs district Office here was
among those ordered to shut down.
Eight employees will be affected, &C
cording to an ODT official.
About TOO employees will be re-
leased in Offices being closed, while
another 400 will lose their jobs as
a result of curtailment of activities
of those Offices remaining In busi-
ness.
Many Agencies Affected.
The quick-end process will apply
also to the Office of War Informa-
ton, War Production Board, Pc
troleum Administration for War and
similar war-born agencies. Legisla-
tion will be introduced when Con-
gress reconvenes to fold the Smaller
War Plants Corp. into the Com
merce Department on a basis that
will be a permanent aid to small
enterprise. Commerce also is ex-
pected to inherit some of WPBs un-
finished business, with some of that
agency's labor functions going to Mr..
Schwellenbach.
WPB's Office of War Utilities said
yesterday it would wind up it's op-
erations by September 30. This
agency was set up in February,
l943, to have jurisdiction over power,
water, gas and wire communications
services.
PAW after a day of resembling
various controls, reported yesterday
it was starting to liquidate its af-
fairs with a view of going out of
business at the earliest possible
date.
Labor will take over WLB's twin
functions of handling major dis
putes and stabilizing wages just as
soon as Mr.. Schwellenbach can set
up machinery in his expanding de-
partment to handle it.
Now Up to Industry.
Meanwhile, Chairman Taylor told
reporters late yesterday that WLB
was liquidating and he indicated
that it would be up to industry to
apply its own brakes to wage in
creases. He warned management
to hold the line on wage cuts.
Mr.. Taylor implied that WLB
would not attempt to use compul-
sion to enforce its findings in its
remaining days of life. He said that
labor and management would be
asked to comply voluntarily with
board decisions. He indicated that
WLB's wartime enforcement weap-
ons-plant seizure and application
of economic sanctions-were out the
window.
The board will disband as soon as
current dispute cases are disposed
of. No new dispute cases that are
likely to be prolonged in settlement
will be taken over, Mr.. Taylor said.
Mr.. Taylor explained that Mr..
Truman's new wage policy permits
employers to give pay increases at
will, but such raises cannot be used
as a basis for higher prices. The
employer does not have to consult
WLB.
THE man who wants to give his
secretary raise is now free tosdo
So" he explained.
Mr.. Taylor revealed that the board
has ruled on 454,O00 voluntary ap-
plications for wage increases, most
of them involving groups of en-
ployes, since it was established.
There are now 10000 voluntary ap-
plications on the boards dockets
and these increases will go through
automatically.
WLB has handled more than 49,
900 dispute cases in its lifetime and
only "A resulted in Federal seizure
of property. WLB has left 2,937 dis
putes and 600 appeals from decisions
of it's regional boards.
eve are unanimously Of the opin-
ion that a board of this kind has
no place in peacetime," Mr.. Taylor.
declared II believe labor and man.
agement will accept the remaining
decisions we have to make in SO per
cent of the eases