Evening star., 1945-02-25
Senate Is Expected
To Toss Work Issue
On Conference Table
BY J. A. O'LEARY.

monStroSlty, Senator Chandler
Democrat, of Kentucky, said las
night that it Ought to be SEN
back to committee" for study.
The Kentuckian explained tha
some committee members who votec
to report out the bill reserved tn,
right to oppose parts of it on tn,
floor. The measure will be brought
up for debate in the Senate to.
morrow.
Declaring that "the committee
ought to make up its mind before
the Senate passes the BILL" Senator
Chandler told reporters that he
plans to find out how much support
a motion to recommit would receive
However, other reliable sources
doubted that the chamber woulc
send the measure back to CON-
mittee
Seems Up to Conferees.
Indications were that the Senate
will pass the measure before the enc
OF this week, however, and let con-
ferees make the final decision as be-
tween the House work or Jail bill
and the Senate substitute, which
merely strengthens existing War
Manpower Commission controls.
The House bill empowered draft
boards to order men Is to As to
stay in or go to essential jobs sub
ject to penalty up to $4,000 or
five years in prison.
The Senate bill seeks to channel
men and women regardless of age
into jobs where they are needed by
placing labor ceilings on industry.
but with penalties only on employ
ers who hire anyone in violation of
War ManpoWer Commission rules
and on certain farm WORKERS. The
employer penalty is $4,000 or cne
year in Jail, but the farm -deferment
amendment provides that if an
agricultural worker is found un-
acceptable to the Army and then
leaves farming. he would be liable
to a $4,000 fine or five years i'm
prisonment.
Some oppose Penalties.
AS the Senate prepared to start
the manpoWer debate, some Sena-
tors were making plans to move to
strike out both the employer and
the farm labor court penalties.
If the $4,000 fine or one year
imprisonment penalty is eliminated,
the bill still would contain economic
penalties on the employer, under
which any wages he paid to a work
er in violation of employment CELL
ings would Sdisallowed for income
tax purposes and also deducted from
Government contract payments.
For several days some Senators
have been in doubt whether work
ers outside of agriculture were ex-
empt from the $4,000 fine or FIVE
year imprisonment penalty. The
formal report of the Senate Mill
tary Affairs Committee, made pub
lie last night by Chairman Thomas,
Democrat, of Utah, sought to end
this uncertainty by stating fatty
that these penalties will apply only
in cases of violations by employers
Of regulations authorized by Sec
ton 4(b) of the bill" That is the
section. authorizing the Manpower
Commission to fix the number of
workers any concern may employ,
and to prohibit or regulate the hir-
ing, rehiring, solicitation OR re-
cruitment of workers. E
Ferguson Still Uncertain.
Senator Ferguson, Republican. of
was still unconvinced last
night that employees are free from
the application of the penalty clause
The uncertainty grows out of the
fact that the Military Committee
took a general penalty section from
the Second War Powers Act and ap-
piled 1t to the manpoWer bill.
Senator Ferguson said the scope
of the penalty depends on how far
the War Manpower Commission
links 1t can go in issuing orders.
He pointed out that the bill pro-
vides for issuing certificates of avail
ability to workers and added:
IF they can say you must have
certificate and that it is illegal to
take job without it, then the pen
atty would apply"
Senator Revercomb, Republican.
of West Virginia, who contended as
did Senator Chandler that small
could be put out of
business by this system of man
power control, revealed that still
another substitute for the House
work. Jail measure probably will
be offered before the bill passes. He
indicated this substitute would seek
to reach persons who are not work
ing at all, without 'penalizing the
great majority of willing workers"
Defends Substitute Bill.
Senator Revercomb predicted that
some of the workers forced out of
their present jobs by lowering the
labor ceilings on their employees
would not find employment because
they are not fitted for war plants" )"
In its formal report last night
the Senate committee defended its
substitute bill on the ground that
it will make use of VINO ma
chinery already in operation to re-
cruit men and women, regardless
of age.
Describing the House bill as mot
adequate to accomplish the purposes
desired" the committee de clared
that in time of war the obligation
to work, voluntarily or otherwise.
in essential war jobs does not rest
exclusively on men 18 to As"
The report comedies that if the
carrying out of the purposes of the
bill so requires, employment CELL
i,lgs of zero may be necessary for
designated age, sex or occupational
classes of workers, or for designated
or places of employment. "
If the Senate does not reach
nal vote on the manpower issue
y Wednesday, it will have to be laid
side Thursday to make way for
action on the nomination of former
Tice President Wallace to be Secre-
tary of Commerce. In that event,
debate on the manpower bill