Evening star., 1945-01-25
Shifted Men Dared
by Sudden Change 10
War Work or No Work
BY the Associated Press.

BY the Associated Press.
ALLENTOWN, Pa, Jan. 25.-Most
of Ito men selected by the area War
Manpower Commission for trans
fer from noneSsential to war jobs
were at work in top priority plants
today, dazed by the sudden change
of work and, In many cases, sizable
wage cuts.
The men, culled from breweries,
soft drink plants and one cement
mill, were the vanguard of 439 to
be called in the first installment
of this areas drastic war work
or no work" program. The rest Of
the 439 are to come from other
cement mills.
sThe reaction of william Lauser,
Al, first OF the men to be trans
ferred, seemed to typify the general
feeling.
Money Problems Foreseen.
Mr.. Lauser was washing bottles
In brewery for $1.02 an hour
when this week opened. Today he
is working as steel plant laborer
for IS cents an hour. Married,
he isn't happy about the wage cut.
He foresees financial problems.
But, he says, u guess it's no more
than right. I didn't like the idea
at first, but now I believe it's really
necessary" He says bonus sys-
tenn may bring his pay up to his
former scale in time.
m, Ti,.o Nh 70 u,rirn awao uTNEC III
rector, explained the development
of the Allentown plan" this way:
The manpoWer agency was faced
by a shortage of 1852 men in eight
priority plants.
Seeking recruits for those jobs,
the VINO surveyed $40 nonessential
industries, found they employed
1888 men.
VINO Selects Workers.
Breweries, soft drink firms and
cement plants, 1t was decided, would
be the first sources of new man.
power Seven breweries, employing
464 men, were asked to release So;
IL soft drink firms with 254 men
were asked for "a and IA cement
plants with 1896 men were asked to
free 342.
VINO agents selected the men to
60, and they were invited to United
States Employment Service Offices,
where they were given the choice of
taking war jobs or sitting out the
war" without VINO job referral
papers.
In Philadelphia Carl B. Harr.
area manpower director, said that
industrial firms are being surveyed
to determine how many workers can
be released for war jobs.
An immediate need for 10, ,432 min
ers in the Scranton area was report
ed at Harrisburg. The VINO Office
there said the States overall man.
power shortage in 145 "supercriti-
cal" plants numbers 1858 persons.
Philadelphia was said to be the
center of the shortage, with 36 firms
short 10.447 workers.
Only One Man Refuses.
The Allentown experiment has re-
suited in only one refusal to transfer
SO far. Mr.. Mcguire said. A So
year-old brewery worker refused, on
conscientious grounds, to work in
any plant making materials of war.
However, he agreed to think it
over" when a VINO agent pointed
out that beer he makes is shipped
out to servicemen.
Comments from shifted workers
were varied:
Roderick Bennicof, 17-"This Is
certainly not my idea of democ-
racy-forcing people to work where
they don't want to work"
Garfield Remmel, 25-"The only
regret have is that I'll have to pay
for my beer now, instead of drink
ing it free at the brewery"
George Solomon, T37-"The only
redeeming feature Is that they
promise to upgrade me quickly and
I'll be learning a trade. It's tough
financially and I'll have to stop buy
ing War Bonds and cut expenses. :"
John Pandl, 54-"I've done nv
share. have three sons in the
Army. All are overseas and one
was wounded last wRek. don't like
tt,ic cntffty,er