Evening star., 1945-01-14
Congress Study
OF kanpower
Needs Sought
Ferguson SkepticoI;
VINO Reported Ready
To Present Program

q Inorougn study OF the man.
power needs of war industries
before fixing new legislative con-
trolls over workers was voiced
yesterday by Senator Ferguson,
Republican, of Michigan, q mem-
Der of the Senate War Investi-
eating Committee.
While the House Military Affairs
Committee awaited the testimony OF
labor leaders tomorrow and Tues
day on its bill to force AIS and
other deferred registrants into war
plants, Senator Ferguson told re-
porters he was not satisfied that
already available for war
work is being utilized to the best
Meanwhile, the War Manpower
Commission, long defender of
voluntary methods" of handling
manpower problems, was reported
ready to ask Congress for legisla-
ton backed by direct penalties to
carry out its program for channel
ing manpower where it is NEEDED
most and then holding it there.
Unions Draft Proposals.
VINO was reported planning to
present its program to the Senate
Military Affairs Committee when
the House completes action on man.
power legislation.
Meanwhile, however, organized
labor is being counted on to carry
the ball for substantially what VINO
wants. The CIO and AFL, working
independently, are understood to
have developed proposals giving
legislative approval to WINGS job
control and employment ceiling
programs. These proposals, labor's
counterattack on work or fight" or
national service legislation, are to
be presented to the House commit
tee. ......
Senator Ferguson said he would
like to see a committee go into
specific plants and see what the
needs actually are.
Il think it is very important that
that be done before we 60 of the
deep end with some new compli-
Gated system" the Senator declared.
Estimates Conflict.
As an illustration, the Senator
said he would like to know to what
extent man-hours of work were
reduced by certain cut-backs or
dered last year in aircraft produc-
| tion and what became of that man
power.
He said he was disturbed by the
discrepancy between the needs es-
| timated last month and the War
Departments new estimate that
COZ, 900 men viii have to be taken
into the armed forces and another
TOO 900 into industry by June 80.
"In December" he said, I'VE were
told that there was a pool of 34,-
00O, 900 men out of which we had
to get 10000 for essential jobs, and
that in six months we would need
300, 900 men"
Senator Ferguson recommended
that the War Investigating Commit
tee or some other fact-finding unit
check plants to determine their
exact needs. That committee is con-
tinuing its manpower study, and
Chairman Mead told the Senate on
November IA that his committee has
sent Investigators to survey specific
areas.
SuySests IJnion proviso
Chairman May of the House Mil
itary Affairs Committee predicted
last night that his committee will
act before the end of this week on
the 4-F bill. He added, however,
that the measure probably would be
revised to impose civil penalties Of
fines and imprisonment on men who
fail to switch to essential work, in
stead of inducting them into Army
labor battalions.
Representative Sparkman, Demo-
crat, of Alabama, member of the
May Committee, suggested provi-
sion in the bill giving drafted work.
ers an option on union membership
when they are assigned to war
plants He proposed that workers
should be required to meet the
terms of any contract applying to
other employees" but that man who
is opposed to joining union should
have the option of being assigned
to an open shop plant.
With Senate opinion still not
crystallized on what form new man
power legislation should take, VINO
officials are hopeful of getting IA
vorable consideration for their pro-
posal on the Senate side.
The unknown quantity In the
VINO plan, however, is the attitude
War Manpower Chairman Paul
McNutt will take toward the 1egis-
lation worked up by his associates
(See MANPOWER, Page A-5.)
a Al - -