Evening star., 1945-03-25
Bill
Conflict Ended
By compromise
Byrnes Given Brood
Powers; Passage
Expected This Week
BY ]. A. OLEARY.

A compromise manpower bill
vesting broad power in War Mo-
bilization Director Byrnes to
regulate employment in critical
areas, and to freeze" workers
in essential plants, was accepted
yesterday by House and Senate
conferees, paving the way for
final passage this week.
Indications are both houses will
ratify the agreement by Tuesday.
sending the measure to the White
House and ending a legislative bat
tie that began in January.
The conferees finally got together
on the middle ground proposed by
Senator johnson, Democrat. of Colo
rado, which provided that:
l. The House abandon its plan to
let local boards draft men 18 to As
into essential jobs.
2. The Senate members agreed to
broaden their employment ceiling
method of control by authorizing
the freezing of workers where it is
found necessary to keep war produc-
ton going, and by applying the
same penalties, up to $4,000 fine
and / year Imprisonment on both
employers and employees for viola
ton of hiring regulations or freeze"
orders.
No Sweeping Freeze Planned.
The compromise bill does not
contemplate application of sweeping
freeze" orders or ceilings to indus
try generally. 1t would. however,
clothe the administration with
authority to cope with critical man
poyer situations that may exist
now, or that may develop between
the defeat of Germany and Japan,
in particular areas or plants.
Senator Thomas, Democrat, of
Utah, head of the Senate negotia-
tors, described the agreement as
"a stronger bill' than either the
House or Senate passed, and Repre-
sentative May, Democrat, of Ken
lucky, chairman of the House
group, added, that's correct"
The compromise bill is built
around the job control system al
ready being used by the War Man
power Commission, except that it
will have the backing of statutory
law and the penalties to enforce
it, whereas the commission now
functions only under an Executive
order.
Can Use Other Agencies.
Although the powers in the new
bill are delegated to Mr. Byrnes' of
f1ce, he may call on any other Gov
ernment agency to carry out the
orders, and the expectation is that,
in the case of industry. the Man.
power Commission would continue
to handle the details, with possibly
the War Food Administration SUI
pervising farm employment prob
lens.
Presumably because of House op-
position to giving statutory existence
to VINO, that agency is not men,
toned by title in the bill.
Senator Thomas announced that
the conferees also wrote into the
compromise bill a new declaration
of congressional policy, setting forth
the obligation of every citizen not
In the armed forces to serve, when
called upon, in an activity essential
to the war effort. 1t reads as fol-
lows:
I'm order to adequately support
the Army and maintain the NAVY
during the present war, and to carry
into effect the provisions of the
declarations of war pledging all
Of the resources of the Nation to
bring the conflict to successful
termination. every individual not
in the armed forces shall have an
obligation, when called upon, to
serve the Nation in an activity es-
sential to the war effort"
Reach Man Contributing Nothing.'
Senator Thomas said he regarded
this restatement of the original
theory on which the Selective
Service law was based as extreme
ly important" because it is an in
junction to the Selective Services
system "to tighten UP administra-
ton in such a way as to reach the
man contributing nothing to the
| war effort"
While the declaration of policy
| is only an expression of the intent
Of Congress, Senator Thomas in
dicated that it is in the nature OF
q directive to draft boards to fol-
L