Evening star., 1945-01-02
|Byrnes favors
|Work-or-Fight
|Edict for 4.Fs
Teeth in Munpower
Regulations Urged
To Spur Arms Output
BY the Associated Press.

BY the Associated Press.
A program of new manpower
controls edging closer to the
work or fight" act which law
makers have long avoided today
was thrown into the battle on
the home front.
Advanced by War Mobilizatio Di-
rector James r. Byrnes. the program
would force 4,000,0 900 4-F men into
war roles and put statutory teeth
into manpower rules If present labor
regulations fail to spur the Nations
armament output to needed levels.
The suggestions, made by Mr..
Byrnes last night in his first report
as director of the Office of War
Mobilization and Reconversion, are
still merely threats. They must,
moreover, face Congress which has
shown reluctance to interfere with
a mans freedom to choose his Job
and procession discussion on Cap
itol Hill showed no great enthusiasm
for them.
But war agency officials proph-
esied that the whip-cracking docu-
ment would add momentum to the
home front effort merely by indi-
eating the sternness of enforcement
measures which the administration
may be willing to support
Larger Draft Calls Seen.
Director Byrnes released the re-
port at press conference and told
reporters that President Roosevelt
had not seen the document which
represents my own views-my rec
concentrations to him"
1t was understood, however. that
Mr.. Byrnes covered the subject
matter in discussion with the
President and told him what his
recommendation would be.
Flatly predicting that larger draft
calls in the next few months-an
increase of 10000 monthly was
effected yesterday-would aggravate
the manpower shortage. Mr. Byrnes
proposed stern measures for 4-Fs
not doing essential work.
He proposed that Congress make
it possible to induct them all. then
assign them ito things they car,
do despite their physical impair
ment
This might mean limited service
in the Army, he said, or steering the
inductees into jobs in critical war
plants-by which means the Gov
ernmeat could see that they stayed
in war work
Congress could decide. he said,
whether the latter would stay in
uniform and whether they would be
working for the Government or for
the war contractor.
VIII Tighten Farm Deferments.
Striking at agricultural defer
ments-which he said cover the
largest remaining source of young
men for military service
Byrnes said it was necessary to re-
consider the standards by which
youthful farmers are deferred from
military duty.
For the present, professional base
ball and football need not fear ban
like that on horse racing, he indi-
Gated. But he declared bluntly that
he believed medical denomination
should be given AT athletes who
prove on the football field every
Sunday their physical prowess."
He advocated that Congress at
once give the War Labor Board
power to make its decisions man
.datory and legally enforceable in the
courts" as means of checking work
stoppages. Seizure of firms for nom
compliance frequently is an made
.quate remedy, he said. and imposes
on Government "onerous RESPONSE
bilities of running private business.
Mr.. Byrnes put reconversiorl
firmly on the shelf until victory is
within our grasp, until our military
men tell us they have enough sup~
plies and that we can afford to re-
duce production
45eo Of Programs Critical.
While armament schedules in the
first half of this year are not much
above present production, the direc-
tor said As per cent of the programs
are critical-and critical production
no longer feeds pipelines or goes into
strategic reserves-it is going right
into battle"
The truth is that our soldiers at
the front today are not short of am
munition and supplies as a result of
any production failures, he contin.
ued.
However, they may be short
few weeks hence if we fail If they
are to freely use what they now
have in order to save human lives,
they must know that more. in abun-
dance, is on the way
In view of steeply mounting oe.
mands for artillery, rockets, shells,
superbombers, field wire and other
must items. Mr.. Byrnes said the
Government must resist all de-
mands. reasonable as they appear
on the surface" /" to let civilian man.
lufacturing start up when war or
derS are curtailed.
Too Early for Reconversion.
I'VE have already made one too
early start toward reconversion, he
observed, explaining that last sum-
mer's furry of peacetime planning
left the Nation unprepared when it.
was necessary to speed up muni-
tions again.
In other high light sections of the
report, Mr.. Byrnes:
Revealed that he has directed