Evening star., 1945-03-11
Manpower Bill Faces
Threat Of New De|ay
In House This Week
BY ]. A. O'LEARY.

The storm tossed manpoWel
bill may face new battle on the
House floor this week, if oppo-
nents of compulsory job controls
try to block administration plans
to submit House and Senate diff
ferences to a joint conference
committee for adjustment.
Chairman May of the House
Military Affairs Committee must
obtain unanimous consent tomor-
row before he can send the issue
to conference. If there is one OBJ
lection, parliamentary experts said
he will have to ask the Rules Com
mittee for special rule to get the
question up Tuesday or Wednesday
The presentation of such a rule
would give opponents of the May
Work-or-jail bill, which the House
passed six weeks ago, chance tc
obtain another test of sentiment In
that body.
ooI ~ question mark.
II they could muster enough
votes to throw the special rule open
to amendments, opponents of the
work-or-jail measure would be In
position to urge the House to
accept the Senate substitute with
out going to conference, or to send
it back to the Senate with further
amendments.
The big question mark in the sit
uatlon last night appeared TO be
how far the Republicans would 60
IN supporting the Senate bill or
further revision of that measure.
Both bills involve compulsion. but
from different directions. The House
measure empowers local draft boards
to require men 18 to As to remain in
or to go to war jobs, subject to a
penalty of $4,000 fine or five years
imprisonment for violations.
The Senate bill places no penalty
on employees, but seeks to get work.
ers, regardless of age or sex, into es-
sential jobs by penalizing employers
with fines up to $4,000 or a year in
Jail If they hire any one in violation
Of War Manpower Commission CELL
ings.
Thus, while the House bill would
require men of draft age to report
to essential jobs, the Senate bill
would leave them the option of TAX
ing such jobs or not working.
President Wants Strong Bill.
Although the House passed the
May bill February l by a vote of
246 to 165, the result might be much
closer on a technical motion, such
as would be presented by a special
rule to send the bill to conference
Before passing the bill in February.
for example, its opponents mus
tered 1873 votes for a motion to
send it back to the Military Com
mittee, with 23O opposing that side
tracking procedure.
With President Roosevelt and ad-
mlnistration leaders favoring
strong bill, it is not probable that
Democratic opponents of the May
bill in the House can succeed in
blocking the appointment of con-
ferees, unless a large percentage of
Republicans join them. Several
prominent Republicans took an ac-
tive part in supporting the May bill
originally.
Administration spokesmen pre-
dicted yesterday they would get the
bill to conference without an upset.
An influential Republican expressed
the belief, however, that if the adop-
ton of a special rule becomes neces-
sary. the result would be close.
The situation is complicated by
the fact that some members of Con-
gress contend no legislation is
needed, while others are divided be-
tween the House and Senate ver-
sions. Some of those who oppose
any legislation fear that if the bill
goes to conference it may emerge
stronger than when it passed the
Senate