Evening star., 1945-02-10
Senator's Plan Shift
To Farm-Labor Phase
In Manpower Inquiry
By ]. A. OTEARY.

The Senate Military Affairs Com
mittee will turn its attention to the
controversial farm-labor phase of
the manpower situation next week,
after being told yesterday by Eric
A. Johnston. president of the Cham
ber of Commerce, that legislation
giving legal sanction to the present
job controls of the War Manpower
Commission would be preferable to
the compulsory work bill.
The Committee Is in recess until
Tuesday. with indications that no
decision will be reached before the
end of next week on changes to be
made in the House measure, which
empowers selective service local
boards to assign men between ID
and As to essential jobs, and to pre-
vent turnover among existing war
workers.
One member of the committee
said today that the Advisory
Board to War Mobilization Director
Byrnes now has some misgivings"
about the advisability of passing the
compulsory work bill, and is giving
more thought to the alternative OF
implementing present War Man
power Commission procedures.
Chairman Mead and Senator
Ferguson of the Senate War Inves-
tigating Committee paid a visit to
the Washington Navy Yard yester-
day as part of their study of the
utilization of manpower in war
plants. Their observation will be
included in later report.
The heads of several Nationwide
farm organizations will be heard
Tuesday For several weeks men,
bers of both the House and Senate
have been complaining that draft
boards are preparing to induct too
many irreplaceable farm workers.
Voluntary System Favored.
Mr.. Johnston explained that the
Chamber of Commerce has been in
favor of the voluntary system of job
placement. until such time as that
system might break down. In that
event, he said, the chamber would
favor such legislation as would meet
the situation. There have been some
evidences that the voluntary system
Is breaking down, but not conclusive
evidence.
Under those circumstances, he
continued, the chamber would IA
vor a compulsory bill, provided job
placement is left in civilian hands
such as the War Manpower Com
mission or the director of war
mobilization.
Mr.. Johnston said his own belief
is that a bill merely giving legal
sanction and enforcement power to
the War Manpower Commission to
continue its present controls, would
accomplish the desired results
without the dislocations that might
flow from the House bill.
The present system of VINO in
cludes the placing of ceilings on
the number of workers non-es-
sential industry may hire and pro-
vides for the placement OF workers
gin essential industries through the
United States Employment Service,
with the aid of labor management
comittees.
Praises Cooperation.
Mr.. Johnston said that "one of
the great things that has come out
Of this war has been the ability of
labor, management and agriculture
to sit down around the table" and
work out their problems.
Advocates of the House compul-
sorry work measure have argued
that the bill will be needed more
after Germany collapses than now,
to prevent rush from war plants
before Japan is beaten. Mr.. john
ston told reporters he does not fear
that situation but admitted there
are others who take a different
view. He pointed out that We
day will be followed by a 80 or 40
per cent cutback in war work He
agreed that, while there will be a
desire among workers to get back
to peacetime jobs, industries will
not be ready Immediately to take
them back for peacetime production.