Evening star., 1945-02-08
An Urgent Necessity


Senate Military Affairs Committee
in connection with the House-ap-
proved "work-or Jail" bill re-empha-
sizes the urgency of the manpower
problem and the very great need for
prompt legislative action to cope
with it..
The basic facts of the situation
have been made abundantly clear:
Cd In the first half of this year an
additional 100000 Americans will be
indicted into the armed services;
90 to replace the great numbers OF
these now working in war plants and
to meet expanded arms production
schedules, 100000 more individuals
will have to move into essential Jobs,
and 90 this enormous new demand
for industrial labor can no longer be
filled on voluntary basis.
AS every qualified authority-from
the President on down-has testified,
priority referrals, employment cell
ings and other devices of the War
Manpower Commission have become
woefully inadequate, no matter how
we'll they have worked in the past
After more than three years of war,
with some 100000 Americans al
ready in uniform, the labor resources
of the Nation are at point where
compulsory system of control is es-
sential If the present dangerous rate
OF turnover is to be checked and if
the weak links in the chain of pro-
duction, on which the war effort
depends, are to be strengthened.
To this end, although a general
all-inclusive national service law
would be the best solution, the
House has taken long step forward
by passing the so-called "work-or-
jail" bill. Under this bill-a limited
national service act-all men aged
18 to IS could be assigned to and
placed in essential jobs by their local
draft boards and would be liable to
fine and imprisonment If they re-
fused to abide by board orders. Sc
lective service, in short, would func-
ton in the field of industrial man
power as it has long been functioning
In the field Of military manpower.
AS it now stands, the House -ap-
proved measure would unquestion-,
ably go far toward solving the Ma
tons manpower problem. Some
members of the Senate, however,
suggest that it should be amended to
limit the function of the draft boards
to the designation or selection of
men for essential Jobs, and to have
the VINO and its agencies then place
the selectees in those jobs. On its
face, this would seem to be a reason
able proposal, but the fly in the oint-
ment. is that the suggested. amend
ment involves very broad grant of
personal authority and that the
Senate and House-where the VINO
appears to be highly unpopular
may find it impossible to reconcile
their differences, thus endangering
the bill itself.
This is a danger to be avoided at
all costs. If differences in detail
are inevitable, the House and Sen
ate owe it to- the armed forces and
to the country as a whole to effect
a compromise that will still leave us
with national service law sound
enough and effective enough. how
ever limited, to meet our critical
manpower needs. Such a law is an
urgent necessity, not merely because
OF the immediate situation but be-
cause Of the situation that will OBJ
tain when the war in Europe is over.
To dawdle over the matter would
be to invite a home-front crisis
whose baneful consequences might
quickly be felt on the most distant
OF our American battleflelds.