The Kennewick courier-reporter. [volume] (Kennewick, Wash.) 1939-1949, 1945-02-08
News { .
Behind,
THE<NE:.!||!!(!S;;E'|EE!!11
work or Fight" Has Many
plans Offered
ByHUL MALLON


WASHINGTON-The whole adj
ministration program for legisla-
tion tightening up home man.
mower. the "work or fight" ma
tional industrial draft, even the
drafting of 4-F's and nurses
ran fast down into a conflict
of sentiment and confusion in
the house military affairs COM
mittee.
On the surface this appears
somewhat surprising because OF
the championship of the administ-
ration proposals by Mr.. Roosevelt
and Assistant President ByrneS,
: and the display campaign they
eut on regarding the real need
of men in some industries. Since
the hours and half conference
MIR. R. held with labor leaders,
it has been aired around that he
is impatient, but labor is still
opposed. ..t
Very few authorities in congress
like the methods proposed. When
War Secretary Stimson and Chief
of Staff Marshall turned their
backs, somewhat quietly (refus-
ing to appear) on work or fight,
they definitely killed any chance
for the pending proposal to put
men who will not work into the
army labor battalions. d. =
Their technical objections have
been announced, but the real
reason is that both Germany and
Japan have labor battalions, and
they want to maintain their dem
ocratic setup of the military
force. S. . 55 49,"
Want Criminal Penalty
z What they want is a law i'm
posing criminal penalties for not
working. This would be the direct
democratic way of handling the
problem.
On the industrial draft the stu
alton is somewhat reversed. The
army and navy want it (and Mr..
ROOSEVELT but apparently not
many others. Yet it, too, follows
the Nazi and japanese way of
doing things by compulsion.
In that connection, Vice Presi-
dent Truman received some in
tereSting evidence iii letter from
large aircraft factory in Wichita
Kan, not long ago. The Off
Gals of that plant reported they
Id difficult problem of keep
zig their men from drifting away
to other business, so difficult that
they finally threw up the threat
and-freeze ideas in despair and
posted notice to the effect that
anyone who wanted to quit, could
do SO. Unexpectedly that solved
the problem.
Drifting fell off, it was quite
plain that the psychology of COM
pulslon or threats had worked in
reverse, causing the men to con-
nive to escape. But if they could
quit at any time, there was no
reason for quitting.
When General Knudson was
asked about this he told the COM
mittee: "Ahaa that employer pays
bonuses"
But the employer did not men
ton this in his letter, and it
could be an important, factor only
II the employer started paying
bonuses after the free-quitting
notice was posted. His point,
therefore, does not seem to have
been soundly made. ... -.
Furthermore, two senators have
come back from a Norfolk naval
plants inspection to report more
workers needed there, and more
imam essential wage rolls have
oeen observed in some other fac
tories. This development no doubt
Will result in congress authoriz-
ing the placing of wage ceilings
in plants. +.
But what else will come out
OF all this conflict and confusion
over methodist with labor op-
poslpg practically all compul-
and business .CNAM openly
ioEasting similarly-the best of
congressional authorities will not
yet predict. There will probably
be bill of some kind.
may be SOIIle very I1QlLeQ
at least the ATS and the nurses
form OF work or fight to include
craft, possibly not even that
Perhaps the current publicity
may haye helped solve much of
tne problem before congress gets
10 the end of this matter.
a great many congressman are
impressed with the seriousness of
ilianpoWer needs in certain spots,
w. a great many more believe a
Wen coordinated manpower adj
t.nlliiistratlon could solve most of
,he problems, without additional
cessation, and the idea of trying
ueinocratlc methods harder has
hold. Ao'
An outspoken senatorial oppon-
cut Oh the workers draft said cri-
uca! war conditions had grown
SSuitlcently bad to justify the legis-
Inc unions have gathered so
Aueh power in the last year that
question has arisen as to wheth-
er MIR. Roosevelt might not like
" get rein on them himself.
ieopie now laugh at the politi-
I1ai-mlnded unionist in the White
HOUSE hay,i,,o =,