Imperial Valley press., 1945-02-04
POLITICAL LINES AND
WORK-FIGHT MEASURE

IdfIy lines broke IN the mouse vote on
the so-called work-or-fight measure when
the tally showed division of 246 for to
165 against. As national service set-up,
the bill is far from anything in an all-out
degree.
Proposed amendments indicated the
feeling of members regardless of party
lines number of members explained,
when voting that they were far from sat-
isfied with the measure but preferred
it to no effort at all.
The senate is not prepared to start i'm
mediately in considering the house bill,
and there is evidence that committee
hearings will be demanded and given.
1t was make-shift plan when pro-
nounced and recommended by the Presi-
dent No one expected it to patch up
the delinquencies in the administration
in enacting proper legislation long ago.
Opposition came from many quarters, not
the smallest being directed from labor
leaders quarters.
A cursory survey of the house bill
leaves much to guess as to objective and
more to guess as to workability of the
formula.
Here are the main features of the bill
now awaiting senate and final approval:
Men Is to As if employed in essential
industry or agriculture could leave
their jobs only with local draft board
approval.
Men 18 to 45 in non-essential jobs
could be directed to take war jobs,
such jobs to be as near their homes as
possible.
Veterans would have a preferred
status, and selective service could post
pone directing them into war work.
Physically fit men of service age
who left essential jobs without draft
board approval or refused to take war
jobs when directed to do so would be
liable to induction, as they are now
Others (4-F's and men 3S to 45) who
violated the bills provisions would be
liable to five years in jail or $4,000
fine. The compulsory provisions, how
ever would not apply until the director
of war mobilization had certified after
consultation with management, labor,
agriculture, and government agencies
that voluntary recruitment had failed
to meet war production requirements.
Any man directed into war work
would have to be given "a reasonable
choice of employers. He would have
a right to appeal
Conscientious objectors could be eX-
cused from war work and directed into
other employment in the national in
terest.
Directors of war mobilization or
agencies designated by him would de-
termine what activities were essential
and the degree of essentially.
Local draft boards would be respon-
sible for determining whether job
holder should stay in his job or take
a more essential one.
At best the verbiage in the measure is
elusive and unless clarified will reach
enforcement units more or less a puzzle.
At first glance it would appear the
measure fails to hit squarely at the mark
and entails so much supplemental inves-
legations on the part of boards as to make
the whole set-up unwieldy and leaves
doubt if it in any terms can be in the way
or relieving emergencies, which after all
was the chief reason for undertaking the
legislation.
Perhaps more punch will be put into
the bill when the senate gets it in shape
for consideration.
However, there appeared no chance for
any clear-cut plan to get by opposition
from so many different quarters.