The Waterbury Democrat., 1945-03-08

LnpHbeTSUluIVhtt AiOhtt uhN V'N " posed work -or-else legislation m general, most people are completely overlooking some of the iundamen- tai facts of life in wartime.
 First is the fact that the labor force of the United States Is actu- ally shrinking and has been grow lng smaller for the past year. Total employment in January .- last full month for which Bureau of Cen- sus figures are available --- was 5o,- 10000.
 This is lower than total employ ment in the U. $. has been at any time since February, i942, three months after Pearl Harbor. It IS nearly i've million less workers than were employed at the peak in July, iD43, from which date employment has been steadily declining.
 Today there simply aren't enough people to do all the things that need to be done. That, coupled with the fact that the munitions pro- grams have been stepped mp by nearly 20 per cent over the esti- mates of n year ago, accounts for much of the agitation for tighter manpoWer controls.
 STRANGE THINGS
 GOING ON"
 Most people, reading the news from both Pacific and European fronts, are blinded by the news on the front page md never get back into the paper to the home front news where 1t tells about the battle of production.
 When more curious souls start looking for reasons why the num- Der of working people has declined in the past year and half, they find some strange things going on.
 The number of people employed in munitions industriaS has also de- clined by 100000 workers. accord ing to Bureau of Labor Statistics figures. Requirements are still rated by the War Manpower Commission as 6O0,000 workers needed for munitions industries by July |. That's the same figure that has been kicked around for the last three months. WING thinks it's just great that the situation isn't any worse in view of all the troubles the U. $. Employment Service has in recruiting additional war work CTS, but that doesn't solve the prob- lem.
 Right alongside the requirements figure 1t should be noted that un- employment. caused by shifting war contractS--cutbacks in things Ike magnesium production, and con- tract colnpletions in shipyards - which tends to adjust itself from month to moath but is never en- tirely wiped out.
 ARMY, NAVY NEED 9OO,OOO
 The armed services say they still need 100000 men 600 900 for the Army and 300 900 for the Navy What isn't fully appreciated about this demand is that 1t is not en- tircly to increase the size of the Army and Navy. but to replace cas- ualties and discharges so as to keep the services built up to their authorized strength.
 U. $. war casualties are now just over the 8l3,000 mark, divided ap- proximately at 722,000 Army. 9l ,0O0 Navy By May casualties will be over the million mark at the present rate of 10000 casualties a week.
 Many of the casualties are wounded men who are eventually discharged, but added to these arc the men discharged for disability not caused in combat. The more than million veterans already dis charged are free from most of the present voluntary manpoWer con- trols. and that makes the apparent labor shortage all the more acute.
 With Spring. just around the cor ner and another growing season just ahead with It's tremendous de- mands for farm workers, this man. power situation is really getting tougher every day and may con- tinue that way for the rest of the year.