Evening star., 1945-01-30
Move TO Speed
SeparateFEPC
Bill Adopted
Action Designed to
Curb Work or Fight
Labor Amendments
By J. A. O'LEARY.

The House Labor Committee
voted today to speed action on a
separate bill to strengthen and
make permanent the Fair En-
ployment Practices Committee. a
move which is expected to re-
lleve some of the pressure for
controversial amendments to the
Work-or-jail manpower bill now
being debated in the House.
Chairman Mary T. Norton of the
Labor Committee announced that
Ia seven-man subcommittee headed
by Representative Randolph, Dem
ocrat, of West Virginia will meet
Thursday morning. to take up with
out new hearings the 10 bills that
have been introduced to define the
powers of FEPC. Further hearings
were deemed unnecessary because
the committee had approved similar
legislation shortly before the old
Congress died.
Others on Subcommittee.
The full committee will meet
again Friday, prepared to report a
bill If the subcommittee agrees on
the details Thursday. Others on the
Randolph subcommittee are:
Representatives Patterson of Cali
fornla, Gelan of Connecticut and
Powell of New York. all Democrats:
Baldwin OF New York, Mcconnell of
pennsylvania and Adams of New
Hampshire, Republicans.
This development may not pre-
vent the race discrimination issue
from being raised on the floor in
connection with the May Work-or-
jail bill for men between 13 and As,
but 1t will give administration lead
ers strong argument for appealing
10 the membership not to endanger
the war manpower measure with
this and other amendments.
Another controversial amendment
almost certain to be offered is the
Wadsworth- Andrews anticlosed-shop
proposal to leave draft registrants
free to join or stay out of unions
when they are sent by draft boards
to particular JOB MT
An FEPC anne h 5'sz,fzs{ seIded
tentatively to the y 21x 5i1l in the
Military Affairs Cohimittee last
week. and later strickers,out in a
compromise that also killed an anti
closed shop provision. House leaders
are fearful that if both those issues
are restored on the House floor the
bill may be caught in a deadlock
and plgeon-holed.
Warns of Amendment.
Representative Andrews of New
York, ranking Republican on the
Military Committee, served notice
| on the House late yesterday that
the amendment leaving draft regis
trants free to remain out Of
unions will be offered, along with
a separate amendment to preserve
existing laws that give labor the
right of collective bargaining and
| Wage-hour controls. Both these
! amendments are expected to be
sponsored by Representative Wads-
worth, Republican, of New York.
| Representative Hook, Democrat, of
Michigan declared he plans to offer
an FEPC amendment to the bill
| Mr.. Andrews said efforts will be
made to obtain roll call on the
anticlosed shop provision before the
Dill is finally disposed of. if the
amendment is not adopted in COM
mittee of the whole.
The opening hours of debate yes
terday bore out advance predictions
of spirited fight over the basic
principle of using compuBion to
meet manpoWer needs.
Would Back Up Fighters.
Majority Leader Mccormack told
his colleagues that, having voted to
send some men to fight, and to die,
If necessary, "the least we can do
is vote to have men work for their
country"
He was backed up by Representa-
tive Smith, Democrat, of Virginia,
who urged his fellow members not
to put their judgment ahead of
that of Chief of Staff Marshall
as to what is needed to win the war.
Although Mr.. Smith questioned
members of the Military Commit
tee last week as to why they omitted
the workers freedom of choice to
join or stay out of union, he told
the House yesterday he will not
offer any amendments to the bill
and could not think of any amend
ment that would drive me away
from supporting the Chief of Staff
OF the Army. 1 expect to support
the measure, no matter what you
put on it."
Called Unnecessary.
/ At the same time, however, Rep
resentative Short, Republican, of
Missouri led an attack on the bill
as unnecessary. Asserting that
manpower has been wasted by the
Government itself and by war con-
tractors operating under the cost
plus -fxed-fee system, Mr. Short
said it is not a question of short
age OF manpower, but of short
sighted management" of the man.
1 (See MANPOWER, Page A-10)