Evening star., 1945-03-14
Decision Due
On Work Bills
In House Today
Foes Moy Sponsor
Measure MiIder
Than Senate Plan
BY J. A. O'LEARY.

II opponents OF the May Work.
or-jail bill win the test vote to
be taken in the House this after
noon, they plan to offer a SUBJ
stitute manpower bill even
milder than the Senate measure.
This was revealed when Repre-
sentative Halleck, Republican, of
Indiana told House members that
if they refused to send the bill to
conference as it passed the Senate,
he again will offer the Barrett-
Harness manpower program, which
the House rejected last month by
vote of 187 to lit.
This proposal, like the Senate bill,
merely indorses the voluntary labor
recruiting methods of the War
Manpower Commission, without the
penalty which the Senate bill places
on any employer who violates War
Manpower Commission ceilings.
Administration Seeks Aid,
Administration leaders are max
ing every effort to rally enough
votes for special rule to send the
issue to conference committee,
where a compromise plane, stronger
than the Senate bill, could be
worked out.
The decision is expected to be
close, with the outcome depending
on whether large bloc Of Republic
ans goes along with those Demo-
Gratis who are opposing President
Roosevelt's request for compulsory
work measure.
If the opponents of the House bill
beat the special rule, they will also
be in a position to call Immediately
for another vote to accept the Sem
ate plan, and if that is carried the
long congressional battle would be
over
In that event the Senate bill would
be laid on President Roosevelt's desk.
That measure strengthens the pres
ent job-recruiting methods of the
War Manpower Commission by plac-
ing penalties up to $4,000 or a year
in Jail on employers who violate
commission hiring rules, but with no
penalty on the employe who refuses
to take an essential Job.
Taking a more direct approach,
the House bill requires men between
18 and As to accept war jobs at the
direction of their draft boards, sub
ject to a penalty of $4,000 fine or
five years in jail for refusal to
comply.
May Bring Compromise.
If administration forces win to-
days test vote and get the whole
issue into conference, the probable
outcome would be the drafting of a
new bill on some middle ground
between the House and Senate YER
Sions.
The anti-administratio forces are
banking their hopes on the fact that
la bill even milder than the Senate
measure came within 10 votes of
adoption in the House in February,
before the work-or-jail bill won
final approval. That, however, was
on standing vote of 1877 to 1T, with
many not voting, and it was taken
at time when a roll call was not
possible.
Administration leaders will ap-
peal to the House today to follow
the usual course of letting contro-
versial bills go to conference, where
the opposing viewpoints of the two
houses may be threshed out. They
will point out that If the House does
not like the decision of the con-
ferees, it still will have an oppor-
tunity to reject the conference re-
port.
Some Switching Expected.
Some House members who voted
for the work-or-jail bill originally.
over the combined opposition of
organized labor and the National
Association of Manufacturers, un-
doubtedly will change their position
today. in view of the Senate's re.
fusal to go along with the adminis-
tration. Whether there would be
enough switches to end the fight
and pass the Senate bill remains to
be seen.
The closest roll call test on the
bill in February was the vote of 1873
to go by which the administration
beat an effort to recommit the work.
or-jail bill before it passed. On the
basis Of that test, change of "A
votes would bring victory to the
opposition.