Evening star., 1945-02-07
ForresfaI Asks
M!anpower Law
'ToShorten War
Action Needed to
Keep Up Momentum,
He Tells Senators
BY ]. A. OLEARY.

ocCIctdEy O1 Tie navy fOrTeSLal
told the Senate Military Affairs
Committee today that time is
essential in the passage of the
compulsory work bill because 1--WE
have the momentum now. and il
we keep 1t going we may shorten
the war"
Leaving the committee room after
being questioned for more than two
hours, the Navy head said he sup
ported the stand Of Secretary Of
War Stimson yesterday and empha-
sized that time Is of the essence"
There Is no question that the
country is quite willing to furnish
the labor needed to speed the war
if it is told of the necessity, and
this Is the best way of telling them,"
Mr.. Forrestal added.
Insurance Against Shifts.
Senator O-Mahoney, Democrat Of
Wyoming, one Of those not con-
vinced that compulsory controls are
necessary, told reporters the chief
emphasis in today's testimony was
on the argument that the bill would
represent insurance against men
quitting war work in the belief the
war was nearing an end"
He said the committee was told
there Is belief that there may be a
rush from war to peace jobs arising
from fear that there will not be
enough jobs to 60 around after the
war.
Senator OMahoney said this
seemed to him to be an excellent
argument for passage of legislation
recently introduced to provide in
surance of full employment after
the war, which would remove any
fear war workers may now have.
He was referring to the Murray
Wagner O'Ma-honey Thomas bill
calling for the preparation of an
annual survey after the war show
ing the estimated national income,
so that whenever this estimate ap-
peared inadequate to provide full
employment, Congress could take
appropriate steps.
Certificates for Workers Urged.
Senator O'Mahoney suggested to
naval oficials today that they con-
slider awarding certificates of merit
to individual war workers for length
Of service, comparable to the E ban.
ners awarded to factories.
In renewed plea for passage Of
the compulsory work bill for men.
l8 to IS, Undersecretary of War Pat
terson yesterday gave the COM
mittee specific examples of what he
regards as failure Of present meth
DDS, including the recent Allentown
tPa) experiment of lowering the
employment ceilings on non-essen-
tial industries.
Mr.. Patterson made strong pres
entation of the necessity for author
| ity to direct men to 60 where they
are needed most.
Meanwhile, a new factor entered
the situation today, which may help
advocates of compulsory work bill
to get a decision from both houses
of Congress on the subject.
The basic provisions of the Sc
lective Service Act, under which
men are drafted to fight, expire
May Is, and must be re-enacted
before that date. The re-enacting
clause has not been written into the
pending work bill, which means that
a separate bill for that purpose will
have to be brought up soon.
Possible Strategy Cited.
In view of this situation, if the
compulsory work measure-which is
also an amendment to the Selective
Service Act-becomes tied up in q
long -drawn-out battle between the
House and Senate, its advocates
could move to attach it to the latter
bill extending the military draft
law. That would be a must" meas
ure that could not be delayed.
In Mr.. Pattersonis prepared state
ment, made public last night by
Chairman Thomas of the Military
Affairs Committee, he had this to
say of current voluntary manpower
controls:
1T has been claimed that the
placing of employment ceilings on
less essential activities will yield the
necessary supply of labor for war
industry. The placing of ceilings
on unessential industry is better
than nothing. But it will not pro-
duce the necessary workers for war
plants. In the first place, it is mega
tive only Even if workers are dis
missed from a brewery by reason
of ceiling there is no assurance
that they will take jobs in an am
munition plant.
In the second place, ceiling