Show W PT P PA A Projects for War Prisoners T THE THE American Federation of Labor executive council has protested protested protested pro- pro tested the employment of prisoners of war in America in competition with free American workers citing specifically the use of prisoners of war in Wisconsin in cutting wood It is difficult to see any justification for this protest With the man power shortages faced by the nation in so SQ many fields of activity essential to the pro prosecution of the war it would be nothing short of criminal to waste the available man power of prisoners of war by refraining from using them on useful work projects In the case of the wood cutting work cited by the theA theA theA A F L it has been primarily a shortage of wood cutters which has caused the present serious shortage of newsprint and other types of paper paper products Should we let that sh shortage get worse while this pool of prisoner of war labor sits idly in prison camps near Bear by The federation cou council ci in a statement said The executive council fe feels ls that a a. program should be worked out for forthe forthe forthe the employment of prisoners of war on useful projects where there could be no conflict with free American workers Well we dont don't know where you are going to find any kind of useful employment employment- in America where there is not the same sort of conflict with free American workers if you accept the federations federation's interpretation of the word conflict as there is in inthe inthe the llie case of Wisconsin wood cutting In effect what the federation federation federation fed fed- stand calls for is a type of W V P A boondoggling project for the prison prisoners rs of war which would of course b be sheer waste of this man power in the midst of our wartime man man power crisis The whole thing adds up to a completely selfish stand on the part of the American Federation of Labor The reason for this stand is that the federation prefers man p power shortages which create a greater demand for labor in this critical war period If this happens to to interfere with the war effort or injures injures injures in in- jures some essential phase of the civilian economy by depriving the nation of a supply of man power which through pressure the federation is able to keep idle idle that is of no consequence It is just such selfish stands placing the nations nation's needs second to the interests of a special group group- group and and nd many individuals individuals u ls groups and corporations have been guilty in that respect as well as the labor organizations that organizations that have dismayed and disgusted disgusted disgusted dis dis- gusted patriotic Americans in this war |