Salt Lake Telegram | 1941-01-15 | Page 6 | Utah and the Defense Boom

Utah and the Defense Boom LABOR union leaders and the Utah W P A administration are exchanging verbal broadsides In a dispute over defense construction construc-tion work In the state done by W P A labor. The unions oppose further use of W P A labor on such Jobs, arguing that the work should be done by union labor at regular wages, working work-ing under private contractors. The W P A counters that It is their duty to provide work for W P A employes, and that, so long as W P A employes can do the work, they are just as much entitled to employment on defense Jobs as any other citizens. So much for the Issues In the dispute. We're not going to attempt to take sides, but we do want to call the public's attention to one thing brought out by this argument. That is that the national defense program, as far as Utah Is concerned. Is not creating the amount of additional ad-ditional employment which had been expected. Darrell J. Greenwell, Utah W P A administrator, admin-istrator, brought that out clearly. He said that last July everybody thought the army construction con-struction In Utah would have created a shortage short-age of skilled workers by January in the Salt Lake-Ogden area. The actual situation, however, how-ever, Is far different. In December, Mr. Greenwell said, a survey In Ogden revealed that contractors working on army projects there employed only 168 persons that month. It was also revealed that more persons were drawing unemployment insurance In Weber county In December, 1940, than in December, 1939. Also the number of needy unemployed seeking W P A Jobs In the state Is only a few hundred less today than .It was a year ago. It seems obvious from these reports of Mr. Greenwell and from the concern of union labor over W P A competition that Utah has not today full employment of all Its available skilled labor despite defense projcts of one sort or another. We are, In fact, little better off perhaps no better off than we were a year ago. Furthermore, there seems little Immediate Imme-diate prospect of any great expansion in employment em-ployment in Utah as a result of the defense program. It is probable that, directly, the national defense de-fense program will mean comparatively little in the way of Jobs and prosperity for Utah. Whatever benefits we will receive will probably prob-ably be Indirect, the result of the defense booms In other areas of the nation. That's the situation, and Utah might as well face it. There Isn't likely to be any national defense boom In Utah. If we are going to achieve good Jobs and decent Incomes for all Utahns, we will largely have to work out our own salvation. That won't be easy, but It can be done. And, if we can do It ourselves, we will, In the end, be better off. Employment and prosperity prosper-ity founded on the artificial base of defense spending will collapse like a house of cards when defense spending stops. But the Jobs and prosperity which we build ourselves, with I'tah Ingenuity and enterprise, will last. Over the long pull thrywill be worth 10 times any shot-in-the-arm defense boom employment and prosperity.