Show oa w ON Washington Wa D. D C C. C COMPLAINTS CO OF WASTED MANPOWER has brought on ona ona ona The fathers' fathers draft of complaints about a new series wasted manpower in the armed services stationed in the U. U S. S A. A Pending n a call to action a feeling waste becomes a of idleness and demoralizing factor The men on most generally suffer the home front service disease of from the old age just waiting around The type of thing that happens inthe in lD inthe the waiting period is illustrated in ina made at the a confidential survey naval dirigible station at Lakehurst following following following fol fol- fol- fol which brought forth the N N. J. J lowing facts 1 The navy uses to men mento mento mento to handle a blimp when it lands whereas Goodyear handles the same blimp with 15 civilians 2 As at many shore stations duty usually consists of 24 hours on then 24 hours stand stand-by which means waiting around to see if anything happens then 24 hours liberty Then this is repeated Many men complain that the 24 hours of loafing at stand stand-by could be used for some constructive type of work 3 More than 1000 civilians are employed to recondition ships at high rates of pay while enlisted men who could do the job and need the training lie around idle 4 A high wire fence guarded by armed sailors surrounds Lakehurst Then inside the fence a marine guards the outside of each hangar Then Inside the hangar two civilians cIvilians civilians civil cIvil- ians also stand guard 5 The Lakehurst commissary which handles about customers per day is staffed to handle about 1000 It has 10 clerks 2 commissioned commissioned commissioned commis commis- officers and 1 cashier Any civilian plus an assistant assistant assistant assist assist- ant could easily handle the whole business Multiply Lakehurst's wasted manpower manpower manpower man man- power by the navys navy's many other shore stations and it runs into thousands thousands thou thou- sands of men Note The men themselves are not to blame Most of them chafe at inactivity want to see action Effect on the Men One significant indication of how glutted the navy is with manpower is hi in the training boot-training camps designed designed designed de de- de- de signed to transform a civilian into a sailor This training used to last three weeks Now it has been running running running run run- ning four months or more And after after after aft aft- er finishing this boot training boot training thousands thousands thousands thou thou- sands of men lie around for months in hi OGUs outgoing units awaiting assignment to a school or other ac ac- ac- ac In the past year also many enlisted enlisted enlisted en en- listed men come corne to the conclusion that navy schools are being maintained maintained maintained main main- mainly for the purpose of keeping them occupied Slump In Draft Quotas Most significant fact about the manpower situation is that all last summer the army and navy were getting less than the quota of peen men en enthey they requested from the draft boards but did not complain Few people outside the government realized realized real real- it but even at the time the fathers' fathers draft was under vigorous discussion on Capitol Hill the ar army y yand and navy were not complaining about the failure of draft boards to fill ll the quotas During the first months of 1943 draft boards overfilled their quotas But in hi April they began to slump off In that month the navy army-navy asked for men but actually got only This would not have been significant it if-it had occurred in hi one month only But in May the services asked Selective Service for men got only How However How How- ever there was no complaint fro from either the army or navy Again In June ule the services asked for men but got only In July they asked for but got only only slightly more than the June figure despite the fact that the quota requested by the army and navy had been increased I In August the navy army request dropped to and the draft boards supplied only men a scant 75 per cent of the number asked for In September the army- army navy quota was men but they got only or 70 per cent of what they asked for However at no time did the armed services make any protest They seemed content to coast along with what the draft boards were giving giving giving ing them This was all during the period when the father-draft father was under serious discussion and when the administration administration ad ad- ministration was taking a vigorous stand that fathers had to be drafted What the answer is no one quite knows navy army-navy officers probably know but wont won't talk However However However How How- ever the Truman committee may ask some potent questions ROUND MERRY-GO-ROUND Q CI New Democratic National Chairman Chairman Chairman Chair Chair- man Bob Hannegan is boosting Dan Nee Internal Revenue coll collector at Kansas City to be his successor as Commis Commissioner ioner of Internal Revenue Thus the commissionership would be merely shifted from one end of Missouri St St. Louis home town of Hannegan to the other end of Missouri Mis Mis- I Kansas City hornet homer hometown town of or Nee Ares D. D Tom Torn Corcoran the Brain ex-Brain truster trust- trust I er r has bas had a shot in fn his arm preparatory pre pre- to going to China I |