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Show Changes Scheduled for Manpower Commission Z English System Seen as Successful Model; McNutt Unable to Obtain Efficient and J Experienced Force of Experts. ' By BAUKIIAGE News Analyst and Commentator. plan was announced whereby Miss Perkins was to be transferred to the head of the Federal Security administration; admin-istration; McNutt would go to interior inte-rior and Secretary of Interior Ickes would head the labor department. , Ickes' Refusal That scheme fell through because Ickes didn't want to make the shift. The result is that McNutt has been left to struggle with a problem for which some of his most sympathetic critics say he is not fitted. He has been unable to obtain an efficient and experienced staff some posts are still vacant others are said to lack the technical knowledge necessary neces-sary to McNutt or anyone in his po- ' sition. Such expert assistance would be available in the labor department for even those who speak least respectfully re-spectfully of "Madame Secretary" 1 admit that she has built up an ex- cellent force of experts in her department. de-partment. ' As one veteran of the labor front said to me: "If the war lasts long enough, we may establish a workable work-able and efficient system like, the British. Look for at least one more makeshift experiment. Meanwhile, let's hope we can muddle through." That was the state of things up until February 2, 1943. Then came the announcement of the list of "non-deferrable "non-deferrable jobs." The cynical may still look upon it as a "make-shift experiment" by April 1 we'll know whether McNutt has cracked the hardest nut in Washington or whether wheth-er we still have to muddle through. Nazi Communiques Indicate New Status When Hitler failed to appear or even to speak to his unseen audience on the tenth anniversary of his accession ac-cession to power, it was only natural that many people felt that this was part of the peace offensive which WNU Service, 622 Union Trust Bldg. Washington, D. C. Two days before the Office of War Information announced the now famous fa-mous "work-or-fight order" I wrote: Strange sounds are coming through the keyhole of the wide door of the office of the federal security administrator, admin-istrator, Paul McNutt. They have nothing to do with federal security but they have a lot to do with that other function of the administrator, on whose broad shoulders rests heavily the chairmanship of the manpower commission. The noises I refer to are the preliminaries pre-liminaries to a bigger noise. "The manpower commission is just about to blow up," said a certain cer-tain official to me, one who has followed fol-lowed its operations very closely but because of some strange premonition premoni-tion refused to get entangled with them. He is entirely sympathetic with the effort but like others whose duties are affected by the ramifications of the manpower situation, situ-ation, he is chagrined and confused by what is happening and still more by what hasn't happened. When the manpower situation was first turned over to McNutt, who is known as a good administrator, there was a long and patient wait for something to happen. Nothing did. "No wonder," said neutral observers, observ-ers, "he has no authority." Then he got the authority by presidential presi-dential ukase. Earlier, it is true, he had made it plain that he felt that there should be passed by congress, a national service act which would lay upon all civilians the similar obligations placed upon the young men of military age. So many people, peo-ple, who thoroughly disliked the idea of a draft of labor of any kind nevertheless nev-ertheless declared such a step was Inevitable that I was positive that it was coming and so reported. Now it seems far away. it was known the Reich was preparing. prepar-ing. The "unconditional surrender conference" at Casablanca was supposed sup-posed to have pretty well quashed the Nazi peace drive but apparently the Reich still has hopes. When I learned that Goering and not Hitler was delivering the oration of the day, two pictures flashed vividly into my mind one I witnessed wit-nessed personally in September, 1939, from the Press Gallery of Reichstag and the other was described de-scribed to me. The latter is said to have taken place in the famous hunting lodge of Goering, outside of Berlin. A millionaire American manufacturer sat with him. It was not long before Pearl Harbor. The American had a peace drive of his oiTn. He outlined it to Goering. It was this: Get rid of Hitler, set up a more liberal government, agree to get out of France if England will make peace. The man to do the job, Goering. The fee, one million dollars. According to my informant, Goering Goer-ing was willing but the scheme was never put through. Names Goering, Hess The other scene was the occasion of Hitler's announcement that he had invaded Poland. It was then that he declared that he was going to the front and that if anything happened to him, he had decided that his successor would be his air-marsbaL air-marsbaL who sat at the Reichstag president's desk, resplendent in one of his musical comedy uniforms. And, said the fuehrer, if anything happened to Goering, Hess would be the second choice. The solemn and lanky Hess, dressed in the brown uniform of the party, rose and saluted as had the grinning Goering. Hess, when things didn't go according ac-cording to his wishes, painted his toenails, and took wings for England. There has been comment in Washington Wash-ington lately over the different tone in the official communiques issued by the German high command. Experts Ex-perts say they seem to indicate that the generals have taken over. Recently it was rumored that Hitler Hit-ler had fired his "intuition" which he said directed his military strategy and he was letting the professionals run the army. It is just possible that Hitler will some day meet the same fate of the intuition which he so unkindly purged. Even the most thickheaded Nazi could hardly believe be-lieve that the Allies would ever make peace with a government with Hitler at the head. ' The substitute was supposed to be the setup under McNutt which would work through the United States Employment Em-ployment service. Selective service was even made a part of McNutt's organization and General Hershey, who had seen that institution through from its inception, with better grace than many would have shown, accepted ac-cepted the subordination of his functions func-tions like the good soldier that he is. More Authority But many a week has passed since that step was taken, various directives direc-tives have been sent to the draft boards, enlarging the scope of deferment defer-ment for essential farm and industrial indus-trial occ ipations. But still the system sys-tem doesn't click. It is now reported report-ed that McNutt feels that he needs still more presidential authority conferred con-ferred upon him. It was thought when the last reorganization re-organization of the manpower agency agen-cy was made that the United States Employment service would work side by side with the Selective service, serv-ice, the one recruiting labor, the other recruiting fighters and the question would be settled between them under a single head. Then, according to one of the members of the commission, without informing anyone in advance, he did what many feel was a direct violation of the key policy turned over the question ques-tion of deferment to the department of agriculture. This is the step which those who opposed it feel is going to force a change in the setup once more. Administration Ad-ministration of manpower recruitment recruit-ment was supposed to be centered in the commission. Naturally members of the department depart-ment of labor who felt that recruitment recruit-ment of workers should be handled by that agency, consider that no successful suc-cessful solution will be reached until the entire manpower question is put under a single person of cabinet rank and administered by that head right down to the local setups. They point to what has been done in England Eng-land where the system seems to be working successfully under the British Brit-ish labor minister. A system has been worked out there where the local lo-cal administration has wide authority author-ity under a firm general policy. The reason why a similar plan was not followed here is possibly because of the feeling against Secretary Sec-retary of Labor Perkins. Too many people would object if the work were turned over to her and it was believed be-lieved that the President was about to cut the Gordian knot when the |