Newspaper Clipping sent home with February 4 letter

Newspaper clipping Tom sent home:

War Factory Workers Face Army Draft

Southland Defense Industries Must Recruit 75,000 From Ranks of Exempt and Women

Seventy-three per cent of the men now working in war plants are of draft age, and those under 25 "may well expect to be put into uniforms" in the very near future.

And since war production industries in Los Angeles and the Southland will require the services of men over and under the draft ages, and women.

These and other vital points were made yesterday by David T. Babcock, chairman, and Burt Harnish, executive officer, of the Area Labor Supply Committee, at a manufacturing and industrial group luncheon at the Chamber of Commerce.

"REQUEST" FIRST MOVE

"The time is near." declared Babcock, "when it may become necessary to take skilled workers from non defense industries and place them in war production plants.

"I expect the first move will be in the form of a "request". If compliance is not satisfactory, stronger methods may be used, such as an all-out labor priority program."

Referring to the large percentage of draft-age men working in war industries, he commented: "Until the present, the defense plants have been getting the "cream of the crop" and leaving the Army the remainder. This is to be reversed."

Industry must begin training men over 36, and women, to take the places of these men who are inducted into the armed forces, he added.

"California's laws relative to women working are causing us some trouble" he continued. "These must be relaxed, at least for this emergency. We do not want to bread down social gains, on a permanent basis.

"At present, the laws are that women cannot be worked more than eight hours a day, and must be paid time and one-half if employed between 11 p. m. and 6 a. m."

He suggested that these laws be waived, for the duration, in plants where war production is carried on, exclusively.

"We are up against it," he declared. "Governor Olson refused absolutely to put anything referring to labor in the special session call of the State Legislature."

Springing up of war production units throughout the nation, resulting in high-pay employment, is a serious threat to agriculture, Harnish remarked.

"Shortage of tires is another factor," he added. "The migrant farm worker will hot be able to cover the country as in former times."

Recommendation that the Federal Government relax to some extent the rigid requirements for birth certificates for war plant workers was agreed upon at the meeting.

Age limitations and physical requirements are gradually being made less exacting, as the demand for labor becomes more acute, the officials declared.