6 Centralized Economic Control In Britain Boe ’S experience during the first two years of the war proved that centralized eontrol over manpower cannot by itself achieve full mobilization of the men and women of a nation. Right from the start of the war, in Sep- tember 1939, full power to allocate manpower between in- dustry and the armed forces was given the minister of labor and national service, yet this did not prevent a serious wastage of manpower. Britain has learned that central- ization of manpower control, to be effective, must be accompanied by centralized control over the whole economic effort of the nation. So long as scheduling of production and allocation of contracts re mained in the hands of seven con- flicting government agencies, each dominated by monopoly interests, the value of centralized control over Britain's manpower Was largely offset. Tt was further weakened by jack of coordination between those responsible for production and those who decided basic mili- tary strategy. For instance, some 50,000 coal miners were taken out of the industry early in the war, thereby initiating a coal shortage which today is threatening the nation’s arms output. Creating of the ministry of pro- duction in March 1942, with full power over allocation of raw ma- terials, industrial capacity and manpower, established the basis for total economic mobilization. Production Minister Oliver Lyttle- ton and Labor Minister Ernest Bevin, both members of the war cabinet (Lyttleton is also a mem- ber of its policy-making defense committee), can now coordinate their production and manpower programs to meet the strategic needs of the nation. “My prime responsibility is to determine the relative importance of the various demands for labor,” Lyttleton stated in the House of Gommons on March 24 “Mr. Bevin’s prime responsibility is to provide it.” With a total British population of only 45 millions, Labor Minister Bevin has no easy task to supply enough men and women both to Britain’s large army and to the war industries. Under the WNa- tional Service Acts of August 1939 and December 1941, all men be- tween the ages of 18-51 and all unmarried women from 18-51 are liable for military service. Mar- ried men with children are not deferred. To date, men 18-41 and women 20-24 have been called up. Britain’s methods of deferring key industrial workers from mili- tary service have changed sharply during the war. In September 1939, in conjunction with the Trades Union Congress, the gov- ernment drew up a schedule of reserved occupations. Workers in these occupations were given planket deferments. As the war developed, the government gradu- ally raised the age limits above which workers in reserved occu- pations might be deferred. Fin- ally, in December 1941, an order was issued raising these age limits by one year every month. The effect of this has been prac- tically to abolish the schedule of reserved occupations. Today, in order to get a defer- ment, each industrial worker must go before his district man- power board. There are 45 such boards in Britain under the min- istry of labor. They act in con- junction with the regional produc- tion boards; thus the recently- achieved coordination between the production and jabor ministers, 50 essential to over-all economic planning, is now being reproduced at a lower level in the nation’s industrial structure. In considering deferments, the district manpower boards obey the following directive: “Nothing LONDON. that a woman can do, or can learn to do, however impossible it may seem, should be allowed to absorb a man of miiltary age.” Women workers 20-24 are not deferred if their places in industry can be taken by older women. Under the Registration-for-Em- ployment Order of March 1941, all men liable for military service but not yet called up—that is to say, those in the 41-51 group—are liable for service in industry. The same order makes all women be- tween 18-45 liable for industrial service. Married women with children are open to deferment. Today, nearly 7,000,000 of Brit- ain’s army of industrial workers are women. Another 300,000 are parttime workers. ‘Within a year Britain should have a million part-time women workers,” a labor ministry official stated re- cently. Almost one-half of the workers in Britain’s war indus tries will soon be women. # Britain’s 11 regional production boards and 55 district production committees, described last week by Allied Labor News, have just completed a comprehensive, de- tailed census of the nation’s in- dustry. All machine tools, factory space, raw Material and man- power resources have been tabul- ated. This survey, which will guide the allocation of new con- tracts and the transfer of men and machines from inefficient plants, provides a basis for the over-all planning of production. By BETTY RADFORD Allled Labor News Writer CAPETOWN. 42 South African Trades and Labor Council, which includes the large unions of gold and dia- mond miners of the Rand, has cabled Sir Walter Citrine, secre- tary of the British Trades Union Congress, to enlist the support of British workers for African jabor’s fight to release arrested union leaders in Northern Rhod- esia and the Belgian Congo, where refusal by British, American and Belgian mining corporations to cooperate with their workers has seriously affected production in the rich Katanga copper belt. “phere is a possibility of seri- ous labor trouble in the copper belt,” the cable said. ‘We urge that further representations be made to your government to with- draw the action taken against Chrys Maeyer and Frank May- bank (leaders of the Rhodesian Mineworkers’ Union arrested last month for ‘fomenting unrest’). There is enough evidence that they are not guilty of subversive activities to warrant a democratic trial.’’ A delegation from Johannes- burg Trades Council interviewed Prime Minister Jan Smuts, who agreed to put the case before Lord Warlech, British High Commis- sioner in this country. Since Rhodesia, a British crown colony, is governed from London, and since the labor policy of the Am- Bengal Workers Form — ‘|e INDIA’S easternmost provinces of Bengal threatened with invasion by the Japanese an last week was launched, the workers are not duction but are also cooperating with the Kis People’s Defense Brigades. Hindu an British Mortar Crew British infantrymen man a three-inch mortar during a dem- onstration, witnessed by General Eisenhower, CinC, U.S. Army European Theatre of Operations, during which in- fantry advanced under a creeping barrage of live artillery and mortar fire to obtain an objective. outh African Trade Unionists Appeal To British Labor erican Metal Company, which controls the two biggest and most anti-labor Rhodesian mines, is determined in New York, the Rhodesian Mineworkers are mak- RAF Negro Pilot First Nigerian to be com- missioned into the British Royal Air Force, Pilot Of ficer Peter ‘Thomas, of Lagos, is training as a fighter pilot. ing strenuous efforts to explain their position to metal-mining unions in the U.S. and Britain. Negotiations are continuing in Rhodesia, with the legislative as- sembly and the governor insisting that Maybank, secretary of the Mineworkers, and Maeyer, chair- man of the union local at Am- erican Metal’s Mulfira mine, were arrested for subversive activities and not for trade unionism. s A memorandum to the gover nor from the general council of the union last week reiterated Rhodesian labor's wholehearted support for the United Wations and said that both arrested union- ists have always held anti-fascist convictions and are executives of a strongly anti-fascist union. One charge against Maybank, who was largely instrumental in establish- ing labor-management commit- tees in the mines over the oppo- sition of the companies, was that he had threatened to disrupt out- put of copper. Mayer was accused of organizing “Gommunist cells” among African workers. In response to labor pressure, the Rhodesian government has now revoked a deportation order against Maeyer, put said in a statement, “The advisory board has unanimously recommended the continued detention of May- bank.” If the unions fail to per- suade the government to with- draw its threat to deport May- bank to New Zealand, 2 general strike vote will be taken. People’s Defense Brigade CALCUTTA. 1 and Assam, which for months have be | d from which the British advance into Br only straining every nerve to increase war pie an Sabhas (peasant unions) to form arm: d Moslem workers participate jointly in these acti One of the vital war materi | produced by India is jute. Te a crease their profits the Ben | and Assam jute employers, |) ganized into the Indian Jute M |} Association, cut production 20 <} cent last August and laid off workers. To deal with this sit j} tion, the General Council of 4 © Bengal Trades Union Congr || 0 met in Calcutta and passed ° piel following resolution: gard “We urge the Bengal gove ment to realize the seriousness | the situation and appoint a jo j ats committee, consisting of repres Or: tatives of employers, workers = pi ¥ government, to investigate ¢” ( ditions in the jute industry, p fave vent the layine off of workerse | | introduce a uniform standard }.4 wages, This is imperative 1f 7 — - duction for the fight agai Pu! fascism is not to be impeded. pre Following this meeting, work Alt in the jute mills elected comr frat tees to co-operate with the + | ployers in finding ways to inere | production, — : i The Bengal Railwaymen’s E- eration met at the same time demand speedier conversion }¢ railway shops to war product § a military training of the work f and inereased pay to offset” ree rise in living costs. - fe “Only a well-fed people can fend the country,” one delez § . said. “Only training in the use arms will raise the morale of ## workers.” AW Significantly, measures taker i the workers and peasants to fne ganize their own defense brige £.. have gone farthest in Chittasi ; nearest city in India to the. Ff anese armies. (Chittagong : | the point from which Gen Wavell started his offensive week.) When _Chittagons severely bombed last May 9, #4 president of the local Dock W oF ers’ Union, Golam Sarif, killed. Immediately after this a 1 trict Organizing Committee™ — formed to recruit a Peor Defense Brigade. The comr & tee consisted of five member: three Hindu and two Mosi Within two weeks the brig numbered 2000, 25 per cent whom were Moslem. In the 3 'f of the common danger, WP between the Moslem muino | and Hindu majority was © | plete. ¥ At the same time, a Pec Committee was formed by jj trade unions and Kisan Sabh: 4 organize ca-operative stores ¥ the sale of rice, salt and Tj sene, to prevent profiteering, § arms from the landlords anc § government and give the pt military and political semi-oft | recognition, and its influence | the community is such thé now handles all legal dispute Tts main task today is tt erease production of food and materials for the United Nat armies. : Last month enemy af spread a false alarm that a of 6000 Japanese was on its to attack Chittagong. While 1d workers and peasants rallie defend their homes, local go ment officials ran to the st to catch the outbound train. — People’s Committee prevente | train from leaving.