NAB reports (Jan-Dec 1943)

PRIORITY FOR SUPPLIES Under the terms of Priorities Regulation 3, as amended March 9, 1943, the P-133 preference rating cannot be ap¬ plied to the following supplies: materials for maintenance or repair of buildings; printed matter, stationery and office supplies ; fuel or electric power ; and office machinery or office equipment. Stations unable to procure such sup¬ plies at retail or from jobbers should use WPB Form PD-IA if ordered for March 31 or prior delivery. For delivery after March 31, priorities should be ap¬ plied as specified in Controlled Material Plan Regulation No. 5, which is now being revised for early release, and will be covered in an early issue of NAB Reports. Under CMP Reg. No. 5 as presently worded, the following items are excluded from “operating supplies’’: printed matter and stationery; fuel or electric pov/er; and office machinery or equipment. Stations unable to get these supplies at retail should now use Form PD-IA for delivery afterMarch 31. DISTRICT 5 MEETING Frank King, WMBR, NAB District 5 Directoi-, has called a meeting of the NAB member stations in that District, which embraces Florida, Georgia, Alabama and Puerto Rico. The meeting will be held on Saturday, March 20, at the George Washington Hotel in Jacksonville. The main purpose of the meeting is to elect a District Director for the 1943-45 term. Other industry irratters will be dis¬ cussed. All District 5 NAB rrrenrbers are urged to attend. RECENT ENGINEERING ARTICLES Marry eirgineers will be interested in reading the follow¬ ing articles appearing in receirt technical publications: 1. Proceedings of the IRE, January, 1943: Content jx)rarij Pfoblems in Television Sonnd, C. L. Towirsend; En¬ gine Driven Eniergency Power Plants, Karl Troegletr, Statiorr WIBW; Selected Problems in Architectnol Acoustics, M. Rettinger-; Posftvar Radio Planning, James Lawr-ence Fly, Chairman FCC. 2. Electrical Comnrunicatiorrs, Volume 21, No. 1 (Tech¬ nical Journal of the Irrternational Telephorre aird Tele¬ graph Corporatiorr) : WAPC, Key Station of the Colttnihia Broadcasting System, E. M. Ostlurrd. 3. QST, Februar-y, 1943: Rejuvenating Old ][Ieters, W. R. Triplett. 4. Comirrunications, February, 1943: Report on IRE Il’fRter Conference, Lewis Winner: Emergency Circidfs for Level Equalization, Doirald Phillips. 5. Proceedings of the IRE, March, 1943: Maititenance of Broadcast Operations in Wartime, J. A. Ouimet, assist¬ ant chief eirgineer, CBC. “The Future of Televsion,” a r-ecerrt book by Ori-in Durrlap, Jr-., published by Harper & Brothers, New York, is excellent non-technical r-eading for those interested in the past, present and future possibilities of television. DO YOU HAVE ANY EXTRA COPIES OF “RADIO IN THE CLASSROOM”? A number of important requests for the NAB published booklet, “How to Use Radio in the Classroom,” issue of 1941. have been made to NAB headquarters and we are out of stock. Thus we request that any stations having some extra copies on hand mail them to us as soon as possible, billing us for postage and at the rate of 5<f for each copy returned. Send to Walt Dennis, Chief, NAB Nows Bureau, Washington office. 48 -Hour Week ENFORCEMENT LOCAL The establishment of a general 48-hour week in critical labor shortag-e areas will be carried out by the area and regional directors of the War Manr^ower Commission, Ex¬ ecutive Director Lawrence A. Appley and Deputy Chair¬ man Fowler Harper announced at a press conference. “It is anticipated and expected,” Appley said, “that these directors will use their horse sense in dealing with ques¬ tions that arise.” The directors will have the authority, subject to appeal, to decide disputes over extension of the 48-hour work week in their territories, Appley said. “If a dispute over policy arises that involves two or three geographical ai-eas the matter will be settled by nego¬ tiation between the directors of those areas,” Appley ex¬ plained. “If the dispute expands into a national matter, then it will be discussed in Washington.” Both Appley and Harper made it clear that because of the diversity of circumstances, the War Manpower Com¬ mission felt it could not give specific answers to general questions involving the 48-hour week. “The significant feature of this regulation,” Applev said, “is the manner in which it will be administered. It leaves to the local and regional people the responsibility for deciding what must be done.” The 48-hour week. Harper said, is a tool to pry needed workers from the labor market. If the workers who would be released by the company going on a 48-hour week are not needed elsewhere, the War Manpower Commission will say: Don’t go on the 48-hour week until the workers are needed, he said. The inability of the WMC to obtain needed funds for the ojieration of the United States Employment Service, Government employment agency, will obviously slow the establishment of the increased work week, the WMC offi¬ cials said, inasmuch as action would take place only as rapidly as the offices could handle the load. It may he several months after the April 1 deadline, Harjier said, before the commission is able to arrange em¬ ploye release schedules for many employers. “The added load will not mean a breakdown of USES,” Harper said. “Merely delay.” Appley interposed that the morale of the USES Officials was “splendid” and that they were “determined to do the job.” “Accomplishment of the aims of the President’s execu¬ tive o]-der will be fulfilled,” Harper said. “How long it will take we do not know, but it will be fulfilled. “We will do the job as fast as we can. But Mr. Appley is determined that we shall not crowd the USES to the point where it breaks the service’s back.” In answer to a question. Harper said the lack of funds for the USES would also hinder the area managementlabor committees in labor shortage areas whei-e emplovment stabilization plans are in operation or in preparation. “The USES, as you know, is the chief operating agency of the War Manpower Commission,” Harper told the re¬ porters. The WMC’s legal staff said the 48-hour directive would supersede any employer-labor agreement limiting workingtime but would not affect wage agreements. Nor is the War Manpower Commission to consider the effect ui)on costs of their actions. That, they said, is a problem for other Government agencies. In other words, they pointed out, if the adoption by a company of a 48-hour week involved increased labor costs, that factor will not be taken into consideration by WMC officials. Other details brought out by the press confei-ence were: (1) In the case of a business that operates both inside and outside of a critical labor shortage area, those em¬ ployees within the area will go on a 48-hour week if by so doing production can be increased or additional labor 118 — March 12, 1943