Status of Technical Manpower Chemical Industry

in the

A. Report to D. P. Morgan, Director, Chemicals Division, Commodities Bureau,

WPB, by Harvey M. Harker, Chief, Intermediates Unit, WPB

Scope

For the purpose of a rapid determina­t ion of reasonable accuracy,, units of the industry were selected to provide a rep­resentative cross section of size, type of production, and geographical location. T h e survey was conducted by means of personal visits during the second and third weeks of December 1942.

I n preparation for these visits, there were several discussions for the purpose of avoiding possible duplications and speeding the study. These are reported on page 85.

Purpose

T h e Chemical Division of W P B recog­nizes that many sections of the chemical industry must operate at expanded capac­i ty or considerably above normal capacity to provide war requirements. A s a major ingredient of maximum production is competent and adequate personnel, a sur­v e y was made to determine whether tech­nical manpower in the chemical industry is in a critical situation. The chief con­cern was with chemists, chemical engi­neers, and skilled process men.

T h e results of the survey will be pre­sented to the War Manpower Commission for consideration and action.

Collaboration

Collaborating in the investigation was Captain Harry L. Willard, Resources Division, SOS.

Coverage

O n these visits conversations were held w i t h 49 units of the industry, the first three being made with Captain Willard a t Wilmington t o develop uniformity of approach. Subsequent contacts were m a d e separately.

Summary

Observations

1. The chemical industry has been reasonably successful in retaining graduate chemists and chemical engineers.

2 . Retention of skilled process men, experienced foremen, and supervisors has been more difficult.

3. Losses of important men who were reserve officers occurred early while partially trained replacements with some experience were still available. These losses did deplete specialized manpower, however.

4. Losses by enlistment have included many men with specialized background and mature experience.

5. The larger companies have been affected less than the smaller ones.

(a) They assigned men early to the per­sonnel problems arising out of Selective Service and the war.

(6) They were earlier with expansions and new plants.

(c) They possessed larger reservoirs of technical manpower in research, pilot, and development staffs.

(d) They have been more thorough in forward planning.

6. Praise for the local draft boards and their work is general and sincere.

(a) Near-by boards are more likely to understand the chemical industry and its personnel requirements.

(6) The opportunity for personal con­tact on individual cases helps to clarify the particular points in­volved.

7. Industry has been more hesitant about asking for deferments than main­tenance of maximum efficiency of war production would warrant.

8. The employment of women is already considerable and is increasing. This represents a new policy in many plants and requires the installation of service facilities previously nonexistent. State laws regarding the employment of women especially on shift and at night have been given special consideration in view of the war emergency.

(a) Some of the positions being filled by women and for which they are being considered are routine analytical chemists, laboratory assistants, re­search chemists' helpers, packing, shipping, stenciling, etc., gate keep­ers, truck operators, some processes and shifts.

(6) "Women have a limited application on technical work outside of a a-lytical routine. Few are education­ally equipped for research respon­sibility or chemical engineering. Moreover, the duties of chemical engineers or chemists in outside supervising capacities usually in­volve executive responsibilities in addition to coping with rigorous plant conditions.

(c) Occupational hazards and limita­tions on lifting make women in­applicable t o many nontechnical duties in chemical operations.

9. Refresher courses have been found useful in preparing women for war jobs in the chemical industry.

10. Losses to nonchemical defense plants are spotted. Locations mentioned as difficult in this regard were Baltimore, Bound Brook, Niagara Falls, Cleveland, San Francisco.

11. Temporary said short deferments have detrimental features.

(a) Presumably these are for the pur­pose of training a replacement but a trainee is frequently difficult to· find.

(6) The man deferred considers the period one in which t o enlist in his preferred branch of service and requests release.

(c) The employer grants the release regardless of "the status of replace-

• ment. (d) The man's altitude a n d effective­

ness are impaired by uncertainty. (e) Wide variation appears to exist

in the handling of cases which have had one or t w o deferments, regard­less of the relative responsibility of the position "the man is filling, the length of training period necessary, or the status o f replacement efforts. This type o f uncertainty is very disconcerting to both man and em­ployer.

12. Many men have preferred t o en­list rather than continually explain why they are not in uniform. T h i s is another indication of the general l a c k of public understanding of t h e fundamental nature and extreme importance of the chemical industry in the war effort.

Conclusions

1. The industry has not been seriously hurt thus far but i s very much concerned about further depletion o f manpower, especially process m e n ,

(a) "Up-grading" has progressed t o the extent that "the practical training and experience factors have been seriously lowered.

(6) The vulnerability due to potential losses still to be faced i s viewed with concern because of t h e drying up of sources of sufficiently capable re­placements.

(c) The degree o f training of process-men and foremen necessary to·

84 C H E M I C A L A N D E N G I N E E R I N G N E W S

safeguard personnel equipment, and critical materials customarily re— quares years.

(d) Men with adequate age, abilities, or marital status are already in work that makes them unavailable a s replacements.

(e) "The deferment periods allowed are VERY short in which t o accomplish even minimum training.

(f) The chemical industry has special. prolems which do not exist to t h e same degree where chemical reac-tions are not involved.

(l) The amounts o f expensive equip-ment and critical materials per man a r e h i g h .

(2) The hazards o f explosion, fire, toxicity, dermatitis burns, poi­sons, and fumes must b e under-stood t o be controlled.

(3) The possibilities of using women and unskilled labor are limited.

2 . I t is logical that draft boards in non-chemica l communities would be unaware of these special problems or of t h e funda-mental i m p o r t a n c e o f t h e chemical indus-

t ry i n the war effort. 3 . The synthetic- rubber program, be­

ing new, highly complicated, and involving organic chemical synthesis, m u s t to a considerable extent recruit i ts personnel from manpower that would normally b e available to and employed in the chemical industry. T h e manpower requirements of th is new industry a n d those o f the re­lated activities in the petroleum industry are n o w being appraised.

4 . Quotes should be se t with regard t o the concentration of employment in war industry.

5. Men entering the aimed services d o not liberate housing for use b y replace-ments . Housing problems add t o diflicul--t ies especially when combined wi th the effects of gas and Use conservation.

6. Further depletion of manpower i n the chemical industry i s considered serious if full production capacity and efficiency are t o be maintained.

7. Most o f the IS t o 20 year olds are in industry and many already have a year or t w o of specialized training. Their loss will b e felt.

S. The flow of young men into colleges and universities for training as chemists and chemical engineers should continue.

Preparation

1. A meeting was held on December 1, 1942, wi th J . W. Raynolds, Deputy Director, Chemicals Division, WPB, Lieutenant Colonel W . F. Sterling, C. W. S., Chief, Commodities Group, Head­quarters, SOS, Captain Harry L. Wîllard, Chemical Section, Headquarters SOS, at. the office of E. C. Elliott, Chief, Pro-fessional and Technical Employment, and "Training Division, War Manpower Commission.

2 . This was followed by conversations witb E . R. Gilliland, assistant t o Colonel Bradley Dewey, Rubber Directors' Office, Brace K. Brown, Assistant Deputy Petroleum Coordinator, Stephen L. Tyler,

Executive Secretary, American Institute of Chemical Engineers, Charles L. Par­sons, Secretary, AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY, and Warren Ν .Watson, Secretary, Manufacturing Cbemists Association.

3. The purpose of these conversations w a s to guard against duplicated effort and to obtain t h e status of any other studies that might b e in progress involving similar types of technical and skilled man­power. I t was found that all the groups above mentioned are keenly interested and that the synthetic rubber and petrol­eum groups are i n the midst of studies.

4 . The meeting with E . C. Elliott resulted in the following outline of ques-tions thougbt to b e representative of the types of information which should be col­lected. I t was found that no compilation of definite answers t o these questions was obtainable a t the time of the visits but they did serve a useful purpose in guiding

(a) H o w many men of a given category were originally employed? What percentage remain?

(b) H o w many more are likely t o be lost?

(c) W h o has gone out of your plant but not into technical service where he is using his special abilities? Would y o n want h im brought back?

(d) H o w many more specially trained men are needed? How is it pro­posed to get them?

(e)What has been done about "up-grading" men?

(f) W h a t losses have been experienced t o nonchemical defense plants?

(g) W h a t important men have been lost by enlistment?

(h) H a v e refresher courses proved beneficial?

( i ) I s thère a critical situation in the chemical industry?

(J) Can you g i v e a few concrete cases of serious losses?

B. Report of Director of WPB, Made with the Assistance of the National Academy of Sciences

and the National Research Council

(Released January 4, 1943)

RESEARCH scientists are heavily en-gaged in t h e war effort, Harvey

N . Davis , Director of the Office of Pro-duction Research and Development of t h e War Production Board, reports after a nationwide canvass. All the larger in­dustrial research laboratories are carrying heavy war research loads, and only a few of the smaller laboratories, representing a small percentage o f the country's research workers, are fully available for new war problems. l ikewise, in the universities t h e number of scientists still available for wax research represents less than 1 per cent of t h e total research manpower.

Universities and industrial laboratories were asked to indicate scientific personnel a n d facilities available for new assign­ments for research on war problems, and

directories compiled from their replies have been supplied to individuals respon­sible for research in the various war agencies. I n the universities the prin­cipal fields reported were chemistry, biological sciences, engineering, agricul­ture, physical sciences, and psychology, with scattering amounts in mathematics, geology, metallurgy, astronomy, phar­macy, home economics, mining, geog­raphy, and physical education.

On the basis of the returns it is esti­mated that less t h a n 2 p e r cen t of a l l the industrial laboratories are now com­pletely available for research on war problems, a n d that more than, two thirds have less than a quarter of their capacity available. Less t h a n 6 5 0 industrial re­search workers were represented by those laboratories reported as completely avail­able. The smaller t h e laboratory the greater the percentage o f availability re­ported. T h e greatest proportional availa­bility of manpower was in the field o f bi­ology, where 17 p e r cent were reported as available.

C. K. Leith, Chief of Metals and Min­erals Branch, OPRD, who initiated the survey, reported t h a t "the percentage of research manpower not already absorbed by war work is much smaller than had been anticipated, a n d special effort should be made t o keep the small remaining balance available for emergency u s e as new needs arise."

T h e National Academy o f Sciences and the National Research Council co­operated in the canvass a n d in the prepara­tion of the directories- Use of t h e in­formation i s restricted to the armed services and war agencies , some of which have already taken steps toward the utilization of special facilities disclosed as still available.

Engineering Training for Women at Cooper Union

TΗΕ Cooper Union Engineering School, N e w York, Ν . Υ. , h a s adopted a new

admissions policy under which women may take an abbreviated college engineering course to fit them for specific jobs in industry. I n February the school will inaugurate a "building block" program of study enabling w o m e n to enroll i n the regular day engineering courses for limited training t h a t will permit them to enter industry before completing t h e full re-quirements for the bachelor's degree.

T h e regular engineering curriculum, covering t w o a n d two-thirds years of study under the wart ime accelerated pro­gram now i n force, has been divided into three blocks of study, each representing an important phase of engineering educa­tion—fundamental sciences, basic engi­neering subjects, a n d specialized engineer­ing studies. Â certificate will be issued to students leaving school a t t h e end o f any one of the three blocks.

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