◆ SpookStack

Americans do a good bit of moving from job to job and from onc locality to another in pursuit of personal advancement. When such moves are made necessary hy a change in public policy, however, the nation has a responsibility to help. * Workers, too, have their responsibility, both as participants in the eco- nomic process and as citizens. Anyone working on military orders, a field subject to sudden strategic changes as well as the change that would accom- pany world disarmament, would be well advised to keep an eye on job alternatives, to make personal plans to retrain, and to press actively for whatever public measures he feels are needed. Keeping a constant flow of accurate, up-to-date job information, with special reference to coming changes, would do much to ease individual ad- justments. This is a permanent need, along with unemployment benefits and insurance on a realistic seale—for sufficient time periods to cover job changes. These steps call for cooperation among many agencies and all sections of the country. Definite plans have to be made and carried out, but this is not likely to happen unless the people most directly concerned— organized labor and management associations—really go to work on it. All of the steps suggested are quite practical in the framework of a national policy for the fullest use of national resources. More than once people in local communities have put pressure on their representatives in Washington to defeat cutbacks that would affect local industries, taking this way to try to protect their family and community interests. If the Government had a program, known to all, for helping people in key industries and communities to make necessary adjustments, they would not feel the same urge to fight mililary cutbacks, when these could be seen as actual steps to security and peace, What about the people released from the armed forces? Will they be able to find jobs? Large numbers were released at the end of the Second World War and they were quite readily absorbed into civilian life. Under similar conditions, the smaller number now in the forces should present no problem. Alter the war there existed a backlog of unfilled jobs just as there was a backlog of unfilled consumer wants. Here again, the best guarantee lies in brisk economic activity, with plenty of forward-looking projects, both public and private. The Government must not push its military personnel out into civilian life without due provision for their readjustment, Severance pay plus oppor- tunities for education and vocational training are essential. Many of the older veterans should be madc immediately eligible for pensions. The valu- able civil projects now carried on by the Corps of Army Engineers—recla- mation, flood control and the like—could be expanded during the transition, with openings for army veterans who have worked in these areas. Today's forces are increasingly made up of technically trained people who can find opportunities in civilian air transport, electronics. machine repair, computer and automation work. ' -He