FOOD AND ICE HANDLING GIVEN SPECIAL RATING BY WMC War Manpower Commission regional directors' designation of certain trades and services as "locally needed" activities will hereafter be restricted to those in a list of 15, WMC announced May 18. Designation of any unlisted activity will be made only after review by headquarters. The effect of designating an activity as locally needed, it was explained, is to afford the employers the same opportunity to get their workers through the United States Employment Service as employers in essential activities have. Excerpts from the approved list follow: Wholesale and retail distribution of ice Wholesale and retail distribution of foods MANPOWER RECRUITED FOR THE SALMON INDUSTRY Natives of the Aleutian Islands, forced by military operations to find temporary homes on the mainland; Indians from as far north as the Arctic Circle, Filipinos, and Asiatics have been recruited by the War Manpower Commission for the army of 12,500 workers handling this year's Alaska salmon run, WMC reported May 8. In spite of the saving of manpower resulting from salmon packing consolidation, it has been necessary to employ some 1,200 more workers than last year. Reports to the War Manpower Commission show that 4,700 of the 12,544 now employed on the Alaska run are residents of Alaska. Almost all of the remainder were recruited along the West Coast and transported from Seattle. Recruitment of natives has been reported over a vast area extending into the northern wastelands of Alaska. They were transported to the salmon country by river boat, airplane, and cannery tenders from various points in the interior. Most of these workers had never been employed, but had existed by hunting, trapping, ivory carving, basket weaving, and other simple vocations. SELECTIVE SERVICE REVISES ORDERS AFFECTING OCCUPATIONAL CLASSIFICATIONS National Headquarters of the Selective Service System has recently issued Transmittal Memorandum No. 119, transmitting Local Board Memorandum No. 115, as amended May 12, 1944, to the local draft boards where copies have been placed on file. The main features of these memoranda are outlined below: The following documents of interest to the fishing industry are rescinded: A. All Activity and Occupation Bulletins (superseded by List of Essential B. Local Board Memorandum No. 115-C, Subject: Referral to United States C. Local Board Memorandum No. 115-D, Subject: Registrants engaged in D. Local Board Memorandum No. 123, Subject: Fathers to be reclassi- The following, attached to Local Board Memorandum No. 115, as amended April 4, 1944, are also rescinded: A. List of critical occupations B. Definitions of critical occupations Future deferments will depend mainly upon two conditions: 1. Registrants being in a certain age group. 2. Registrants being necessary to, and regularly engaged in, war production work for, A list of essential activities attached to Local Board Memorandum No. 115, as amended, contains the most important activities in war production and in support of the national health, safety, or interest. Of the 35 essential activities listed, two are of interest to the fishing industry--No. 5c, Commercial Fishing, and No. 6, Processing of Food. According to the Memorandum, prospects for draft deferment of registrants in the various age groups are: 1. Ages 18. through 25 Service in the Armed Forces unless they meet specific conditions; for example, Captains on fishing vessels of 20 gross tons or over. 2. Ages 26 through 29 - Registrants may be retained or placed in a deferred classification if found to be "necessary to, and regularly engaged in," activities in support of the national health, safety, or interest; or if they are found to be "necessary to, and regularly engaged in," activities in war production. 3. Ages 30 through 37 These registrants shall be retained or placed in a deferred classification if found to be "necessary to, and regularly engaged in," activities in support of the national health, safety, or interest; or if found to be "necessary to, and regularly engaged in," activities in war production. The Memorandum states further that in order to eliminate avoidable uncertainty on the part of registrants and employers, the classification of every registrant ages 30 through 37, who is in a class available for service, shall be reviewed and if the Local Board determines that he is "regularly engaged in one of the essential activities it shall reopen his classification and classify him anew (Forms 42B may be used for making requests for the occupational deferment of registrants in this age group)." WPB'S STEEL DRUM REGULATION AMENDED To facilitate the placing of orders for steel drums, to clarify further the uses for which new drums are permitted, and to assure an equitable drum distribution, a number of changes have been made in Steel Shipping Drum Order, L-197, the War Production Board reported May 27. Each order for steel drums will no longer require a specific WPB authorization, but a blanket certification must be filed with the drum manufacturer by the customer. As amended, L-197 lists in Schedule A all commodity classes for which new steel shipping drums--perfect or reject-are permitted, and establishes the packer's drum quota for each class. Schedule B lists the commodities for which new steel drums--perfect or rejectsare not permitted and provides that certain of these products may be packed in second-hand drums. Other shipping containers are available to products denied the use of steel drums. Under the previous form of L-197, the use of new drums for some commodities was permitted only on specific authorization. The new schedule anticipates any question as to drum use and therefore eliminates paper work both on the part of industry and the War Production. Board, the agency said. More flexibility in the use of drum quotas is permitted under the amended order. Packer's unused quarterly quotas may be carried into the next quarter for packing the commodity classification to which the quota was assigned, but quotas may not be transferred from one commodity group, to another. To relieve an emergency demand, 25 percent of the next quarter's quota may be borrowed. All new drums, perfect or rejects, are under quota except those purchased by or to be shipped directly to the armed forces, Maritime Commission, or under Lend-Lease. Although present quotas are slightly below usage during last year, WPB said the order will permit use of all the sheet steel that can be made available for drums and pails at this time. The supply of sheet steel for containers is limited by expanded military demands for sheet steel capacity. Under the amended order, preference ratings may not be used in the purchase of drums unless specifically assigned by military procurement agencies. Industrial ratings are eliminated. All existing ratings lower than AA-2x become void at once. Higher industrial ratings remain in effect until scheduled orders are delivered. This action is expected to facilitate deliveries, WPB said. As new steel drums are permitted to industrial users only for highly essential purposes, it is difficult to distinguish relative essentiality by ratings, the agency said. Purchasers of new steel drums, perfect or rejects, are permitted sixty-day inventories by type of drums, or total inventory of one and one-half carloads, whichever is greater. WPB PLACES CONTROLS ON WORK GLOVES To meet requirements of essential war industry workers and farmers for work gloves, controls have been placed on all production, sales and distribution, the Textile, Clothing and Leather Bureau of the War Production Board announced May 13. These controls were established with the issuance of Conservation Order M-375. The new order restricts manufacture to the type of work gloves listed, and provides that all manufacturers must file with WPB a list of the specific numbers of each style to be produced. A rating system is established, under which WFB may assign preference ratings, allocate or direct delivery of work gloves pursuant to application on WPB Form 541. Such applications are to be filed at War Production Board field offices. However, in assigning a preference rating for work gloves, WPB may specify that the rating will be valid only to obtain delivery from a designated manufacturer or supplier. The latter will be under obligation to fill such rated orders. The order also stipulates that WPB may establish minimum quantities of the specific types of gloves that each manufacturer shall be required to produce. Sectional Marketing Reviews FISHERIES OF WASHINGTON AND OREGON May was a month of comparatively poor receipts at Seattle due to the inactivity of the halibut fleet and limited receipts of salmon. During the four weeks ending May 27, there were 3,668,000 pounds of receipts recorded compared to 8,481,000 pounds received in the corresponding period in 1943. The major part of the arrivals was landed by otter trawl vessels. Fishing was handicapped in the fourth week by adverse weather conditions, according to the Fish and Wildlife Service's representative in the area. Following a lengthy tie-up of the halibut fleet, fishing was resumed late in the month, vessels with names beginning with the letters M to Z leaving for the fishing grounds on May 20, and those with names beginning with the letters A to L departing on May 26. Only a few thousand pounds of halibut were landed prior to May 27. Fresh Fish Trade THREE PORT LANDINGS IN APRIL SHOW INCREASE OVER APRIL 1943 Fishing vessels delivering their catches to the ports of Boston and Gloucester, Mass., and Portland, Maine during April landed 29,867,174 pounds of fishery products, valued at $1,768,414 to the fishermen, according to data published in Current Fishery Statistics No. 126 by the Fish and Wildlife Service. This was an increase of 11 percent in the volume but a decrease of 25 percent in the value received by the fishermen as compared with April 1943. Three items, cod, haddock, and rosefish, accounted for 87 percent of the total landings. During the month, 186 vessels made 762 trips to the fishing grounds compared with 195 vessels which made 881 trips during April 1943. The over-all weighted average price per pound received by the fishermen for their catch during April was 5.92 cents as compared with 7.58 cents during March 1944, and 8.68 cents during April 1943, while that for the first four months of 1944 was 6.85 cents as compared with 9.49 cents during the same period of 1943. The lower prices of 1944 were due in part to the application of ceiling prices. Total landings by fishing vessels at the three ports during the first four months of 1944 amounted to 81,098,249 pounds, valued at $5,556,740 to the fishermen, representing an increase of 2 percent in volume landed, but a decrease of 26 percent in value as compared with the same period of 1943. Landings by Fishing Vessels at Boston and Gloucester, Mass., and Portland, Maine By ports: Boston Gloucester 29,867,174 5.92 24,962,788 7.58 27,017,238 8.68 81,098,249 6.85 79,558,950 9.49 16,073,786 6.38 14,325,552 8.40 15,210,951 9.80 44,689,130 7.72 47,419,858 11.18 12,315,547 5.55 9,901,719 6.59 10,048,163 7.54 32,467,857 5.92 26,679,009 7.29 1,477,841 4.01 735,517 4.81 1,758,124 5.49 3,941,262 4.58 5,460,083 5.61 Weighted average of prices per pound paid to fishermen. Portland NEW BEDFORD. LANDINGS STILL ON INCREASE Landings of fishery products by craft at New Bedford, Mass., during April totaled 7,024,969 pounds, valued at $500,008 to the fishermen--an increase of 33 percent in volume but a decrease of 15 percent in value as compared with April 1943, according to Current Fishery Statistics No. 128, released by the Fish and Wildlife Service. Landings of haddock, cod, and hake accounted for 61 percent of the total. During the month, 130 craft made 307 trips to the fishing grounds. The over-all weighted average price per pound received by fishermen for their catch during April was 7.12 cents as compared with 8.75 cents during March 1944, and 11.18 cents during April 1943. Total landings during the first four months of 1944 amounted to 22,459,398 pounds, valued at $1,823,534, representing an increase of 28 percent in the volume landed but a decrease of 7 percent in the value received by the fishermen as compared with the same period in 1943. The over-all weighted average price per pound was 8.12 cents as compared with 11.24 cents during the similar period in 1943. Increased landings of fluke were reported at New Bedford during April when 294,004 pounds were landed, bringing the total for the first four months of 1944 to 362,962 pounds. During the first four months of 1943, only 225 pounds were delivered to this port. The value was considerably higher in 1944, averaging 17.15 cents per pound as compared with 7.11 cents for 1943. CHICAGO RECEIPTS DROP SHARPLY IN APRIL Receipts of fresh and frozen fishery products in the Chicago wholesale market in April were 4,481,000 pounds, a decline of 31 percent as compared with March, and 29 percent below April 1944, according to the Service's Chicago Market News office. Shellfish receipts dropped sharply as compared with both previous periods, due largely to small shipments of oysters as compared with March and low shrimp production in the Gulf of Mexico compared with April 1943. Carp, lake trout, and whitefish showed large declines compared with March caused, in the case of the latter two species, by decreased supplies from Canada. Because of the vessel tie-up on the Pacific Coast, no fresh halibut arrived in Chicago in April, contributing in a large part to a decrease in receipts of salt-water fish. Item Classification: Fresh-water fish Receipts of Fresh and Frozen Fishery Products at Chicago 3,194,000 1,116,000 April 1944 compared with Mar. 1944 Apr. 1943 Percent - 20 14,795,000 - 38 6,153,000 9 - 70 - 31 29 +136 1,885,000 22,833,000 11,706,000 Lake trout 586,000 42 - 39 1,420,000 4,419,000 |
