MANPOWER: Battle of the Giants

Shipbuilder Henry J. Kaiser last week gave Shipbuilder Andy Higgins tit for tat. A year ago, while H. J. scrambled desperately in Seattle to get shipyard workers, Andy Higgins blandly ran full-page ads in Seattle papers, urging workers to come to his New Orleans plants. Last week, hot on the heels of the Government’s cancellation of plane and marine-engine contracts at Higgins, Shipbuilder Kaiser had his scouts set up a desk in the U.S. Employment Service office in New Orleans, sign up Higgins workers as fast as they were laid off.

Cried Mr. Higgins, who wants to keep his workers handy while he wangles new contracts: “This is not the first time that emissaries from the West Coast cost-plus, free-spending, money-dissipating contractors have been in this territory. How long are we in Newy Orleans going to stand for these outrageous raids? . . . We still have some naval stores including tar . . . and feathers are in abundance.”

Snorted Mr. Kaiser: “I am surprised that Mr. Higgins should be the one to complain.” But the Kaiser scouts left New Orleans.