Research

Administrative History

In response to an appeal by the Council of National Defense, the U.S. Shipping Board, and the U.S. Department of Labor, New York organized a state U.S. Public Service Reserve, which worked in cooperation with the State Defense Council to recruit men to fill needs of ship building yards and for other services. The reserve had no power to take men from the draft; work in the shipyards placed men in a deferred class. There was no enrollment for women workers.

Neither a fee nor a physical was required of applicants. Wages and living conditions were stated when the call for workers came from Washington, D.C., and those enrolled in the reserve were free to accept or reject offers for positions.

The "Four Minute Men" organization was a branch of the Committee on Public Information commissioned to speak to motion picture theater audiences on topics of national importance. The group's New York City committee worked with the State Defense Council Speaker's Bureau to conduct a campaign publicizing the importance of ship building to the war effort and encouraging enrollment in the Public Service Reserve.