WAR MATERIAL SHORTAGES

Press, Volume LXXVIII, Issue 23715, 13 August 1942, Page 5

WAR MATERIAL SHORTAGES

U.S. PLANTS AFFECTED

PROGRESS OF AIRCRAFT * PRODUCTION (Received August 12, 10 p.m.)

(N.Z.P.A.) WASHINGTON, Aug. 11. Threatened closing of war plants because of shortages of war materials have reached a point at which the United States War Production Board is considering establishing a section to deal specifically with complaints. It is feared that at least 1000 plants might be idle. War Production Board officials said that some cessations were necessary for a balanced war production, and they instanced ammunition lines which might be abandoned ip some cases to allow copper to be used for other war products. A lack of fabricating facilities and other difficulties causing a slowing down were mentioned, and also a lack of rolling mill capacity, which had retarded the production of steel plates. • The Glenn Martin factory has curtailed production because propellers were not available. This was not because of a lack of aluminium but because of a lack of manufacturing facilities. Aircraft production might not reach the President’s goal of 60,000 this year, but would come close to it, said a spokesman of the United States War Production Bo'ard, according to a Washington message. He .believed the flow of aircraft would reach 8000 a month by the end of the year to balance the lower production rate earlier. Roosevelt Questioned At a press conference Mr Roosevelt was asked many questions about lagging war production, particularly about the threatened closing down of 1000 war plants because of shortages of material. The President replied that he would have to ask the Army, the Navy, and the chairman of the War Production Board (Mr Donald M. Nelson) before authenticating the report of possible closures.

A reporter asked: “What would you think of a union steward in a war plant who deliberately told a worker to produce less than a fair day’s work?”

Mr Roosevelt wanted to know who had done that, and the reporter replied that it had happened in Flint and Muskegon, in Michigan. Mr Roosevelt' suggested that the questioner dig up the facts and names, on which he would look into the matter.

Another reporter asked the President’s opinion of various wild-cat strikes occurring almost daily, although opposed by union officers. “Where?” Mr Roosevelt asked. The reporter replied: “There was one. yesterday in a Pittsburgh steel mill.” Asked if he had seen a War Labour Board statement that the treason laws might have to be invoked if jurisdictional strikes continued, Mr Roosevelt asked for further particulars. Asked about a conference on the stabilisation of wages in aircraft plants, which had fizzled out, Mr Roosevelt said he had not heard anything of it. The Congress sub-committee which is investigating cargo aeroplanes, reported to the United States Senate the following conclusions:—(l) the Government should increase the production of medium cargo and troop transport aircraft, using more plywood; (2) it should immediately launch a large scale programme for the construction of giant cargo and troop transport fly-ing-boats; and (3) the highest priorities should be given the construction of aircraft, both combat and cargo machines.

BIG U.S. STEEL GROUPS

COMPLAINTS MADE TO SENATE

DEVELOPMENT OP ORE DEPOSITS (Received August 12, 7 p.m.) WASHINGTON, Ailgust 11, Mr Henry Landahl, representative of the Pacific American Steel and Iron Corporation, testified before the Senate Defence Committee that the Morgan United States steel group was blocking the development of rich iron ore deposits on the West Coast by thwarting efforts to finance it privately or through the Government, because this would compete with its interests. Mr Landahl said the United States Steel Corporation had prevented the development of the steel industry in the Pacific north-west since 1909. Mr Landahl estimated that his company could produce 500,000 tons of steel a year. Senator Joseph C. Mahoney, said that Mr Landahl’s story showed how the large monopolies extended their control in the international field. He declared that the Wyoming deposits had not been developed for similar reasons. „ . , The presidents of two small steel firms testified to the Senate Committee that larger companies were forcing smaller concerns out of business by refusing them raw steel. Mr John Hosack, president of Mahoning Valley Steel, and Mr A. M. Oppenheimer, president of Apollo Steel, said that their plants were operating at about threerquarters of capacity, working entirely on war orders, but Republic Steel and other big steel corporations which had been supplying them with, raw steel for many years, now refused to do so. Both witnesses asserted that there was plenty of steel-finishing capacity in the country, but its full utilisation whs prevented by the large companies which wished to control the industry.

BRITISH OUTPUT OF EQUIPMENT

HOME AND OVERSEAS REQUIREMENTS LONDON, August 11. The huge increase in the production of military equipment in Britain was referred to to-day by the Quarter-master-General of the Armed Forces (General Sir Walter Venning). He said that factories were, now turning out 50,000 tons of ammunition a week. In four days they had dispatched to Russia sufficient army greatcoat cloth to stretch from the White Sea to the Blsck Sgs In 1940 t'hey had dispatched 1,750,000 tons of war materials overseas. That figure had been greatly increased to-

day. Overseas transport, he said, had been greatly speeded up, and 26 miles of railway track had been laid in Egypt in one week. In Persia a railway had been laid from the sea to Teheran as another urgent transport job. The Quartermaster’s Department had had the full co-operation of war factories. Materials had been sent wherever required, whether at home, in Russia, or in the Middle East. The close liaison between the Army, the Ministry of Food, and leading scientists had enabled the Army to follow scientific developments. The Army had investigated dehydrated foods and boneless meat before the war and these were now in supply. During air raids Army vehicles had delivered drinking water and essential foodstuffs in huge areas like London, Birmingham, and Coventry. The department had also built new deep water docks in more than one part of the world capable of taking large ocean-going ships. General Venning, who is retiring after three years and a half in office, will be succeeded by Lieutenant-Gen-eral Riddell-Webster, who has had much experience in India and the Middle East.