U.S. WAR PLANTS

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXIX, Issue 20860, 12 August 1942, Page 4

U.S. WAR PLANTS

MANY MAY BE IDLE MATERIAL SHORTAGE CAUSES OF HOLD-UPS (By Telegraph—Press Assn. —Copyright.) (2:30 p.m.) WASHINGTON, Aug. 11. The threatened shut-downs of war plants because of shortages of war materials have reached a point at which the War Production Board is considering establishing a section to deal specifically with complaints. It is feared that at least 1000 plants might be idle. The War Production Board officials said that some cessations were necessary for a balanced war production and instanced ammunition lines which might be abandoned in some cases to allow copper to be used for other war products. Lack of fabricating facilities and excessive inventories were instanced as difficulties causing slowing down. Also, the lack of rolling mill capacity had retarded the production of steel plates. The Glen Martin Aircraft Company has curtailed production because propeliors were not available. This was not due to lack of aluminium, but to lack of manufacturing facilities. The War Production Board spokesman said that plane production might not reach President Roosevelt’s goal of 60,000 but it would be close. The flow of planes would reach 8000 monthly by December. While shipbuilding was behind schedule, the outlook was good for achieving the 1942 goals. The same applied to tanks. Steel Finns’ Complaint The president of two small steel firms testified before a Senate committee that the larger companies were forcing the smaller concerns out of business by refusing them raw steel. Mr. John Hosack, .president of the Mahoning Valley Steel Company, and Mr. Oppenheimer, president of the Apollo Steel Company, said that their plants were operating on 78 per cent and 65 per cent of capacity respectively. They were working entirely on war orders, but the Republic Steel Corporation and other big steel corporations which had been supplying them with raw steel for many years had now refused stocks. Both witnesses asserted that there is plenty of steel of finishing capacity in the country, .but the full utilisation is prevented by large companies wishing to control the industry, .