DEFENCE WORK IN U.S.A.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume 77, 16 February 1942, Page 2

DEFENCE WORK IN U.S.A.

INCREASED WORKING HOURS Washington, Feb. 14., President Roosevelt has emphasised! jthal. excess personnel must be effective-j !ly channeled into defence jobs. He j pointed out that it was a congressional I function as to which, if any. Governi ment agencies should be curtailed and j which were considered unessential. ! Mr Roosevelt disclosed that Federal j agents had been informed that it was ! imperative to increase the manpower [on defence work by extending weekly! hours of work. Department executives, had received a direction which noted 1 that practically all Government departments and services had lengthened their working week voluntarily from i 39 to 44 hours. Mr Roosevelt said it was necessary to capitalise on this increase of hours, since it released experienced employees for war work and helped to relieve the shortage of housing for individuals ana Government offices in Washington. RUBBER SUPPLIES Mr Roosevelt said everything that' could be done to get vital rubber from | Brazil was being done. The minimum obtainable was probably 15,000 tons, j and anything above that must come ; from the jungles. It was a considerable i problem getting people into the jungles | and getting the rubber out. but it was possible to obtain as much as 70,000 The Commerce Secretary, Mr Jesse Jones, and the War Production Chief. 1 Mr Nelson, in a joint statement warned j the people of the United States that! the tyres now on their passenger auto- ! mobiles were all they would get till j the war ended. The statement is be- ! lieved to have been issued in order to | halt widespread rumours that the Government had large stocks of rubber which it was withholding from manufacturers, but which would be made available for civilian consumption some j time in the future. On the contrary, | the statement declared: '“Unless we restrict all civilian use of rubber to bare | essentials we shall not have enough for our military machine in the next two years.” The War Production Board has ordered radio manufacturers, to con- j vert their entire facilities to arms pro- 1 duction within four months. If this is not done the Government will take over the unconverted plants.

Declaring that every suggestion of compromise must be rejected, Mr Thomas Dewey said that he had been informed that the “American Cliveden Set” in Washington and other cities was scheming to end the war short of military victory. He added: “They are awaiting the time to come out into the open with plans for a negotiated peace, but we shall wage this war to total victory.’’—P.A.