WAR PRODUCTION

New Zealand Herald, Volume 79, Issue 24194, 9 February 1942, Page 6

WAR PRODUCTION

INDTJSTEIAL SPEED-CP AMERICAN ARMS PROGRAMME LABOUR DEMANDS VOICE (Reed. 7.30 p.m.) WASHINGTON, Feb. 7 Mr. D. W. Nelson, head of the United States War Production Board, has warned American industry to speed up the conversion of its non-defence facilities into machines for producing war materials and essential civilian goods. The current conversion programmes under way are the automobile, refrigerator and typewriter industries. But they are only starters, and many additional 'plants must be converted to war production in order to achieve President Roosevelt's arms programme. Board's Principal Goal The heads of many industries which have not produced munitions in the past will be called to Washington during tho next few weeks to assume their share in war production. Mr. Nelson said conversion appeared to be the only straight and fast road to victory, and this would be the principal goal of the War Production Board during the next six months. A message from Detroit says that Mr. R. J. Thomas, president of the Union of Automobile Workers, accused Mr. William S. Knudsen of representing the interests of the automobile industry and not the interests of the people of the United States in his capacity as head of the defupct Office of Production Management. Mr. Thomas asserted that the Office of Production Management was abolished as a result of union charges that it was dominated by selfish corporate industries, and he predicted that the new War Production Board would meet the same fate unless it was reorganised to give organised labour a bigger voice in the conduct 'of the arms programme. Further Allegations _ He blamed the lack of planning by industrialists and their agents in Washington for the current unemployment of 300,000 workers in the Michigan automobile plUnts, which were being converted for war production. Mr. Thomas accused a small minority of industrialists of taking advantage of the "no strike" pledge given by the American Federation of Labour and the Congress of Industrial Organisations when the United States entered the war. He said that if the employers refused to arbitrate fairly in labour disputes, labour would rescind its pledge. Mr. Roosevelt held the first meeting of the War Labour Council to-day. Mr. William Green, president of the American Federation of Labour, Mr. Philip Murray, president of the Congress of Industrial Organisations, said the conference was very satisfactory, Mr. Roosevelt added that so far there had been no disagreement, but if any occurred the problems would be submitted to the "higher-ups," presumably himself and Mr. Churchill. FAMILY WILL REPAY SEQUEL TO FRAUD CHARGE SHIPPING REPAIR CONTRACT LONDON, Feb. 4 The family of the late Mr. F. W Porter, head of F. H. Porter, Limited, ship's scalers, had undertaken to reimburse all money proved to have been wrongfully obtained from the Government, the Dean of Liverpool, the Very Rev. Dr. F. W. Dwellv, said to-day. Dr. Dwelly was speaking after having conducted a funeral service for Mr. Porter. An allegation that £500,000 had been wrongfully obtained from the Government since the outbreak of war was made at Liverpool, when Miss Maud Tester, secretary of F. H. Porter, Limited, was remanded on hail until February 13. She was charged with having stolen as a servant, £SOOO from F. H. Porter, Limited, and with having conspired with Councillor Charles Rowland Clare and other persons unknown to obtain money by false pretences from Messrs. Grayson and Rollo and Clover Docks, Limited, between September, 1939, and December, 1941. Councillor Clare, one of the directors, has already been charged-before the Court. The company, it was alleged, had employed substantial numbers of boys, and the authorities were charged men's wages for boys' work on ships. When it became known that an investigation was in progress, 900 men disappeared from the company's hooks. The prosecutor said that Miss Tester was alleged to have stated that fictitious wages sheets were made up weekly for men not employed by £he company. A firewatcher going on duty in Liverpool found Mr. F. W. Porter sitting injured on the floor of a hut. He died in hospital later from a bullet wound in the head. Evidence at the inquest disclosed that a revolver was found under Porter's coat, and the coroner found that Porter had committed suicide.

FATAL MUD AVALANCHES (Reed. 5.5 p.m.) SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 7 Avalanches of mud loosened by heavy rain tumbled _ down from the slopes of Mount Davidson, in tho heart of San Francisco, and crushed six houses, killing at least two persons. The mud at present is advancing on other homes at the rate of 400 feet an hour. Firemen are leading rescue parties.