The sun., 1917-11-09
Pleasure Cars TO Give Way
to Tractors. Airplane
Engines. Shells. &c.
GOVERNMENT GRATEFUL
Hope Others May Follow Ex-
ample-Coal Shortage Caus.
ing Grave Anxiety.

WAeH1SGcS. Nov. S.-Henry Ford
viii build no more pleasure automobiles
until the war II over lie will devote
his entire plant to the production of
war necessities, such as tractors, ambu.
lances. aircraft engines and shells
Through his personal representative, &.
~. Wills. he recently offered to discon-
.inue absolutely the production Of pleas
ure cars. Under this head will fall all
the ordinary runabcuts, touring cars and
small commercial trucks which the Ford
plant has turned out by the million.
Mr.. Ford's patriotic offer was nc
cepted by the Government. with tho
creates. gratitude. The shortage OF
chrome vanadiuln steel. which is needed
vitality for shells and aeroplane engines.
hae caused the greatest uneasiness
among the men responsible for putting
through on time our programme Of in
dustrial war preparations. The Ford
plant uses In peace time approximately
200 tons of chrome vanadlu'n steel a
year. All this steel vii, now go into
var work.
Tho chrome shortage which reraccs
our war programme I. due In part to
war work. but more especlaiit 10 the
shipping shortage. which make. II in-
possible to get enough ships to brirs an
adequate supply OF chrome from Rho
desia and New Caledonia where II is
produced.
Chrome supply Limited.
Government ofY'cial. declare that Il
is utterly impossible to allow sutomo-
bile manufacturers 10 consume the same
amount OF chrome as In time OF peace
and at the same time TO have enough
legt to Nil our war demands. Hence
the recent decision Of the War Industries
Board 70 cut down the production Of
pleasure automobiles In the United
States by 10 per cent.
But there are other reasons for turn
ing the automobile factories to war
work There is such a shortage Of coal
throughout the nation that many steel
mills engaged in war work have had to
shut down portions Of their plants. In
the face of this fact II Is insisted by
Government oficlals that II is little short
OF n crime against the nation TO allow
coal to be supplied "a industries en-
gagged IN the production of non-essen-
tials. Dr. Garfield has repeatedly an
nounccd that the coal supply Of nom
It is expected that the Fuel Administra-
tion will take action in this direction in
the very near future.
Furthermore the transportation sit
uation IL such that tho railroads are un-
able TO haul sufficient coal for both non
essential industries and essential indus
tries Mr. Ford IL receiving the highest
praise for his frank facing OF this situa-
ton and his action in doing his bit to
reduce the non-essential demand for
chrome. coal and freight cars.
No Radical Action to he Taken.
II .s hoped by the Government that
the committee OF automobile manufac-
turers which now has under cons!dera-
tion the reduction of the output OF
pleasure automobiles will he inspired by
the same patriotic motives that moved
Mr.. Ford. II IL insisted by the Govern
ment officials who are handling this
matter that there would be enough war
work to keep every automobile factory
In the nation going full time and over
time even IL the production OF pleasure
automobiles should be abandoned alto
gether. Such radical action as this
however, Is not contemplated for the
present, as II Is desired to keep the SELL
ing organizations OF the various fac
tories Intact
Henry Ford has offered voluntarily TO
do the thing which the automobile manu-
facturers OF nearly every nation at war
have been compelled to do. In Ger
many shortly after the outbreak o.
var the use Of specified list OF raw
materials for anything but war work
was forbidden. This list included steel,
copper. leather and all other commodI-
ties useful in war. Manufacturers not
merely Of automobiles bu, Of such ar
ticles as pianos had to turn their plants
at once to the production Of shells and
other munitions. An Industrial meta
morphosis was produced In q surpris-
ingly short time.
To-day the German official fig
ures indicate that moro than 90 per
cent. Of tho industries OF the nation are
engaged In war work. II the United
States IL to carry the industrial burden
OF the war successfully there must be
a similar. though less radical. turning
Of industry from non-essential to war
work here.