Evening star., 1939-01-13
PIants Sufficient
For Air Defense,
Roosevelt Thinks
Only BottIeneck Exists
In Skilled Labor,
He Declares

AS unGecLdred U0rS rage on tUO
continents and the 1Uorld'S states
men SerUe unStdteSmGnltke de-
nadnds and threats on each other,
the United States is tollolUinq the
pack in q great race for drn1d-
nent. With emphasis being placed
ON ,Ddr in the air, the bulk of
President RooseueltS S552 900, 900
proposed program, deals 1Uith er-
pdnSton OF that branch OF the
serDice.
by the Associated Press.
President Roosevelt expressed the
belief today that sufficient plants
existed to build new planes for the
Nations defense Some plants, he
added, may have to work two or
three shifts.
The President told a press con-
ference that the only lag or bottle
; neck may lie in obtaining a sufn-
cient number of skilled plane fac
tory Workmen
Mr.. Roosevelt estimated that Is
per cent of the labor needed for the
nlane- building job would have to be
skilled in the aircraft art He said
the other IS per cent could be de-
veloped rapidly by utilizing labor
from automobile and other indus
tries.
Some plants, the President assert
ed. probably would have to be eX-
panded. All the new planes. except
certain experimental craft. would
be constructed in private factories,
he added
The Chief Executive said new
guns would be made in Government
plants as in the past and that he
believed sufficient capacity existed
for building aUguns required.
Quizzcd About New Roads.
Asked whether new roads would
have to be constructed to move the
mobile anti-aircraft and other
equipment, the President said
great deal of interest was being dis
played by Congress in building
transcontinental and north and
south highways.
He indicated w. P A. labor might
be available in larger quantities for
such highway construction, if and
when they are approved, because
most local improvements, such as
sewage and other city projects, had
ben taken care of in past and cur
rent Work-relief programs.
Referring to conferences he has
nad with Assistant Secretary of the
Navy Charles Edison on efforts to
speed up shipbuilding. Mr. Roosevelt
said the Government was doing ali
it could to eliminate any lags.
He said there were no labor diff
eulties, but that there had been a
general effort by many navy yards
to keep employment going at an
even rate throughout the yeal. and
this had a tendency to slow up the
length of time to build war vessel,
Guam Plans Stir Fight.
Naval plans for immediate fortif-
ration of the island of Guam loomed.
meanwhile, as a possible focal point
for furious congressional debate
over the Presidents $552,000,000 de-
fense program. !
Well-informed legislators said the
project pointed toward a complete
reorientation of American policies
in the Far East
The Presidents defense message
to Congress yesterday Endorsed the
suggestion of naval board for i'm
mediate establishment of a major
air and submarine base on the is
land-only about 1900 miles from
TOXIC.
Advantages of Base Listed.
Such a base, the board said,
would:
/. Assure practical immunity of
the Philippines against a major at
tack.
2. Reduce to its simplest terms the
defense of Hawaii and the continent
tai coast of the United States.
3. Assure the ability of the Ameri-
can fleet to operate with greater
freedom in meeting emergency condi-
tons that might arise in the Allan
tic
Toxic already has eyed with an
noyance the establishment of an
American trans-Pacific commercial
airline which has way points at
Honolulu, Midway. Wake and Guam.
japanese newspapers said these is
lands could be used for military as
we'll as commercial planes.
The airline was started late in
1895.
Agreement in 1922 Ended.
Under the Washington naval
treaty of 1922 Japan agreed not to
fortify it's inundated islands in the
Guam area. The treaty has expired,
and some members of Congress de-
clared Japan already has gone ahead
with Notifications.
Chairman Vinson of the House
Naval Committee said he favored
making Guam impregnable at the
earliest possible date. His group
may start consideration of the pro-
posal next week.
On the other hand, Representa-
tive Brewster, Republican, of Maine,
who fought much of the administra-
tons naval expansion program last
year, expressed COnVlCClOn the Guam
project would touch off a congress
sional controversy beside which
last years naval debate will pale
into insignificance.'
While administration leaders eau
tiously voiced hope that the entire
defense program would win speedy
House and Senate approval, express
sions of many Democratic and Re-
publican members evidenced a de-
sire to examine in detail exactly how
and why the money would be spent.
Democrocies Heortened
BY u. 5. Defense Plans
By the Associated Press,
LONDON Ion - pror;dept