Evening star., 1940-07-12

mlnlStratlon has not made Spectacu-
lar and dramatic announcements
about the billions that are to be
authorized" for defense weapons,
but the simple truth is that So days
have passed without getting America
into the swing Of production so vital
to present-day conditions. "Au-
thorizationS' do not mean produc-
ton.
In normal times loss of SO days
is not important, but in less than
that number of days Norway, Den
mark, Holland, Belgium and France
have been conquered and the whole
course Of contemporaneous history
has been changed, Can America
afford to lose the time that has been
spent thus far in Washington bick-
ering and debating details, discuss
ing compromises, arguing TO! this
or that policy of New Dealism and
generally introducing a web of red
tape, the like of which has been
witnessed only in the democracies of
France and Britain when they be-
gan wrestling with the same defense
problem as it related to industrial
production?
Declares Program Begged.
Hasn't Washington learned the
lesson which has been so painfully
administered in Europe? One would
think so but the truth is Washing
tons defense program has been
begging down for several weeks.
Little has been said in the press in
the hope that some coordination
and speed would come soon. The
whole picture has been befogged by
the shrewd move of the administra-
ton in bringing prominent indus
trialists to Washington so as to give
the public confidence in the readi-
ness of the Government to give
businessmen a chance to function,
Now these businessmen will say
right off the bat that they are get
ting excellent cooperation from the
President, and it's true. The trou-
BILE is not in getting done the things
which the Advisory Commission on
national defense wants done. The
difficulty is in finding out what
the Army and Navy respectively
really want and when they want
1t, and then finding out what in
dustry and business can do to put
the weapons into the hands of the
Army and Navy at the earliest pos
sible moment.
1t is Government red tape which
&c S1NJ1riton Inuro thn Infnyoca
chine and by Government red tape
is meant the whole series of re-
strictive laws affecting the flow of
capital in America. One hardly
realizes the extent to which the
economic machine has been slowed
down by the need for permission
to do this or that. Business and
industry find themselves unable to
get contracts allotted on a basis
that will warrant the risks in
volved For several weeks now, for
instance, there has been discussion
on the all-important subject of de-
probation of plant. Until it is de-
termined the investors cannot risk
the money needed on such business
because war plants may be rendered
useless in a short time
Entered Long Discussion.
Instead of jumping into this
question and clearing the air at
once of all the restrictions which
have been besetting businessmen,
the administrators departments
and bureaus entered into a long
discussion which is only now being
ended. If it takes the Govern
ment of the United States SO days
to settle a problem like that, it
will be decades before the Ameri-
can defense machine will be ready.
While there is no need for panic
In order to get national defense
program going at full speed, it is
fact that the people of the United
States have been led to expect that
year hence America would be
engaged in mass production of va
rious weapons. Judging by the
speed exhibited thus far it will take
a year and a half to do what ought
to be done in year.
On the question of airplane pro-
duction more progress is being