Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1940-10-03
By JOSEPH S. EDGERTON.


Aviation plant expansion pro-
grams totaling approximately $780,
600 900, which have been initiated
since President Roosevelts declara-
ton of limited national emergency
on September 8, 1899, will be COM
pleted by late spring of 194l, &C
cording to survey just completed
by the Aeronautical Chamber of
Commerce.
All this expansion is within the
aircraft and aircraft engine indus
tries and does not include eXpan-
sion programs undertaken by sub
contractors, who today have taken
over Is to 20 per cent of the air
defense construction load
The 100000 900 total is greater
by approximately $50,000.000 than
previous estimates, and the amount
of plant expansion may be still
further increased during the winter
According to the best available
estimates, the American aircraft
factories now are turning out about
/ 900 airplanes a month. of which
about half are going to Great Brit
ain. This production level is ex-
pected TO remain constant through
out the year, but the effects of
current plant expansion programs
will begin to show about January l.
During January, February and
March production is expected to
increase gradually to level of
about $500 airplanes per month.
10000 Level After March l.
Soon after March l, 194l, accord
ing to Aeronautical Chamber of
Commerce estimates. total produc-
ton will reach level of 10000 air
planes year, or about 40 per cent
of the $4,000 production total set
up as a goal by President Roose-
welt a year ago.
This level of 10000 airplanes a
year can be attained without a
very great increase in the present
aeronautical manufacturing indus
try pay roll of about l25 900, it is
estimated. The lack of supervisory
officials is one of the most serious
personnel bottlenecks acting to slow
down expansion.
AS has been pointed out earlier in
this series, the training of employees
for the aviation manufacturing in
dustry is one of the great problems
of the defense program and one
which can only be solved by the
most thorough cooperation of in
dustry and Government Vocational
schools, as well as factory schools
now are training thousands of work
ers for the industry 1t is esti-
mated that $1,000 of the $4,000
workers in the industry now are
in training. many of them for SUPER
visory and administrative positions
in which their experience can be
used to best Advantage.
Not Yet at Capacity.
The industry has not attained full
productive capacity with the plant
facilities now available. but is not
expected to change materially the
time spent in production, now esti-
mated at Do per cent OF the total
working time, computed on a basis
of "a hours a day, 7 days a week
as additional plant space becomes
available. On the other hand. as
additional employees leave the
schools the amount of time the
factories remain in operation is
expected to increase.
The power of regulating the time
actually worked by the factories is
possessed by the Army and Navy
and the National Defense Commits
sion in arranging contract delivery
dates for airplanes and engines.
These dates are determined by ne
gotiation. 1t is considered probable
the Federal Government could fur
ther speed up the delivery of war
planes today if it chose by shorten
ing the time limit in contracts now
nearing the signature stage.
AS general rule the industry is
not operating more than two full
shifts daily. time third shifts
are employed chiefly to equalize
prodIction If DartS which coppot