Evening star., 1940-04-07
u. 5. Lacks Ordnance
Equipment, Johnson
Tells New Yorkers
Would Take IS Months
To Supply On Army
Of 1000, 900 Men
yy the Associated Press.

By the ASSOclate0 fIeb6.
NEW YORK, April 6.-Louis
johnson, Assistant Secretary Of War,
said tonight that ''in spite Of all
measures now available some Is
months would elapse before even q
million-man army could be ade-
quately supplied with the more crit
ical items of ordnance equipment" +"
In an address before the Military
Order of the World War Army Day
banquet, Mr.. johnson asserted that
War Department plans for the mo-
bilization of man power were well
worked out so that the Army could
be expanded to 1000, 900 men in four
months but that the mobilization
setup for industry was in "a much
less complete and satisfactory state !"
II have long known" he said,
"that while in warfare the heart
aches will be on the firing line, the
headaches will be on the production
line"
27,O0O in Parade. -..
Mr.. johnson spoke after the an
nual Army Day parade in which
more than $1,000 members of the
Regular Army, National Guard and
auxiliary units marched. Industry
participated for the first time, with
floats stressing its readiness to pre-
serve peace through adequate de-
fense measures.
Police estimated that more than
200 900 persons watched the parade
on upper Fifth avenue.
While it was going on, demon
strators held a peace rally" in Mad
1son Square Park and sought to lay
wreaths at the base of the "Eter-
nal Light" World War memor-
ial. Police first restrained them from
approaching the memorial and later
arrested IA persons when they broke
through police lines.
The police said the park de-
partment had refused to give q
permit for the ceremony.
Must Supply Own Needs.
Mr.. Johnson pointed out that in
the World War the allies supplied
the United States Army with wea-
pons and munitions but stated that
mo sane American will now advo-
cate that we rely on the possibility
of better equipped allies making
good our shortage in another ma
tional emergency"
"If we ever face another war-and
God grant that we shall not-our
most important problem, and our
most effective weapon of defense,
will be the ability of American in
dustry to supply munitions and
equipment" he continued.
The Assistant Secretary cited steps
that had been taken toward ord
nance preparedness and asserted
that after a Nationwide survey,
I'VE have earmarked some 10000
-" plants for possible war work" :"
Industry, he said, was cooperating
intellectually SO that "the one
happy augury in our gloomy picture
of the giant task which may face
us is the cooperative spirit that
permeates all phases of American
society"
The aviation industry, Mr.. john
son said, was zone vital exception"
to his statement Of war industry
unprepare1ness, and this, he added,
was because the civil aviation in
dustry had had experience during
all it's existence in the building Of
military aircraft.
Sale Of Warplanes Helpful.
Speaking of the sale of warplanes
to belligerents in the present Euro
pean war, he said this has per-
mitted our aviation industry to be-
gin mobilization-hold preview for
possible war"
"Our people need not be alarmed" !"
he added, ''by critics who charge
that we are selling our military
secrets abroad, that we are weak
ening our own defensive structure
when we provide foreign buyers with
our latest production types. The
War Department will never permit
the sale of one single vital military
secret abroad. -
1T is fair exchange-one of
those fortunate bargains where both
sides gain their desired ends. Our
foreign customers get the planes
they desire when they need them;
our industry is built with foreign
capital to the proper size, and our
air force is equipped with superior
combat planes"