Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1940-10-10

.toiou W "iiS -
New Deal politi-
clans, but from David Lawrence.
a public speech just delivered be-
fore the Army Ordnance Associa-
ton by William Knudsen of the
National Defense Advisory Commits
sion.
The picture is something like
this" he said. 1--WE are scheduled
to turn out 1,133 planes in October
/ think we will get around 900 to
$50"
This is the first revelation Of the
Presidents failure, but it empha-
sizes how far wrong Mr.. Roosevelt
went when he told the American
people in a formal message to
Congress last May that American
airplane capacity, which had been
about 5000 planes per year, was
very soon to be doubled so it would
be 10000 during this year. The
Knudsen figures show not only that
airplane production is behind sched-
ule, but that the Presidents predic-
ton to Congress will not be fulfilled
till January next. The revised fig
ures now predict 5000 per month by
the spring of 1912.
Says Effort Is Sabotaged.
With Germany producing at least
$500 planes per month, and with
America able to produce 5000 per
month if the men who know produc-
ton could only have full authority,
the tragic fact is that the New Deal,
despite its best intentions and patrl-
otto endeavors, has sabotaged its
own defense program.
The reason for this is sheer in
efficiency and incompetence in
Washington, as we'll as political
selfishness. The New Dealers do
not want to surrender any power
to the businessmen, and the Presi-
dent backs up his radical advisers
hence production lags.
Mr.. Roosevelt is being praised by
his supporters as a man Of great
Experience, who ought to be re-
tanned in Office because he knows
80 much about foreign affairs
What is needed today, however is
not a knowledge of diplomatic in
trigues of Europe but knowledge
of domestic affairs-production and
industrial organization.
Predicts Intense Indignation.
In that field the President is
foundering hopelessly, and if the
Nazis were today bombarding Amer
lean cities the indignation of the
American people over the shameful
neglect of our defenses would know
no bounds. Their indignation
year hence will be intense when
they find that even simple sched-
ule of airplane production projected
since last May has not been met.
But it will do no good to be in
dignant a year from now if the
people have bound themselves for
four years to third-term Presi-
dent who cannot be removed till
1914.
Mr.. Roosevelt has had his chance
to organize the national defense
since Holland and Belgium were in
vaded last May and has signally
failed He is not temperamentally
suited to organize things that in
volve business and industrial proc
esses. and, while he does summon
to Washington business and indus
trial executives, he makes them
office boys for the New Dealers,
and they cannot do anything about
the hamstringing radical expert
ments being conducted by those
same New Dealers. Mr.. Roosevelt
has unfortunately worried about the
c. I. o. vote all summer, and the
defense program has suffered.
Mr.. Knudsen's patience has been
strained to the breaking point. He
said in his New York speech, for
instance, that New Dealer Robert
jackson, who holds the important
ONCE of Attorney General, had made
a mistake in insisting that defense
contracts must be tied up to Labor
Board rulings.
Only One Instance.
Il think that's going too far"
said Mr.. Knudsen. Certainly the
Defense Commission has no authori-
ty and does not want to undertake
the Job Of enforcing the labor laws"
This is but one instance of the
generalization that has enveloped
the defense program. A discredited
Labor Board seems more important
to the administration than defense.
The truth is that New Dealism and
the organization of America for ma
tional defense on an efficient basis
simply do not mix. The American
people in the coming election will
have to take their choice, and if
they pick New Dealism, then the
boys registering on October Is for
the draft are much more likely to
be dragged into overseas wars than
II the people vote to put in charge
q man who has the confidence Of
engineers, executives and business
men from one end of the country
to the other. Even the conservative
leaders of organized labor realize
Wendell Willkie is a square shooter
and know they can get square
deal.
What American needs today is
some one who can bring her unity,
and this will never come while the
political clique which pulls the wool
over Mr.. Roosevelt's eyes remains
in power house cleaning in