Evening star., 1940-05-24

dustrial defense expansion might
precipitate a shortage.
A housing bill already has passed
the Senate but has been held up in
House committee with slight pros
poets of passage at this session un-
less administration pressure can re-
move certain opposition.
Directly after receiving the busi-
ness group yesterday Mr.. Roose-
welt conferred with Gov. Lloyd G..
Stark of Missouri. Frequently men
toned as a possible successor to
Charles Edison as Secretary of the
Navy, if and when Mr.. Edison re-
signs to campaign for the Senate in
New Jersey, Gov. Stark said ne
had discussed the defense program
but that the cabinet post had not
been mentioned.
Another potential nominee for the
Navy portfolio, Admiral William D..
Leahy, was to have lunch with the
President at the White House today.
Admiral Leahy, former chief of ma
val operations and at present Gov
ernor of Puerto Rico, told the Asso-
ciated Press last night that friendly
acquisition by the United States of
Bermuda, Trinidad and Jamaica
might be good idea" strategically
and could more than Offset the Brit
ish debt here.
With elimination of industrial
bottle necks being prominent in the
Governments continuing study Of
manufacturing resources, Secretary
Morgenthau. in charge of co-crdi-
mating plane production, announced
that plans were being worked out
to standardize and spread the man
ufacture Of warplanes and motors
among many plants.
Morgenthau Compliments Industry.
Complimenting the industry for
100 per cent cooperation, Mr.. Nor
genthau said:
I'VE need a vast expansion Of
production, and the only way we
can get it is to concentrate our
available productive capacity on the
best types"
Mr.. Morgenthau announced the
appointment of DR.. George Jackson
Mead, vice chairman of the Ma
tional Advisory Committee for Aero
nautics, at $4,000 a year, to head
a commission of Army, Navy and
civilian experts who will decide
what types of planes and engines
should be produced. He called DR..
Mead the greatest living authority
on airplane engines.
During the day Secretary Mofgen-
thau and DR.. Mead consulted Alfred
P. Sloan, head Of General Motors
Corp, which produces Allison air.
plane engines.
May Extend Patent PolicNs
Secretary Hopkins asserted later
that the pooling of patents and the
Standardization Of production con-
templated in aircraft manufacture
might well be extended to many
other industries.
He indicated, however, that sub
stituting this policy for free COM
petition would apply only in those
industries vital to defense needs.
Manufacturers Of machine tools
were invited here for a conference
Monday, with all signs pointing OF
a tremendous demand for their
products to equip new plants.
IF they are going to take care of
the business" said Secretary Nor
genthau, they have got to step on
it."
Underlying all this preliminary
activity was the evident decision to
employ the country's mass produc-
ton methods to the fullest in meet
ing defense demands.
In line with this, Jesse Jones, Fed
eral loan administrator. asked Con-
gress for authorization to transform
the r. F. c.. if necessary, into a "de-
fense finance corporation" to supply
vital industries with capital and to
make loans for acquisition OF needed
ray materials.
A move for the conservation of
these strategic materials originated
in the House Military Committee,
which recommended that their ex-
port be licensed.
A development related to naval
affairs was the disclosure that the
Navy is working on a new Fleet
unit-an aircraft destroyer" to
combat plane attacks. Testimony
before Senate Appropriations
Committee set forth the Nays pur-
pose to convert a number Of de-
stroyers into vessels specially de-
signed for anti-aircraft work.
Britain is setting aside surplus