Evening star., 1940-10-16

nothing for it to do.
And so it was not until last
Wednesday-two and a half years
after the Navy first called atten-
ton to the need-that the President
finally signed this bill with this
necessary provision.
Everybody in sight now says he
was for this provision.
So am asking why it took two
and a half years after the Navy S
request to get action on this mat
ter, so vital to national defense.
Yesterday, the Secretary of the
Treasury told the press that the
President has appointed a commit
tee of four men to coordinate and
speed up production of airplanes for
defense purposes.
The need for this was obvious
five months ago, when the Presi-
dent asked for $4,000 planes.
Delay in Army Housing
Plan Is DeplOred.
This morning I pointed out that,
with conscription effective tomor-
row. the Army has announced it
can house only 100000 men and that
it will take them year to provide
adequate housing for 100000 men.
need not dwell upon the neces-
slty OF adequate housing for our
men in the winter time. You all
know it, and you all know the pos
sibilities of sickness and influenza
that are involved.
No reason is supplied why, with
an ample supply of building mate
rial and skilled men available in
the country. so much as year
from now should be consumed.
In the fall of 1899. after the in
vasions Of countries in Europe had
commenced, the War Department
submitted its estimates of its es-
sential needs. The President cut
more than half a billion dollars
from the War Departments request.
The procurement of tools. cloth
ing and essential medical supplies
was delayed. The air pilot training
program was cut. Among other
things, work on Government
arSenals was prevented.
We now find ourselves in a de-
1enseless condition and subjected to
unnecessary and prolonged delays.
Why? Because this administrat ion
Is incompetent to get things done.
Defense Board Lacks
Authority and Chairman.
A wise administration in the first
place would have listened with re-
spect to the men in the departments
and whose profession was that of
arms. 1t would have delegated
authority to others and help them
responsible for the result.
But even today the National De-
fense Advisory Commission has
neither authority nor a chairman.
Underlying these immediate
causes Of delay. procrastination and
failure is the inability Of the New
Deal to recognize that our defense
depend upon the same thing that
our peacetime security depends on.
That is to say. upon production.
The New Deal has never under
stood how to produce, or the uses
Of production of goods.
1t has preached scarcity and de-
feat from the beginning.
Eight years ago the third-term
candidate told us that "a mere
builder of more industrial plants =.
is as likely to be a danger as a
help"
Those Of our people who are out
of work do not regard builders of
industrial plants that supply more
jobs as a danger.
Those of our people who are in
business and engaged in the buying
and selling of goods do not regard
more industrial plants designed to
furnish more goods as a danger.
Production Called Key
To Nations Security.
Those of our people who are en-
gagged in the various professions that
serve the producers and traders of
the country. such as lawyers and
doctors, do not regard more indus
trial plants producing more goods
as danger.
The farmers of our Nation, who
must sell their products to others of
our people, do not regard more in
dustry, more production, more goods
flowing in commerce, more jobs for
people, as danger.
I deny that in the production of
goods of jobs, of commerce there
is any danger.
In such production lies the present
security and the entire future of our
people.
Restrictions imposed upon that