Evening star., 1940-12-14

OCAO4S VIC Col 8Ct QOdAAt1I4CS. a 1Ot
Of work Is being done trying to SUBJ
contract parts Of the planes to body.
manufacturing companies and 9TH
ers. but this In some cases involves
design in order to get the best pro-
duction results and must be worked
out with the plane assembler and
the designer. Frankly, we are not
doing anything compared to the
forecast by the manufacturers and
the commission in July and our
hoped-for production figures for
January 1. 1941, of 1000 planes per
month have to be scaled down by
80 per cent to be correct.
Guns Still in Tooling Stage.
Guns and machine guns are still
in the tooling stage except for such
capacity as was ready before We
started. However, jobs that are
wholly on machines will pick up
fast when the tools are ready be-
cause the assembling is the smaller
part Of the hours per job. The same
reasoning applies to powder and its
ingredients, where the equipment
installation rapidly responds to
quantity production when finished.
Light tanks are being produced
now at the rate of four per day
and the larger so-called medium
tanks will be available from three
different plants by midsummer.
One thing, however, is sure. After
we have all these orders in the field
we shall need a lot of help from
experienced industrialists who per-
haps are not involved directly on
defense orders and who can spare
US some of their time and expert
ence to help solve problems which
may arise on material, machines,
specifications and design. 1t has
been very gratifying to me to see
how, during the last month, In fac
tories having defense jobs, great
deal of study is being given to short
en- operations over that planned in
the original estimates The good old
American ingenuity is coming into
its own and will help the elapsed
time on the job and also the quality.
I don't know whether we have
done Job yet in helping labor to
get the proper understanding of
what this defense job means to their
future and their country's future.
When look over the trend in the
occupied countries in Europe, Amer
lea is about the only spot left where
law prevails and where the man at
the bench has chance to make his
way without clicking his heels.
Worrying Too Much About Profits.
We all seem to be worrying about
how we are going to divide the
profits without giving consideration
to the fact that we ourselves have
to furnish the price to buy the
materials with. We hear 50 much
about all the things that ought to
be fixed right now. We read res
olutions from every direction. It
is my sincere hope that we will,
as far as humanity possible, try
to wipe out whatever differences
there may be that do not depart
from principles guaranteed us by
the law of the land The only
way to get this program going is
to get a concerted effort and a
cooperative effort-an incentive
fired with the spirit Of sacrifice
from everybody from the bench to
the managers desk. If we can
accomplish this, our program is
finished.
Congress has expressed the pub
lie will in laws such as the Sherman
Act, the Clayton Act, the Walsh
Healey Act and the National Labor
Relations Act and the Fair Labor
Standards Act. It has specifically
directed, by the Walsh -Healey Act,
that certain representations and
stipulations shall form part of the
requirements and conditions In
Government contracts involving over
$4,000 and has prescribed the pen
atty for violations. Congress has
conferred upon permanent, COM
petent departments; the Depart
ment Of Justice, the Federal Trade
Commission and the Labor De-
partment, each equipped with q
purpose, the power and RESPONSE
bility In various forms, to enforce
the other acts, to determine the
fact of violation, to cause the
violator to be punished and the
wronged to be indemnif1ed. Furth-
ermore, Congress has not directed
that all or any part of these other
acts be written into Government
contracts and the considered de-
cision not to do 10 Is as affirmative
an indication Of congressional
intent IS is the direction for in
clusion Of the Walsh-Healey Act.
Believes In Labor's Rights.
I am wholly in sympathy with the
rights of labor under the law. I
am happy to see the published ex-
pressions by labor of their Wiling
ness to mediate any difficulty be-
fore resorting to strikes, but I have
also faith in labor's acceptance of
the spirit of fair play and the ne
cessity for avoiding discrimination
against industry equally as unfair
as discrimination against labor. I
cannot regard our people as divided
in essential interest so that we
should consider labor and industry,
or any other groups, as other than
parts Of q compact national body.
I cannot believe that either needs
to be coerced or purchased, in the
invidious sense. I believe all will
do a intend To do: Obey the orderS