Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1940-09-09
Machine Tool Jigsaw
Is Major Puzzle
In Building Defense
Commission Slows Some
Works, Speeds Others
To Solve Problem

This is the sirth OF series OF
articles prepared by the National
Defense Commission to otUe the
public background on the cur
rent program OF Building for De-
tense"
The President has asked, and the
Congress has appropriated S10,-
900 100000 to equip an Army of
100000 men, and to provide for q
two-ocean Navy. The problems Of
building that much equipment for
defense are many and complex.
Before we get through there are, Of
course, going to be lot of head
aches, but the job of the Defense
Commission is to keep things run
ming smoothly.
The Army and Navy have set
up the amounts of equipment they
need. Designs have been prepared
and specifications written. Manu-
facturers and contractors are being
invited to bid on producing the
materials.
Both the Army and Navy, of
course, want to get their full equip
ment practically the day before the
President asked for the money. 1t
is their Job to be prepared. So they
have set dates for delivery OF large
orders starting Immediately and
running on through the next couple
of years. The Defense Commission
Is clearing billions of dollars worth
of Army and Navy orders. The con-
tracts have been signed and con-
tractors are going to work.
Experts to Worry.
The first thing a contractor or
manufacturer does when he gets a
contract is start worrying about raw
materials and where he is going TO
get them. But he is late on the
lob because the commission had a
whole crew of experts worrying
about this a long time ago, For
instance. about the time he thinks
there isn't any tungsten for his
high-speed cutting tools, the COM
mission comes along ana says:
L
tungsten just came in from China
last week. That happened because
three months ago we knew that this
would be q strategic raw material
and we provided some tungsten. 1t
is already sitting in a stock pile
waiting to be used. The commission
and the Army and Navy Munitions
Board have been concentrating
their energies on locating adequate
supplies and seeing that they are
handy"
The next thing the manufacturers
do is reach for the nearest cata-
loeue and start ordering machine
tools. Naturally, they want the
machines delivered early that after
noon so that they can go to work
turning the raw materials into de-
tense materials. When hundreds OF
manufacturers all start doing the
same thing, it is obvious the ma
chine tool industry can't deliver
It takes sometimes months to build
one of these tools which can turn
out hundreds of perfect items an
hour when it gets going.
Preference Classification.
Therefore, one of the commits
eions jobs has been to set up pref
erence classiflcations for delivery
of these machine tool orders.
1t works out something like this.
A contract is let for a battleship.
The shipbuilding company wants
machines to cut up the steel plat
Ing for the ships bottom. At the
same time. the subcontractor who
is making steel panels for the radio
sets to 60 on the ship wants SIM
liar type of machine to cut up the
steel sheets in the radio panels
That is pretty easy to settle because
the radio sets won't be needed until
the ship is completed, but the plates
for the ships bottom are needed
right here and now. So the COM
missions problem is to meet with
the manufacturer of radio panels.
They show him he can deliver on
time if he doesn't get his machine
in a hurry. Then the machine tool
factory can produce machines for
turning out the ships bottom now
when they are needed. When that
is finished, they get to work on the
machines for the next section sched-
uled for delivery.
Meet With Services.
So far it Is pretty simple. But the
manufacturers of aircraft, and the
manufacturers of tanks, and the
manufacturers of guns, and the
manufacturers of parts, all want
their machines delivered for their
separate orders. Then the commits
sion has to meet with the Army
and the Navy and discuss priorities
within the services as to which type
of arms are needed first and in what
quantities. The commission in turn
meets first with the manufacturers
of planes, tanks and guns, and helps
work out the schedules with them
Finally, the Commission meets with
machine tool manufacturers and
works out the schedules for produc-
ing machine tools for the nanufac-
turers who will produce the actual
arms.
The commission, with the Army
and Navy Munitions Board, has al
ready worked out system of pref
erence classifications designed to in
dictate the order in which the Army
and Navy require contracts to be
executed by industry. Each order
will have preference classification
assigned by the Munitions Board
The date set for delivery will lbe the
primary consideration. If the con-
tractor is concerned that he won't
get his materials in time to make
the delivery date, the commission
the Army and Navy. will take &C.
ton to see that he does.
System Is Voluntary.
A survey disclosed that there is nc
present need to invoke legal author
ity to enforce priorities on defense
orders. The system will be volun.
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