Evening star., 1940-07-17
Text OF, Defense Commission Report
Divisions Report Progress in obtoinins Materials,
In Production, Labor Supply and Other vito Fuctors

~
FollotDtnu Il the teri OF the
Defense Comn,tsston report Which
President Roosevelt issued at hts
press conference yesterday. .Dith
the comment that It reflected er-
trensely good progress.
FROM EDWARD r. STETTINIUS,
Jr., MATERIALS DIVISION
Through the prompt cooperation
Of the r. F. G. and the Treasury
with this division substantial sup
plies Of strategic and critical raw
materials are being acquired. Ac-
tual purchases have been negotiated
and the material loaded aboard
ship within q period Of three or
four days after the availability of
the product was made known. This
division. through the cooperation
between experts In various Gov
ernment agencies and specialists on
the STAN Of this division, has made
surveys Of the entire field Of stra-
tegic and critical materials. Where
bottlenecks which might develop in
connection with q total defense ef-
fort have been discovered, "red
flags" have been marked on the
chart and detailed study is then
made to explore every possible
means Of relieving the pressure that
might develop.
For example, we have always been
dependent upon imports for rub
Der. BY the end Of the month 1t is
expected that a plan will have been
worked out whereby 1t would be
possible In an emergency to supply
most of our needs through the man
ufacture Of synthetic rubber.
One point Of concentration at
present involves the production of
l00-octane gasoline. This product
is essential to the airplane program,
and substantially increased produc-
ton Is being worked out to assure
the air services Of ADEQUATE SUD-
plies. Plans are under way for the
storage of large quantities of this
gasoline at strategic locations under
ground.
Industry Co-operates
On Supply Of Tin.
This division is working on plans
to relieve our dependence upon for
eign smelters for our tin supply
and has obtained the cooperation
OF industry to this end.
MIR. Stettinius, Mr.. Knudson and
Gano Dunn, the division head S
senior consultant. went before COM
mittees of the House and Senate
to urge expansion of the T. v, AS
power-producing facilities in the
total amount of Sos 900 900. of
which $25 ,000, 900 was to be available
for construction during the current
fiscal year. Both committees report
ed out the proposal favorably, but
Representative Mclean, Republican,
OF New Jersey, objected to considera-
ton by the House and was sup
ported by Representative Taber. Re-
publican, New York. and Repre-
sentative Dirksen, Republican, of
Illinois. This made passage impos-
sible before recessing for the con-
vention. This division has taken
the position that it is absolutely
essential to the national defense
that the T. v. A. power production
be Increased in the amount asked
Delay of a few weeks in authorizing
this undertaking might mean delay
Of q year in filling the dam for the
generation OF power, as it is neces-
sary to catch the flood waters next
spring. sg@'1
Considerable Of the work OF this
division is highly technical and OF
astrictly confidential nature, max
ing 1t impossible at this, time to
disclose a number of its activities.
FROM WILLIAM s. KNUDSEN
PRODUCTION DIvISION-From
June 6 to date, this division has
cleared contracts in the amount of
1851 ,98l ,494, which represents ST.
800, ,575, ,404.87 for the Navy and $27l.-
Sl6,089 Is for the Navy. Material
covered under these contracts in
cludes airplanes, tanks, battleships
ammunition. anti-tank guns, anti
aircraft searchlights, machine guns
various fire-control precision instru-
ments, tractors, trucks, blankets
overcoating. serge cloth, worsted
shirting, service shoes, ship propul-
sion machinery, storage batteries for