Evening star., 1940-12-14
Text of Knudsens Talk on Arms OUTPUT
Defense Official Asks War Boss Calls Effort Unsatisfactory

NSNS WI OOSlSI SOIlS 6s
rived at the second stage of the
problem.
Labor and Industry Not "Sold."
What can I then consistently ask
for now? The defense job to my
mind has not been sufficiently sold
to industry and labor as yet. The
public generally is sold on defense
letters that I get and word of mouth
information that I get clearly indi-
cate that the man in the street is
for defense 100 per cent and wants
to see lot of material turned out
before he feels secure. But have the
two most important elements, in
dustry and labor, been fully sold on
the serious side of the job? Condi-
tions abroad change rapidly from
day to day. The European war is
gradually taking in more and more
territory and most of us hope that
we will have the time necessary to
get prepared for defense and thus
avert attack.
Well, that might be all right, and
am not Of the worrying kind, but
after all, war depends just as much
on what the other fellow thinks as
on what we think ourselves. So I
think that the best and the only
thing the United States can do and
must do under the circumstances Is
to prepare swiftly and we'll to pro-
tect ourselves-for by doing that I
feel that we have the only insurance
policy against attack.
It is our responsibility to see that
this is done in record time and that
we proceed right here and now to
show the world that we can do the
things We have been so wishfully
forecasting the last six months. I,
myself, have done my share of wash
ing, and I am still betting that the
tooling up can be done quickly, but
I have to call your attention to some
of the things I see which I think
could help put still more steam into
the picture.
Asks War Basis.
Friday night has become the big
night in most of our industrial pic
ture. 1t used to be Saturday night
we have cut 20 per cent of our ma
chine time. Can we afford to do
this? Can't we stop this blackout.
this lack of production, from Friday
to Monday, and get more use out
of the equipment? We can train the
men to operate it. Isn't it possible
to put the defense job on war basis
even If we are at peace? When I
think of the seriousness Of the whole
world situation where the Americas
are the only spot where freedom and
law still have a foothold, I wonder
if We are not justified in doing just
that. Have we done everything we
can to utilize existing facilities and
offer them to companies having de-
fenSe contracts? Can we subcon-
tract more Of our work and spread it
SO as to make speed and more speed
that way? Every manufacturing
concern which has a defense con-
tract should be informed Of idle
facilities in the locality so as to con-
fine the new equipment as far as
possible to special machinery.
Our machine tool industry Is
working hard and we'll on their Job
A recent survey shows that IT 115
companies 86 reported subcontract-
ing as follows: Twenty-three re-
ported complete machines, SO re-
ported subassemblies, 80 reported
parts subcontracted, IS reported ex-
pansion averaging 80 per cent OF
plant area and employment has been
practically doubled in a year. Pro-
duction of machine tools Is esti-
mated at so per cent increase in
1941 over 1910 and total value,
$500, ,000,0 Another valuable point
in connection with the machine tool
industry is that you get your orders
placed promptly 50 as to insure
proper planning. An example of
this was recent instance where 80
machines had been omitted from
the original order through an over
sight and had to be arranged for
The machine tool industry has set q
very good example of speeding up
before us and it Is about the way
other items of defense will have to
proceed If we are going to make
time.
Not Meeting Plane Quota.
The aircraft industry is still in
the expanding stage-in fact, it will
be IN the expansion stage until
spring. Still, while the production
is far from satisfactory, We ought
to gain from now on. Most Of the
heavy combat planes are new models
not heretofore in production and
this has slowed the job up. The
engine companies need equipment
In fact, 20 per cent of all untitled
machine tool orders are for the
aviation industry, 81 per cent is for
the Army and Navy and other de-
fense jobs, % per cent Is for foreign
customers and the balance covers
miscellaneous. There is one ques-
ton in aircraft which I think should
be realized. and that is that one
plane is recorded as one plane
whether 1t weighs 1000 pounds or
1000 pounds and whether it has a
350-horsepower training engine or
four 1,250-horsepower fighting en-
gines. There is no use worrying
about the light planes-we can get
them. On fighting planes we are
in pretty fair shape, but bombing
planes from 10000 pounds up to the
heaviest take time and they must
be worked out for real production