Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1940-12-27
BY HUGH S. JOHNSON

THE MORE I hear about il,
the surer I am that Phil
Murray is right - at least in
part. There is a tremendous res
ervoir of machine, tool capacity
and skilled tool and pattern
makers idle in this country at a
time when mass production is
our greatest need. and it isn't
coming.
In talking with a considerable
variety of people, as it is part
of my job to do, l find much
confusion about what machine
tools really are.
have fair idea because in
my varied career of jack-of-all-
observation-disclosures, was
once responsible for forge shop.
a machine shop, an engine and
an automobile factory-such as
they were.
MANY people seem TO have an
4'l idea that machine tools are
like a carpenters box of tools
saws, planners, chiSels, square
and maybe. plumbbob and a ball
of blue chalk.
They aren't like that at all;
volumes have been written on
what they are like and ii is not
my purpose to try TO reproduce
those volumes here. further than
to say that machine tools are
the instruments of American
mass production.
They have enabled us to pro-
duce an automobile for, say,
$500. that in another country,
with other methods, would cost
,000-and to produce them by
thousands a day where, in an
other method. we should do well
to produce 10 day.
THEY are giant stamping ma
L chimes that produce a whole
automobile frame, for example,
in one operation.
They are batteries of machines
that receive raw iron at one end
of, the production line and turn
out completed butt-welded and
painted steel pipe at the other
on a flat car. with scarcely
human hand intervening.
They are forging machines
that will do on a single trip what
il would take a battery of black
smith rnTCG n1OH1f1S 70 uU' THY
are drill-presses, lathes and
automatic screw machines that.
set to the proper gauges, VIII
turn out in a few motions hun
dreds of perfected parts of this
or that complicated piece OF
machinery of instruments OF
modern mechanical warfa are,
with more accuracy than all the
ancients ever dreamed.
DUT these things do go in bat
ID teries. Their operations have
to be planned months, if neces-
sary, in advance. -
When Henry Ford canned his
old tin Lizzie, it took him more
than a year TO gear his factories
to the new models. The story is
that. becoming dissatisfied with
a relatively unimportant part OF
one design, he kicked the whole
machinery plan out the window
and delayed new production ~
months at a cost of millions.
Old Ford dealers know all
about this.
Some consideration Of this
brief sketch will suggest how
important are tool makers TO
swift mass production. 1t isn't
lust that they make the work
ing tools for the machines that
produce these miracles. They
also make the tools that make
the tools that do the job.
THERE are no words adequate
L to express the Importance oil
these men to any production
program.
What Phil Murray says is that
there are about 10000 of them
unemployed. or only part-tlme
EMPLOYED. That's a considerable
percentage of the total. Here is
our real bottle-neck.
Part of this is due to the
habits of our industry. These
men are paid very high wages
because they don't expect to be
employed more than a few
months a year. Nqw we need
them all the months
The habits aren't important.
What this situation needs Is
spark-plug and he hasn't yet
appeared.
In the World War, the slogan
was: 1T can't be done-but here
it is"
Today, the slogan seems to
be: 1T can't be done Where
is the man, can't we get some
action without declaring war?
Distributed by United Features Syn. Incl
If this be happy new year,
-E..I.ra .gnAr. ~