Evening star., 1941-09-28
Peak Of Defense
Production Seen
IS Months Away
Consumer Goods Cuts
Just Started; Arms
Activity Expands
BY PAUL GESNER and JOHN
BECKLEY.

(The Stars Special News Service)
NEW YORK, Sept. 27.-Full i'm
pact of the s55 10000 100000 defense
program on the American way of
life may not be felt for another 18
or "a months, despite the rapidity
with which arms production is ex-
panding, private business quarters
estimated today.
Each "a hours brings develop
ments in the kaleidoscope defense
panorama and, as new details of
the drive become known, revisions
of plans for the future point more
and more to expectations of a long
war.
Early in the defense effort some
Government sources estimated the
arming of the Nation might cost
100000, 100000, requiring almost
double the funds earmarked to date
and now some observers think that
amount may be low.
Sacrifices Only Begun.
One thing appeared sure as the
current week drew to close-con-
sumers have only just begun to
sacrifice the things they normally
buy, such as automobiles, refriger-
ators and water heaters.
No less an authority than Joseph
L. Weiner, assistant to Federal
Price Administrator Leon Hender-
son, said this week that further cuts
in production OF automobiles and
other consumer goods may be ex-
pected next year.
Because of the defense demand
for metal, steel available for con-
sumner use today is only 10 per cent
of that of a year ago, Weiner said.
1t may be presumed that as new
arms plants expand production the
steel situation with regard to meet
ing civilian needs will not improve
greatly until major defense require
ments have been met.
Steel production sped along this
week at 968 per cent of capacity,
slightly above last weeks 96.1, and
some circles estimated that as much
as one-half of all tonnage now being
produced might be flowing to plants
producing armaments or allied
goods.
Steel was but one indicator of the
continued speeding gait Of defense
stimulated industrial operations.
Electric power production in the
latest period. at 1922 1872 90 kiloWatt
hours, dipped slightly, but was not
far under the 1921 100000 for the
preceding week, which was the larg-
est for any week in history.
Loadings Decrease.
Railway freight loadings, at GOT 1863
cars. were 1888 under the preceding
week. a contraction accounted for
bv decreases in shipments of coal
and ore. Movement of miscellane-
GUS and less-than-carload lots OF
merchandise, often regarded as
more sensitive barometer of busi-
ness changes than the aggregate
loadings figure, was higher.
Automobile production, at 1855
passenger cars and trucks, compared
with 60,615 last week, indicated a
further expansion in output OF 1912
models. Trade sources estimated
that by the middle of next month
assembly schedules might oe close
to the top levels of production fixed
by the Government.
Buying in stores, after the big
August bulge, began following the
normal seasonal trend, with retail
sales averaging Is to % per cent
above last year for the country as
a whole. There was a feeling that
part of the heavy August business
may have been borrowed from the
autumn months.
Foods at wholesale. after the re-
cent broad rise, tended to mark time
this week. The Dun & Brass,
cash wholesale food price index hov-
cred unchanged from last week al
1888 and a cent under the 1894 q
fortnight ago, which was the high
est for the measure in - years
Advancing a little were mess pork
tea, eggs, potatoes, prunes, sheer
and lambs, while a little cheaper
were flour, wheat. corn, rye. oats
barley. butter. cocoa, beans, steers
and hogs.