Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1941-06-09
Army Hogs
Aluminium
Despite Lack
Big Cu'prit in Delaying
Aircraft Production
BY PAUL MALLON


WASHINGTON. June 9.-One
" big reason the President
must have his "all powers" bill,
says War Secretary StimSon, is
because shortage of aluminium
and other raw materials lis
holding up vital elements of air.
craft production" He was quite
sharp about IT,
Yet while he was speaking,
Congressman were hand ing
around a current copy of the
United States Government Adj
vertiser indicating the chief Gull
prit cOrnerlng aluminium was
Stimson's own army quarter
master. The Advertiser listed
contracts announced by Slim
sons subordinate bureau only
a few days before, May 81, In
Guiding these:
For SGT 500 Of aluminium in
serts for food containers, 10 the
Aluminium Products Co, La
Grange. Ills.
A second contract with the
same concern for Sol 1913 of
aluminium water pitchers.
A contract purchase of $3.50
ABS aluminium coffee pots and
drips from the Aluminium Cook
ing Utensils Company, New Ken
sington, Pa.
COME days earlier StlmSons
~ quartermaster had announced
purchase of 100000 aluminium
syrup pitchers for $4,000 from
the Aluminium Goods Manu-
featuring Company, Manitowoc,
Wis.
Apparently the power Stimson
needs first is=the peMen=ef
speech TO inform his quarter
master division 10 stop holding
up vital elements of aircraft
production. "
How this could happen in a
well-regulated department is
hard to ascertain satisfactorily.
The war department explanation
is that the quartermaster corps
did not know there was an
aluminium shortage holding up
plane manufacturing, until mid
May when OPM Adviser w. l..
Bratt told Congress. They are
too busy to read the papers, APP
parently. BY that time all the
contracts had been let, they say.
Bids were asked March 49,.
opened April 7. contracts
awarded April %, but not an
nounced for six weeks. That is
their story.
TNHE OPM says when it dis
l. covered what happened on
food inserts il asked the quar-
termaster general TO reconsider
(meaning canceD the contracts
and try steel instead. The war
department replied steel would
make the containers too heavy
to be carried from food kitchens
UP TO the front lines.
Anyway the contracts could
not be cancelled entirely because
over half of the utensils had
then been delivered.
The only change made W a
the insertion of an amendment
into all the contracts. This spec
flied only alumium on hand, or
utensils already in stock could
be used by the manufacturers.
No prioritieS would be granted
to take aluminium directly away
from planes, and none were.
How much good this accom-
plished is questioned by OPM
where skeptics doubt that any
manufacturer has $4,000 water
pitchers lying round on his
shelf, or could afford TO store
!, that much metal. And The army
fa-ciairnS most Of the utensffS haR
Then been delivered
The army concluded that mas
much as glass or tin utensils
would cost more, and the evil
had been done IL would stick to
its course and is still stuck
with il.
THIS makes IT plain when the
Il government comes shortly
TO going around Knocking on
doors and asking housewives for
aluminium pot and pan contribu-
tons, the first door that should
be approached is that of the
quartermaSter general He GER
tainly has more of those things
than any one else.
The door-to-door collection
campaign will start early IN
July on a nationwide scale. The
experiments conducted in Rich.
mond, Va. and Madison. Wis
last week were great successes
indicating citizens were glad tC
make this contribution to tho
defense OF the nation and con.
siderable aluminium for planes
could thus be raised for planes
this time, not pitchers.
Distributed by King Features synd Inc.