The Waterbury Democrat., 1941-03-25

This observa- tion is m Q q e
 gratis, as a re-
 kusOn suit of one re- cent, unfortunate misunderstand . Ing which, given ofilcial misinter- pretation by an Ofilce of Produc- ton Management spokesman, nearly threw an entire American industry into panic, caused a price rise scare among dealers and consumers, and will take unlim- tied time to correct.
 Here's the story, and though It concerns pots and pans, 1t might just as well have been porkchops or prunes:
 A sort time ago, manufactur- CTS of aluminium ware and cooking utensils were called to Washing ton to determine what could be done about cutting down con- sumption of metaal, thus releasing more for defense industries.
 Twenty of the leading manu- lecturers In this branch of the in- dustry used about 10 per cent of the national aluminium consump- ton last year. Currently, the in- dustry Is using about percent of production, and has about three to five months supply in stock, supplementing about two months stock on dealers shelves. There is, therefore, enough aluminium ware available to take care of normal consumer demand for the rest of the year.
 JUST A SMALL
 MISUNDERSTANDING
 At the Washington conference, however one manufacturer was overheard asking in effect, well, if we go out of business, what are we ging to do?"
 It was this question, apparently, which in slightly garbled form was passed on to Robert L. Me-. hornay, one of the dollar-a-year men in o. P. M. Mehornay, in Cleveland to make a speech, held press interview in which he gave the impression that the alu- rninum utensils industry was out of business for the war, and with his remarks the fat was out of the aluminium frying pan and in- to the Are.
 The l3O00 workers in the in- dustry read 1t and wondered about their jobs. The dealers who sell the ware took & look at their stocks and started to rush In or- ders for 8 reserve. A few stores may have been led to raise prices. Consumer demand increased, which had the effect of hoarding alum mum.
 Now, all this tangled daisy chain of events was totally un- necessary and 1t could have been avoided if few men, the manu- facturer who asked needless question or others who gave 1t credence. had not started e pam icky rumor.
 Aluminium is of course a stra- tegic material, and there is not an overabundance for all pur- poses, but by careful rationing, there is no reason why there should be serious shortages for any industry -- yet - if the supply Is well managed.
 sKILLETs FOR
 NATIONAL DEFENSE
 Defense production naturally gets first call, but defense production in aluminium can mean manufacture of soup kettles for army field kitchens, or pots and pans for navy destroy CTS or mess kits for both. Therefore, after defense industries have had their quotas allotted, whatever is left will be divided up proportion ately among other industries.
 In this connection, 1t should be boren In mind that the 2-S and 3-S grades of soft aluminium which go into pots and pans are no good for the 17-S or 52-S grades of hard aluminium or dura- Hum alloys which go into the manufacture of aircraft and en- zines.
 To throw the entire aluminium ltensil industry or any other sim liar industry out of business right now would be the height of folly. It would throw tens of thousands of workers out of jobs and the economic upset thereby suddenly created would be impossible to rectify in months. The plants could not be adapted to war work, for they are fooled to handle soft metal and couldn't begin to stamp out arplane parts of hard alloys.
 One trouble is that aluminium to most people means only pots and pans. England went through feel an aluminium shortage and somebody started great crusade to have housewives give their cooking utensils to the govern ment for the good of the cause. Scrap piles rose to make good pictures and propaganda, but the metal was no good for pistons or crank cases, so 1t was melted down and made into new pots and pans.
 The points of al this is that if an hysteria of this kind can be created over aluminium, 1t can happen to long woolen underwear, or shoes, or hamburger. Later on, there may be calls for sacrifices. and shortages which will mean higher prices. In the face of that, business as usual can't go on for- ever, but as Harriet Elliott, chair man fo the consumer division in the defense commission, has pointed out, consumer rumor Is needless epidemic, for at present