Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1941-02-27
BY HUGH S. JOHNSON


L ington that we are going to
have to stop making electric
washing machines and later
electrical refrigerators because
of the aluminium shortage.
This is said to be because of
the priorities of delivery that
will have to be. given to certain
munitions industries. o. X.
They must not be held up for
lack of anything, if. as and when
they need it.
But in granting a priority the
OPM or the priority board has a
much greater obligation than
just channeling the entire out
flow of strategic material TO
factory A or factory B at its
demands-especially if the effect
is to close up normal industry
employing many people.
A priority order should govern
not only total quantity of de-
livery but time of delivery. 1t is
up to the government {pntrol to
get the strategic material to the
user exactly as II is needed. But
il is also up to that control in
rationing scant supply to see
TO it that there is no boarding
and no ordering far in advance
of time of use.
THE very first thing that
i should be done in the appli-
cation of drastic rationing is 10
explore every stock pile in this
country. Nothing of this sort
has been done. 1t could be
worked on a rough random check
through the insurance COM
panies.
II could be done more thor
oughly and accurately by
QUESTIONABLE dragnet. Leon
Henderson would know how to
do it better than anybody l
know-and get the answer in the
quickest way.
Another activity for which
government control is response
BILE before il moves to unneces-
sary upsets and deprivations is
to set up a unit to explore the
possibilities of conservation and
substitution.
Glass. of which there is no
shortage. can be used in place
of tin. and some of the glass
substitutes even for metal
kitchen ware. Red paint can be
used for zinc. and so on through
a long list.
MANUFACTURERS, tn e M
1'l selves, will do some of this,
but since government is soon to
begin calling numbers for this
dance. il is distinctly up to gov
eminent 10 move into this
priority" business on all fronts.
1t must be a true administra-
tion of priority in time as we'll
as quantity, regarding preserva-
ton of our civil structure in
regulating the flow of materials,
price control to any extent
necessary and prevention OF
industrial as well as govern
mental boarding.
II must make sure that con-
servation of existing supplies
and sources of supply is applied
to reasonable limits. eliminating
waste and exposing all POSSIBLE
ity of substitution in the use of
materials and the discovery OF
new sources of material.
Practically nothing has been
done along these lines. Simple
dogmatic priority is very effec-
tive but. without assuming full
responsibility for these other
safeguards, it is sort of easiest
way that may lead to some
very unpleasant aftermaths of
recrimination and bitter resent
ment.
7 HAVE been so roundly criti-
i cized for even referring to
World War experience on these
matters that 1 am getting gun
shy. ! don't know to what !
could better refer, but since II
irritateS the customers l am
trying TO restrain myself.
Excuse il please, but l hear
this shortage hullabaloo and
recall that in the World War we
were supplying not only England
but also France. Russia and the
rest with about half our pres
ent capacity. in an active war
on all fronts that was daily con-
Stunning muitiples of the supplies
we are now asking for.
And when l remember that at
the same time we were expand
ing our shipbuilding capacity 10
times in less than a year till it
was greater than that of all the
world combined. some of these
ill-considered statements about
shortage and halfway measures
give me a slight migraine.