Evening star., 1941-05-18
Automobile Industry
Rushes Production
OF War MaferieI
Huge Volume Predicted
Well Ahead of Schedule;
Housing Shortage Looms

Housing Shortage Looms
BY The Stars Special News Service.
DETROIT, May 17.-Vast factory
buildings in various stages of COM
pletion but weeks ahead of sched-
ule Plant workers fastening
installation of machine tool equip
n7ent Drafting rooms jammed
with engineers, young and old
Parking lots jammed with workers
cars
That's quick view of the outward
aspects of the motorcar industry'S
defense effort that already aggre-
gates upward of $500, ,00O0 in con-
tracts allotted or pending.
The inside view is revelation of
intense effort to reach the top level
of productive activity in the short
est possible time consistent with
safety in plant and equipment con-
struction and in output quality.
Employment, of course, is on the
upward curve. but the larger part
of what is expected to result from
defense spending still is prospec-
tive rather than actual. At the
same time the areas from which
the automobile industry draws its
workers and in which it plans it's
greatest output of defense materiel
already are experiencing many of
the aspects of the boom periods Of
other years.
There is much buying of durable
and other goods, of motorcars and
of homes. In automobile purchases
the distribution has been greater
than in any previous period in the
tndustry's history, despite near
record production totals. The vol
ume of home building has been
mounting steadily for more than a
year and shows no indication of a
slackening. Yet housing shortage
Is regarded as certainty once the
automobile industry gets into full
productive activity on its defense
Jobs.
Real Volume Yet to Come.
For many months the motorcar
industry's production wizards have
been making ready for the manu-
facture of war machinery in volume
not even dreamed about in the
World War. Deliveries in sizable
quantities of trucks and machine
guns, shells and projectiles, marine
and aviation engines and airplane
parts already are being made, but
their overall volume, say the pro-
duction experts, is as nothing COM
pared to the potential output.
In proSpect-within few months
In some instances and early next
year in others-are 28-ton tanks
and 42,000-pound bomber planes,
aviation engines Of various types
on real mass production" basis.
Some time after next August !
the tanks, heavily armored land
battleships," capable of speed of
so miles an hour on smooth ter
rain and terrific crushing force on
less favorable surfaces, will begin
rolling off Chrysler production lines
al lIlC 1dCC VI IL d Ody.
Before that time General Motors
expects to have its Allison engine
output around the 1000 month
level; Ford plans to start turning
out Pratt & Whitney air-cooled radial
aviation engines at the rate of at
least one an hour. and later Pack
ard will begin rolling Rolls-Royce
aircraft motors off its new assembly
lines.
Soon after January 1 the Ford
bomber plant near Ypsilanti, Mich,
its construction cost boosted from
an original estimate of $11 100000
to $4,000, 900 to provide for sharp
increase in capacity, will be ready
for production. Instead of parts
for five of the giant bomber planes
q day the factory is to produce a
minimum of 10 daily and to deliver
at least half the number on ready
to fly" basis.
Plants Well Along.
Meanwhile work is progressing on
the big Buick aviation engine plant
near Chicago, while preliminary ex-
perimental work on the motors is
continuing at Flint; Hudson Motor
Car Co. has initial work we'll de-
veloped on its $13,000,000 naval ord
nance arsenal near Detroit; Briggs
Manufacturing Co. is delivering air
plane assembly parts, and Murray
Corp, another automobile body
manufacturer, is preparing to turn
out similar airplane subassemblies.
Somewhat less impressive but
none the less vital in the overall
part the motorcar industry is TAX
ing in the defense program are the
anti-aircraft cannon manufacturing
Jobs assigned to other units OF the
vehicle manufacturing industry,
such as Pontiac and Olds.
Perhaps one of the most impress
sive demonstrations of the indus
try's productive capacity has been
given in the making of an average
of more than 100000 passenger cars
and trucks a week while preparing
for the full impact of the defense
program.
Coincident with the job OF as
sembling passenger cars and trucks
to meet the heaviest demand in its
history and getting the armament
work under way the industry has
had to begin the training of men
for defense production. Hundreds
of foremen and thousands of pro-
duction workers have been receiv-
ing this preparatory training.
BY the end of the year more than
10000 men will be working on the
automobile industry's defense tasks
And that saw the men who make