Evening star., 1941-04-06

we may not be in the same position
here. We must plan and work to
help the men who are fighting for
their liberty and when we do that
with all our might. we are getting
in shape to protect ourselves for
what might come later if it becomes
necessary.
Il sometimes am afraid that we
haven't quite realized the serious
ness of the battle against time. The
next four months might be crucial
in the whole history of the world
and if we can only save part of a
month in these four, it might mean
everything in our future and the
future of our children.
Program Started in June.
Our program was started last
June. Previous to that time small
quantities of British and French
orders had been placed in the United
States. but mostly for aircraft, ma
chine tools and base materials. With
the American defense program inSti-
tuted in June it was possible to place
over S12 1000, 900 900 worth of con-
tracts promptly, Congress giving
final authority in early September,
so that we have placed today prac-
tically all the equipment required
for 1,200,0 900 men and heavy equip
ment-meaning guns, tanks and
planes-for 100000 additional.
This we hope to have finished
by the end of 1912. The additional
load caused by the lend-lease bill
and the British orders still untitled
adds so per cent to the total so that
we are faced with a production job,
the approximate size of which is
$4,000, 100000 man-hours to do in
27 months.
Biggest Job Ever Undertaken.
This is the biggest job ever
undertaken by any country in that
length of time and it will require
the maximum cooperative effort of
every man and woman in the
United States to get it done on time.
1--WE have done lot of plant con-
struction in the last eight months
and we will have to do a great deal
more, particularly on explosives, but
the main job of metal working in
this added program will and must
be to find existing factories where,
by piecing out or farming out, So
called. we can use tools we now
have to do machine and assembling
Tnrly MO ho oUp1o-t tIo1n tn
build all the new factories necessary
and supply new tools.
You might be interested to know
that during the last seven months
we have actually started, and more
than so per cent completed. 784 new
factories at a cost of over $4,000
100000, of which 81 0.00O,00O was
furnished by the Government and
the balance privately financed. All
these plants will be in operation
within the next four to six months.
They cover everything from gun
powder to airplanes and are only a
percentage of what is in work today.
Ships, Planes and Guns.
Many private facilities employed
by thousands of contractors are &C
tually at work producing shells and
guns and motors and small arms
ammunition. All the existing Ship
yards have been Communicated and
seven new ones started. Ships and
planes and guns. there is the story
in nut she'll We must have more
and still more. Every machine shop
and foundry in the United States
which can make even piece of
something must be enlisted for the
uration.
Everybody knows that America is
the greatest mass producer in the
world. Not everybody knows that
mass production inevitably takes
time to get started.
We are mass producers of peace
time products and it is big shift to
defense materials. It requires MANY
new plants, hundreds of millions of