Evening star., 1941-11-23
0.P.M. Plans Clinics
In Expanded Program
To Aid Little Business
Prime Contractors Men
To Meet Small Owners
And Allocate Work
By the Associated Press

By the Associated Press.
The Office of Production Manage
ment, Immediately after January l,
will launch an enormously expanded
program of Sub-contracting clinics
into the hinterland of American
industry-a campaign intended to
save the little business man.
0. P. MS Division of Contract
distribution, headed by Floyd b.
Odlum, has tested defense produc-
ton clinics in several large cities
and believes it has found a way of
bringing small manufacturerS-Som
of whom face shutdowns unless they
get a share of defense work-into
contact with prime Government
contractors who have work to farm
out
BY the end of the year, it was re-
ported yesterday, four regional clinic
circuits will be set up, to take rep
resentatives of 80 to so prime con-
tractors into every section of the
country in quest of plants which
can handle farmed-out work. A
program of 500 clinics is planned.
Hope All Will Be Engaged.
Hope was voiced that by next June !
virtually every factory. foundry, mill
and plant that can be fitted into
tine defense arsenal will hold a de- |
fense contract sufficient to sustain |
operations and maintain payrollS.
To avert ShutdoWnS in plants
where the sWitChOver could not be /
accomplished in time, and in those |
wholly unadapted to retoOlng, the
Supply Priorities and ALLEGATIONS |
Board was reported ready to ap- |
prove In principle the establishment |
Of the so-called Hardship pool"
A small fraction OF the country's
total output of steel. copper,
aluminium and other critical ma
terials would be fed into the hard
ship pool monthly for distribution
to producers of n-essentlal items
who apply for aid as bona flde hard
ship cases.
Difficulties of setting up complex
machinery in the defense organlza-
ton to administer the pool have
DELAYED its creation, but defense
spokesman said S. P. A. B. soon
would order the scheme into opera
ton on a test basis.
OdIum Plan Opposed.
The idea recently advanced by
Mr.. Odlum. of doing out materials
to all companies employing 20 per-
sons or fewer, has met firm opposi-
ton from Donald NJ Nelson, priori-
ties director and executive director
of S. P. A. 3. 1t was understood
Mr.. Nelson's views would prevail
in the final S. P. A. B. decision.
Mr.. Nelson's view, reflected in
recent speech by his special as
sistant. A. J. Browning was that
the Odlum ALLEGATION plan could
not possibly work. if defense needs
follow their charted course upward,
because there would not be sufficient
materials to go around
Instead a selective system was in
prospect. with hardship allocations
going to the most deserving" plants
and communities. which would be
selected after weighing several
factors. For instance, factory en-
ploying 100 men might get help if
it was the backbone industry of
small town. but might not get help
il located in large city where dis
placed workers could find defense
employment, or company would
be favored if its manufacturing
process required only small amounts
of critical materials to keep many
workers busy.
Meetings in Four Cities.
Mr.. Odlum'S defense production
clinics have so far included meet
ings in New York. Chicago, Kansas
City and Los Angeles. About 5000
small businessmen of Southern Cali
fornia attended the Los Angeles
clinic and prime contractors reported
making l ZOO contacts with potential
sub-contractors
Some of the largest prime con-
tractors holding Army. Navy and
Maritime Commission orders are eX-
pected to have representatives on
each of the four regional clinic cir
cults TO be set up after the first
of the year Officials of the armed |
services will be on hand to show |
sample parts of needed gun-mounts, |
ordnance items, marine equipment |
and other defense products which |
might be turned out by small foun- |
dries and factories with a minimum
investment in new equipment.
Meanwhile, contractors building |
United States Housing Authority |
projects were urged yesterday by
Nathan Straus, U. S. H A admins
traitor, Ito cooperate in distributing
As much work as possible to small
manufacturers" and local housing
authorities were requested to use
their influence in seeing that they
get particular attention.
Mr.. Straus said he expected the
policy would affect chiefly small
scale manufacturers of brick, tile.
mill work. small metal parts and
similar building materials.