The Waterbury Democrat., 1941-11-01
Auto Industry Termed Slow On Armament
JAW Asserts Planning Was ShOrt-Sighted;
 Charge Denied
By ANTHONY c. DE LORENZO Limited Press Stan Csorresnondentl

By ANTHONY c. DE LORENZO
 United Press Stan CorrespOndent)
 Detroit, Nov. 1. CUP)-Ranking officials of the United Automobile Workers CCIO) have challenged the adequacy of the automobile in dustry's preparations for shoulder ing it's share of the defense arma- ment program.
 R. J. Thomas, president of the UAW-CIO and spokesman for 250,- poo auto workers, charged in re- port to the Tolan congressional committee investigating migration of labor that members of his union will "pay the penalty" for what he called "apathetic" preparation for defense by automobile raanufactur- CTS.
 He declared that machine tools adaptable for defense work in the Detroit industrial area are being operated at mo more than 35 per cent of capacity" and demanded immediate steps" by the army, navy and other government de- partmentS to coordinate unused machine tool equipment flor full and immediate transition of the automobile industry as a whole to defense production"
 Meanwhile, Alvin Macauley, presi- dent of the Automobile Manufac- turers' Association and board chair man of the Packard Motor Car Co.,, announced that the motor car in- dustry is making good" on more than $3,500,000 900 worth of defense orders, thre-fourths of which he said were released to manufacturers within the first eight months of this year."
 Change Over Takes Time
 At the end of December, 1940, he said, total military orders in the hands of car manufacturers amounted to $e1500O,000. Filling twe-thirds of these orders, Macau- ley explained, required building new manufacturing facilities, Co-incid- entally, he said, there has ben "too much dependence upon the false assumption that once an industry's civilian production Is cut. it's capa- cities automatically are transferred to defense work"
 It takes time, he emphasized, Go ewing into defense work. There must be designing and making Of special tools, encouragement of factory facilities and selection and educa- ton of Subconstractors.
 Union officials and industry lead CTS apparently disagree on the pro- portion of machinery and equip ment available for early change over to defense work. Although some industry spokesmen estimate that only 10 to l5 per cent of pres ent machinery ca nne used in pro- duciilg armament, Thomas says that "at lsast" 50 per cent of the indus trys productive equipment is avail- able for change-over within three to six months.
 Reuther Plan IndOrsed
 This swift change-over to de- fense production, Thomas believes, can be achieved by putting into ef- feet the plan advanced last pecem- Der by Walter P. Reuther, head of the Unions General Motor Divt- sion. Reuther's plan provides for coorcinating the industry's tooling facilities for production of the j'gs, fixtures and tools essential in de- fense work.
 If the re-tooling for defense work could have been accomplished last spring, Thomas told the con- gressional committee, automobile workers today would not be faced with unemployment.
 But" he declared. "the concep- | ton of business as usual triumphed governmental agencies as vel as in- dustry itself. New models were al: lowed. The largest group of skilled workers in the country labored long { hours to produce sleeker curves and fancier grille work.
 "As c result" he continued Eve are only now beginning the pro- gram of restocking for defense pro- auction which should have. been initiated early in the winter of l940."