Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1941-07-28
Defense Rush
Strangling
Lille Man
Is Millions Face Loss
Of Jobs, Says Report
BY HUGH S. JOHNSON

As THIS column has fire.
quently pointed out and as
is now becoming more apparent
in the news daily, various short.
ages in material, services and
supplies are threatening ever
more seriously TO crumple up
little business in this country
like a tin can which the kids
have been using for a Shiny"
puck-or don't kids play shiny
on your own side" a primitive
form OF hockey, any more?
There are no adequate words
10 describe what tragedy that
could he. Not merely the appeal
from the National Small Bust
ness Association. which esti-
mated resulting threatened
unemployment Of more than
5000, 900. but reports coming
10 me by the hundreds in my
fan mail from other sources in
dictate that this process of wip-
ing out small enterprise has
actually begun.
1t has begun not merely In
small merchandising, but also in
small manufacture and small
service establishments. They
can't get the material TO pro-
coed. Shortly they won't be able
10 get the needed power and
transportation.
Weeks ago this column. after
trip by its conductor through
the West. warned of the threat
ened disastrous congestion In
elevator and storage facilities
for small grains and the proba-
BILE freight car shortage TO move
il. Now this also is becoming a
major national problem.
THESE things, serious as they
L are. will not merely effect q
revolution in our economic sys-
tenn toward monopoly and paral-
ysis. They will also tend to
choke and exaSperate our whole
civilian population-and God
knows there are enough other
influences working in that di-
rection
Among these are the dilemma
Of the draft time-extensions. the
coming fight over price-control,
the danger Of shooting war In
the Pacific, the political inequi-
ties OF the new tax bill and other
and lesser things too numerous
to mention.
This column is not Growing II
told you Sc" but every one OF
these developments including q
refutatlon OF the assertion by
most military experts that the
Nazi campaign in Russia would
be three weeks pushover was
more or less emphatically in
sisted upon here long before the
facts developed.
No il is not to crow but II Is
TO wonder why things so obvious
10 a little experience and infor-
nation couldn't have had little
more effect in shaping policy by
officials who are supposed 10
haze all experience and author
ity.
TAKE this threatened s,arva-
L ton of small enterprise in
this country as an example.
When il was so boldly and spec
.--tacularly announced ihai-Amer-
lea was 10 become the arsenal
of democracy" why couldn't
there have been computed ap-
proximately what II would mean
10 supply the steel. ships, air.
planes. aluminium. copper and
so forth for the whole cock-eyed
world.
How much our supplies and
facilities could produce and how
much would be left for our civil
ian population which, after all,
IL is our first and greatest duty
TO protect? II it isn't, why are
we in this war at all?
There is perfectly simple
answer 10 that question. We
didn't make that calculation
because we didn't have any COM
petent and co-ordinated organi-
zation 10 do that work and then
lower our sights and balance
and ration the scant supply TO
the most necessitous uses--in-
Guiding those of our own people.
II is the principal weakness in
our whole provision for defense
and il could prove fatal. II IL
later than you think" but il IL
not yet too late.
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