The Daily Alaska empire., 1941-09-19
Neither Bombs Nor Exaggeration Will Help
Philadelphia Record)

l Philadelphia Reeord)
 William Knudsen, Director General of OPM says this country isn't producing enough because r hasn't got the right spirit" Ne
 If some bombs were dropped on few mair streets the people would get the right spirit fast
 This statement seems. unfortunate It is true that people generally, President Roosevelt has suggested, do not fully realize the gravity of the threat to the United States But it cant be shown that public apathy is holding up defense pro- duction
 The one point upon which the Congress has been conspicuously cooperative with the Adminstra- tion is it's readiness to vote any defense appropra- tons asked for The peoples elected representatives know the voters favor going the limit defense spending and aid to Britain. Nor has the public baked at the prospect of higher taxes to meet the bills.
 That part of the public which constitutes de- fense labor has thrown itself into production with will There have been strikes-too many of them and some of them were unjustfied But the de- fense program whole has been delayed LESS THAN WEEK by all strikes ip the past year.
 That part of the public formed by manufac- turers also has shown a cooperative spirit Where the Government has succeeded in making up a definite program of cutting non-defense production, most manufacturers have gone along without baking and without question.
 No matter how many bombs drop on main streets, there is point in Congress appropriatng money that OPM can't spend. There's no point in asking for cooperation on non-existent projects
 Just it is unfair for Knudsen to blame the public it is unfair the public to blame Knud- other Government officials for any lag there may be in the defense program.
 Senator Byrd recently ashed out at the Ad- minstration with shocking set of figures showing tank production virtually at a standstill anti aircraft production as nil and airplane production as falling off.
 But the most shocking thing about these figures is that they turned out to be untrue President Roosevelt himself, information furnished by the War Department has denied the figures as to tanks and anti-aircraft guns.
 Byrd, for instance, said not single new tank had gone to England Roosevelt says that hundreds of the newest models have been turned over to the British
 The Baldwin Locomotive Works got into mass production of tanks eight months ahead of schedule and will be rolling them off at the rate of 4,380 year
 Airplane production is admittedly soft especi- ally the drop in production for the month of July. month before
 The whole immense defense program cannot be characterized as failure or as success so far. There have been miracles of efficiency and marves of stupidity.
 That the program isn't going faster is due to the inherent difficulties of changing the whole productive machine of the nation, without changing our free system of society.
 There is no point in exaggerating the delay and blaming President Roosevelt Director Knudsen. Neither is there excuse for Knudsen's charge that the public is asleep and that it's apathy is holding up defense.
 An enthusiastic worker worker frightened by bomb cant operate any faster than the pace of 1ina of he line in turn is established engineering factors, not on the degree of fright in the workers.
 frightened taxpayer cant pay his taxes any faster and the Government couldn't spend them any faster if he did. manufacturer can't produce orders he hasn't secured