Detroit evening times., 1941-12-31
Auto Drivers
Now Like Fish
Out Of Water
u. S. Told for Years
Of Rubber Shortage
BY HUGH =. JOHNSON

THE recent OPM order prac-
tically paralyzing the MAX
ing and distribution of tires for
our 30 odd million automobiles
fell out of a clear sky.
This country has become so
far motorized, with results bear
ing on every fiber of our eco
nomic and domestic life, that the
order is somewhat like an invi-
tation to a community of fish 10
come out of the water and live
on dry land FOR the duration. -
1t will slow up all our domes-
F. tic processes from agriculture
through industry with what
losses IN our war program no
man can foreSee and apparently
few have considered
If care had been taken in time
1t would have been totally un-
necessary. Time after time. year
after year. students of this sit
uation have urged Us to lay IN
100000 tons of rubber.
II could have been done at
no cost and probably at a profit.
This step and tho speeding up
regardless OF expense of the
production Of guayle and artifl-
Cial rubber have been urged IN
this space for so long and so
monotonouSly that il iS dIStaStc-
ful 10 mention the subject again.
Skipping all that although
there is much more 10 be said on
the subject, let us return 10 the
sudden and drastic appearance
and form of that order
Without revealing any mill
tary information and b. aSIn &
what is 10 bc said wholly on
conjecture from known facts,
there IS something sinister here.
60 LONG As the Allies con-
y troll Singapore and from
thence the waterways 10 the
oceans. and The Dutch East In
dies remain unconQuered, there
Is no SuCh serious threat 20 our
supply Of raw rubber aS would
remotely have justified this ter
rible assault on our domestic
economy.
II came only after the dlSa~-
terS a. Pearl Harbor. in Tho
Philippines and the sinking of
the Prince OF Wales and the
RepulSe
How can ono escape the con
ciuSion that n did not come as
the result of a very immediate
fear for both Singapore and the
Dutch East Indies The latter
and Malaga are the principal
source Of supply Of most OF tho
worlds raw rubber Of which
We normally take about so per
cent
The first Interesting question
Z + what are The JapS gong 20
do for 2 market for that 6O per
cent If They are completely
successful in their southwark
threat ] don't know tho
answer but DO know that
without their American mar
ketS. those plantations lose =
per cent Of their value
The second question i> far
more important II the JapS do
threaten 10 take these Dutch
and British owned plantations.
what are the owners and their
governments going 90 do about
IL? Newspaper reports Wcr q
that the plantations in Malaga
were subjected 10 the "Scorched
earth % policy and the trees ut
terly destroyed Since IL takes
six 10 seven years 10 bring "a
ru b bhcr tree 10 bearing that
turns Tho Npoil> oi victory 20
ashes IN The conqueror $ mouth
DUT these plantations are
- privately owned r. in the
Dutch East Indies. Tho trees
We're destroyed both the Ans
and the Allies would bc deprived
of rubber The studies and cN-
pcrience Of the Ford company
indicate that. before they could
be- restored We could make
ourselves independent Of thc
ro>t OF the world as far as
rubber goes
But is tho devotion to Tho
common cause great enough In
these possessions 90 risk that
sacrifice? II is not unrcaSon-
able 20 ask. because n would
not be nearly 80 great a Sacri-
fee As we would be making Of
our automotive industry and our
way Of life under tho OPM tire
order
The problem is conjecture and
its solution far from clear
but one thing is not dim 1t Is
something We should know about
In these Joint conferences on
mutual aid before We completely
wreck this great branch OF our
economy
II would be- too much Of q
military secret perhaps tell
our people our policy about it
now but II Will have 90 be
known some time and those
responsible should give some