Evening star., 1941-05-16

AOalOl lNOo
would seem to David Lawrence.
indicate that lot of loose talk
is being INDUCED in which benefits
nobody and merely results in
boarding of the metal.
The impression has been sedu-
iously cultivated that the makers
Of aluminium should have foreseen
the alleged shortage. This may be
one way to seek to exculpate the
President of the United States
from blame for failure to order a
bigger airplane program three to
five years ago. 1t may be one way
to relieve Congress of the respon-
sibility and also the War and Navy
Departments for not authorizing
the construction of more airplanes
several years ago.
But even today nobody in the
Government seems to know how
much aluminium is needed for de-
fense, and hence the guesses as to
what the total requirements may
be. In the last few days fantastic
estimates have been published, but
when an attempt is made to find
out on what military requirements
they are based the task proves
futile.
Testimony Of Folsom.
The testimony of M. B. Folsom,
treasurer of the Eastman Kodak
Co., who was head of the Metals
and Minerals Division of the De-
fense Commission, is revealing on
this point. He testified:
1--WE got the basic information of
the weight of the different parts
and we were able to estimate
fairly accurately the net weight
of aluminium required for the diff
ferent planes. Then when the
schedules were changed we would
step up the estimates, and we were
stepping them up all the time, and
they are still stepping them up 1
understand in the last few weeks.
So we were able to estimate fairly
accurately the requirements for
airplanes. But on the other military
requirements we have never yet
been able to get any basis for ac-
curste estimates. The Army
and Navy gave us one figure,
which, when checked into, we
found was really more guesses than
estimates, and we put our statis-
ticians, and the Army and Navy
people to work again and we got
q figure which the Army and Navy
and the suppliers agreed on as be-
ing fairly accurate as to what the
requirements we're. That was the
basis we used in making our state
ments last fall as to the total re-
cuirements."
The difficulty now is not so much
tn the raw material but in the fab
rieating facilities and 1t is this to
which attention was directed by the
Defense Commission last autumn.
Mr.. Folsom added:
"If we hadn't taken steps IN the
fall to increase the fabricating IA
cilities, there would be shortage
right now. We have never yet
been able to get the accurate figures
for the known airplane require
and that is where the big in
crease has come. The airplane re-
auirements have been increased
primarily because the program It
self has been increased, not be-
cause our basic estimates were
wrong.
Had No Accurate Figures.
~On the military requirements,
cur estimates were quite low because
no one had any idea that there was
as much aluminium used in all the
various products as there is re-
uuired these days. Right now there
are no accurate figures on it.
Whether the present estimate is 60
Ing to be high or low, no one can
tell right now. I am inclined to
think that the present estimates
are going to be high, but that is
pure guess"
"You mean by that that the
Army and Navy" MIR Folsom was
asked, aren't able to tell you the
of aluminium in the arti-
cles they want, or do you mean that
they don't know the articles that
they want?"
Mr.. Folsom replied that the Army
and Navy didn't know how many
were needed or how many
pounds of aluminium would be
but he didn't blame the
Army and Navy, because it was a
dificult task and that the same
situation was true of zinc and brass
and everything else.'
Charitable Explanation.
Perhaps the most charitable ex-
PLANTATION of what has happened
came In the testimony of G. r.
Gibbons, senior vice president of the
Aluminium Co., who said:
Il know that the Aluminium Co.
has been quite wrong in our con-
ception of how much aluminium was
needed. don't think anybody could
foresee what was ahead of us. I
think the men who are leading the
country have been wise in jump
ing up these requirements as they
are doing, and I think the best we
can do-and what the Aluminium
Co. wants to do, Is to do every
thing it can to meet the require
ments of what our leaders set up.
We don't feel, and never have felt,
u is up to the Aluminium Co. to rush
tn and wave our hands and tell the
o. p. M. or any one else that they
are wrong in their statements.
VIII Do Their Part.
up until this very minute when
We sit in this room, there hasn't
been any airplane company lacking
aluminium in any serious way. There
is plenty of aluminium for national
defense at this minute. There Is no
shortage of aluminium this after