Imperial Valley press., 1941-05-06


ume of mail received is any OASIS
for judgment, there Is perhaps
more confusion in the minds OF
business men scattered around the
country as to what constitutes q
priority" than almost any other
phase of the defense program.
Joseph d'Oakes wants to know
why he can't get structural steer
for an addition to his gadget FAC
tory. The answer may be that were
short of magnesium just now, but
an answer of that Kind won't sat
isfv Mr.. d'Oakes and 1t isn't al
ways possible TO explain to MN
that the steel is needed, to build
the shipvards where we'll build the
ships to haul the ore to the FAC
tory that's being built to process
the magnesium that we're short OF.
IN
GOOD HANDS
So there's a Division Of Prioritles
in the office of Production Man.
agement 70 take care of all this
and to see that everyone is done
right by. The division is headed, as
you know, by E. R. Stettinlus, Jr.,
of the United States Steel Stet-
tiniuses. who is perfectly compet-
ent 20 handle all this confusion
and there is no need to be alarmed
about it. 1t is unquestionablly con-
fusing to the little man who is
humping into the priorities system
for the first time, and that's what
a good many of the letters are
about.
Sooner but not later, the divi-
sion is going to require a pretty
complete inventory of all stocks OF
critical materials, on hand, on or
Ger, in process of manufacture.
That will mean not only a much
larger staff in Washington, but al
so a field force and probably some
inspectors TO see that there is no
cheating
The latest monthly prioritieS
critical list OF items for which pref
erence ratings are authorized
numbers 220. 1t includes large items
from drydocks, floating. to small
items like insignia, uniform. Only
eight are so scarce as to require
preference ratings on every order.
These are: aluminium, magnesium,
nickel. nickel steel, tungsten, neo-
prene artificial rubber, machine
tools and zinc. Zinc has a trick
control by which all producers put
II per cent of their output into
o pool which is adequate for dis
tribution among manufacturers OF
army and navy equipment.
When, therefore Joseph d'Oakes
wants say an electric motor for his
eadget factory, he doesn't have
to get a preference rating if the
manufacturer has what he wants
IL stock, even though electric mo-
tors are on the critical list of 220
items. If the manufacturer is tied
up with defense orders, however,
and can't stop to make a special
motor for the DOakes plant, Joe
will have To get his preference
rating and show that the gadgets
he makes are essential to the COM
pletion of drydocks, floating, or in
SIGMA. uniform, or something.
Supposing, now, old man D'OakeS
wants a new turret lathe for his
gadget factory That's different.
Lathes. turret, are tools, machine.
And machine tools are one of the
eight items for which preference
ratings are required in every case
The D'Oakes Company will have
t. write the Division of Priorities
Office of Production Management,
New Social Security Building,
Washington, D. c. and get forms
to fill out. The forms are two in
number, PD-l and PD-lA. PD-1
is the application for preference
rating, simple little thing of II
questions on four pages. 1t must
be filled out in quintuplicate and
sworn TO before notary public.
TAKES SOME
SWEARING
When properly completed, these
ferns are sent TO the machine tool
manufacturer, who must fill out
form PD-lA, the supplier's state
ment relating to application for
preference rating. This form is of
only two pages on one sheet but it
mist be filled out in sextuplicate