The Durant news. (Durant, Miss.) 1882-1985, 1941-06-05
BEHIND THE SCENES IN
AMERICAN BUSINESS"
By John Croddoek
NEW YORK. June .2-DIvERSIONS


emphasis on defense production, but so far
civilian needs" are still taking rs per cent
of Uncle Sans steel production. Apparent
ly it can't go on in that ratio very long, 80,
Gano Dunn of the OPM has reported that
combined n-and-defense requirements
this year will exceed capacity by 1,400,000
tons, and by 1912 there will be an indicated
deficit of 100000 tons. in releasing these
figures, President Roosevelt indicated the an
swer might be to put mandatory priorities on
steel to divert it from civilian use. At the
same time it's reported that about 95 per cent
of the total June production of aluminium
will be needed for defense purposes. Zinc,
essential oils" gasoline, nickel, and rubber
are other materials important to both peace
time and defense production and which. in
the new unlimited emergency. undoubted-
ly will have to be diverted to defense
needs to greater extent than had been an
ticipated when we first began to hear about
priorities.
ACCENT ON MERIT-Fitting in with
the streamining of all national effort in the
interests of efficiency and economy in the all
out defense drive is the strong recent trend
toward selection of public workers of states
on the basis Of tested merit rather than "pol
itical pull" Commenting on the recent adop-
ton of merit systems by Indiana and Kansas,
Mrs. Melville Mucklestone, head of the Nat
ional Consumers Tax Commission, pointed out
that no less than IL of the 20 states which
now use this system have made the change
since 1887. She urged the other % states
to follow suit" saying that in times like
these, when billions are being spent for ar
mament, taxpayers should not be saddled
with the unnecessary burden of incompetent
state employees. Even in normal times, she
said, competent workers are needed to con-
duct public business, to save taxpayers money
nv u at los
all will agree that saving the taxpayers
money in every non-defense field is especially
important now.
BIT O. BUSINESS refrigera-
tor manufacturers for the second time in
three months, are advancing prices to keep
abreast of rising costs of materials and la
Dor; production is unable to keep pace with
demand; it won't be surprising if the same
trend spread to other lines of electrical
houehold equipment =. May almost surely
will prove to be the biggest volume month
in the history of the automobile industry,
with retail deliveries of cars and trucks in
the domestic market probably topping 600,-
900 units . Manufacture of radio sets may
have to be cut down by, as much as 20 per
cent this year due to aluminium shortage :.
Kansas reports shortage of farm labor for
the first time since 1929--due to defense
work "migrations and pay.is being raised
accordingly ;. Illinois senate passes revis-
ed cigaret tax bill of cents per package,
hoping to raise $10.000,0OO new revenue.
Texas cotton crop is reported severity handi-
capped by rain and drift-away of workers
to factory jobs
GASLESS SUNDAYS? Many of fam-
~ in the east and midwest last
week felt Jolt from the defense program
that ratified the garage doors, when defense
officials began talking about "rationing"
gasoline this summer, and the trade express
sed fear he gas price might hit 25 cents a
gallon. But in these hurried and harried
days, the family bus is more indispensable
than ever for carting the kids to school,
getting papa to work, and for giving the
family needed relaxation with junkets to-
the country or to the movies. So Mr.. Aver
age American is busily figuring how to cut
his motoring miles or the amount of gas
he'll need for the summers driving. ]. w.
Frazer, president of Willys-Overland, thinks
the answer may lie in going back to the old
American standy-the four-cylinder engine
He points out that lever a one-third cEt in
gas allowances, or a similar boost in price,
wouldn't bother the family that can increase
gas mileage from 20 miles per gallon to
80" Four-cylinder engines have proved
their stamina, he said, by taking sizeable
number of firsts and seconds in the famous
Indianapolis race, 500-mile speed and ec-
onomy classic
THINGS TO WATCH FOR General
Motors is readying an electric auto-horn con-
troll that automatically disconnects the horn
whenever the car is stopped (Yo-hoo, Mabel,
en- on outD Bell laboratories have
worked out telephone instrument that you
can dial" just by speaking the number de-
street.-The vocal sound waves are translated
into impulses that locate the number ut
tered :. Newest in portable radio receivers
is one by G. E. that has an airplane-type
storage battery that can be re-charged simply