Evening star., 1941-11-06

Henry MeLemors. to your left Is
carrying night-shift workers to an
airplane factory. The flares you see
against the sky in the north como
from steel mills, turning out tho
plate for tanks and guns.
Within the space Of few months
Bufialo's industries have been geared
to production for the battleflelds.
A shock absorber plant now deals
in guns. A windshield wiper factory
turns out instruments to guide pilots
home after bombings Of the inva-
sion coast of France.
I wished particularly for Hitler
and Mussolini when I visited the
Curtiss Wright Co. Last April men
and machines moved onto . mud
soaked field and started the con-
struction of a building whose blue
prints called for 1876 900 square
feet in working space. Exactly 1913
days later that vast building was
completed and the manufacture Of
nRNCeT SHIPS was OeBuH.
I saw that plant in operation 70
day. With commendable Snowman.
ship a Curtiss Wright oficial led
me through ordinary ONCE building
halls and without any words Of
buildup, opened q heavy door and
walked me straight onto a balcony.
The sight that greeted me was
terrific.
1t had the impact Of q Louis flst
on the chin.
| Below us on a working floor that
spread four acres was the gigantic
cradle Of the Curtiss Wright P-40,
one Of the finest fighting ships in
the world The din was overpowering.
Automatic hammers sang their su-
persong of the woodpecker. Drills
screeched Seven thousand men
the day shift-moved efficiently
| through the inferno. Fountains
sprayed paint. As far as the eye
could see there we're airplanes and
parts of airplanes. The strange
camouhage of the British blended
with the olive drab Of. the U. S.
Army paint job. Row after row Of
fuselages and engines and wings.
Some with the circle insignia
Of the British. Some with the star
of this country's air force. In this
corner old and knowing men worked
at complicated machines. turning
out precision tools for the use OF
the workmen a few aisles away.
Across the way from the old and
knowing men youngsters we're go
ing to school to learn how to become
master craftsmen.
Overhead giant cranes rolled on
noiseless tracks to pick up finished
jobs and carry them to the testing
hangers. Test pilots strolled about.
parachutes strapped to their backs.
One this line machine guns were
fitted into wings. On another line
propellers were fitted to the noses
Of planes and on still another gaso.
line tanks were slipped into place,
instrument panels fastened. and
armor plate bolted down.
I walked down from the balcony
and wandered about the unbeliev-
ably vast plant. Overhead huores-
cent lights, which are never turned
out, cast their weird glare. Twenty
four hours a day workmen come and
70. And OIL the lines roll machines
that will fly the skies OF Europe
and challenge the might Of the die
tators.
One hears so much Of the EN-.
cheney Of the dictator nations. A
democracy. where men are free, has
no chance to compete on an equal
footing. Propaganda, pure and sim
pie. Here in Buffalo, a city that next
to New York must be the nearest
thing to a melting pot Of the world.
free men have answered the chal.
lenge OF the slave labor that must
work without expression.
In seven years of planning. Ger.
many never produced factory more
edicient than the Curtiss Wright
plant in Buffalo. Everything that
goes into a fighting ship is at the
finger tips Of the workmen. Every.
thing for the comfort Of the work.
men is at the finger tips, too. A
complete hospital. Two cafeterias. A
sports program. Locker rooms which
provide . locker equipped with
combination lock- for every worker.
And-this above au-the Ameri-
can nag flying above every one Of
the assembly lines The flags were
not bought by the company ofncials.
nor were they hung on orders from
the Government. The flags were
bought by money voluntarily con-
tributed by workmen-nickels, dimes
and quarters from the men who are
keeping 'em rolling.
Hitler and Mussolini said We came
IN too late.
MY first day in Buffalo has con-
vinced me they spoke too soon.
DISTRIBUTED b McNausht Syndicate. 2ne)