The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1941-04-01
MASS PRODUCTION
OF ARMY BOMBERS
IS NOW PLANNED
QUALITY TO BE CONSIDERED
AS WELL AS QUANTITY IN
AMERICAS DEFENSE Pro
GRAM
BY JACK STINNETT
APP Feature Service Writer

WASHINGTON, April l.
Not since the days when manu-
facturers first performed the
miracle of rolling automobiles
off continuous production line
has there been so much talk of
mass production as has been
raised by national defense.
1t was big, unexcitable "Bill'
Knudsen, chief of production
management, very much in the
pink in spite of the strenuous du-
ties of these days, who told me
the other day, that in his opinion
the layman misunderstood about
mass production.
"My favorite definition of it,,
he said, sis that it is not matter
of quantity or mass at all, but of
quality-of raising the production
of each item to the greatest de-
gree of perfection.
Il remember years ago when
Leland was president of Cadillac.
He took three Of his cars to Eng
land. He called in group of
British engineers. He tore those
three cars down. put all the parts
together and mixed them up. The
engineers thought he was crazy;
told him he never would get those
cars back together again. But he
did. He reassembled those parts
into three cars just as good as the
ones he had torn down. That's
mass production.
Americans Don't Wonder
What caused the British engi-
neerS to go boogle-eyed has be
come such a commonplace that
the average American doesn't
even bother to think of it any
more. But story had dribbled
slowly out of the army and de-
Tense agencies here which, if it
causes no amazement in the mind
of John @. Public, who has come
to think that American industry
has no limitations, will probably
cause as much wonder abroad as
Mr.. Leland's demonstration.
1t is this: The army air corps,
with the cooperation of the Office
of Production Management, is up
to the ear-phones in its helmets
in plans for mass production of
two and four-motor bombers-
those huge IL and 23-ton ships,
which, heavily armed and ar
mored, can range 1000 to 1900
miles with their death-dealing
loads of bombs. without refuel-
ling.
Maj. Gen. G. H. Brett. of the
air corps, testifying before a
house subcommittee, said the
first bombers in the 3,600-ship
initial program are expected to
roll from the assembly lines in
1912 and the program is expected
to be complete in 1912. If re-
member my arithmetic at all,
that means that within two years,
America win be turning out ten
of these giant bombers a day, 300
a month. And these in addition
to the same type bombers being
manufactured by private firms,
of which there are at least three
now operating at full speed and
rapidly expanding.
Four Assembly Plants
Here is the way the program
will work, according to Knudsen
Contracts already have been
signed with the automobile in
dustry for manufacture of parts,
and sub-contracts signed with
smaller manufacturers on more
than 400 items that 60 into the
big bombers. Plans are complete
and some work started on the
four huge assembly plants, at
Omaha. Kansas City, Kans.. Tul-
sa., Okla, and Fort Worth, Tex.
When these plants are finished
and the big and little manufac-
tllrcrs have completed retoolIng
and expansion parts for the
hombers. fooled to that necessary
miJionth of an inch. will come
to those four cities from all over
the United States IN he assem-