Evening star., 1941-12-28
Industry Wants Chance
To Get Defense Results
By OUen L. Scott

The same firm attitude, until now, has
been lacking in the Presidents attitude
toward those officials charged with OBJ
tanning arms to be used by the Nations
military and naval forces. Yet without
superiority in arms, any general or ad-
miral performs his task under severe
handicap.
Mr.. Roosevelt calmly accepted failure
and delay in this Nations armament
program for 18 months. He kept in Office
high officials who showed inability to
solve production problems. He did moth
ing to stir up officers of the Army who
carried out program of slow motion in
arms procurement. He had few words
for labor leaders who insisted upon strik-
ing for the purpose of organizing work.
erS or of fighting other labor leaders.
The result is that today the United
States is weakest in the field in which
it should be most strong. The country
has an Army and Navy operating ef-
fectively under aggressive leadership and
possessed of a very modern attitude
toward their problems. At the same time,
lllt NdUlUil lllouoGly, "lllSll SllOuIu NC
far out ahead of any in the world, is not
organized for war and has not been given
the overall direction that Government
must give.
1t Is becoming more and more clear
that if the job of building a we'll
equipped Army, Navy and air force in
hurry is to be done most effectively, in
dustry must be given the job to do and
be allowed to do it free from interfer-
ence.
American industry possesses the equip
ment. 1t possesses the brainpower and
management ability. Its techniques are
ahead of any in the world. Yet the un-
rivaled industrial strength Of the United
States is unlikely to be utilized most ef-
fectively unless the management that
has made this country's industry great is
given a chance to tackle the new job.
Emphasis in that case will need to be
placed upon results rather than upon po-
litical considerations. There will need to
be less emphasis upon social gains and
more upon production itself.
What industry asks principally are
these things:
First Of all, decisions concerning eY.
actly what is needed by the armed
forces. It has been only in the past five
or six months that the Army made up its
mind on the type Of aircraft that it de-
sired to emphasize in production. In ord
nance, the decisions in many cases are
much more recent than that. AS result,
even with every consideration. industry
is going to be many months getting into
volume production. If hampered by re-
strictisns, there will be delays.
Then industry needs orders in big
volume. Congress now has authorized
about s75 900 100000 in armament orders,
but actual orders placed are half that
| total. Industry is not given the backlog
| of orders that provides an incentive for
fast results and that requires wholesale
| conversion Of production machinery
| from peace time output to arms output.
| Furthermore, delivery dates on many
| products are placed SO far ahead that
there is no challenge to management to
speed up or to subcontract in the in
terest of quick delivery.
| After that industry would like to be
let alone If assured flow of raw ma
| terialS, the managers Of American in
duStry possess the ability and ingenuity
to break all world records in production
of weapons of war. They can get results
! if not haraSSed by constantly changing
political requirements. They probably
cannot do the job if an effort is made TO
run the whole thing from Washington.
The size of the task itself is immense
| 1t dwarfs any peacetime demand yet
made upon industry. 1t is the sort of a
task that will challenge the management
| of American industry. Its size can be
seen from the following demands:
In aircraft: American industry now Is
turning out airplanes at the rate OF 25,00(
a year, with an important proportion OF
them military planes for training pur.
poses. During the next year industry
will be expected to raise the total to
$4,000 annual rate with a much heavier
proportion of planes in the bomber class
Output of four motor bombers is barely
beginning with an announced goal O.
1000 a month. Officials publicly have
predicted that in 1943 industry would bt
counted upon to turn out 10000 planes
In shipping: The entire merchant ma
rine of this country today totals 100000
tons. Plans now call for producing 6,00O,'
900 tons in 1912 alone and another
5000 900 tons in 1943. The demand nov
is to double this production in order tt
meet the need for ships that lies ahead
In naval vessels: 1t has been the goa
to double the size of the American NAVY
by 1946. Now the demand is to accom-
plish this program by 1914 or earlier II
the case OF all other than big battle
ships.
In ordnance: Attention has centeret
on providing equipment for an arm.
of 1000 900 men. The program of pro-
duction schedules extended well int
1943 lust to do this job 1t is job tina
barely has started. Suddenly there /
need for ordnance equipment to suppl.
an army two or three times that size
Where industry was being given de
livery schedule extending over two year
or more that schedule is being shortened
drastically due to developments
In lend-1ease: Big promises have beer
made to the British and Russians ant
Chinese. Those promises today are TO
the delivery of s13,ooOO 100000 worth
equipment. Actually, deliveries durin
eight months total barely 81 200, 900 90
and are heavily centered in foodstuf1
. and other products that do not directl
decide the outcome Of battles. A speed
up now Is essential.