The Durant news. (Durant, Miss.) 1882-1985, 1941-02-27
"BEHIND THE SCENES IN
AMERICAN BUSINESS"
By John Croddoek

NEW YORK, Feb. 24-BUSINESStWhile
war drums beat louder with NaZi thrust to
Balkans and Japan's movements in Far East,
the hum of drill lathe and saw in the United
States matches the crescendo as the re-arming
and building an arsenal for democracy"
drive goes forward at an even faster pace.
Practically every business index continues to
reflect that progress Plant-expansion con-
tract awards by Army and Navy for January
are an example: They totaled 1915, 1882
worth-more than half as much, in that one
month, as the total for the final seven months
of 1910. Highlights of recent construction
awards give an idea of where and "whatfor"
some of the chunks of this money are going:
Ordnance depots, at around SO, 000, 600 a
piece, for Admission, Ala, Fort Wingate, N.
M. and Hermiton, Ore. New $lO,-
0OO, 900 aircraft manufacturing and assem-
bly, plant for Omaha, Neb. an additional
S 5000, 900 was allocated for additional con-
struction and operation of an ammunition
loading plant at Ravenna, O., bringing the
total awards for this particular project up to
better than $48, 000, 900.
ACE AREAS-The nations factory en-
ployes are now getting nearly a quarter
billion-$25O, 600, 000-weekly in their pay
envelopes, topping any peak periods of 1929
or 1887. Greatest payroll gains since July,
1889, have occurred in the five states ad-
jacent to the Great Lakes. Here are located
most of the country's steel capacity, many Of
it's auto and truck plants, and a multitude OF
other light and heavy industries which nor
mally turn out nearly one-third of the ma
TONS manufactured products. Total payrolls
in this area have averaged a jump OF more
than so per cent in last 18 months. The mid
Atlantic section of New York, New Jersey
and Pennsylvania is not far behind. 1t or
dinarily accounts for about a fourth of ma
f;Opo1 poon,rfo cf,,roc opd ~ q yrO1lc thnrp have
whooped up by 81 per cent. Pacific Coast
states have found their factory employment
boosted mostly by increase in aircraft and
shipbuilding activity and payrolls there
show a 38 per cent rise
RUBBER CONSERVATION-With events
in the Singapore region, which supplies 81
per cent of this country's natural rubber,
becoming more grave, a second important
boost-attributable to research-was given
the national rubber conservation effort last
week by the same company which first put
synthetic rubber tires on the market last
June. According to John L. Collyer, presi--
dent of the B. F. Goodrich, company the en-
tire 1941 output of one of the company's
tire lines will be fortified with Duramin, a
discovery of the company's Akron labora-
toresi "Duramin is a potent combination OF
the most effective chemical age ~resisters
which prolong the service life of rubber
much as vitamins prolong human life. 1t i'm
parts longer resistance to sunlight, oxidation,
heat and abrasion, the chief causes of deter
~ioration in rubber" he explained. In addi-
ton, he announced an important change in
truck tire construction that is said to increase
mileage by Is per cent over 1910 standards.
With the nations present. rubber reserves en-
ough for only nine months normal needs,
such efforts will help defer the need of ra-
tioning if events in the Far East should cur
toll Our nnrrno l cnnnIioa IF natural pnhhor
BEWARE BARRIERS - Declaring that
laws which erect barriers to trade between
the state "serve to defeat a basic principle
of our federal constitution" Mrs Melville
Mucklestone, president of the National Con-
sumers Tax Commission, has issued a warn
ing to the $500 units of her organization to
be on guard against trade barrier" bills
which may be introduced in state legislatures
now in session. A typical trade barrier law,
she said, is one which levies a special tax
on out-of-state commodities to discourage
competition with products made within the
state. Such barriers promote national dis
unity when national defense requires unity,
Mrs. Mucklestone declared.
THINGS TO WATCH FORA "Wack-
eroo." It's a small chalk figure with hands
coming out of its ears and feet growing out
of it's neck, and otherwise outlandish enough
to make you want to smash (which is ex-
actly h you're supposed to do. 1t exists
for the sole purpose of setting around on a
window ledge or table until some time when
you get thoroughly exasperated with the
world-then you pick up Mr.. Wackeroo and
smash him on the floor-then you sit down
and feel better Celophane-sealed bath
rooms in hotels couple of New York hos
telries have started giving the bathrooms a
vlolet-ray disinfecting treatment after each
guest checks out, then sealing the whole