Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1942-03-17
Tires Found
To Be Ro++inq
On TraiIers
But New Ones Won't
Be Left on Rubber
By PAUL MALION


the IS state governors seeking
a i0-mile national speed limit
10 save tires Motorists will no
doubt voluntarily impose one on
themselves Immediately so no
redeemable rubber will be lost.
But tho President should also
have written more CauStic
letter TO one Of his own govern
ment departments which. il now
appears. IS n great If not the
greatest - waStcr of rubber in
the entire country
A tire rationng board in
central Ohio was astonlshed
when a trailer hauler came in
a few days back and testified
that the trailer homes of de-
tense workers All through the
country had been furnished tires
by the federal government-and
these precious tires were still
on the stationary buffet houses.
standing and rottinG around the
factories
The applicant said he hauled
trailerS from a Michigan manu-
facturer 10 Baltimore. These
were occupied by workers al an
airplane factory. All he had
hauled there were left standing
on tires. he told the tire board.
a member of the board wrote
me the circumstances and. upon
investigation, | discovered the
following facts
4 BOUT 2,791 trailers were
~ chartered by the federal
government in approximately
80 camps established through
the country up To February |.
and most Of these trailers APP
parently still have tires on
them.
a majority Of them have been
setting around in use since last
summer and fall.
The trailer project started
last June under auspices of the
farm security administration of
the agriculture department The
project had nothing 10 do with
agriculture, but the department
had some experience In handling
migrating farmhands that way.
Recently the national housing
agency took the project over in
accordance with Mr. RooSeveltS
general reorganization order of
several weeks ago
The project calls for S,4S3
more trailers Immediately and
MIA is adopting a program
whereby the steel underCar-
riages, wheels and tires will he
returned 10 the factory for
other vehicles as soon as they
arc delivered al camps
FSA. defending itself. says il
has bought only 400 new tires IN
the last so days 10 get this de-
livery pool started and no new
tires are now being bought, al
though haulerS. like the man in
central Ohio. are probably
getting prioriticS" for tires on
the. trucks or towing vehicles
they use.
Although FSA says it is Jack
ing up its trailerS now and
removing tires as fast as pos
Sible. its own claims show it has
not done much They mention
two or three factors holding
them back,
Fun : for this particular
work have only recently become
available. II takes time 10
get contracts from local firms
10 build sawhorSeS and furnish
concrete blocks. etc The work
can be done only in good
weather like building conStruc-
ton (althouCh there have been
few DAYS this winter when con-
crete could not he poured in the
latitude Of BaliimOrc-if YOU
must have concrete TO remove
"A tire
DUT they trip themselves he
- tween two Of these Conven-
tionS. IF they had 10 buy 400
now tires since ratiOninC started
January |. as they say. then
they certainly have not taken
many tires for this purpose off
trailcrS already placed They
should not have needed much
more than 400 tires for their
!, n tf q ppO1 tho mast two