Evening star., 1942-01-05
Auto Industry
Pools Facilities
To Make Arms
Hopes to Deliver Up
To Six Billion Worth
Of Weapons in Yeor
Earlier Story on Page ALL

Earlier Story on Page ALI
Americas automobile manufac-
turers, representing in peacetime the
essence of competition, today agreed
to pool their entire facilities to ac-
complish an immediate all-out war
effort in the production Of arma-
ments.
The agreement was in response to
call by William S. Knudsen, di-
rector general of the Office of Pro-
duction Management. for the auto
mobile industry to make deliveries
this year of five to six billion dol
lars worth of weapons and war
goods.
Hope to Double Output.
Mr.. Knudsen told a press confer
ence that representatives of man.
agement and labor within the auto
mobile industry had pledged their
utmost cooperation" to accom-
plish this end at an extraordinary
Government t-industry-labor confer
ence involving 200 top-ranking au-
tomobile makers held under his
direction.
He said the conferees expressed
confidence that they would be able
to double the 1912 plant output
which had been mapped for their
private industries before Pearl
Harbor."
Il told them" Mr. Knudsen said.
that before Pearl Harbor they were
scheduled to deliver two and one
( half billion dollars in military goods
by the end of 1912: now I'm asking
the industry to make it between five
and six billion"
Details of Plan Discussed.
/ An industry conversion plan en-
! bodying a Government expenditure
of $1,000 ,000,0 was presented to the
1 conference by representatives of the
War and Navy Departments, and
separate meetings we're arranged
this afternoon to discuss details of
this plan.
Later, Mr.. Knudsen announced
membership of a 10-man industry
labor committee TO supervise the
conversion.
The members are: Management,
Fdsel Ford of the Ford Motor Co.,
] C. C. Carlton of the Motor Wheel
! Corp, Paul G. Hoffman of the
Studebaker Corp, r. F. Black of the
White Motor Co. and c. E. Wilson
of General Motors Corp. Labor
Walter P. Reuther. director of the
General Motors division of the
| United Automobile Workers. c. l. O.:
George F. Adde's. secretary treasurer
U. A. W., C. I. O.; Richard Franken-
steen, director of the aviation divi-
sion, U. A. W., c. I. o.; Richard
Reisinger, member of the interna-
tional board u A. W., C. I. O., and
Earl Melton. international repre-
sentative of the A. F. L. Machinist's S
Union.
Mr.. Knudsen said large portion
of the funds committed by the Army
and Navy to accomplish this conver-
sion undoubtedly would be used in
the construction of new plants for
production of related war materials
which could not be turned out in
a converted automobile factory.
Reuther Plan Indicated.
The industry's transformation gen.
orally appeared to be shaping ur
along the lines of the so-calleo
Reuther plan. program of defense
production within the automobile
industry submitted more than a veal
ago.
Mr.. Reuther would have accom-.
plished production program, brief
ly, by converting the industry, poolini
the facilities and granting labor rep.
resentation on boards or committee
formed to accomplish these ends.
Asked at his press conference
whether the program actually beini
undertaken was the same as tina
offered months ago by Mr.. Reuther
Mr.. Knudsen said: You can max
| YOUR own comparisons"