Evening star., 1942-10-03

to be in the DAVID Lawrence.
spring, which is too far off.
1t would be very helpful if MEM
bers of Congress, especially those
who crate on industry, were to visit
some of the big factories and war
plants. One of the unfortunate
aspects of the New Deal has been
its unfamiliarity with the industrial
process.
Today there is beginning to be a
different attitude among Washing
ton officials toward industry. 1t has
been compelled by the fact that in
dustrial mobilization and produc-
ton is the key to mechanical war
in the air, on land and on the seas.
American industry has done a
miraculous job to date. The Presl-
dent was amazed to discover what
really rapid progress had been made
since Pearl Harbor. And it is en-
couraging to find the President en-
thusiastic, for now he will know
that some Of the problems which
his youthful advisers have been tell
ing him about through essays and
statistics Of an academic nature do
not reflect the real situation on the
industrial front, especially in war;
time.
May Be Short of Goals.
At present, when business and
industrial executives are concen-
trating on the winning of the war,
they are showing an efficiency and
skill in management that is out
stripping anything known in the
production world. There are bottle
necks and there are exceptions, but
management and labor in the main
are working together to get the
tools and weapons of war manu-
factured quickly.
1t is true that the Presidents
goals may not be met in their en-
tirety There is some misunder-
standing about how many planes
we will get. In the Presidents mes
sage to Congress on January 6,
1912, he said:
Il have just sent letter of direc-
tive to the appropriate departments
and agencies of our Government,
ordering that immediate steps be
taken to increase our production
rate of airplanes so rapidly that in
this year, 1912, we shall produce
10000 planes, 10000 more than the
goal set a wear and a half ago.
The rate of increase will be con-
tinued so that next year, 1943, we
shall produce 125,OOO airplanes, in
cluding 100000 combat planes"
Now it turns out that the Presi-
dent, in his conference with the
press yesterday, was under the i'm
preston that industry was to achieve
a rate of 10000 planes by the end
of 1912 and not actually make that
many, out a reference to his earlier
message indicates that he expected
$4,000 planes actually to be made
in 1912.
But the total number manufac-
tured in 1912 will be quite near that
figure, and If there is lower pro-
duction rate for 1943 than set, it
will not mean that anybody has
fallen down, because the program
really is of fantastic size. Even If
we met only three -fourths of the
1943 program, America would be
performing a miracle.
Should Tour WashingtnO.
The President spoke of the un-
fortunate reactions which he got in
some parts of the country to what
was happening in Washington. He
unquestionably ran into the wide
spread criticism of selective service
officials for their confusing and con-
Trajectory statements on the draft
and he probably heard a good deal
about Washington red tape.
1t would be an excellent thing II
the President could make his next
inspection trip right here in Wash
ington-if he could observe at first
hand some of the activities about
which the country hears. Thus, If
the President had some way to know
about the many contradictory pieces
of information that emanate from
Washington and the mass of ques-
tionnaires, reports and requests for
data that harass industrial execu-
tives, he would be in position to
speed up the war effort consider
ably.
He would find that all these topics
are under consideration by someone
in the Government but that it takes
an official very high up to acceler-
ate the many reforms which take
months to get crystallized into an
order or a directive.
But with all its mistakes, even the
Government machinery Is stumbling
forward, not backward, and If the
war lasts long enough, the Ameri-
can democracy-industry, labor and
Government-will be able to achieve
in two years many times what Hitler
and his allies accomplished in their
seven years Of preparation.
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