Evening star., 1942-05-26
Army and Navy
.Hit for Failure
To Save Rubber
Senate Group Says
Tire Requisitioning
Must Be Considered
BY the Associated Press.

By the Associated Press.
The Senate Defense Investi-
eating Committee criticized the
Army and Navy today for not
pairing their rubber requirements
to the bone, asserting that if the
production of synthetics did not
come up to schedule the military
forces may find themselves
without rubber at some future
date"
In 57-page report, the commit
tee said
National gasoline rationing on "a
sensible basis" and the requisition-
ing of tires must be given serious
consideration to conserve 100000
tons of rubber now on the wheels
Of motor vehicles.
There will be no new or reclaimed
rubber at all for non-eSsential uses
within the next three years.
The best that could be expected
from successful synthetic program
would be to supply military needs
and essential civilian requirements,
such as tires for cars transporting
defense workers.
Little Hope for Crude.
Resources in this hemisphere offer
little hope of adding substantially
to United Nations supplies of crude
rubber, which Price Administrator
Leon Henderson testified would be
exhausted by May. l943, even with
the greatest possible curtailment Of
civilian uses.
The committee recommended that
some one person" be designated to
assume full responsibility over the
rubber program. Sucn task re-
Gently was assigned by Donald NJ.
Nelson, war production chief, to
Arthur Newhall
Meanwhile, a Senate Agriculture
Subcommittee heard Nebraska en-
gineer testify that he could build
the necessary plants and produce
100000 tons of synthetic rubber from
corn and wheat for less than the
cost of hauling the grain for CONVEX
sion into alcohol at existing distil.
leries farther East.
Accuses W. P. B. officials.
George E. Johnson, chief engi-
neer of the Central Nebraska public
power and irrigation district. also
charged that practically all Of the
important officials Of the w. P. BIS
chemical division formerly worked
for the United States Industrial AL
cohol Co. or its subsidiaries. and
sought to stave of competition for
that firm
1T seems that if they can pre-
vent it they are not going to permit
anybody to build any plant that
would be in competition with that
company" Mr.. johnson testified.
That seems to be their principal
job"
The engineer said that at con-
servative estimate the cost Of ship
ping grain to existing distilleries
from points west of Kansas City and
Omaha would average 40 cents a
bushel, including storage and han
ding charges. He said 10000 900
bushels of grain would be required
to make 100000 gallons of alco-
hol, on the basis of an estimate by
Secretary of Commerce Jones. The
alcohol would be converted into
butadiene, which, in turn, would be
used in making synthetic rubber.
Met No Encouragement.
That s32,000,000 transportation
and handling charge would be more
than enough to construct alcohol
plants where the grain is raised, put
it through all the processes and
produce all the 100000 tons of rub
ber," Mr.. johnson declared.
Beginning as early as last Feb
ruary, he said, his Nebraska group
had applied for priorities necessary
for the construction of five grain
alcohol plants, but had met with no
encouragement.
we can be making rubber in six
months and have our plants oper-
ating at full capacity in eight
months if We are allowed to 90
ahead with the program" he said.
Much space in the Senate Defense
groups report was devoted to the
committees investigation of the for
mer tie-up between Standard Oil
Co. of New Jersey and the German
dye trust, I. G. Farbenindustrie.
Impeded Developments.
The committee said that Stand
ards agreements with 1. G. Farben
seriously impeded the developments
of buna-S (synthetic) rubber" in
this country. 1t added, on the other
hand that Standard was not back
ward in offering plans for large
plants for raw materials and rubber
to be built under Government au-
spices for it and Others"
Urging that the armed forces "ex-
ercise the same degree of care that
is recommended to civilians to as
sure the conservation of rubber
the committee said its best available
(See RUBBER, Page A-5D