The potters herald. [volume] (East Liverpool, Ohio) 1899-1982, 1942-09-03
Facing The Foc+s
With PHILIP PEARL


The entire nation is thoroughly dis
turbed over the suddenly discovered
shortage of vital materials which l:
blocking full war production.
1t begins to look as though there was
something to the rumOrS current veal
or SO ago that the steel barons ant
other monOpOlistic metal fabricator.
lulled America into Il false sense OF
security because they feared expansion
might bring them dangerous postwar
competition.
DO you remember when the steel an(
aluminium Industries were pOoh-hOOins
warnings of coming shortages? DO you
remember when they confidently boast
ed America would have more than
enough metal to meet the war ant
Deace-tine needs!
Look what's happening now! We
don't know the full story yet, but
enough has leaked out to cause seriou.
alarm. The Higgins Industries, Inc.
which introduced high-speed method.
that revolutionized the ship-buildiDg in
duStry, is stopped in its tracks by can
collation. of its contract for 200 Liberty
cargo ships because, the Maritime Com
mission says, there is Il shortage OF
steel.
Henry Kaiser, West Coast ship
building pioneer, gets all set for the
construction of 400 giant airships tt
circumvent the submarine menace ant
then the Navy tells him there is NJ
steel
Boeing Aircraft expands its facilities
for building the deadly Flying Fort
resses, but has to cut down production
due to lack of materials.
Who Is Responsible?
This is not merely disgraceful situ
ation-it's criminal. 1t Is treasonablt
sabotage of the war effort. The nations
most vital war needs today are fol
cargo ships, cargo planes and bombers
Yet we can't produce them in the nee
eSsary quantities because OF shortages
of materials.
Who Is responsible for these short
ages? Was 1t just bad planning or de-
liberate selfishness? How can we most
quickly remedy these shortages?
These are the questions that must
be answered without delay. Our boys
in uniform may be slaughtered on the
battlefronts because they lack guns
and tanks and planes. And this lnc
will be directly traceable to those re
sponsible for the present shortages il
materials.
Until now all the emphasis has beer
placed on labor. We've heard plenty
of talk of labor shortages. Of strikes
delaying production, of the need OI
labor morale programs to stimulate
production.
But labor is on the job and sticking
To the job. 1t can't produce unless il
has the materials to produce with.
Take the Higgins case for example
The Metal Trades Department of tn,
AFL secured the country for skilled
mechanics and rushed them to tha
job because the Government was yell
Ing for more and more ships. Now lot.
of these men are out of work and their
skill and productive genius are beins
wasted.
We Want to Know the Answers
Let's have no doubt on this point
labor is not going to stand for hein:
made the goat for any production la!
for which labor is not to blame.
We're going to shout from the house
tops and we won't be silenced unit
the responsible parties ae put on tn,
spot and the situation is corrected.
Rumors are not our dish. We don
care to spread them nor to give then
circulation when there is no foundation
In fact for the charges made.
But the ugly talk that still persists
about tn" activities of corporation Off
cinls now serving In key office spots il
the Army and Navy must be inveSii
gated. 1t cannot be Stillcd until tn,
facts are established, one way or th'
other.
4 horrible suspicion Is growing II
the minds of the American people tina
some Government officials are servin:
the interests of the corporations will
which they We're identified before tn,
war rather than the best interests o
our country.
This war cannot be won by preserv
ing industrial mon0polies. 1t cannot b.
won by those whose first concern l.
profits.
American workers, hundreds of thou
sands of whom are threatened will
loss of their jobs because of materia
shortages, want to know the answers
They say that this shortage OF ma
tcrials Is not war - It's murder an,
America Is being made the victim.