Detroit evening times., 1942-09-01
BY PAUL MALL0N

.lAAeQ--
No one here now wants ma
tional gas rationing.
TT is true much is being done
L now that is not being adver-
tised. The Dow Chemical plant,
in Michigan. is proceeding so
rapidly ii will be ready to pro-
duce synthetic rubber in Janu-
ary. Tire companies are now
producing tires out of reclaimed
rubber.
The army is being told it cam
not use rubber for everything
when available substitutes will
do as well.
Much criticism has been Of
fered of government cancella-
ton of the S110,OOO,OOO Indiana
synthetic engineering plant. but
il appears the cancellation came
about because the government
discovered old gas manufacture
ing plants in Los Angeles and
San Francisco. which could be
put in order to produce synthetic
rubber for only $1,000, 900.
What the situation notably
needs is singleheaded affirmative
government leadership. which
will promise that it can" pro-
duce as much as possible. and
a cessation of the cant" policy.
The Baruch committee is ex-
pected to point the way to do
this in the analytical second
section of its report.
Up to now, the government
has been stressing the necessity
Of getting as much domestic
business as possible into the war
effort. Other lines have been
trimmed, cut or crushed.
1t will be found that in order
to support the home front, to
enable business to pay the kind
of taxes Congress is enacting, to
curb imitation, to provide en-
ployment, and to sustain the ma
tional economy. the government
will have to switch to a line of
encouragement for consumer
business and production of civil
ian use materials to the fullest
extent possible.
Wars can be lost on the home
front. In fact, victory has never
been won on the battle line by
a nation economically disorgan-
lied.
THE same change will have to
Il be made in draft policy,
eventually. Up to now. in the
rush to raise an adequate army,
the government has been regis
tering and threatening to draft
every one. without particular
regard TO physical defects, age,
dependencies, and in some spots,
even to war work.
Such a policy was justifable,
(even if not made necessary to
the extent of General Hershey's
recent speeches). because the
raising of an army was a pri-
mary consideration.
But the maintenance of civil
ian life at home is the next
consideration. The day is not
far off when the army will be
raised and the government draft
policy will have to be refocused
TO the proposition of maintain
ing the home, the family and
their support.
MOT many people have
~ thought OF il this way yet.
perhaps, but il is true that if
every one i'm the country were
drafted into the army, we
would lose the war.
There would be no other
business than that of the state.
and all dependents would be
living at the expense Of the
state, producing nothing them
selves. Taxes TO support every
one would be nil.
Thus the real objective Is not
the drastic one which official
speeches have reflected thus far.
but a balance between army
needs and civilian life so that
both may be properly main
tanned.
4 PHASE of this overlooked
"A situation lies in the current
discussion about drafting 1S and
19-year-olds. Some mothers tbut
not fathers. judging from my
maiD think II would be unfair
of the government TO take men
so young.
They should appreciate that il
Is a question. of taking either
their h 5 or their boys. If
the husbands are all called, the
economic source of life Of the
family is gone.
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