The Hardin tribune-herald. [volume] (Hardin, Mont.) 1925-1973, 1942-11-19
K UC RATS A.

DSIl11lo lie OC6QGS IN
American Business
BY John Croddock
OUTLOOK - Business news
had to take a back seat to the
more spectacular headlines of
war last week as the U. S. often
sive against the Axis shifted in
to high gear. While news from
the far-flung battlefronts was
unquestionab1y favorable, and
results of our hard work on the
homefront began to be evident,
1T was becoming increasingly
clear that greater sacrifices are
in store for 1943. One of the
reasons why the pinch will be
tighter is the controlled mater
ials plan.
PRIOR1TIES OF 1e43 - That
could well be the title of GIMP.
It Is the "last," or at least the
latest, plan of the War PRODUCE
ton Board to see that the vital
materials that go into tanks
and guns and ships and planes
get to the right places. The old
system of priorities didn't work
so well. Preferred factories
sometimes got too much; others
didn't get enough or none at all.
As Leon Henderson phrased it,
the government was selling more
seats than there were in the
theater. So out the window
went most of the old plan and
IN its place came CMP-itself
simply a flow of paper. The
Army, Navy, Maritime Commits
sion and other agencies will tell
WPB what they want to build
and how much material will be
required. WPB and its agencies
will dole out the material-but
no more than is available.
Although GIMP will 60 into eff
feet Immediately, and will affect
only steel, aluminium and COP
per for the time being-it won't
become mandatory until next
summer. BY that time the plan
will have reduced civilian econ
omy to just about the bottom of
the barrel. The Office of Civil
ian Supply, which bids for all
consumer supplies, has request
ed only IL per cent of steel
output and less than l per cent
OF copper for next year. For the
housewife, her pots and pans
will become more precious than
ever-perhaps more than the
family silver.
XMAS PARTIES - The boys
lover there" and in training
won't be forgotten this
Christmas. Besides the packages
from home, there1l be a lot
more from the office or plant
or other place of employment
they had known before they
went off to war. Christmas
parties usually are the rule in
most organizations, but this
year many companies are can
ceiling them and devising means
of raising funds to send gift
boxes to former co-workers. For
example,, employees of Schenley
DlStillers corporation, one of the
country's largest producers of
alcohol for war purposes, are
pay-as-you-go-dances
to obtain money to send gift
boxes to more than $50 Of its
employees now in the armed fol-
ces as well as to purchase a
mobile hospital unit for civilian
defens. And the company is add
ing to the fund the money it
ordinarily contributes to a Yule-
tide party.
SHAMELESS DAYS? - Con-
slider the plight of the young
man whose facial down is begin
ming to bristle and is looking
forward to bathroom barbery
with a safety razor. When his
need becomes imperative, he
may find himself in somewhat
of a dilemma. WPB has ruled
that no more safety razors are
to be manufactured and that
the production Of razor blades
for civilian use must be reduced
by 20 per cent. Safety razors are
to be made only for the fighting
forces, for export and lend-lease
shipments. So it may be that
the young mans first razor will
be the one the Army issues him
or the hand-me-d down of his
older brother who has gone to
war. If the war lasts long enough,
he may even be trotting down
to the corner barber shop and
have his name emblazoned in
gold on a shaving mug. BY halt
ing the manufacture Of safety
razors and curtailing the OUTPUT
Of blades (1941 was a 5000, OOO.-
000-blade year - ~ per cent
above 1910 - so the pinch won't
be felt for some time) WIPE
hopes to save about 800 tons OF
Cfoo1 Hu Tho