Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1942-03-12
Output Peri|ed
By Bott|ene(ks
In Plane Plants
Drastic Shakeup A
Planned by Nelson
To Keep Goal Pace
BY JACK VINCENT
IntI New. service start Correspondent

Int1 News service start Correspondent
WASHINGTON. March 12.-
American aircraft factories arc
operating at far from capacity
pace today.
Since the United States went TO
war last December 7. the United
States aviation industry could
have built 1000 more planes than
il did. careful checkup in the
industry disclosed. Further. unless
material bottleneckS are broken
between 1900 and $4,000 addi-
tional planes which could be built
with present facilities this year
won't ever materialiZe.
Actually. according 10 informed
spokesman in the industry. most
plants arc operating al a rate OF
only 125 10 80 hours week. when
their facilities could he used 168
hours a week The lag is that which
William s knudScn. former OPM
director and now production "trou-
hle shooter for the army. has re-
ferred 10 time and again as lost
production"
Press dispatches yesterday from
Melbourne quoted veterans of
aerial warfare in the Pacific as
declaring that with 1000 good
fighter planes the United Nations
could have beaten the japanese in
any Of Tho Pacific campaigns 10
date. and can still do 50.
NELSON PLANS SHAKEUP
War Production Board Director
Donald NJ, Nelson now is planning
drastic Shskeup IN the plano
section Of WIPE in An all-out effort
10 put plane production on The 1873
hour week Tho plane section is
now headed by Merrill {. MeicS
Chicago newspaper publisher Mel
son also iS sending his own
engineers and experts into plane
plants S0mcinneSA in temporary
advisory capacities and other times
they remain 10 direct output
Aviation industry Spokc>mcn
say that tho lost production IN
December January February and
March cost and a. costing this
country : O00 pianos which might
have bccn bmi' Material shortage
arc responsible Tho aviation in
duStry did not receive Ala pri-
oriiy rating, for materials until
two weeks ago
Surprisingly lttl" rcCriminatlon
j. voiced by aviation industry
executives They pqln' olt that
material shortages also have been
encountered IN other industries
They declared that 900 pursuit
ships could have been huilt for
lava. ! 900 more for Australia with
the facilities that had 10 stand idle
since Dcqcmhcr :
SpckcSmcn for the industry also
disclosed that tho material short
age Is forcing some waste IN man
pOMcr. nna-l.44l..4-N- .rf.fflt-t-t.,-
were given thfcc-daN Vacation
with pay because there were no
supplies 10 keep them busy They
had 10 be paid because rho com
pany feared that ship, n ING
vicinity would hire tho workers
away IT they were laid off without
pay. The TAXPAYER foo'> Tire mll
In other plants fun shifts arc
sometimes called 10 work and kept
in plants although there arc not
enough materials 10 keep them
busy during all thor working
hours.
One nov plant which N'as com
pletcd weeks ago 10 build 4 >pocIa
type plane 10 round oG' The nli-
tary forces has Not 10 produce 70
single fighting plane Tho proro-
type. or tost model crashed AND
production has been held ~ lutl
a now prototype can hc built
Sub-aS>enblicS a"c going ahead
hui actual production OF the ar
craft is yet 10 start THIS is in
contrast 10 the fact that IN ono
case military authorize. gave a
plane plant permission 10 Co ahead
with mass production without 2
prototype.