The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1942-10-01

FUNDS tor Sponge iron Plant
Central Control for
supplies Still Missing
NJ RAY TUCKER
WASHINGTON - while ths
American people have been ran
s.cking cellars and garages for
scrap 70 relieve critical shortages
powerful steel interests INSIDE the
War Production beard have stub
eosnly bucked = program design
ID 70 provide = suitable substitute.
Discovery q their eahal partly ac-
counts for tire recent house clean
ing n this division of wPB.
Affer years of investigation and
study the extremely conservative
bureau Of mines reached the con-
e1uuiou that sponge iron would
make . satisfactory ingredient for
Che metal from which ships. tanks
and guns are built Through the
persistent efforts Of Senator JOS
eph c. o'Mahoney Cd OF wyom-
Ing. congress appropriated $780,
600 for construction of q pilot
plant which win Be located At
Laramie In his state. Incidentally.
the bureau learned In it, inquiry
that one United States firm had
erected = factory IN Japan which
now AFTER seizure II turning out
500 tons = day for the enemy.
The National Academy of Sci
ences. . private organization that
frequently cooperates with the
government In technical research,
Immediately opened an attack on
the plan TO develop the porous
product Despite the federal metal
lurEistf opinion and the congress
sional appropriation the scientists
issued . release listing fifteen rea-
sons why the alternative material
ahould not be developed publicly
q privately.
Although the criticism was
signed BY = certain Clyde VII
1iams. the Wyoming legislator
charges that 1t Was composed by
= vice president Of . concern
which makes blast furnaces, whose
business would suffer from COM
petition created by the new
process.
The ncademicians' broadside,
however. received very little pub
licity because Of the highly TECH
uical nature Of the subject Eek
cept for . few trade journals II
was scarcely noticed. But the
ironmasters In wPB cooked up .
scheme 10 remedy that apathy.
They prepared for dissemination
m article In which they incor-
porated the full report Of the SCI
entific organizations experts.
When they submitted II to the
Office Of War Information for in
spection ana approval this agency
consulted the secretary OF the IN
terror, who has jurisdiction over
the bureau Of mines. Mr.. Ickcs
telephoned . hot protest to Dom
aid ~. Nelson and the production
chieftain issued q kill" order on
that particular statement.
The ferric men retaliatcd when
Ickes' press representatives franz
ed an announcement that the ex-
perimental plant would be located
in Laramie. They insisted that all
complimentary references TO the
mineral ~ substitute be elimi-
mated. Again the cabinet member
defied the ssspecial interexts.. a.
he calls them But the final re-
lease was somewhat milder In its
praise Of sponge iron.
Note: The wPB-ers' principal
argument In the controversy IL
that the steel industry would have
used the product II IT were a. good
~ the bureau Of mines described
II. Since the start Of the dispute
many months ago At least two
leading corporations have tried TO
borrow RFc money for develop
ment Of the msligned ore.
Emergency problems smphasiz-
ing the serious need for some sort
u = central board or military-eco-
nouaic commission crop up At the
capital almost daily. Although red
tape 10 not = sensational or head
line topic, the war which Assistant
Secretary Bard says We are los
ing can BE- kicked away here In
Warrington
A few weeks ago the navy de-
partment wanted to import ma
hoEany from British Honduras in
: hurry. This wood IL essential for
construction OF certain warships
and pzanes and there Is no proved
substitute The product had to b
bought quickly because the rainy
season was approaching when al
logginx ha1ts for months. Blu,
Secretary Knox discovered there
wzs no single authority which
nos.1d Give fs1II ana Immediate an