Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1942-01-06
Conversion Program
Being Mapped Here
By Auto Makers
Labor Industry Group
Reconvenes Following
Knudsen-HiIImun ToIks

knudsen-hIlImon Iolks
Members of the 10-man commit
tee appointed to plan the mass con-
version of the Nations automobile
Industry to total war production
conferred with Government pro-
ductior officials today. Indications
Iwere that definite convels sion pro-
gram would be mapped by late aft
,ernoon.
William S. Knudsen and Sidney
,Hillman, co-directors of the Office
.of Production Management, ex-
,plained in further detail what the
,country's armed forces will require
of revamped automobile industry.
THE session adjourned at noon to
allow Mr.. Knudsen and Mr. Hillman
Ito 60 to the Capitol for the Presi-
dents address.
The committee was to retonvene
at pm
!. Members of the Manufacturers
Passenger Car Committee, mean
while, resumed conferences with
Price Administrator Leon Hen
,derson to discuss additional de-
tails of the car rationing plan which
will go into effect January IS to
guide the marketing of the last new
models to roll from the assembly
Zines until after the war emergency.
Civilian production in the industry
will be halted by the first of next
month.
! The o. P. M. announced last night
that passenger car makers would be
permitted to turn out 204,848 cars
this month. a figure one-half that
of January, 194l, but double the
quota tentatively set shortly after
tine war broke out. This was the
original quota set October Is, and
1t was restored to allow the industry
to use up already fabricated parts.
In announcing the revised quota,
officials made 1t clear that the new
cars would be rationed by the Gov
eminent and held for the most es-
sential users.
Members of Committee.
Appointed on the conversion COM
mittee were the following representa-
tives of management within the in
dustry:
Edsel Ford of the Ford Motor Co.,
Dearborn, Mich; c. c. Carlton OF
the Motor Wheel Corp. Lansing,
Mich: Paul G. Hoffman of the
Studebaker Corp, South Bend, Ind;
R. F. Black of the White Motor Co..
Cleveland. Ohio, and C. E. Wilson of
General Motors, Detroit.
Four representatives of the Con-
gress of Industrial Organizations
and one from the American Fedora
ton of Labor were included in the
labor delegation on the committee.
They were:
Walter P Reuther, director of the
General Motors division of the
United Automobile Workers &C. /.
o.; George F. Adde's, secretary
treasurer of the U. A. w. &C. I. o.;
Richard Frankensteen, director of
the aviation division of the U. A.
w. &C. I. o.; Richard Reisinger,
member of the International Board
of the U. A. w. &C. I. o., and Earl
Melton, international representative
Of the International Association of
Machinists CA F. of L..
The overall conversion program
.embodies many of the general fea-
lures of the so-called Reuther plan,
a proposal drawn up by Mr.. Reuther
more than a year ago, setting forth
the manner in which his union felt
the automobile industry could be re-
vamped to produced 500 planes a
month.
Would Pool Facilities.
His plan, generally speaking
called for conversion of the indus
try. the pooling of facilities for
quick mass production of planes and
the creation of Government
labor board to super
wise the program.
Asked at a joint press conference
during intermission of the session
yesterday whether the program be-
ing initiated was to be compared
with the Reuther plan. Mr.. Knud-
sen and Hillman declined direct an
sWer.
That was before Pearl Harbor,'
said Mr.. Knudsen.
You can draw your own COM
parsons, Mr.. Hillman interceded
He added that the point now is
that I'VE can make use of all the
facilities" in the industry and at
Is up to them to see how quickly
they can turn over to war produc-
ton
Mr.. Knudsen indicated that a large
portion of the $4,000, 100000 COM
mitted to the industry by the Army
and Navy for conversion would be
used in construction of new plants
to turn out related war materials.
He said that eff by July or August"
the industry finds it needs two or
three more billions" to accomplish
this purpose, it. will get it.
"Staggering' Work Figure.
In report on the proceedings of
the closed conference, the o. P. M.
said Mr.. Knudsen made it clear to
the conference that the program
would be far-reaching from the
standpoint of time as we'll as output.
You don't need to worry about
being shut down after 1912" Mr..
Knudsen told the conference There
is more work coming-the figure is
staggering"
Mr.. Hillman urged a 24-hour day,
continuous swing shift operation of
war production machinery. I'VE
can not afford to have a single
worker idle" he declared.
William H. Harrison, director of
the production division of the o. P.
NJ, described the new war program
advanced for the industry as the
"stiffest challenge that the Govern
ment, management or labor ever
faced
Opinion Differs.
In fact, there was a difference of
onjpjop on tho ohilifv of tho in =