The people's voice. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1939-1969, 1942-08-07


The Voice agrees or disagrees with
mitted for this department should
cussed to some degree at least, OBJ
ceive no consideration for publicatic
Helena, Mont, July 26, 1915
The Editor,
The Helena Independent,
Helena, Montana
Sir:
A couple weeks ago the Independ
ent complimented the people of Hell
ent for ''the indirect assistance given
in the war effort In today's issue
the editorial takes the collection OF
scrap metals as it's text: RAW mate
rails must be supplied to our rapidly
increasing production plants in vastly
augmented quantities. A free flow OF
vital metals must go into the factories
which have been converted for arma-
ment building and unless the scrap
and junk are gathered in great ton
mage (?) there will be an immediate
threat to our war effort"
In view of the millions of tons of
"srap and junk" permitted by the
government" to be quickly collected
and shipped to Japan, what remains
to be collected will turn out like the
scrap rubber collection campaign
only proportionately far more disap-
pointing.
Since his discharge from the first
World war, after the armistice, my
son has been continually employed in
the steel industry, in the manufacture
of openhearth steels. For many
months, as he stated when home on
visit last summer, his plant has
been short of SCRAP IRON AND
STEEL, essential to quality and max
imum production in five large, open
hearth furnaces. Collecting scrap has
been assiduously collected for months
past.
Therefore, from whence are the
raw materials" the vital metals to
come to supply the imperative needs
of the manufacturers of machine tools
for the manufacture of armament"
For the manufacturers Of guns, tanks,
planes, ships, and the motors to pow
er them; the innumerable accessories
with which to equipment them, the
armament, the guns and munitions?
Quoting further: "The War Produc-
ton Board has told the public in blunt
words that the scrap campaign MUST
BE successful or we will face dan
gerous situation"
There's an end to "scrap" materials,
to the limited reserves after the
cleanup" the Japs gave the country.
To what sources, then, must the coun-
try revert? The War Production
Board is begging the mining interests,
the districts in which essential metals
are found, to produce and PRODUCE.
War Bond drives, scrap rubber and
scrap metal campaigns are featured
over the radio and through the press,
what of a campaign for DIRECT AS
in furthering the produce
ton of these, vital metals from ma
lures reserves. What is Helena do
ing toward directly assisting in get
ting the production of these, vital and
essential metals into production; met |
ais = tungsten, manganese, lead and
zinc, all at our doors, accessible,
awaiting only the necessary financial |
assistance of placing them before
capital, or before the governmental |
agencies which, now, are seeing the
of the past 10 years
in suppressing production all of |
which are needed, directly by the
many industries working on war ma
terial production?
What is the worth of money from
the sale of bonds and stamps, sent
east, if the manufacturer has not the
- METALS - wherewith to
that which such money
IS intended to buy
Approaching several leaders," also
heads of certain interests with the
foregoing questions, and statement of
'act-as pointed out in the editorial
If today-what has been their reac-
ion?
Another quotation from the edito-
'ial: g. the need for scrap in
:reases the direct ratio to production
If war goods" AS a corrollary, the
supply of scrap decreases as the resi-
lue following the Jap invasion on /