Evening star., 1942-09-24
Sfreamlining Of WPB
10 Cut Munition Board
To Nucleus Unit
SmoI Committee Also
To Hundle Expansion
Of War Plants


Board will be reduced to small
nucleus unit with a majority of
its ofncer personnel either trans
ferred directly to the War Produc-
ton Board or sent into the field,
The Star learned today.
There will be no big-name man
appointed to succeed Ferdinand
Eberstadt as chairman of the
ANMB, an official said. Instead, an
officer probably will be placed over
the remaining nucleus unit" which
will do little co-ordinating Of mill
tary production, he added.
Mr.. Eberstadt last Saturday was
named vice chairman of the WPB
by Chairman Donald M. Nelson and
given authority to see to it that
materials are on hand to carry out
war production. AS announced by
Mr.. Nelson, Mr.. Eberstadt will be
responsible for the determination of
programs and schedules and will be
IN charge of the flow OF materials
to manufacturers and producers
throughout the war effort"
About 1000 Employees.
The ANMB, it was estimated, now
has nearly 1000 employees, about 400
of whom are commissioned men OF
the Arm yand Navy. A number Of
the officers will follow Mr.. Eber-
stadt into the WPB with a majority
of the others given assignments in
the field.
Meanwhile, it was learned that
selection OF sites for war plant ex-
pansion will be handled by a single,
small committee composed of an
officer each from the Army, Army
Air Force, Navy and Maritime Com
mission. This action is another
step In Mr.. Nelson's streamlining
Of WPB.
Two units are to be dissolved and
replaced by the small, new Facility
Clearance Board, It was learned.
These are the ANMB's Facilities
Clearance Committee. which first
cleared projects initiated by the
armed services, and the WPB's un-:
wieldy, Remember Plate Site Board,
which gave final approval.
The Plant Site Board. headed by
Houlder Hudgins, WPB director of
procurement policy. included six
Representatives from various WPB
branches and one each from the
Army, Navy, Agriculture Depart
ment, ODT, National Housing
A~aa,,, No%i.nal paco,,rcav Dlop
ming Board, War Manpower Com
mission and Federal Security
Agency.
Col. Textor Heads Unit.
Col. Gordon E. Textor, an officer
loaned to WPB by the Corps Of En-
gineers, has been named execu-
tive director of the new facility
board, 1t was understood. An order
setting up the new board has been
signed though not yet announced
A number of employees Of the two
committees to be dissolved will be
transferred to the new board.
The action is expected to reduce
greatly the time frequently required
to pass on plant projects. In addi-
tion 1t will give the Army Air
Forces a direct voice in deciding
pn plant locations.
4 Brig. Gen. william H. Harrison
of the Arny's Services of Supply,
i former production director Of
WPB, was mentioned as the Army's
probable selection for the board,
while Brig. Gen. B. E. Myers OF the
Material Command has been sug-
eested as representative for the
Air Forces. Neither the Navy nor
Maritime Commission has named
members, 1t was understood. An
other question so far unsettled Is
whether a WPB official would be
made chairman.
The services, it was said, have
been reluctant in some cases to dis
close details of secret manufacturing
processes to so large a group. This
has resulted occasionally in misun-
derstanding and delay in obtaining
needed facilities. The new sboard,
compact and composed of high off,
GERS, will be able to do better job
OF co-ordinating plant expansion
with strategic production sched-
uling.
Old Plants Sought.
Efforts OF WPB recently have been
concentrated on finding old or aban-
doned plants for use IN war pro-
duction rather than to build new
ones. It was estimated that only
about Is per cent Of funds now being
spent on expansion is going into new
buildings. This trend will be con-
tinued as more and more plants shut
down because Of restrictions on
purely civilian manufacture.
The appointments of Mr.. Eber-
stadt and Charles c. Wilson, presi-
dent Of the General Electric Co., who
was placed in charge Of production
as vice cl1airmen, was highly pleas
ing to other officials at WPB. They
see in the actions by Mr.. Nelson q
restoration Of power to WPB which
President Roosevelt extended in his
executive order setting up the agen'
cy. They see that Mr.. Nelson really
has got tough" and that Mr.. Eber'
stadt and Mr.. Wilson are two mer
well qualified to help him carry ou
this policy. WPB means to retair
for civilians the control over all wa
production, and to deal directly witt
the armed services.