Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1942-08-29
Industry Bests
Housewives in
Use Of Ersatz
en- President Reveals
Saving in Time and
Vital War Materials
By VERA BROWN

1t isn't only the housewife today
who is learning to bake a cake
without sugar, TO cook meat SUBJ
stitute dishes and 60 without hose.
So is industry. only it is one I'D
on the housewife. Industry Is bak-
ing a better cake with curtailed
materials.
This is what c. E. Wilson, pres
ident of General Motors. says.
STORY OF SUBSTITUTES
He told the story of saving vital
materials and time to Is news.
paperwomen here visiting Detroit's
defense plants as part of nation
wide tour under the auspices OF
the National Association of Manu-
facturers. Said Wilson:
I'VE are learning to save both
time and materials because ~
must. We mean II when we say
that victory Is our business. To-
day rs one example our marine
engine Is one-fifth the weight Of
the old model, takes up one
third the space. In tanks No
have effected amazing savings
I'm chrome and steel.
"We're at peak production
now, compared with our peak
year of peacctime productiou.
We expect when we arc operst-
ing fully to do IA times that
much. And . lot Of the work
will be done with women.
SAME AUTO AFTER WAR
"Your automobile after the
war? 1t will be the same it n
today. There won't be any new
dies, for we're too busy %
think Of automobiles until the
war Is won." s,
And of course there came that
much talked about question Of
rubber. Charles F. lettering. vice
president and director Of the GIN
research laboratories, said about
that. sgft
There II no question about
synthetic rubber. We can make.
IL out Of anything. The whole
point n, can we afford 70 divert
vital materials TO synthet1o
rubber plants today to make
tires for non-cssential driving?
II don't think there can b
but one answer at the moment.
That is-NO.
PLENTY TO FIGHT WITH
''There'u be all the rubber tie
army and navy needs for thie
war. And when Il II foasible.
there will be synthetic rubbee
for civilian use. That's the storys
Nobody has patent, . special
recipe for synthetic rubber.
1T II an open secret Sc1-
entists and manufacturers know
all about it and wei probably
mako it better than natural
| rubber.
This whole war ID question
Of what II best, what 10 essential
right now. IL must remain :
fluid picture, for the war ID fauid.
and changing and the needs are
fluid.
They tell ms Detroit n dyna-
mite. I laugh 1t such critics.
They only see the scrap Pile, not
the greater Job Of production
which has been DONE" Wilson
nodded.
COMPARED TO SILK HOSE
This m alter Of rubber.
ladies'" he said. els like your
silk hose. II you can't get any
you 60 without until something
Is devised - . substitute.
II have sympathy for the men
In Washington who are tYying
to correlate this great produe-
ton.
To-day the whole production
Of an Industrial nation must
swing into q new groove. If n
q gigantic Job. Sometimes 70 -
difficult to see the woods for tie
trees"
II believe General Motors h
an example Of management
faith In labor today. Since April
the UAW-CIO has been oper.
ating without contract with
the management while . now
agreement n being arranged,
Production has upped each
of those months because both
parties know that the agree
ment will be amicablc."
BATTLES AT HOME
Kettering showed his hands deep
into his pockets and remarked:
IL sometimes wonder lust
how many civil wars we've got
to fight In this country while
we're fighting this war around
the world"
Wilson said that the same day
il was heralded that there was 3
shutdown in one plant. with 1000
persons idle. his company hired
5000 new workers.
There was o net gain and Q
big one. There are bound to Be
shortages crop up-hefe n On
important point. Sometimes n
r. necessary TO divert vital
materials-right now. for some
unnamed reason. Such o situ-
alton occurred recently. I can't
say why. There was . steel
shortage for q week or two.
But that shortage here was
necessary to meet IN unex-
pected demand elsewhere"