Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1942-02-07
What About
Tires for Men
In Arms Jobs?
Problem TO Face 100, 900
at Ford Bomber Plant
BY WESTBBOOK PEGLER

BY wESTBBOOK PEGLER
THIS will be the who-dun-it
chapter of this little series,
the chapter having 10 do with
the fact that we came right
down TO Pearl Harbor with
motor industry still largely en-
gagged in the production of pas
senger cars for individual use.
Such vehicles still are often
miscalled pleasure cars. a form
dating from the time when the
private car was a luxury of the
well-to-do and was used for
Sunday ride or spin over
lumpy suburban roads. but eX-
perience and contemplation OF
the near future. prove that II
is an almost Indispensable car
rier.
Nobody has yet explained how
we are going 10 do without II
and the anxiety is nowhere more
acute than in Detroit. where so
many millions Of cars have been
made. but today the best minds
Of the community are wonder
ing how 100000 workers viii he
shifted from home 10 The job
and back in three great mass
movements daily. some Of them
as far as 100 miles day. when
the inconcciVably vast Ford
bomber pla n 7 goes INTO total
operation in July.
THIS is not the entire problem
Il in Detroit, 70 say nothing
of similar problems in practi-
Cally all other centcrs, but y
viii do as an illustration.
True. the tires Will give out
before the vehicles. which then,
presumably. will be put away
fwr duration. but those new tires
will give much priceless mileage
in getting people about on nee
eSSary crrandS who otherwise
would nc immobllizcd much
sooner: and il is the contention
of the motor makers Of Detroit
that their rubber consumption
last year did not reduce by As
much as an ounce tho supply
available for var today.
AZ the source there was un-
limited rubber and the federal
government, which was buying
for war, has itself 10 blame for
us own failure 70 buy and store
more on its own account.
That millions OF miles OF tire
service Viii be wasted on fTlNol-
Gus and uncconomlcal errandS i
inevitable and Just too bad. but
problem of public opinion and
possibly Of regulation
Most Americans apparently
are using cars today as though
there were still as always be-
fore. plenty more whore their
present tires came from.
pUT why didn't tho industry
- take the initiative. warn tho
nation rcSoundinGly that the
cars and tires IN service would
have 10 last indefinitely, shut
down last year and save time
and material by total conversion
OF ITS plants for war work
Well the automobile industry
is not the government for one
reason, and any such assumption
OF 4 duty OF tho government 20
anticipate war and create war
consciousness would certainly
have been denounced as war
~ (, n < -t.-s'-tf n ss-~ttft eSe-te
profits.
Moreover, the unemployment
might have created another OF
those great revolutionary crises
such a. the government >mUk-
Ingly encouraged within tho re-
cent painful memory Of the mo-
tor builders
And finally tho big compa-
MES lacked orders from the gov
eminent for the performance Of
specific war tasks.
Such orders as tho govern
mcnt had placed were being exc
Cutcd and there are several huge
new works built from tho ground
up which argue the industry s
contention that It's men Of
strange genius were not tagging
when tasks were definitely as
signed.
If 1t were granted that idle
machine capacity above the re-
qulrementS Of the automobile
production schedule could have