Evening star., 1942-08-04
Some War Plants Face
5hutdowns Due 10
Lack Of Materials
Situation Particularly
Critical in Detroit,
Magazine Reports
Special Dispatch to The star.

Cp0C1Ul 1ISpAkCk VI AHS VIVA
NEW YORK. Aug. 4.-More Ell j.
cient ALLEGATION OF materials and q
general awakening of industry to
the seriousness OF the scrap and
machinery situations are impera-
tive II the country Is to come within
shooting distance Of producing the
required $1,000, 600, 900 Of armament
per month before the year end,
according to American Machinist.
The materials situation is par
ticularly critical In Detroit, it Is
pointed out. where plant after plant
in the automotive industry Is cur
failing operations or facing shut
down through lack Of some item or
items vital to completion Of m ar
ticle Of munitions.
The closing of Yellow Truck re-
Gently because Chevrolet could not
get axle steel merely pointed up 4
condition which has been In the
making for months.
At least six weeks earlier, one Of
the largest forge shops In the auto
motive industry was all fooled up
for production OF at least 80 differ
ent items on subcontract but little
II any steel was on hand to make
important parts such as aircraft en-
gine crankshafts, tank parts, shell
forgings. Many other important
curtailments have been reported in
Oldsmobile, Fisher Body and Motor
Wheel Co.
Called Lopsided.
Since the materials allocations
system has been somewhat lopsided
In operation, providing a contractor
with say 80 per cent of his materials
requirements and failing to get him
the remaining and just as vital 10
per cent, the armed services re-
sorted to directives in the last two
weeks of July. These directives,
obtained by application to the
Army Navy Munitions Board, took
precedence over AAA and AA series
priorities, required materials sup
pliers to make shipment to concerns
mentioned as rapidly as possible
1t Is said that enough directives
were issued to account for IS per
cent Of steel production through
the last quarter.
In light Of the fact that the ma
terials situation is in such q mess
when the Nation is only producing
armament at half the planned rate
for the fall months, Detroiters with
years Of production experience arr
not hopeful that the tangle can be
unsnarled. They point to the fac1
that many large war contracts vii
soon get into the full production
stage when materials will be re.
quired In enormous quantities b,
comparison with current operation,
which may not be far beyond tn,
pilot line stage.
Increased Effort Urged.
The trade magazine states tina
one OF the most important way
that industry can help to alleyiat,
the materials shortage is to joir
intellectually in the scrap cam.
palgn. Nickel-bearing stees ar,
most In demand. The automobil.
industry produced 100000 tons q
scrap in June. In the opinion o1
impartial observers, some firms have
done a fair job, others q very poo,
one. of cleaning house.
Sensing that q number of i'm.
portant firms had only scratched
the surface, ofacial quarters last
week requested an immediate state.
ment on how much obsolete ma.
chinery, dies, tools and fixtures car
ben sent to the mills. II the auto
industry does not accelerate it.
scrap collection ian extremely com.
plicated affair because of the man,
factors involved In scrapping Ger.
tain dies and tools, 1t may turn out
that allocations Of materials for wa,
productions will bear a relationship
to the efficiency of turning In scrap