Evening star., 1942-04-09
Administration Hif
For Rubber Shortage
In Woodruff Speech
House, Senate Bills Filed
To Finance Production
Of 400. 900 Tons Yearly
BY the Associated Press.

By the Associated Press.
The rubber shortage was
blamed on the administration
today by Representative Wood
run, Republican, Of Michigan.
At the same time, legislation
was introduced in the House and
Senate to establish and finance
a United States Rubber Author
ity, under which Government
synthetic rubber plants would
produce 100000 tons of rubber a
year
1T has been reported in WASH
ington," Mr.. Woodruff told the
House, that the real reason behind
the lag In the establishment of syn
thetic rubber plants was that Presi-
dent Roosevelt did not want to Of
fend the British and Dutch inter-
ests. Also. that he wanted TO en-
courage establishment of a rubber
growing industry in some OF the
Latin American countries"
Mr.. Woodruff added that the
President and Vice President WAL
lace did not want a new industry
established under pressure of the
war needs which later would want q
high tariff
Tells Of Rumorx, Whispers.
There is" said Mr.. Woodruff
something very peculiar about the
synthetic rubber situation in the
United States Washington has
been filled with rumors and whisper
ings about the manipulation which
was INDUCED in to prevent the es-
tablishment of a synthetic rubber
industry in the United States.
Usually the blame was laid by
administration spokesmen on gen.
eral conditions, although Commerce
Secretary Jesse Jones. who also Is
head Of the Reconstruction Finance
Corp. and the r. F. C-owned and
controlled Rubber Reserve Co, was
allowed to take the blame for a Seri-
Gus miscalculation, if not worse,
which is now becoming apparent"
Mr.. Woodruff said testimony be-
fore a congressional committee dis
closed that the synthetic rubber
program had been torpedoed in
some way under Mr.. Jones man
agement"
Sees Parallel in Sugar.
This Mr.. Jones denies" Woodruff
added. He did admit. however.
that the BritiSh-Dutch combine had
blocked the efforts of the United
States 10 build up a larger stock
pile OF natural rubber. although it
had been selling rubber to the Japs
up TO the time of the Pearl Harbor
attack
1T is important to the American
people that the record be kept
straight in this regard. because it is
so similar to the domestic sugar
situation. 1t will be recalled that
in spite Of the most earnest warm
ings on the part Of those who best
knew the sugar situation that the
advent OF a general war would Gre
ate sugar shortage in the United
States. both the President and the
then Secretary of Agriculture. Henry
A. Wallace, favored reduction
rather than. an increase in the
sugar producing facilities of the
United States Many sugar COM
panies were killed off by the adroit
use of the quotas
Murray Files Authority Bill.
The legislatio to establish and
finance an authority under which
Government synthetic rubber plants
would produce 100000 tons of rub
Der a year was introduced in the
Senate by Senator Murray, Demo-
crat. of Montana.
Declaring that this Nation can
no more survive without rubber
than without food and water" Sena-
tor Murray said he was convinced
1T is folly to rely upon the present
totally inadequate projects to supply
rubber even for vital needs"
His bill would appropriate Sl0O.-
100000 capital stock to start the
authority's operations, and would re-
quire that plants should be con-
structed at decentralized locations,
adjacent to sources of raw material.
Representative Better. Democrat,
of New York introduced similar leg
islation in the House.