Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1942-08-14
Shortages,
War Plants
Worry u. s..
Let S Get Raw Material,
Talk About II Later
By PAUL MALLON


government officials went on the
radio in an arranged program.
10 tell the country Mr.. Roose-
velt's war production program
was not meeting his schedules.
Up 10 that time. the official
news teXcept for a few warning
hintsl was that everything was
fine, in fact running ahead Of
schedule
From that broadcast, and the
comment since then, IL is appar-
ent every one agrees the single
cause of the trouble is the short
age of raw materials "copper",
steel, chromium, tungSten) cauS-
ing war industries 10 shut or
slow down.
Now, again. accusing fingers
are beginning 10 be pointed
round at government officials
and industries supposed TO be
responsible. 1t appears we are
in for another of those periods
Of trying TO place blame for our
diSappointments.
THE usual course followed in
Il such periods is for every one
involved to blame every one
else. A more or less defenseless
goat without an alibi usually has
been fired or passed on quietly
up into a better job. The War
Production Board, or whatever
its initials happens 10 be at the
moment, is generally reorgan-
lied.
This time, the goat searchers
seem to be after Donald Nelson.
a search not requiring much
effort or ingenuity, as Nelson is
the top man.
Latest WPB talk suggests he
has slid out to some place in
New York To revise his whole
WPB setup for another try. He
seems TO be at least one jump
ahead of the critics, a head
start he gained because he
knew of the deficiency first.
1t must be evident TO every
one that what we need this time
is not a goat, or a debate. but
the raw materials. Indulgence in
the usual period of recrimination
and reorganization will only de-
lay those materials.
THE reasons why this situation
Il has arisen are varied, but
they will show the way TO cures.
Balance between requirements
of materials and the production
program has not been main
tanned by the government.
Britain, Russia and China have
been given raw materials upon
demand under lend-lease, with
out sufficient regard for what
we need to keep. That situation
is still going on today.
Price ceilings were fixed on
metals TO hold the war cost
down, but insufficient considera-
ton was given to the effect this
would have on marginal mines.
Mines running on small
profit margin could not oper-
ate and pay high taxes, became
undermined, and war factories
depending on these mines had
TO shut down.
The situation in copper was
presented TO Nelson by army
supply service chief, General
Somervell, in four letters be-
fore July "a.
TNHE army and navy were not
Il able 10 estimate accurately
i'm advance the raw materials
needed for their program. WPB,
on the other hand. failed to dis
tribute what materials we had
on the basis of specific war
needs, but handed out priority
orders to war producers for
more materials than we had.
Some private business buyers,
who got their priority orders
early, have stocked up too much
on the raw material they need.
thereby depriving perhaps a
more vital war industry with
prioritieS from obtaining what
IT requires.
The enforcement steps, to see
that priority regulations were
followed by business. were not
strict. Remember, it was not
even a violation Of law for any
one to accumulate too much raw
material until last March q,
four months after the war
started.
AS in gasoline, first. and now
in fuel oil, government policy
not only has allowed boarding
but has inspired il. You will re-
call official threats were made
that there would be gas short
ages long before rationing went
into effect, so naturally every
one then kept his tank full
round in this part Of the
country, stocking up as much as
possible.
IN TOP of all this, you had
~ the army and navy trying 10
stock up in the particular lines
in which they were interested;
civilian industries trying COM
petitively 20 build up secret in
ventories so they could keep in
business as long as possible; a
divergence of opinion within
WPB as 10 what projects were
worthy. and between WPB and
IckcS. the army and navy; de-