Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1942-10-17
Auto Bumper
Drive Starts
In New York
Wood Substitutes Given
to Patriotic Donors
BY wEsTBROOK PEGLER

BY WESIbhOOk fEULEh
EDWIN C. BARRINGER, pres
- ident of the Institute OF
Scrap Iron and Steel Of WASH
ington, who has been quoted be-
fore in these dispatches as an
authority on the quality of the
steel in automobile bumpers.
sends further information and
rather encouraging, too.
He had said last week that,
although the bumper steel itself
was very good and highly de-
sirable as scrap. the plating was
a detriment and to this extent
he threw ashes on the slide.
However. Mr.. Barringer now
says this objection may be mini
mized If bumpers be admixed
with other steel in the melting.
cit will be necessary for the
mills to he judicious I'm melting
Them" he says. I'm other words.
II too many bumpers got In one
heat Of steel, the chrome and
nickel plating would be detri-
mental to the quality of the new
steel. especially its weldability.
I'm any event. after seeing the
quality OF much OF the scrap
that has been coming In In the
salvage drives, particularly bed
springs. galvanized garbage enns-
and ash cans, sleds whose only
steel Is thin runner, and baby
carriages whose only metal Is I'm
the wheels, ETC., those bumpers
are going to look pretty good.
Bring them out and our dealers
will expedite them to the mills"
LIE ENCLOSED a release for
II last Mondays morning pa
pers from the OPA, which most
of us probably missed. announc-
ing that, effective October Is.
uncut bumpers would be CLASH
fled as No. 2 heavy melting steel
and explained that this means
that the dealers may now ship
them whole to the mills with
out shearing them in half.
II seems that AT their full
length they couldn't be handled
and that il was both hard and
laborious TO cut them in half.
The OPA'S handout said this
revision of the classification OF
uncut bumpers was intended 10
speed the flow of this grade of
steel 10 the mills and that GER
tainly must mean that they want
II badly now. although. at first,
and for some months back. they
seemed not 10 want 10 bother.
But, after all, those bumpers
have TO be melted down some
time and the job will be no
harder now than later, besides
which. if Mr.. Barringer is right,
the need is urgent.
l assume that il will still be
necessary 10 cut some of the s.
foot bumpers in half. but that
our government has decided TO
meet this problem al the mills,
whereas, before. the cutting was
done in the scrap yards
However. a great tonnage OF
the bumper steel riding around
on more recent cars comes in
sections and needn't be cut at
all.
THE Yonkers IN. " Herald
u Statesman is. as far as l
know. the first outfit 10 run a
real demonstration to stimulate
this collection.
Under the promotion of Glenn
Winger this paper ballyhooed a
show at which Charles Poletti.
lieutenant governor, said The To-
cal war salvage committee was
setting an example for other
communities TO follow.
The days loot was 1850
pounds, all free and ready to
ship, and the interesting discov-
cry was made that the bumpers
weigh 18 pounds each. which
would mean that the total yield.
if all bumpers were turned in,
would be more than half a mil
lion tons.
In my first estimate / CHANGED
n guess that the total would be
between 100000 and 100000
tons, but now the higher figure
seems to be just little short of
the probable yield.
The Herald Statesman had
mechanics on hand TO remove
the bumpers and said the opera
ton, in some cases, took as little
as one minute.
The donors got stickers for
their cars reading Careful!
Bumpers in Scrap and wooden
bumpers could be bought at cost
on the spot and installed at
nearby garages
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NOV people are beginning 10
Il