Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1942-04-03
Battle Of Production
Being Won, House
Members Declare
Belief Bosed on Reports
By High Military Official!
In Committee Sessions
BY the Associated Press,

BY the Associated Press.
From ringSide seats as priv
LEGGED observers to the greatest
industrial effort in history, four
members of Congress voiced their
belief today that the United
States is winning the battle of
production.
They based that belief on jealousy
guarded information obtained in
closed House Military and Naval
Committee sessions from Navy Sec
rotary Knox, War Production Chief
Donald Nelson, Undersecretary OF
War Patterson, and high-ranking
Army and Navy officials.
Sharing that opinion were Rep
resentatives Thomson, Democrat,
of Texas, and Clason, Republican,
of Massachusetts,, both members of
the Military Committee, and Rep
resentatives Sutphin, Democrat, Of
New Jersey. Mott. Republican, of
Oregon, both of the Naval Affairs
Committee. Interviewed, they spoke
in generalities, for their informants
have emphasized to them the dam
gers of enemy eavesdropping.
"Such information as has come
to us indicates that both industry
and labor are keeping abreast Of
the tremendous demands of the
Presidents program" declared Mr..
Clason.
More Unity Needed.
"It's coming along fine" said Mr..
Thomson, adding that he was
basing that statement on informa-
ton supplied by Mr.. Nelson and 1t
Gen. William S. Knudsen, in charge
of Army production. "All this dis
cussion and agitation about war
production has proved fine thing
in stimulating effort. But everybody
must go to work. We need a little
more energy, little more unity
Mr.. Mott said that all those called
before the Naval Affairs Committee
had reported that production was
increasing rapidly. and added that
Mr.. Nelson himself had indicated
in his testimony that the Presidents
goals for planes. tanks, ships and
guns would be met.
Mr.. Sutphin, too, agreed that tire
mendous" progress had been made
already in changing from peacetime
to wartime production and that
greater and greater output could
be expected in coming months as
the Nations industrial machine be-
came more completely converted.
Their opinions presented a broad
picture in cheerful contrast to a re-
port by the Senate Defense In
vestigating Committee, which de-
clared yesterday that because OF
poor planning some warplane as
sembly lines were operating below
top speed, due to delays in furnish
ing vital parts.
Lack Of Shipping Is Problem.
In general, Mr.. Thomason, Mr..
Clason, Mr.. Mott and Mr.. Sutphin
backed up the statement Of Chair
man Cannon of the Appropriations
Committee who recently told the
House:
I'VE are not only moving along
according to schedule but we are
raising our sights. We are
increasing the magnitude of our
program, and every day we are
making material progress toward its
realization"
The four agreed that lack of ship
ping to meet the greatly expanded
demands was the greatest short
coming at present. But, as Mr..
Sutphin pointed out, the shipbuild-
ing program already is far beyond
our fondest hopes and expecta-
tons, with ships coming down the
ways months ahead of schedule"
I'VE are faced with shortages in
essential materials for further ex-
pansion of some manufacturing
plants" Mr. Clason said. "At pres
ent the bottlenecks presumably are
shipping, aluminium, magnesium and
rubber. The War Production Board,
however, is bending all its efforts
toward overcoming those difficult
ties"
II