Evening star., 1942-03-11
War Plants Operating
At 50 Pct. Capacity,
Nelson Declares
Lobor and Management
Are Given Lost Chonce'
To Deliver Goods

To Deliver Goods
E> nc Associated Press.
The Nations war industries
were told today that they were
operating at only so per cent
of capacity. although face to
face with an enemy determined
to destroy us"
Bespeaking a determined public
demand for faster production" and
no fooling." Donald NJ. Nelson
blamed the current output lag on
these main causes:
Reluctance to increase the num-
Der of shifts.
Lack of Imagination in meeting
production problems.
The issue of extra pay for hOli-
days and Sundays.
Faulty flow of materials.
Time required TO train new men.
Shortages of certain specialized
facilities.
The war production chief in
radio address to the country last
night voiced his belief that these
difficulties could be overcome by
Government. labor and manage
ment working together in concerted
effort.
Enemy Emphasizes Words.
IF all our equipment now in
volved in war production were used
"a hours a day. days week.
he declared. we would practically
double the man-hours being put
into military production
BY coincidence the enemy
helped emphasize MI Nelson's
urgent words. Before he spoke the
Toxic radio Staked Nippon's hopes
of ultimate victory on her ability
to outdo both the United States and
Britain in the battle of production.
In his survey of the present pro-
duction situation. Mr.. Nelson said
that no single group was RESPONSE
BILE. Name calling won't help. he
cautioned. Such stuff is distract
ing. II takes the eye off the sight
when it should at all times be
on the target.
Nevertheless. he told labor and
management that they were get
ting their last chance" 10 deliver
the goods.
Let's be perfectly frank" he said.
neither management nor labor in
plants working on war orders. nor
management and labor together in
those plants. could survive the pub
lie wrath should that wrath be
turned against them. nor could
we here on the War Production
Board"
Only One Other Way.
The public. he continued, was
determined to get production and
would not Waver in that determina-
ton until it got production one
way or, the other.
There is. however. but one other
vav than the one We follow now.
That is the way OF our enemies.
That is the way of bondage
But our enemies are using this
HleIIlOG dllu 'A'N' i'
brought production to high peak.
We face the absolute necessity OF
matching that production and sur
passing it.
When say we can increase
production substantially by greater
use of existing machinery, | am
of the 20 per cent of war
plants operating only five or five
and one-half days week. am
thinking of the many plants closed
Sundays. l have in mind the sec
ond shifts using only 40 per cent
of plant capacity and the third
shifts using only 20 per cent. This,
as YOU can readily understand
means that thousands of machines
needed for war production now
stand idle part or all of every week
end and from to Is hours every
week day
Examples Cited.
Let ae be even more specific
> There are, for example, 81
engine and propeller plants. ,
n the facilities of all were utilized .
TO the same extent as the three
with the best records. we could in
crease production Immediately in
these plants by at least 25 per cent.
Take the 153 plants manufac-
turing machine tools. If all were
operating at the same level of util- !,
liza ton as the top three, we could
increase machine tools output As
per cent Immediately. :
Mr.. Nelson said the production
speedup drive he launched last week
WAS one step in the w. P. BIS
effort to boost armament production.
and that the next was the integra-
tion of the Army Navy and Mari
time Commission procurement set
ups into "hard-hitting,
unified supply system :,
This was the first official dis
closure that such procurement
was in the making
although it had been learned earlier
that Douglas c. MacKeachie. w.
p. B. purchasing director, was being
transferred to the War Department.
where he presumably will exercise
authority over military
policies.