Evening star., 1942-08-06

line plants and munitions plants.
These rubber plants also will require
coinpressors which are 30 badly
needed to manufacture ammonia
and other components OF explosives.
Every pound of copper taken for
rubber plants and their equipment
will mean fewer shells and less am
munition for our fighting forces.
In spite OF the shortage Of mate
rials, however, we know that plants
must be built to manufacture syn
thetic rubber, because rubber is nec-
essary for our fighting machine and
for our production machine as well.
I am just as determined as any one
to get that rubber-and to get it as
quickly as we can. But 1t is neces-
sary to weigh the need for factories
to care for civilian luxuries against
the needs Of our fighting forces.
Disruption Of Program.
Therefore, to take the determine
ton of this question away from
board which is equipped by person
mel, and by experience, and by an
overall knowledge of all our military
and civilian needs, and to place 1t
in an agency which is concerned
principally with the manufacture OF
only one commodity, rubber, is In
itself a disruption of q unified and
expeditions production program. To.
60 further, and to say that these
materials can be taken away from
ships and guns and ammunition and
put to work producing rubber, SO
that some people might use 1t for
automobiles for idle-hour pleasure,
is to fly in the face Of the realities
of the present grave military situa-
ton which threatens all the world
and civilization itself.
It is q gross distortion Of our war
production policy and reputation
of our all-out effort to win the war,
to say that any critical material can
be taken away from military pur-
poses and devoted to non-essential
civilian demand. I am sure that not
one loyal American would wish to
take an ounce of critical war ma
terials of any kind in order to insure
the use of his own automobile for
anything but essential war needs.
There Is one other commodity-of
supreme importance-which is in
volved in this question Of synthetic
rubber. That is food.
The proposed bill not only pro-
vides for complete supply Of rub
Der for any and all purposes, but it
also directs that the new agency
shall have the duty to make avail
able at the earliest possible time an
adequate supply Of alcohol pro-
duced from agricultural products to
meet any military or civilian need
of alcohol in the United States
In addition to the further consump-
ton of critical materials for the
construction of any new alcohol
plants which the new agency may
determine to be necessary, this pro-
vision may require the consumption
of many millions of bushels OF grain
Even the process Of making syn
thetic rubber under the present
program, now actually under way
will require almost one hundred
million bushels of grain.
Increasing Food Demand.
It is true that we have great grain
reserves at present; but we must
bear in mind that there is steadily
increasing demand for grain for the
making Of food for the Army and
Navy and Air Force-not only OF the
United States but Of all the United
Nations. In the. event Of a-seriou,
drought next year like those OF 1881
and l936-which is always . posi-
bility-our reserves of grain may not
be sufYicient to cover the require
ments both for food and for un-
limited alcohol and rubber 1nere'
fore. the need Of grain for food IN.
stead OF unlimited rubber or alcono
is something which must also Ok
taken into consideration by those
charged with the overall respon'
sibility of the entire war production
effort.
The processes for making syn.
thetic rubber are now In = state o.
Aux. Some Of them are In the
purely experimental stage, others
have been demonstrated to have
VARYING degrees Of efficiency.
It is obviously impossible to de-
termine in advance just which
| process will eventually prove to be
the most desirable, taking into con-
sideration the elements OF speed
efficiency OF production and con-
sumption of critical materials. Even
the processes for making syntnetic
rubber out Of grain are several In
number, and new ones are oeLns
presented from time to time. The
whole question Of which process
to use is tied up with the question
of the most strategic use OF the
materials which are at hand OF
which can be obtained. Determine
ton in this more or less uncharteo
area should have the advantages
of the f1exibility of administrative
action rather than be frozen by leg
islative mandate.
It may well be that serious mis-
takes have been made In the past
based either on misinformation
misconception or even partiality tc
one process or another. 1t may be
that the present program OF thu
War Production Board Is not the
best solution. If so, the facts should
be ascertained and made public
This is particularly 50, If 1t be true
as charged by some persons In the
Congress and outside the Congress
that the manufacture Of synthetic
rubber from grain has been ham
strung by selfish business interests
Bill Ill-Advised.
The question Of rubber for auto
mobiles is an unusually importan,
one because 1t so intimately affects
the daily lives and habits of 50 many
American citizens The very passage
Of the present ill-advised bill Is ar
indication of the overwhelming in
terest which the American people
have in this problem.
am sure, however, that once they
rr;x ,,11 b.