Evening star., 1942-01-11
Factories
Far Short Of
About Goal
Only Few Key Plants
Reported Operating
168-Hour Week
By FRANK MacMILLEN,
Wide World Business Writer.

Wide World Business Writer.
NEW YORK, Jan. 10.-The. "a
hour day, seven-day production week
which the President called for in his
historic address on the state of the
Union is already reality in some
key war plants, is being rushed in
others, but still may be months away
for the country's war industry as a
whole.
A survey Of defense centers by
Wide World today showed three
principal factors standing in the way
of complete and immediate realiza-
ton of the Presidents goal Of clock
around operation for the s50,0O0,-
100000 arms program:
l. Lack of some critical materials.
2. Need for time to train skilled
workers.
3. Engineering, mana gerial and
maintenance problems in wide
variety.
But still the swing toward con-
tinuous use of production machines
since the first bombs fell on Pearl
Harbor December 7 has been impress
sive and is growing steadily, the sur
vey showed.
In Washington leading defense
officials are convinced the drive
toward all-out factory operations
can be accelerated much more, de-
spite some of the handicaps men.
toned by industrialists.
Initial Steps Taken.
In many factories producing war
materials where all-day. everyday
production had not yet been
achieved. the check-up showed in
termediate steps had already been
taken; the most common were
change from five to six day week.
or an increase in the number Of
shifts each "a hours.
The varied picture of the country's
progress toward full-time use of its
suitable plant facilities for war
comes from officials of such indus
trial giants as General Motors, Beth.
lehem Steel. Glenn L. Martin. West
inghouse Electric, American Car &
Foundry, Boeing, American Loco
motive, and a host of other big and
small concerns, some of which re-
vealed interesting information with
out permitting use of their names.
Generally speaking the seven-day,
full-time operating schedule seemed
universal in major steel. airplane,
rubber manufacturing and ammuni-
ton plants.
In many other factories where
the 16o-hour week was not yet in
operation individual departments
which constituted plant bottlenecks
we're said to be going full time, even
where final assembly operations for
lack of enough materials from these
departments, were held to a slower
schedule.
The speed-up was not confined
wholly to plants producing the ac-
tual arms of war.
Textile Mills Rushed.
From the South came word tex
tile mills there had been on
six-day, 24-hour basis for months
to supply increased demand for
civilian and military fabrics. and
from many other semi-defense in
dustries in all sections of the country
similar indications were received.
The vital machine tool field. espe-
cially. reported the principal bar
to stepping up output was the lack
of enough skilled people to keep
going at top speed; lack of ma
terials was also cited in some cases.
This appeared to account in part
for the recurring reports from many
quarters of bottleneck departments
which held back the pace of whole
plants. They were usually spots
where the necessary specialized ma
chinery could not be obtained to
blast the neck of the bottle
Less easy to classify, but obviously
important, because of the frequent
references made to it, we're the tech
nical and managerial problems Gre
ated by the called-for switch to
continuous production.
New Methods Necessary.
Factory Management and Main
tenance said this week after an
extensive sampling of industrial
Establishments:
ut is we'll to remember that
United States industry is new to
multiple-shift operation, that 1t
wasn't built with that in mind.
This considered, our expansion
to date has been remarkable"
And Alpheus Winter. vice presi-
dent of the Connecticut Manufac-
turers' Association, told Wide World:
eve don't know of single plant
that has gone on a 100 per cent
24-hour basis for seven days week.
practically all the plant man.
agemelts where there is war work
are studying the problem right now.
"It is a tough nut to crack without
interfering with the long hours now
being worked overtime IN essential
jobs
THE 24-hour schedule will have
to be worked out on a 40-hour week
basis and no workmen working now
at overtime want to go back to q
strict 40-hour basis.
present high production has been
attained by employment of skilled
workers overtime.
"It's big question with the human
element paramount. and We do not
know OF a single concern that has
worked out q satisfactory schedule
yet"
Winters statement touched more
fully on difficulties mentioned by
many other industrial men from
various parts of the country.
Some Trials Unsuccessful.
There were also reports from here
and there of trials of 24-hour opera
tion which had been abandoned be-
cause the strain on human resources
Offset the hoped-for gain In pro-
duction.
Others reported they were hold.
(See FACTORIES, Page C-s)