Imperial Valley press., 1942-09-28
CAPITAL TALKS
by
Peter
Edison

In case you've been wondering
why the WPB doesn't make up it's
mind on the scrap question and
tell us plain citizens who are going
to dig up the scrap exactly what
articles are needed and exactly
which of our humble belongings
are not needed the answer is &.
well, draw up your chair and here
goes.
Basically what the mills want at
this stage of the game, even more
than the scrap itself, is an inventory
of just how much scrap is available
and where they can get their hands
on it.
1t is, of course, true that some
few mills are actually critically i'm
need of scrap right this minute.
Why their need is so great and
why other mills have had to
lower production for want of
scrap is question to which
there is no entirely convincing
answer. But that has nothing
to do with this question of in
ventOries.
Before the WPB can lay down
any hard and fast rules about
what scrap is needed, it wants to
know what it has. It's going to find
out when you get your scrap into
your local scrap salvage depots.
Well, you ask, do the mills need
that bronze fruit bowl of which
you're especially fond and which
graces the family dinner table?
The answer is: Until the WPB
can make an inventory of the
bronze which is unquestionably
scrap-until it sees what the sal
wage drive turns QUIT won't know
whether your fruit bowl, even
though you use it, is needed or not.
Well, why doesn't the WPB ask
for such obvious and easily avail
able metals as auto bumpers? The
answer is just the reverse of the
fruit bowl logic. There is no secret
as to how much bumper steel is
available when it's needed. WPB
already knows, from state car regis
trations, just about how many
pounds of bumpers are chasing
around the nations highways. This
metal is available, when needed,
just by the flip of an executive
wrist.
There is another aspect to the
question of auto bumpers which
is basic and applicable to all
scrap. Ii is that auto bumpers
are performing every day an eX-
tremely useful function, as you
needn't be reminded if you've
tried to squeeze into small park
ing space.
USEFUL ITEMS
If there is one overall princi-
pie in the scrap drive at this point,
it is Don't give anything that you
are using in your everyday living.
It's that iron bed which you've had
stored in the attic against the fu-
ture day when daughter marrieS
and wants to furnish a home that
WPB wants, not the iron bed that's
actually in use in the guest room.
Until it has been proved that
there isn't enough unused metal in
your home to supply war produc-
ton needs, the WPB figures it
wouldn't make sense to take metal
for which there is an everyday
consumer use.
This question of use is impor-
tant, and is another reason why
WPB doesn't make a cold and hard
rule about what it wants as scrap.
Take lawn mowers. They aren't
being manufactured for civilian use
any more. So if you have a lawn
mower in good working condition
which you don't need any more,
you'd probably do better to sell it
to a hardware store than to a junk
dealer A lawn mower in good
condition has an important non
scrap use
CAN'T BE SPECIFIC
BY this time, maybe you're be-
ginning to see that there are SO
many ifs, ands and butts that the
WPB can't be specific about in re-
questing scrap until it finds out
what's turned in without specific re-
quests.