Evening star., 1942-09-21

an end OF the hit-or miss system
OF dependence on priorities, and
instead, direct system of alloca-
ton of scarce materials is to be
subsidized. At last, also, the men
who know most about materials
and their flow on a schedule are
to be given an opportunity to use
their talents for the winning of
the war.
On the surface 1t looks like a
change In personnel But it's more
than that. It's change OF system
something for which ever since
last June the high officers of the
Army and Navy charged with the
responsibility of seeing to it that
our soldiers and sailors are supplied
with the proper weapons have been
begging.
For weeks there have been frag-
ments of the story printed. Errone-
ously there has been attributed to
Gen. Somervell, chief of supply, a
desire to take over the civilian pro-
duction. Enormously 1t has been
printed that Mr.. Nelson wanted the
civilian side to issue orders to the
military. Neither of these view
points was true reflection of the
steady urge in the behind-the-
scenes struggle for a scheduling
system that would give the Army
and Navy what they wanted.
Three Vice Chairmen.
Today, Chairman Nelson has ap-
pointed three vice chairmen. One
Is Charles E. Wilson who resigned
as president of General Electric
Co., and Ferdinand Eberstadt, chair
man Of the Army and Navy NUM-
tions Board, and j. S. Knowlson
who takes charge of WIPE relations
with Britain and other foreign
countries.
Mr.. Wilson heads up production.
Mr.. Eberstadt heads up the sched-
uling of Army and Navy needs as
within industry itself. The latter
retires as chairman of the Army
and Navy Munitions Board to do
inside WPB what he has been un-
able to accomplish for the armed
services outside the WPB. High
officers OF the Army and Navy will
sit on the Production Committees
with Mr.. Wilson and with Mr..
Eberstadt. Instead of a dispersal of
authorities on production through.
out Washington agencies, there is
coalesence of all vital ele-
ments in collaboration that will
completely transform our tagging
methods.
To illustrate, the old system found
steel men asking for about 90 900 900
tons as their requirements for the
last quarter of this year alone,
which Is more than a whole years
production. Obviously there has
been duplication of requirements,
overlapping, and scrambling for
materials. Instead of this, sys-
tenn Of inventory control and sched-
uling comes into the picture and
materials will flow where they are
needed only when they are needed.
and the armed services will have
70 agree on what they want first.
Mr.. Wilson's ability as a master OF
production is well known. Mr.. Eb-
lerstadt IS one of the most brilliant
young men of the financial district
in New York. Coming back from
France in the last war, where he
served with distinction as a captain
In the field artillery, he has been
prominent in the financing of me-
dium-sized businessman expert
ence that has given him an insight
Into the many problems of smaller
business that is not ordinarily avail
able to men in the larger COM
panies.
Eberstadt a Realist.
Mr.. Eberstadt has had the conf
dence Of tthe War and Navy De-
partments, whom he has served fol
the last year as the civilian chair
man of the Army and Navy NUM-
tons Board. He is a realist who
has insisted from the beginning
that, IN war, business -as-usual atti-
tudes must go. He has from the
first urged that the civilian side be
dominant, but that it conform tc
military needs irrespective of any
other considerations.
Another vice chairman remains
to be appointed-to handle the la
Dor problem. Some one is needed
not 20 butt in on the details OF
scheduling or production techniques
but to lift labor realistically out OF
Its "business-as-usual' attitude
Labor politicians who are more in
@1CoNh All 1dDOl pOlitlIS lIidll al
the severe hardships that must come
in a war that may last three years
more will not fill the bill. A labor
man VINO can stimulate labor unions
to maximum effort and to co-opera-
ton with the Army and Navy needs
Is badly wanted. Such man may
find himself unpopular with labor
just as Messrs. Wilson and Eber-
stadt may find themselves unpopu-
lar with industry, but the time for
selflsnness-as-usuaI is past. Blood
is flowing, and the war is already
going On longer than it should have
gone on because the democracies
are still afflicted with the idea that
wars can be cheaply fought in men
and materials. The reorganization
effected by Donald Nelson Is a long
step toward victory and ends series
OF inside chickering's that have lasted
Tor several months.
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