Evening star., 1942-03-31
6. N. Head Debates
Reuther on Merits
OF Warcraft Plan
Joint Press Conference
Held by Wilson and
Auto Union Official
By the Associate Press

By the Associated Press.
DETROIT, March SIC. E.
Wilson, president of General Motors
Corp, discussing at a joint press
conference with Walter P. Reuther
OF the United Automobile Workers
&C. l. o. the two-year -old "Reuther
plan" for speeding aircraft produc-
ton by the automobile industry, said
today that ut was clear to industry
that the plan did not contain any
ideas that would be helpful in
actually getting at the war produc-
ton required by the country"
Reading a prepared statement at
the meeting which was held before
nearly 200 persons in the General
Motors Building, Mr.. Wilson ex-
planned that Il proposed that the
plan be discussed at this late date
because it was being advanced again
since Pearl Harbor as having been
a conversion plan-which it was not:
as having been plan for the earlier
production Of needed defense ma
terial-which it was not: and as
being practical plan for maximum
war production-which it is not"
Mr.. Wilson said it was "a plan to
produce something our military au-
thorities did not require and still do
not require even in this war emer-
gency."
Different Types Needed.
1T was a plan to build one type
Of fighter plane at the rate of 500
a day" he said. The proposal to
build 500 planes a day was consid-
cred to be just publicity trick to
attract attention to the plan. 1t
could hardly have been a considered
opinion based on the true engineer
ing and manufacturing survey of
what could be done because the ex-
act product to be manufactured was
not specified.
The services required and still
require between IS and 40 different
types Of planes, now in production
or planned for production to fulfill
the tactical requirements of our
selves and our allies.
The Presidents quota for total
airplane production Of 10000 in
l943 includes all these types of
planes-a grand total that is less
than the Reuther plan proposed to
manufacture of just one type"
Capacity Held Overstated.
Mr.. Wilson charged that "the
effective surplus capacity of the
automotive industry was over
stated" and that the suggestions
as to how this excess capacity could
be used were so cumbersome and
impractical that they showed obvi-
GUS lack of appreciation or knowl-
edge Of what the real job was"
Noting that the plan proposed a
nine-man aviation production board
composed of representatives of Gov
ernment, management and labor,
Mr.. Wilson said that such a setup
fails to properly define authority
and responsibility and at best would
be a poor substitute for experience,
knowledge and ability"
Mr.. Reuther, who is director of the
G. NJ department of the U. A. W.
c. I. O.. opened his part of the con-
ference with the statement that my
major criticism of industry was that
it did not come forward with pro-
gram to meet the needs of the emer-
gency and was interested in main
tanning high rate of production in
cars because there lay the income
Industry hung on to get the last pos
sible automobile off the line. There
still is a tremendous waste ineffl-
cheney and duplication in ths auto
mobile industry"
Maximum Output Proposal.
The union Official said his plan
was not put forward just in terms
OF 500 planes a day, but was a pro-
posal to reach maximum production
lin the entire industry. It was not a
plan for one corporation but was
suggested to the Government as a