The Waterbury Democrat., 1942-05-29
lS41: A Production ''Pipe Dream
1912: The Dream Is Coming True
BY s. BURTON HEATH
NEA gfrvice STAFF Writer


and planes in one year, to help de-
feat Hitler, the idea evoked q wave
of often caustic humor. 1t was, we
agreed with unusual unanimity, a
novel way Of trying to awaken the
American public. But even for the
queen Of industrial nations 1t was
q pipe dream.
In 1912, the year whose midway
mark is nearing, we shall manu-
facture not fifty thousand air.
planes, but sixty thousand.
A year ago now we were SCOT
flng or weeping as our persontl
temperaments dictated, at the
battle Of big promises versus
Small Performances then under
way in washington. ION hand or
on order" became joke tending
to the scandalous. With all our
appropriations and orders, we
could manage to spend for COM
pleted war goods no more than
$35 500, 900 day.
In April, 1912, we spent $751;
6 5000 day.
PRODUCTION OUTSKIRTS
FONDEST DREAMS
We are taking a terrible beating
in the Far East, and operating
under wraps in planning the Of
fensive that is to whip Hitler IN
Europe, because we started prep
arations so late and so slowly.
But since the Japs Jared us
awake last December, the Ameri-
can industrial machine has rolled
at an ever-increasing tempo such
as the most visionary never con-
ceived as possible.
Many of the facts which under
lie this statement are military
secrets. Enough lie. in the public
domain to prove that while we
still have a hugh task ahead, at
least we're we'll underway.
In 1889 our manufacturers turned
out 1925 100000 worth Of planes.
Last year we produced eight times
as many. This year we are trippl-
ing the 1941 output.
Ernest Bevin, deputy premier OF
Great Britain, said In nid-April
that whiting five or six weeks-he
meant, but did not say, when
Henry Fords huge plant starts pro-
ducing-the United tates alone will
be making as many planes as Ger
many, italy and Japan combined.
SAVE NINE MONTHS
ON BOMBER ENGINES
Buick built bomber engines in
March at the pace planned for
next December - nine months
ahead Of schedule. Consolidated
began sending completed four
motored bombers off assembly lines
ITO days ahead of schedule. Bell
cut in half the man-hours needed
to build an Airacobra.
We are manufacturing tanks so
fast that in two months we can
supply the full requirements Of
the present. American army. We
are far ahead Of schedule on the
As, 900 tanks we set for a 1912 goal.
Indications are for $4,000 next
year. Chrysler's big plant Is
seven months ahead Of schedule
on It's medium tanks, and is pre-
pairing to. make the heavies.
The President asked for 10000
anti-aircraft guns. He is getting
SO 1000.
When Hitler set the world on
fire, this nations annual output Of
magnesium was less than seven
million pounds. This year we will
extract 125,000,000 pounds, largely
from sea water. Before Pearl Har-
Dor, plant capacity for 4oo,000,o00
pounds Of magnesium a year was
on order. Now this has been upped
to 725,000, 0o0-more than 100 times
what we made in 1899.
Magnesium is the basis Of In
cendiary bombs to destroy Berlin
or Tokyo, for example. Also, 1870
pounds of this metal will do the
works Of an airplane engine of 270
pounds Of aluminium. In a four
motored bomber this adds 800
pounds the weight Of two good
stout men or gne good sized DEM
clifton bomb-to the planes carry
ing capacity.
In 1910 we made 300,000,o0C
pounds of aluminium. We are ex-
tracing that metal now at the
rate of a billion pounds a year
BY early 1943, plants now build
ing will step the production up to
2l00,0O0000 pounds-seven times
the 1910 rate.
Steel is a bottleneck. We need
more steel for ships, tanks, guns
and a hundred other war purposes
We need it so badly and so quickly
that we can't spare steel to build
the plant with which to produce
the steel we need.
It's tough about steel. But-ir
1910 and 1941 we added to our
steel-producing plant 6,5000o(
tons of capacity. And Japan, Sc
far as we are able to ascertain
has q total capacity Of only 7,l00,.
600 tons-150 tons a year more
than the increase we won't con-
slider worthy to mention.
SHIP PRODUCTION
RACES U-BOATS
AS matter of fact, we alone
have half again the steel capacity
Of Germany (including POLAND
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