Evening star., 1942-09-10
Rubber
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naked facts present warning that
dare not be ignored" 1r
Backing up this warning with
figures, the committee said total
crude rubber supplies available be-
tween July 1, 1912, and January /,
1914, would be 631 900 tons, whereas
military and other essential de-
mands would total $4,000 tons.
And these demands make no allow
ance for tires for civilian passenger
cars.
Discomfort or Defeat"
This leaves deficit of 21l,00O
tons which must be met by syn
thetic rubber production before
January l, 1914.
"Let there be no doubt" the
committee said, that only actual
needs, not fancy wants, can, or
should be satisfied. To dissipate
our stocks of rubber is to destroy
one Of our chief weapons of war.
We have the choice-discornfor or
defeat. There is no middle Course. 4"
The members said one note Of
optimism was permissible, however.
It explained that if the synthetic
rubber program it outlined we're
fulfilled with reasonable expectancy
1t might be possible to ease 10 on
rubber conservation through gas
fationing before the end of 1a43.
But until then, the committee
asserted, ANY relaxation is serv-
ice to the enemy"
The committee proposed a seven
point synthetic rubber program, rec
ommending:
l. That there be no further SUBJ
stitutions in present plans.
2. The immediate authorization of
an additional 100000 tons of buna-s
production this year.
3. Immediate institution of a re-
finery conversion program to yield
100000 tons more of butadiene.
d. Immediate adjustment in rates
of construction of present styrene
and polymerization plants to pro-
mote maximum production of buna-S
in l943.
S. Construction of another plant
for making 10000 tons of neoprene
annually.
g. Erection of a 27,000-ton buta
1iene plant to utilize grain and ar
associated polymerization plant to
produce 10000 tons OF buna-S. both
to be placed near the center OF
grain production and construction
to be started six months hence.
7. Erection Immediately of plants
to produce 10000 900 gallons of AL
cohol yearly by use of recently de-
veloped apparatus, these plants also
to be erected near grain producing
areas and at places where water
transportation is available.
Sent to Agriculture Committee.
When the rubber report was sent
to the Senate at the insistence OF
Minority Leader McNary and Sen
ator Norris, Independent. of Ne
braska, it was referred to the Com
rittee on Agriculture. Majority
Leader Barkley said until he has
read the report he could not decide
where it should go, but recalled that
the Banking Committee had hereto
fore considered legislation under
which the Reconstruction Finance
Corp. had dealt with the synthetic
rubber problem.
Vice President Wallace Joined ir
to observe that after reading the
summary of the report, it occurred
to him it might properly go to the
Military Affairs Committee.
Senator Norris. however, said the
Jurisdiction of the Agriculture Com
rlittee was perfectly clear, because
the report is an outgroWth OF the
Presidents veto of the synthetic
rubber bill drafted by the Agricul-
ture Committee.
Increased Butadiene Output.
.Butadiene is one of the basic ma
terials from which synthetic rubber
can be obtained and the committee
figures that increasing its output by