Evening star., 1942-05-05
Patman Cites Steps
Being Taken 10 Help
Small Business
Productive Capacities
Will Be Used, He Says
In Radio Forum Talk

small business" IN wartime Amer
lea in an address delivered on tn
National Radio Forum, sponsored
by The Star, and heard over tn,
Blue Network last night. The speech
was heard locally over Station
WMAL.
The text OF the talk follows:
My subject tonight is Small Busi.
ness" 1t is my purpose to discus!
the prospects for the relief of small
business in our war effort; also tt
discuss a bill that has passed Con.
gress that will be of material aid tt
q large number of small businesse.
and to discuss a bill that is now
pending in Congress, proposing the
establishment of a Smaller Wal
Plants Corp, intended to be of great
help and assistance to hundreds OF
thousands Of small businesses
throughout this country.
This subject is of particular i'm
portance at this time, in view Of the
fact that the law of supply and
demand has definitely been repealed
in our country for the first time in
its history.
At the outset, I desire to express
my appreciation for this privilege
to that outstanding newspaper in
the United States, The Evening
Star, and the Blue Network.
We must recognize that our main
business at this time is not small
business, neither is it big business
but it is war business. Our first
concern, of course. is winning this
war and effecting satisfactory
peace after it is won.
Receiving Urgent Attention.
The desperate plight of the $780,
600 small manufacturing and bust
ness concerns in the United States
Is now receiving the urgent atten-
tion of both the executive and legis-
lative branches Of our Government.
The patient, long-suffering business
people, who own and operate these
concerns, have demonstrated a
spirit Of patriotism, which should
fill every American with pride-and
make it obvious to the most stupid
dictator that our people have the
will and the determination to win
this war regardless of the per-
sonal cost.
With new uncertainties arising
daily to threaten the very existence
of their business, these men and
women have stood staunchly behind
the Nations war effort, willing to
endure any sacrifice that the for
tunes Of war might impose on them.
True, many Of them have despaired,
thinking that they were the for
gotten element of our national life,
an element geared to the ways Of
peace and who had no place in q
wartime economy.
No one can blame them much, be-
cause q program to help them has
been delayed-delayed for too long.
But they can be reassured today
that the President and his advisers,
as well as the Congress, are keenly
aware that we must SO reorganize
our sxystem1 that these aen and
women and the millions dependent
on them. shall not lose the labor of
their lifetime and become liability
IN bankruptcy. .-faln acG.' IFS rs *
Race Against Time.
Remember, in some extenuation
Of our delays, that the war struck
us without warning. At the con-
tinued urging of our President, who
foresaw the inevitable attack by the
power hungry aggressors, we had
made q start toward arming our
selves and our allies Of the United
Nations. But on that Sunday morn
inetn December when the Japanese
launched their treacherous bombing
Of Pearl Harbor, we were pitifully
weak In every phase of preparation
for modern warfare. We had to try
frantically In short space of time
to create an effective defense that
could stand against the powerful
machines of destruction that our
enemies had worked years to build
and perfect.
We found ourselves in the most
urgent race against time in all his
tory. War production had to be
stepped up to tremendous proper
ticns overnight. The demands OF war
had to be met. The great Govern
ment procurement agencies turned
first to the big production plants
for increased supplies Of munitions,
because they could deal with these
concerns as prime contractors, and
their plants were already in produc-
ton. Quantity production ex-
panded production was the cry
ing need, for time was precious and
every additional gun, plane, ship
and tank counted.
Then, procurement agencies turned
to the great mass production in
dustries that had been devoted to
civilian purposes, such as the auto
mobile industry, and the task of
converting these huge factories was
rushed. This phase of our produc-
ton war is progressing rapidly and
satisfactorily. Already a swelling
volume of supplies is coming of the
lines and going to our growing
armed forces and those of our Allies
Idle Productive Capacity.
We are now ready to develop the
next source of production-the small
manufacturer not equipped as yet
to turn out munitions nor to serve
Government agencies as a prime
contractor. OF the $4,000 manu-
featuring plants in the United
States. experts have told the Small
Business Committee of Congress
that probably $4,000 can be turned
to production of war goods: that
this enormous idle productive ca
pacity approaches so per cent of
the Nations entire potentiality and
we'll may prove the determining
factor in achieving a full and final
victory.
To effectively harness this un-
used strength, the executive and
legislative branches Of Government
have worked out a simple plan that
should attain that goal-embodied
In the Murray-Patman bill, S. 2250
and H. r. 6975, passed by the Sen
ate and now under consideration by
~. uo,,ca Nnrnpotttee IN RANKING