Evening star., 1942-04-07
Durable Goods
Output 10 Halt
ByEnd Of May
Most Private Building,
Iron, Steel Use Face
Bon, Nelson Says
By the Associated Press.

By the Associated Press.
Production of most consumer
durable goods will be stopped by
May 81, Donald M. Nelson, war
production head, disclosed today.
Declaring that history will record
whether we have moved too fast or
too slow" in the drive to curtail
civilian industries and convert them
to war production, Mr.. Nelson said
the high point of the program would
be reached in a few days with is
suance OF orders halting most private
building construction and prohibit
ing use of iron and steel in hun
dreds of items.
Their impact here and abroad
will be widespread and sweeping"
the w. P. B. chief predicted, adding
that the two orders were part of a
pattern, carefully planned by w. P.
B., which changes the face Of
American industry"
Sound But Lean" Economy.
The goal of the program is a
sound, but lean civilian economy"
Mr.. Nelson declared, adding that
no one yet knew how lean" it can
be, but that it will get leaner and
leaner as the war program goes on"
We're taking away from the peo-
pie things which make the standard
of living" Mr.. Nelson said in his
discussion of the changes at a press
conference. but this is the way of
total all-out war and the price of
early victory
Industrial Casualties" in the con-
version drive would be just as in
evltable as deaths on the battle
field, he continued, but we hope
there will be as few as possible"
In the most optimistic picture of
war production so far painted by
him, Mr.. Nelson nevertheless re-
ported that the overall Army, Navy
and Maritime Commission estimat-
ed requirements-now for the first
time pretty well defined"--were lin
some cases greater than we can
produce in 1912 and perhaps even in
1943."
To Meet Shipping Goal
But he gave these items on the
encouraging side:
l. Military expenditures in March
amounted to $500 ,000, 900 for NUM-
tions and construction alone. S3OOO.-
000, 900 if pay and subsistence of the
armed forces were added in The So
500 100000 represented a three-fold
increase over March year ago, and
hgureS out at rate of $4,000 ,000,-
600 year for military expenditures,
compared with total physical pro-
| duction of 100000 900 for the
Nation at the low point in the de-
preston year of 1882.
2. Il feel definitely that we are
going to meet" the goal of 5000 900
tons of merchant shipping called for
by the President for 1912.
3. The Ford Motor Co.'S great VIII
low Run plant for heavy bombers
in Michigan will be in production
about month earlier than previous
ly anticipated and will turn out it's
first plane before the end of May.
4. The conversion of the automo-
bile industry to war production has
been beyond my expectations-they
have been doing a great job"
5. The war production drive, in
tended to stimulate output 25 per
cent in the next few critical months
on existing machinery, is proceeding
at very gratifying speed" and pre-
liminary figures on results are very
interesting"
Important as Winning Battle.
The stop-constructicn order and
the steel curtailmen& order now
pending represent steps "as impor-
| tant to victory as the winning of a
major battle" the production chief
said
They mark the suspension of the
consumers durable goods metal in
dustry and the civilian construction
| industry" he asserted. They make
possible the complete conversion Of
the men, materials and machine
tools formerly devoted to these pur-
suits to war production"
The only civilian construction per-
mitted under the building order
would be such items as "a chicken
coop, a barn or porch" Mr.. Nelson
| said.
The steel order will prohibit at
an early date" the use of iron and
steel in hundreds of metal products
and goes beyond that to the point
of prohibiting use of other metals
and scarce plastics as substitutes,
Mr.. Nelson disclosed.