Evening star., 1942-04-20
The Great Game of Politics
Administration Reported Pressing Measures to Relieve
Shipping Shortage os Armoments Begin to Pile Up

estimate this year, but 70 meet fully
the requirements, We will have TO
exceed 1t by much greater margin,
The truth Is we are turning out
oombers. guns, planes, ammunition
and other supplies faster than We
can find cargo ships in which 10
load them.
The result is that things are be-
ginning to pile up inside on US. And
this, OF course, is very serious
problem. The encouraging factor
Is that it Is not only completely
realized in Washington, but ad-
ministration authorities are moving
toward its solution. Certainly. that
is true Of Mr.. Donald Nelson, on
whom rests responsibility second
only TO that Of the President. And
1t is true Of Admiral Land, head of
the Maritime Commission. And it
is also true that in their efforts to
meet the shipping crisis they have
the strong support Of Mr.. Roosevelt.
BY none of them is the danger
minimized. Nor is there any desire
to ignore the inexorable reality that
II production cannot be transported.
thsre is no Use increasing produc-
ton.
In the past three things have ham
pered shipbuilding: /, shortage of
materials; 2, labor troubles; 3, sink
ings by enemy submarines. As to
the first Mr.. Nelson is now giving
shipbuilding contractors priorities
over everything else. Concerning
labor the trouble is, not so much
with strikes, though there we're
plenty of those before Pearl Har-
Dor, and the shipbuilding plants
have not been wholly free from them
since. The real trouble is with the
'sloWdowns" of the kind recently re-
vealed by Senator Byrd from data
provided by the Navy.
End Of Showdown Expected.
For one reason or another-juris-
dictional controversies, closed-shop
demands, etc.-men have been loaf
ing instead OF working in these
plants. The result is that few of
them have been able to operate at
anything like full capacity. Admiral
Land made this very clear the other
day before Senate COMMITTEES.
where. while he withheld his views
on the 4o-hour week extension, he
strongly urged the freezing of all
labor relations from now to the
end of the war. The facts of this
labor laxity have been laid before
the President and the pressure on
him TO act to end it Is great. Some
move in this direction is expected
very shortly. 1t should not be de-
layed.
There is no use disgusting the
heavy toll taken by enemy subma-
rlnes OF tankers and cargo ships
since our active entrance into the
war. If these sinkings continued
unchecked or were permitted to in
crease, very grave state of affairs
would exist. But this menace is one
which the Navy can be trusted to
remove. Already the sinkings are
decreasing and the means Of safe
guarding our cargoes, both incom-
ing and outgoing. are becoming
more and more effective. Before
long these waters will be made SO
unhealthy for submarines that
losses through their activities will
be reduced 10 q minimum.
OF that, we are assured. But
even If all three of these handi-
caps are removed-the enormity of
the shipbuilding job cannot be ex-
aggerated. Bombers, fighting planes,
tanks, guns, food and men are all
essential TO winning of the war.
But, without ships. none of them
counts for much. Without ships.