The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1942-12-07
. Clapper
Objective Now Is TO
Take Fight TO Enemy
Need Equipment TOR
Knockout Blow
Taper Of on One Line.
Speed Up On Others
Converted Auto Plants
Doing Good Job
Nv RAYMOND CLAPPER

war, the fact that the allies are on
the offensive. is clearly showing
I'D IN important changes in war
production here.
Emphasis is being taken off the
purely defensive weapons. The
drive is going into offensive weap-
ons and into means Of getting
these weapons to the fighting
front IN Europe.
Gone completely is the concern
about defending the shores of the
United States. That is all taken
care of. We are concerned now
only with delivering the punch
against the enemy overseas.
That is why a substantial cut
is being made in the es-millimeter
antiaircraft gun. for instance, at
one plant l visited here.
This plant is geared up to pro-
duce far more guns than are being
called for now. The army has
decided that the materials - 10
tons a gun-can be used to more
advantage in other weapons than
these, which are mainly useful for
protecting our cities.
I visited the enormous Chrysler
i AlAhnrsah
numbers of General Sherman tanks
the Ma medium tank = were
rolling out and were to be seen
rafting around the testing track,
the plant is not going up to the
capacity that would be possible
If few machine tools were added
The reason is that we have plenty
Of tanks coming off and the tools
can be used to more advantage in
other work.
Emphasis is going primarily
into aircraft and into the ma
chinery for driving cargo ships
and escort vessels to protect cargo
ships. For instance, the Packard
airplane engine plant here is not
only running to capacity, but the
management has been asked to
double its production. At other
plants / visited airplane work IL
being added.
So you get picture Of some
plants tapering off, laying off
workers, greasing machines to
stand by for a while, and at the
same time you see other plants
bursting at the seams, hauling in
more machines and preparing to
send their output up above any,
thing previously contemplated.
1t is difficult to picture the
speed with which the automobile
Industry has changed over since
the end of last January, when I
was here before and saw the last
automobiles going off the assem-
bly, lines. Most OF those lines
were torn up, although you still
see fragments of overhead con-
veyors around the ceilings in some
places.
Many in the industry and at
Washington opposed full CONVEX
sion to war work, but today the
conversion is complete. The auto
mobile industry is producing rs
per cent of all war weapons-and
1t is contributing the same per-
centage of war material that it
contributes in peacetime metal
goods.
In fact the changeover was so
complete and so effectively done
that 1t is fortunately possible to
slow down on less essential
weapons because an ample supply
has been produced.
Conversion of the Fisher gun
plant here, where the e0-milli-
meter anti-aircraft gun is made,
was begun last March. The first
three pilot guns were produced in
June. And now, six months later,
30 many have been made that the
government is ready to taper off.
Once this was an automobile body
plant. Dozens OF giant body
presses are stored in odd places
about the plant. WPB has taken
those that were disable and the
remainder will stand here until
automobile production is resumed.
Wherever plants are tapering
off. 1t is hoped to turn them to
making airplane parts or needed
parts for boats-those being the
two lines now under emphasis.
Whereas defensive anti-aircraft
guns are tapering off, other anti
aircraft guns used on ships, such
as the oerlikon. and the Bofors
snti-sircraft used with troops. are
driving ahead.
These changes. ordered from
Washington, reflect the judgment
there that the defensive stage OF
the war is over and that from here
on We want chiefly whatever VIII
help US deliver our blows directly
against the enemy-wherever. as
PRESIDENT Roosevelt said in his war
message a year ago, we can find
him. That is the change that has
taken place within a year OF Pearl
Harbor
Mr.. Clapper Is heard on kMO
Mutual broadcast Mondays and