Evening star., 1942-11-15

tration, Board of Economic War
fare, Aircraft Scheduling Unit at
Wright Field and Office of Civilian
Supply.
An Important Advance.
The general conviction is that
an important advance has been
made. Favorable signs are Wilson's S
refusal to accept the post until he
was assured of a free hand by
the President himself; and Eber-
stadt's introduction of the English
system for co-ordinating priorities
with materials actually available.
Another milestone in the Chief
Executives re-education was his ap-
pointment of the Baruch- Compton
Conant rubber committee and his
acceptance of its findings, which in
cluded criticism, though not by
name. against member of his Off
cial family, Secretary of Commerce
Jesse H. Jones.
The President had Laughed off"
an earlier and parallel report of
the Truman Committee, by stating
at a press conference that there
was no reason to be especially con-
cerned about tires.
-Four months later, public wrath
compelled him to act knowledge
ranked more and more bitterly that
Washington had underestimated
Japan, that no one seriously thought
the Far East might be cut off. that
the national stock of crude rubber
was inadequate even for military
needs alone, that almost no steps
had been taken to provide synthetic
rubber, and that civilian life stood
face to face with the prospect Of
being taken off wheels.
Following the Baruch recon-
mendation, Mr. Roosevelt estab-
lished rubber division in the War
Production Board. For its director,
as In the Wilson appointment, he
reached into the top drawer of
American management The choice
was a hard and fearless railroad
executive, William Martin Jeffers
OF Omaha, who rose from Office boy
to president Of the Union Pacific.
In no time at all, as measures to
conserve rubber. Mr.. Jeffers arranged
for national speed limit of IS
miles an hour and countrywide
economy of gasoline. Thanks to his
speed-up measures, the country's
first big synthetic rubber factory
is racing to start operations on Pearl
Harbor day. Its construction, with
lend-lease money, began before
Mr.. Jeffers took office. It will use the
alcohol instead of the petroleum
process which was favored by his
predecessor as rubber czar, Secre-
tary Jones.
Appointment of Byrnes.
The next brush of The Battle of
the Potomac" was with Congress.
Now and then the President had
reproached the legislative houses for
delay in dealing with urgent laws,
particularly in regard to taxation.
Upon them he now clapped an ul-
timatum. If they did not do some
thing about imitation by October /
ne himself would take action under
his war powers. Leaving them to
digest the proneuncement, he set
of on coast-to-coast tour of NUM-
ton plants
The journey proved to have been
a turning point Of American par
tlclpatlon in the war. For the first
time Mr.. Roosevelt enjoyed a large
dlmensional view Of the prodigies
OF military manufacture wrought
by American industry. For the
first time since Pearl Harbor he met
the people on a continental scale.
Among other things, he appeared
to have discovered that for once
his boasted sense of timing had
fallen behinu the country's mood.
He found the Nation steeled to
sacrifice, grimly determined to get
on with the war and hungry for
prompt, flexible leadership.
The change was dramatized by a
document without parallel in White
House records. Executive Order
$3.50, dated October 3, transferred
outright command of the home
civilian front to the shoulders of
James Francis Byrnes of South
Carolina, whose resignation as asso-
ciate justice of the Supreme Court
was announced.
In effect, Mr.. Byrnes was placed in
charge of the everyday life of each
man, woman and child in the coun-
try. Under the title of director Of
economic stabilization, he was au-
thorized to issue final directives of
policy to the heads of all agencies
concerned and even to cabinet men,
bers. Throughout the Republics
history, no one but President Roose-
welt himself had ever welded such
dominion. It was delegation of
power with a vengeance.
The reign of the new economic
dictator has scarcely begun, but it
has been signalized by exercises of
control which few months ago
would have been unthinkable. They
include freezing of salaries and
wages and salary maximum of
$25 900 net, after Federal taxes and
stated exemptions. Should the war
demand, Byrnes will direct where,
at what jobs and how long each of
us must work; what we can earn,
spend and save; and what and how
much we shall eat and wear.
Qualities in Common.
A definite uplift of tone resulted
from the appointments of Wilson,
Eberstadt, Jeffers and Byrnes. Eber-
stadt was formerly q stock broker.
Byrnes Is 4 professional politician.
The careers Of Jeifers and Wilson
lay IN rail and industrial admins
tration. But the four men have
qualities Ia common that are not
too familiar in Washington. All