Imperial Valley press., 1942-08-06
CAPITAL TALKS
by
Peter
Edison

The great feud between War Pro-
duction Board Chairman Donald
Nj Nelson and Lieut.. Gen. Brehon
Somervell. commander of the Ser
vices of Supply. was over almost
before it got started. Main bone of
contention was who was to allo-
cate raw materials. For about
week, the status of their relations
was largely one of the General
wanting to tell that cX-Sears Roe
buck clerk where TO head in. and
Mr. Nelson wanting to tell the SOL
dier he would have to make up his
mind whether he Just wanted to
run things. or whether he wanted
! to win the war.
In the end, the two got to-
+ gcther at lunch. Nelson issued
the invitation. but il was held
i'm the Generals office and the
menu was all of Nelson's fa-
voritc dishes. even to fruit sal
ad with lots of Russian dress
! ing.
The official word today is that
all differences of opinion have been
smoothed over. WPB. meaning Mel
son, has veto power over the Joint
Army Navy Munitions Board, in
stead of the other way around,
which is the wa" the General
wanted it at first. So there is unity
on the war production effort, and
Nelson is running the show = at
least until the Army gets on its
high horse again.
Curious Sidelight about the WPB
VS. Army argument is that Senator
Truman's committee investigating
national defense has persistently
backed Nelson, insisting that he,
and not the armed forces, run the
war production effort
FUEL FOR THE FIRE
Just after gasoline rationing pro-
gram went into effect, the staff of
the rationing division in the Office
of Price Administration had an in
formal dinner to relax from the
strain of organizing one of the
toughest administrative problems
any government bureau ever tackl-
ed.
Ep,furo IF tho dinner waS an
impromptu. satiricsl speech by
one of the top men. He review
ed i'm mock seriousness, the re-
quircments for getting extra
gasoline ratiOns organization
of car pools, sharing rides with
three other people living and
working in the same vicinities.
etc. Then came the gag lines:
Next" said the speaker, in ef-
feet. will be fuel oil rationing.
How can a home owner get extra
rationS of fuel Oil? The answer,
my friends, is easy. Can the ap-
plicant for an X or B or G fuel
oil card prove he has formed a
pool? Is he sharing his bed with
at least three other people? And if
four people are not sleeping in his
bed, can he JUSTLY his right to
sleep alcne?'
What to Go with the veterans of
the last war who are now on re-
EoF L., Ci,;Iion Copcerya tion COr1S
camps is one of the toughest prob
lens in demobilizing the CCC. But
in New York state, deal is being
considered which may solve the
problem in part. 1t is a proposal
to transfer some of the veterans
camps to t..e Works Progress Ad-
ministration. WPA thought this up.
and it may go through.
Principal difficulty is that WPA
hasn't any too much money. itself
Congress cut its appropriation to
1892 million ,wich means WPA
must cut its enrolment from 975,-
900 to around 100000. WPA, already
has 100000 veterans of the last
war on its rolls CCC now has about
1850 veterans. If entire camps and
projects can be transferred to w
PA, we'll and good. Otherwise the
CCC veterans will have to go to
work in private industry. or wait
their turns for place on WPA.
FUNDS VS.. FACTS
Merger of the Office of Facts
and Figures under Archibald Mac
Leish and the Office of Govern
ment Reports under Lowell Mellett
into the new office of War In
formation under Elmer Davis was
pushed through by the Budget Bu-
rcau in order to save those two
organizations from Congress. it now
comes out MacLeish and Mellett
had taken terrible criticism from
congressional appropriat COM
mittceS. Many congressman felt
both organizations were useless
and Wasteful Of the taxpayers
money. Administration advisers felt
il would be difficult to get new
appropriations, said the decision
was therefore made to lump the
OGR and OFF functions in with
WI in order IN keen them a live