The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1942-03-19
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By JAMES PRESTON

by JAMEO IRES 1ON
''Do what you can with what you
have"
This is Donald NJ. Nelson's advice
to American manufacturers. The War
! Production Board is placing emphasis
on plant conversion - changing over
from the production of peacetime to
military goods. 1t also lays stress on
the necessity of each factory-owners
going out to get defense contract
The procedure suggested is to find
out what is needed by inquiring at
the proper local Offices; then, to check
machinery and other facilities to de-
termine where the factory owner can
fit into the picture. Once that is decided
it's up to the manufacturer to land
his contract, even at the risk of MAX
ing a nuisance of himself. Persistence
does it.
| War Production Board Chief Nei.
son thinks that it isn't possible to put
too much stress on the need for con-
version of all available facilities from
civilian to defense production. In his
latest statement on the subject he
says:
1--WE must have all-out conversion,
for all-out conversion will mean vic
tory.
Conversion is our Number On2
problem"
The Division of Industry Opera
tons of WPB answers all comments
to the effect that conversion isn't as
simple as it sounds by pointing to
conversions which have already taken
place. For example, plant that used
to make rry-go-rounds is now max
ing vital Army and Navy equipment,
in spite Of the fact that the company
was told it couldn't be done with its
machinery.
More than $15O,O00,0OO worth Of
war goods have been contracted for
in the shops of a community which is
! in the under-100,000 population class
And then there is the man whose
normal business was making orange
sqeezers and metal games for chill
dren. He is now engaged in the bus
mess of making intricate gauge dies
and bullet punches.
All of this is reflected in the chang
ing attitude of government officials
toward small business. Whereas for
merry the slogan was: "Save small
business" today, the key word is use
small business"
Pearl Harbor, Guam and Singapore
have resulted in toughening the atti-
tude of Administration men in charge
of production and of businessmen
working to meet production sched-
ules.
From the Women's Bureau of the
Department Of Labor comes the news
that for the duration of the war. at
least, the nations women will add
to their duty as homebuilders the task
. of filling in on the factory front.
The Bureau reports that the War
| Production Board is studying the adj
visibility Of having a compulsory reg
istration Of women for defense Jobs.
Many informed people feel that such a
i. registration will be needed before the
war is over. Mrs. Roosevelt, for in
stance, advocates the immediate reg
istration of women under 45 years
of age in order to save time later as
the need develops. Sidney Hillman says
that at least one million American
women will be needed to work on the
production of war materials, especi-
ally to replace men who are called to
the colors.
Where women are used for factory
and precision work, personnel mana
gers agree that they perform their
tasks satisfactorily, and, in many
instances, better than their male pred
eceSSOrS.
BRIEFS: Launching traditions are
going Congress has passed a bill re-
ducing the cost of a ship Launching,
which ordinarily runs for $4,000 for
a destroyer to $125,OOO for an aircraft
carrier (plus a diamond studded gift
for the sponsor), to $500 &. Tht
Department of Agriculture was au-
thorized by Congress to provide funds
for planting $4,000 acres of the quay
ule shrub. This shrub is to be used for
the production of synthetic rubber
The acreage covers all for which seed
is available The Labor Division
of WPB plans to train 100000 skilled
foremen and supervisors in factories