Evening star., 1942-10-06

or heavy" material.
The Commissioners announced the
designation of Col. Joseph D. Arthur,
| jr, new Assistant Engineer Commits
Sioner, as chairman of the Elmer
gency Committee, to succeed Col.
Beverly C. Snow. who has been as
signed to new station by the Army,
effective Monday.
| Horace Walker, executive secre-
tary of the D. C. Salvage Commit
tee, announced today that he would
confer with Col Arthur, probably
today, on the possibilities of sending
the Emergency Committee back
into action to draw up plans for the
collection of the Districts heavy"
scrap.
Will Suggest Meeting.
Il am going to suggest said Mr..
Walker, that Col Arthur's special
committee meet with representatives
of the Board of Trade, the Mer-
chants and Manufacturers Associa-
ton, the Washington Building Con-
gress and other business and COM
mercial groups to work out plans
for the collection of heavy scrap.
It's a tough assignment-and it
must be done. The problem of COL
lection facilities and how the scrap
will be made available to collectors
are just two matters which must be
ironed out"
. Many tons of salvageable scrap in
the District is ready to hand. await
ing only the availability of trucks
to haul it away.
Some is in the form of scrap, in
homes, business establishments,
hotels and garages.
Abounds on Office Buildings.
Other quantities of urgently need
ed metal abound in the District. on
office buildings and elsewhere, per-
forming only the doubtfully utili-
tartan function of decoration.
Much of this metal remains where
it is because facilities Of wholesale
junk dealers, who process scrap
to prepare it for shipment to the
steel mills, are taxed to the utmost
with the scrap collected during the
two concentrated Sunday drives in
the District.
Metal is being sorted as fast as
possible. then baled and sent on
to the mills where it is needed, but
scrap still remains at the retail
junk dealers establishments and on
some of the vacant lots in the city
set aside as salvage depots.
Soon to Be Cleared.
This is not a condition which will
last long, however. Members of
the Salvage Committee predict
that the depots will be cleared
this week The processing of metal
already at hand will follow closely
on the heels of this.
1t is imperative, if the flow of
metal scrap to steel mills is not to
be retarded, that those who have
large accumulations of scrap begin
preparing now for the collection Of
it which will be made soon. Com
mercial establishments, hotels and
others who can produce large or
small amounts Of Salvageable metal
must begin preparations now to be
prepared when the concentrated
drive in which they are to partici-
pate takes place.
Legal Processes for Autos.
1t was indicated yesterday, after
meeting between Corporation
Counsel Richmond b Keech, Traffic
Director William A. Van Duzer and
Mr.. Walker, that the transformation
Of abandoned automobiles into scrap
iron may be slowed somewhat by
the legal processes involved.
About half of the automobiles
abandoned in the District, lists OF
which were prepared by policemen
Of all precincts, have known owners,
Mr.. Walker said. These owners will
be sent letters, asking that they con-
tribute the cars to the Nations
scrap metal drive. The other SO
per cent of the automobiles have
no known owners, and before any
thing Is done with them serial num-
bers will be checked by Mr.. Van
Duzer's Office in an attempt to de-
termine ownership.
Mr.. Keech pointed out that an
existing regulation precludes parking
more than 18 hours on public space
and provides that any automobile
abandoned longer can be impounded
1t is probable that those abandoned
cars not on private property will
be impounded to await developments
in the drive to turn them into scrap
Waiting for answers to letters OF
owners OF abandoned automobiles
will mean that the cars will not be
ready soon for crushing into bales
by scrap dealers, thus the drive or
commercial establishments mus,
start sooner.
80 Tons In One Yard.
Much scrap Of this sort alread,
is available and has remained on,
OF the regular fiow Of used meta
back to the steel mills only because
retail Junk dealers promised thu
Salvage Committee to concentrate
on clearing depots after the twt
Sunday drives.
| Thirty tons OF scrap, for instance
I Is lying in the yard OF the FREQ
s. Gichner Iron Works, awaiting the
1