The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1943-01-01
PROBLEMS OF TOMORROW
By ]. E. Jones

BY ]. E. Jones
Washington, d. c., December ~
The gremlins are holding regular
sessions in the silent, vacant halls
of Congress, Matching up new crops
of irritations and puzzles for the
boastful boys and girls who think
they will show the world what 1t
takes to be a statesman.
Problems of tomorrow seem to in
clude the shortening of shirt tails
two or three inches thereby Great
ing surplus of material sufficient
to make ten million additional mems
shirts. In the last war Sister Susie
sewed shirts for soldiers Now we
are trying out new deal.
We face the problems of spend
ing all our spare money for war
bonds, while saving all your money
to meet the high cost of living--and
at the same time balancing nothing
left from something--tO pay income
taxes in March. Uncle Sam faces the
prospect of being left out on the
end of limb.
Captain Eddie Rickenbacker gets
good ways ahead of the rest OF us
when he declares that American
soldiers and sailors in the Pacific
could double the volume of war pro-
duction if they took over the job.
| Five general classes of rumors
l I, fon hv1
War Information, as follows: Hate
rumors'', anxiety rumors', escape
|rumors', supernatural rumors",
curiosity rumors". owl says there
are $500 kinds of rumors--and
they don't even include the new con-
trolls by GEARS.
The keystone OF The Arch
| One of the most important but
least known chapters of the whole
thrilling story of American war pro-
duction has now been told. 1t is an
account of the conversion of peace
/ time plants to war production for
our armed forces. While not as
spectacular in the telling as a sum
mary of the massed weight of the
American war output or the tri-
umphs of American weapons at
the battlefronts, it is just as vital
| ly significant. For it lis representa-
tive of the accomplishment Of
American industry in general during
this period of crisis and without it
the more exciting chapters OF our
war story could not be written.
| It is particularly fitting that this
chapter should concern the Eastern
Aircraft Division of General Motors,
because this represents the first
conversion of plants from the pro-
duction of completed automobiles to
/ the production of completed fight
ing aircraft.
The story of this full conversion
contains all the elements that show
the enormous value to the country
of our experienced mass production
wizards not only in peace but more
especially in time of great national
danger. Here we see the Importance
of the technical know how" of our
engineers long familiar with large
scale production, their ability to i'm
provise in ways which speed plants
/ into operation and turn out better
war products faster, with important
savings of critical materials, man
power and money, their ability to
plan quickly and correctly, and their
willingness to go ahead with their
plans on their own initiative and
responsibility in the interests of the
common good.
At the time of Pearl Harbor Cen
eral Motors had five plants in the
Eastern area devoted to automobile
assembly and the production of bat
teries and other items which, be-
cause of their nature, had not been
able to get war work, although the
company was then turning out
$2,O0O,O00 worth of war materials
a day. AS the country feverishly
plunged into increased war produc-
ton, the plant officials cast about
for the opportunity to make their
greatest contribution.
In the early days of this year,
latter discussions with the United
States Navy, it was decided that
they could best serve by joining the
five plants into one unit to produce
aircraft for the American sky fleets.
1t was decided also that they should
produce Grumman-designed Wildcat
| fphters and Ayenger torpedo bomb
ers for the Navy
The corporations executives.
their engineering planners and pro-
duction men already had their
sleeves up. They went to work i'm
mediately. On January 81, although
their arrangement with the Navy
was not yet Official, they formed
| the Eastern Aircraft Division. On
February and 5 they received
rietters Of intent" from the Navy
authorizing them to 80 ahead with