Evening star., 1943-08-19
ALLEGATION Of Steel
For Civilian Articles
Is Boosted by WPB
Pins, Home Equipment
To Be Available in
Slightly Larger Quantities
BY JAMES Y. NEWTON.

BY JAMES Y. NEWTON.
AS part of the campaign to
keep the home front economy
in a healthy condition, the War
Production Board has allocated
125,000 tons OF steel for produc-
tion in the last three months for
kitchen and household equip
ment, bed springs, stoves, pins
and needles and hot water heat
ers, 1t was learned today.
While only about four -fifths of /
per cent of the Nations expected
steel output in the last quarter Of
the year, the ALLEGATION, neverthe-
less. represents an increase OF $4,000
tons in the allotment for similar
manufacture in the current quarter
Meanwhile. it was learned that
Arthur D. Whiteside, head Of the
Once Of Civilian Requirements, is
drafting for WPB issuance an over
riding directive to manufacturers
receiving allotments of materials for
civilian goods which would compel
them to sell only in civilian chan
nels the products made from the
material. This would prevent the
Army or lease-lend, for example,
from buying finished end products
after they have been made from the
civilian allotments. WPB, it was
said, believes q considerable quantity
Of goods intended for civilians has
been diverted.
Onicials regarded the increased
steel ALLEGATION, though small, as sig
niflcant Of the growing attention
being given the home front.
The 25,000-ton fourth-quarte,
ALLEGATION Of steel includes 17,0OC
tons for warm lair furnaces, pipes
ETC.; 10000 tons for kitchen and
household equipment; bed springs
1880; cooking stoves, 5000; hot
water heaters. 10000; AT tons fol-
pins; hook. eyes and other fasteners
8,400, and heating stoves, 10000 tons
1t was estimated that a ton OF
steel will enable manufacture of q
million pins. The 427-ton ALLEGATION
covers production of hairpins, bobby
pins, safety pins, straight pins and
needles. all items that have become
increasingly scarce.
Plans are being made at WPB te
permit manufacture, perhaps in the
early part Of 1914, Of a limited num-
Der Of such civilian goods as electric
refrigerators, washing machines and
irons. Production Of the goods, con-
sidered essential, has been halted
for more than . year, and they are
virtually nonexistent now.
Automobile repair. parts are be-
coming scarce, ana the Once o1
Civilian Requirements is giving
greater attention to that problem
A sizable allotment of steel wa.
made for this purpose in the fourth
quarter, figure not included in thu
125 5,000-ton ALLEGATION. Neither doe.
the ALLEGATION include steel for sucf
military-civilian manufacture as
farm machinery, railroad equipment
etc.
WPB ofncials say there is an acute
shortage currently of electric light
bulbs and radio bulbs because OF
heavy military demand for tungsten
This situation viii clear up within
q few months, however, when mill
tary demand for the metal drops Of
In an address earlier this week
War Mobilization Director Byrnes
said that civilians must make up
their minds that they will not have
nonessentia1 goods for the remainder
Of the war. He added, however, that
I'VE must do what we can to in
crease the supply" of essentials
without hurting the war effort"
WPB Chairman Nelson recently
said that if it becomes necessary to
produce q given quantity Of cook
stoves or farm machinery or what
ever to maintain civilian health and
welfare, We are going 10 produce
them regardless Of the scarcity OF
the materials involved. Obviously
the reverse is equally true, and we
are not going to open the manu-
facture of less essential articles as
long as materials continue tight"