Evening star., 1943-08-17

command had better begin revising
some of its delivery schedules down.
ward in the coming months.
Aircraft manufacturers are wor-
ried. They have been trying to meet
the needs of the draft and they have
accepted the constant turnover Of
personnel, striving again and again
to train new men as they see
trained personnel constantly taken
away. But when it comes to SUI
pervisory personnel, the draft cuts
deeper now, for there is no way to
train supervisory personnel in a
short time. Instead, management
simply may have to concede it can
not expand and that the precious
characteristic of American produc-
tion, known as momentum, will have
to be halted.
It does seem absurd that while
American soldiers and sailors are
dying because of lack OF airplanes,
some arbitrary minded bureaucrats
in Washington are completely dis
regarding the needs of the aircraft
industry and forcing it to lower
and lower production schedule.
Camoufiage Attempted.
The efforts to camouflage the
drop in production these last 10 days
are desperate. Inasmuch as the
monthly production figures for
August must show for publicity pur-
poses again over July, every airplane
that has been standing for weeks
missing gadget is being hustled
into the delivery column SO as to
bolster up the statistics. But even
so it looks as if the August figures
will show virtually standstill as
compared with July and the drop in
actual engine production, for in
stance, will begin to show up in
September and October delivery
figures.
High officials are working day and
night to reverse the trend. But the
manpower problem at last has
caught up with our aircraft indus
tries and the warnings given Charles
E. Wilson, vice chairman of the War
Production Board, six months ago
by prominent manufacturers Of air.
planes and airplane parts from
coast to coast that the manpower
problem was being incompetently
handled and could only result in a
breakdown Of schedules and loss of
momentum, are unfortunately COM
ing true.
Boards Bewildered.
Inquiry among some OF the air.
craft people indicates that they
find local draft boards very CO.
operative yet bewildered by the maze
Of conflicting rules, regulations and
statements issued by both the selec-
tive service headquarters under Maj
Gen. Hershey and the War Man
power Commission under Paul
McNutt.
The experience of the last war
apparently has been disregarded.
Instead Of setting up appeals boards
specially qualified to deal with oc-
cupational deferlnents, the district
boards chosen without regard to
knowledge Of industry deal largely
with their own ex parte Judgment OF
what ought to he done.
Appeals boards, moreover, are
under no requirement to listen to
employers or to give them hearing.
More often than not they are under
pressure in their communities to
take younger men. irrespective of
siills, or else they are under instruc-
tion to help supply manpower to
farmers. For in this category poll
tics seems to have taken care OF
certain agriculture! labor require
ments.
As for the technical and profess
sional men, the engineers and the
foremen with special training that
have been drafted by the Army,
some of the manufacturers say that
II they were only permitted to call
some of these men back from their
present duties on kitchen police in
the Army, they would solve many
a shortage in the supervisory group
Among the fathers, of course, are
to be found matured and respon-
sible executives, many of whom are
trained supervisors. If they are
pulled out, America must expect
lull in production and a distinct
stoppage of momentum in several of
our key plants.
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