The Waterbury Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1917-1946, 1943-05-04
Military Aircraft
Production Tipped
March Output Reaches Record High Including Over
500 FOur=MotOred BOmbers 100 Ships Launched
BY JOSEPH LATIN
UNITED Press Staff Correspondent

Washington, May T. -UP) -
Chairman Donald M. Nelson of the
War Production Board said today
that March output of military air
craft reached record high of g.
200, including more than 500 four
motored bomberS.
A WPB spokesman said that still
greater numbers of military planes
rolled from American factories in
April, although the total fell consid-
erably below Nelson's recent eSti-
mate of 1000 for that month, on
the basis of preliminary figures.
Nelson, in a report described by
the spokesman as neither optimis-
tic nor pessimistic," said the daily
rate of munitions production in
March was virtually the same as in
the preceding month, although some
production records we're broken.
These were:
I. For the first time, more than
100 liberty ships were delivered in
one month.
2. March naval and merchant
ship construction, measured by value
of work done in shipyards, was the
greatest on record.
But these were the only bright
touches to an otherwise none-too-
optimistic picture. Nelson reported
that munitions production in the
first quarter of 1943 was only 10 per
cent of the output scheduled for the
year. That means, he said, that the
average output for the next three
quarters must be half again as much
as in the first quarter if 1943 goals
are to be achieved lin accordance
with military plans"
Nelson cautioned however, that
the very great onth-by-month
production gains made last year
cannot be sustained for many more
months, despite present indications
that there will be substantial" in
creases in the next month or two.
The record of March munitions
production showed gains in all ma
jor categories over February, but it
was pointed out that there were
more days in March so that the
daily rate was nearly the same. The
figures: total munitions, up II per
cent over February; aircraft, up II
per cent; ground ordnance, up sew
en- per cent; navy and army vessels.
up IA per cent; merchant vessels up
seven per cent; miscellaneous NUM-
tons, up II per cent.
Delivery of merchant vessels in
March, while good. was not good
enough, the report indicated. 1t was
emphasized that deliveries during
subsequent months will have to be
made at a much higher rate to
reach the years objective. An indi-
cation that the increase may be at
tanned was found in the maritime
commissions report yesterday that
shipyards broke all world records
for ship production in April by de-
liyering 157 merchant vessels.
Nelson said the Maritime commit
sion holds that the high rate of
labor turnover is seriously threaten
ing the shipbuilding program. The
March turnover, the report said,
amounted to 11.2 per cent, of which
two Ger cent represented withdraw
al of men to enter the armed forces.
Other production figures in the
report were:
Almost 5000 tanks were delivered
in March.
In the first three months OF l943,
industry produced almost 1900
artillery pieces, including more than
1000 anti-aircraft guns and more
than 5000 anti-tank guns. About
$4,000 machine guns and more than
100000 rifles and sub-machine
guns came off the assembly lines
during the same period.