Evening star., 1943-02-01
'Arnny,NavyS|ow.
WarProduction,:
Jeffers Charges.
House Unit Told
Interference DeIoys
Rubber Output Also
By JAMES Z. CHINN.

NJ
BY JAMES E. CHINN.
Army and Navy interference
is seriously delaying production
in vital defense plants Of the.
country, Rubber Director William
M. Jeffers charged today before
a joint Naval and Military Af-o
fairs Subcommittee of the House.
1T seems to me-" he declared.
the job OF the Army and Navy Is.
to fight and not attempt to run
business" -
Mr.. Jeffers also complained that
controversies over priorities have
delayed development of the syn.
thetic rubber production program. ~
The whole controversy has been
In getting priorities from the War
Production Board" he said. Tho
worst difficulty is to get decisions
as to what is first and what is
second. There are too many people
still exporting on the rubber pro.
gram"
Decision Don't Stick" ''~
Mr.. Jeffers pointed out there have
been a '1ot Of conferences" about
priorities for the plants which he0
hoped would relieve the rubber
shortage by the production Of syn
thetics, but as yet no decisions had
been made that seem to stick" .,u
In response to direct question,
he said, 1t was up TO Donald W..
Nelson. chairman Of WPB to make
the final decisions. -
The rubber director was called be-
fore the joint committee, which is
studying the war production pro-"
gram primarily to answer state-.'
ments attributed to him in q speech
in Baltimore last week to the effect
that Army and Navy of1icias were
impeding production in synthetic
rubber plants.
Denying he mad called Army and
Navy men "loafers," he told the
committee what he said was that he
was afraid we have too many ex-
perts on rubber in Washington like
We have too many experts on other
| things
II did not say Army and Navy
loafers," he emphasized. MY deh-"'
milton of the word loafer and the
way used 1t. is q person assigned
to an unnecessary job
Statement Repeated.
The exact statement Mr.. Jeders
said he made in Baltimore With re-
spect to "loafers' Was this:
IL we can keep the. Army and
Navy and these loAfers out Of these
plants we viii get production out" )"
Later the rubber director testified
he had been told the Navy had from
10000 to $4,000 "expediters" scattered
plants, and, he understood the Navy
Is still seeking more.
, Filling up these plants with So
called expediters who tell the su.
perintendent how to run his own
shop" he declared, ARE among those
y things that are delaying produc-
ton"
He declared further that "inter.
; ference" in production by the armed
!. forces appeared to him to- be an
attempt to impede his own duties
as prescribed by President Roose-
, welt at the time of his appointment.
In support Of his contention, Mr..
Jeffers read excerpts from q letter
he received from defense worker
whose name he asked the joint
: committee to treat as confidential
Workers Letter Quoted. =
One paragraph of this letter read !:
Many inspectors, or loafers as
you call them, certainly impede pro-
duction. They seem to think we are
building ornaments instead o<
armaments."
The letter also said it is Common
knowledge" that a great deal Of,
time is lost In the production plants
processing war materials. =
: Mr.. Jeffers pointed out that BE-.
tween the spring of 1912, up to the
time the Baruch rubber report was
submitted to the President, little
progress had been made in the de-
velopment of synthetic rubber due.
to confusion, clashes Of personalities,
too much exporting and too little
two-fisted direction" =
Mr.. Jeffers pointed out he made
his first progress" report as rubber
director last November and since
then very little had happened except
a series Of "resistent discussions'n
over priorities for machinery for the
syntnetlc rubber production plants.
Materials Available.
He explained there had been little
dlfnculty In procuring materials to
oulld plants, but the productive ma
chlnery to 60 into these plants was
lacking because the Army and NAVY
claimed they needed the equipment.
So far. he said, not a pound Of
synthetic rubber has yet been made
IN Government-owned plant Tn
this country.
Mr.. Jef1ers recited the efforts Of
the armed forces to curtail further
the ALLEGATION of rubber for civilian
needs, and declared:
This country cannot be taken,
on rubber and avoid a domestic
collapse" =:
He explained that rubber must b.
made available for essential civilian
driving and farm production, and
a Few minutes afterward defended
his support Of tires for travelling
statesmen.
Barrage Of Questions.
After Mr.. Jeffers had completed
his direct statement, he was sub
]ected to a barrage Of questions by
members Of the committee. Chair.
man May of the Military Affairs
Committee wanted to know whether
the rubber director considered the
armed services first in cataloguing
rubber needs. In response, Mr.. Jeffers
said:
The armed forces come first az
to rubber.
"One hundred octane gasoline Is
important.
Aid to our Allies comes next
Essential driving and farm pro.
duction next.
What is left, we the people get"
Answering additional questions