Evening star., 1943-05-13
War Mobilization
Super Board Urged
By Senate Probers
Report Calls Programs
Out Of BoIunce' Due
To Divided Authority

Declaring that war mobiliza ton
is in crisis" Senate Military
Affairs Subcommittee today was on
record with proposal for creation
of a War Mobilization Board with
of the agencies now concerned with
various phases of the war program.
The committee said that as the
result of divided authority our vari-
Gus war programs, all essential. are
out of balance with one another
and in most cases are short of the
| goal set
! Cites Aircraft Output.
Specifically, it was pointed out, in
| efficient use of manpower has re-
suited in cutting the Presidents air
craft program of $4,000 planes for
l943 to less than 100000" President
Roosevelt told his press conference
| Tuesday that the stress had been
shifted to produce heavier ships.
that relatively more four-eneine and
tWo-engine bombers. long-range
fighters and cargo carriers are being
built. He estimated 1914 output as
14l7 900 900 pounds against an esti-
mate of Oil 900 pounds for this year,
Again. the committee pointed to
poor results at the Willow Run
bomber plant. and said that while
1T was agreed that this specific
problem involved questions of man
power, production and economic
stabiliza ton : it has been treated as
purely War Production Board
problem ana no attempt has been
made to reach joint agreement on
. action needed
The War Mobilization Board
would be composed of the heads of
the various war agencies. but at its
head would be a $4,000 director
appointed by the President He.
however would need Q ma ioritv OF
the board to make any policy
effective.
Board Members.
The board members would be
, Director of Economic Sterilization
Bvrnes Chairman Nelson of the
War Production Board Manpower
Commission Chairman Paul V. Nc
Mutt. the Secretaries of War and
Navy. the Army chief of staff. the
Navy's chief of operations, the chair
the petroleum, food and lease lend
administrators and the director OF
defense transportation.
The group would advise with other
administrators. presumably includ-
ing the Rubber Director. and have
authority under MIR Roosevelt over
ALLEGATION of both materials and
manpoWer among competing aeen-
cieS. including those supplying
civilian essentials.
Asserting that the ManpoWer Com
mission and the WPB are little more
than service stations for the
various agencies and that the latter
exercises no serious power of re-
view, the committee declared. as
did the Truman Committee in slight
ly different language:
The War Production Board is not
a war production board. In no
single phase of the war production
program does centralized control
exist at the present time
Causes of Wastage.
The subcommittee stated that
wastage in the various programs was
due TO "hoarding inefficient use of
labor, unnecessary absenteeism. or
labor idleness resulting from poor
production methods and organiza-
ton over which it said the Man.
power Commission lacked control
Under the present setup. the re-
port declared, the Manpower Com
missions recent labor freeze order
tends to freeze the supply of man
power into the present pattern of
inefficiency."
The committees report was based
on testimony given AT executive ses-
slons by Mr.. Byrnes. Mr.. McNutt and
Charles E. Wilson, WPB executive
vice chairman.