Evening star., 1943-02-12
More Rationinq
Is Necessary,
Nelson Says
Senate Unit Reveals
Testimony Warning
Of Clothing Cuts
0y the Associated Press.

b. the Associated Press.
Congress had a blunt warning
from Chairman Donald M. Mel
son of the War Production Board
today that $4,000 100000 worth
Of guns, planes, tanks and ships
cannot be produced this year
without widespread business cas-
ualties in non-essential indus
tries, which will lead to further
rationing.
Mr.. Nelson was disclosed to have
told the Senate Military Affairs
Committee in closed hearing on
manpower needs that the necessity
OF funneling net of 100000 addi-
'tional workers into the munitions
plants will have serious repercus-
sions on the home front
The contraction Of manpower in
less essential industries and a pros
pective increase of 100000 in the
armed forces may be such, Mr.. Nell
son testified, that further rationing
may be forced even where materials
are available.
Must Reduce Output.
I'VE will have to reduce the
amount of clothing produced and it
will mean rationing clothing without
question. even beyond the question
of the amount of material which
could be spared" he told the COM
mittee, adding:
I'VE had hoped this year to get
by without rationing cotton or
woolen clothing"
Today, Mr.. Nelson summoned a
press conference at which he de-
clared. as he had last Tuesday in
q joint statement with Price Ad-
ministrator Brown. that there are
no present plans to ration clothing.
(Supplies of wool, they said then,
are several million pounds greater
than when the United States entered
the war;
Il believe we are going to get by
until later in the fall" Mr.. Nelson
told the conference. IF the man.
power shortage is not as severe as it
has been statistically presented, we
Doubts VINO Estimates.
The production chief said II
don't accept" an estimate he attrib-
uted to the War Manpower Commits
sion that an indicated increase of
1900 900 men in the armed forces
and 300 900 new war workers meant
that 100000 workers would have to
be withdrawn from the industries
now furnishing civilian goods and
services.
u would want to check it further
he said.
His doubts as to the validity of
those figures, Mr. Nelson said, were
based in part on the existence of
considerable unemployment in the
clothing industry in New York and
other centers.
Il told the committee" Mr.. Nelson
said, that had hoped We could get
by without rationing. but that if
civilian production and services had
to be reduced by 100000 men We
would have to reduce manufacture
Of number of things.
IF we have runs on stores, that's
a great way to bring on rationing.
I hope these runs don't continue
am informed that the runs on
clothing were pretty well stopped by
yesterday"
Defends Early Statement.
Mr.. Nelson said there was no dis
crepancy between his remarks to
the Senate committee and his state
ment of Tuesday with Mr. Brown.
His statement before the commit
tee, he said. was entirely on an "if"
basis: in other words. that clothing
rationing would be required only If
the drain on the textile and other
civilian industries is as great as the
VINO expects.
The WPB chief reported that
stocks of wool were in excellent
shape" and at record level, that
cotton supplies were abundant, that
the supplies of manufactured clothes
were in pretty fair shape" and that
1t appeared considerably more work
ers could be brought into the cloth
ing and textile industries from the
present pools OF unemployed in New
York and elsewhere.
In his testimony before the COM
mittee, however, Mr.. Nelson was
discussing only the manpower short
age and its expected effect on civilian
industries
Comedies Army's Needs.
In this connection, he said:
1T will mean reduction in all
of the industries which are now
working making things for the civil
ian trade, for retail trades. II will
reduce, In other words, the amount
Of goods that can be produced to
supply retailers over the whole coun-
try. which will mean a reduction In
the number Of retailers, mean a
(See NELSON, Page A-3J