Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1943-02-18
WPB Needs
Impartial
Umpire
Armed Forces Are
Looking Askonce
At Generalization
BY DAVID LAWRENCE

mtiIlOtIS Ol lne armed services
as well as high officials of the va
rious Federal agencies which are
claimants to the Nations war pro-
duction are looking askance at the
Generalization which has been
brought about in the War Produc-
ton Board.
For more than five months the
system of allocating production to
each claimant agency has pro-
ceeded smoothly. Not a single
protest or appeal was made after
the decision was rendered by the
Requirements Committee, which
was headed up by Ferdinand Eber-
stadt.
Today there is no certainty that
the old quarrel, which had been
happily resolved by a system of
ALLEGATIONS considered fair and
equitable, will not be reopened. For
one thing, both Chairman Donald
Nelson and Vice Chairman Charles
Il. Wilson have taken a view which
is hostile to that of the armed serv-
ices-at least. the latter contend
that any partisanship on behalf of
so-called civilian supply versus mill
itary needs is mistaken and not in
the public interest at this time.
Umpires Take Sides.
Messrs. Nelson and Wilson be-
come the umpires of the new stu
alton and since they have already
taken sides it is natural that the
armed services should demand that
some one be selected as umpire in
whom all agencies concerned can
again have confidence. One of the
big problems in allocating supplies
and production Is that each of the
agencies at one time asked for more
than they really needed. Even to-
day when claims are made it is
essential that such claims, whether
from military or civilian sources, be
scrutinized and the figures verified.
Such independent examination can
only carry confidence when the
services and agencies themselves
believe that they are going to get
impartial judgment and fair treat
ment.
Dissatisfaction with Donald Mel
sons Craftsmanship of the War Pro-
duction Board began to be manifest
last June and the various claimant
agencies, including the armed serv-
ices, were able to work tremendously
only after it was indicated that de-
cisions would be made by some one
in whom the parties concerned had
confidence. Today the removal of
the one man in whom such conf
dence was reposed means that some
one else will have to be chosen
quickly who will have the same
ability to command confidence.
Mr.. Nelson, in his public comment
on the dismissal of Mr. EberStadt,
rays that now the WPB faces a
production" job and that he has
picked a production man" The |
logic of that statement is that Mr.. !
Wilson should be made head of the /
WPB and Mr.. Nelson should step |
down. for his experience has never |
been that of production man. He |
was purchasing agent for large
mail order house before coming to |
Washington. Why should Mr.. Will |
son be subordinate to anybody?
But the armed services do not !
have confidence in Mr.. Wilson. He
was brought here by the Army and
Navy to do special job inside the
WPB dealing with aircraft produc-
ton, and they do not feel that he
has had the experience in planning
and operating the many complicated
situations which, while bearing in
directly on production, are in the
nature of Government administra-
ton.
Eberstadt a Palmer.
Mr.. Eberstadt, like B. NJ. Baruch,
chairman of War Industries Board
in the last war, is not a production
man but planner and penetrat-
Ing organizer who has the capacity
for mapping out operations and see
ing that the decisions made are Wig
orously carried out. He has a natu-
raj aptitude for governmental adj
ministration. Mr.. Eberstadt. lust
as Mr.. Baruch y! the last war.
showed a capacity for selecting men
who could be called production spe-
cialistS. He brought here some of
the ablest men who have ever been
in Washington. For Mr.. Nelson to
ignore the presence Of these pro-
duction chiefs Is 10 confuse the is
sue.
The Senate Committee on Ma
tional Defense, known AS the Tru-
man Committee, has now listened
in executive session on separate
GAYS TO Mr.. Wilson and Mr.. Eber-
stadt and has learned about the
tragic acknowledgement and lack of
planning that has brought the Ma
ton today face TO face with serious
economic crises. For it was Mr.
Nelson's responsibility to sec that
New England did not suffer from
lack Of fuel. and it was Mr. Nelson's
responsibility to prevent the scandal
about slow production Of synthetic
rubber from getting to its recent
stage of confusion. II was also Mr.
Nelson's Job to foreSee the food
crisis which has now confronted the
country, The executive order issued
IN January. 1882, gave him sweeping
powers over all production, but he
has failed to exercise the broad
responsibility Of decision required of
him
Mr.. Ebers'adt has departed, but