The Waterbury Democrat., 1943-02-03
Is Road Show I Tours Nations Cities
TO War On Unseen Foe--AccidentS
By JAMES TTTRAsHRR


tNEA Service star Correspondent
DAYS BATTLE COSTS U. s.
$4,000 Killed and wounded"
$4,000 American Bombers Lost
Last Year" =. IAN q. 8. War
Plants to Close l La Days Each
Month"
What II those grim headlines
were to appear in tomorrow's pa
per? It's not q pleasant hypothe-
sis. And It's even less pleasant
when you know that those head
lines represent the truth In Amer
ica's home .front war against the
unseen enemy, Accident.
Accident dealt us some damaging
blows In the year that followed
Pearl Hafhor. But this month the
War Production Fund TO Conserve
Manpower, illobllized 10 months ago
at President Roosevelt's request, Is
opening o counter-attack.
HALF.BHtLI0N DAYS LOST
It's object Is to win back from
this unseen enemy the 100000
inan-days lost In 1912 - Tnan-days
equal to 10 shutdown days for each
factory. Snan-days enough to build
% goo heavy bonnbers or Q fleet Of
merchant ships, or to outfit 100000
soldiers. Il Is O. campaign to halt
the prewntable slaughter that killed
$1,000 workmen last year and per-
manently disabled 10000 on the
production front, and that : ok q
total civilian toll Of 100000 killed
and more than 100000 injured.
The War Production Fund Is the
lnoney-gathering agency Of the Ma.
tional Safety Council. A delegation
Of It's ofilrrs, now touring IA key
industrial cities, hopes eventually TO
include In It's campaign every
American who Is old enough to
walk, talk and think. In doing so
II will be carrying out the Presl.'
dents appeal for every citi2,n IN
his public and private capacity TO
enlist and do his part"
First stops In the tour were Min
neapolis and Sc. Paul. where the
drive set o general pattern that
will probably be followed in every
stable community. Press, radio and
even ministers from their pulpits
announced the campaigns opening.
on the opening day the slogan,
"stop Accidents Now" appeared on
the bumpers Of all street cars, cabs,
delivery trucks, highway patrol cars,
and many private /. autos. II was
printed on hotel and restaurant
menus, and even on signs in the
hands Of schoolchildren's snowman.
Billboards, street banners and
store windows. proclaimed the safe
tX drive! A big electric power COM
pany sent out $1,000 ac!dent-pre-
Yention pamphlets with Its monthly
bills. Most Of Minnesota's 400, 600
farm families received safety mes
sages from 27,0O0 neighborhood
leaders and forest rangers.
ALI OUTsFOR SAFETY
One day was devoted to accident
prevention in each OF the following
fields: industry, farm, home and
school, trafdc and highway. The
Red Cross, police and IRE depart.
ments and schools gave safety and
farst aid demonstrations.
The Twin Cities 100000 war
workers drew names Of enlisted
men from Minnesota from o bowl,
and made them this individual
pledge: TN cooperation with this
program requested BY President
Roosevelt, ] promise TO work safely,
to help stop accidents, and 70 work
steadfastly so that no man In the
armed forces Of the United States
may lose his life because OF lost
production through my negligence"
Industrial safety IS particularly
important this year, since an esti-
mated 1000, 900 women will Join the
production army. There will be
other millions Of men too young
and too old for the armed forces.
This means inexperienced and RASH
ness and slower reflcxeS =. poten-
tial accident breeders that must be
corrected as much as possible be-
fore these raw recruits begin work.