Evening star., 1943-06-01
Newton
Continued From First Page.

butadiene in volume by this method
for only a week 1t is turning out
the product at the rate of Is 900 tons
year. Nearly half of the Govern
ment's 850000-ton- year program
will use this method of making rub
ber. Mr.. Jeffers declared that sue
cess here meant that the entire rub
Der program was over the hump"
Mr.. Jeffers was here on tour of
rubber and aviation gasoline plants
and escort vessel shipyards with
Undersecretary of War Patterson.
Undersecretary of Navy Forrestal
and Ralph K. Davies. deputy Pc
sroleum administrator, whose Office
is responsible for carrying out the
Army,s 100-octane gasoline program.
The officials are out to break bottle
necks holding back the must" war
programs.
Three types of synthetic rubber
and a huge quantity of aviation gas
cline are manufactured in Stand
ards reflneries here Following a
one-day inspection of Baton Rouge
plants, Col. Bradley Dewey, deupty
rubber director. said the official
party already had discovered two
ways OF stepping up production of
10th rubber and aviation gasoline
Without giving detail, Col. Dewey
gave credit for the bottleneck dis
eoveries to Bruce Brown, assistant
TO Mr.. Davies.
Jeffers IndOrses Gov. Jones.
The official party left Baton Rouge
for other oil centers and two ship
yards in Louisiana and Texas sur
rounded by perhaps more efficient
veil Of secrecy than shrouded the re-
cent food conference in Virginia
An incident occurred yesterday
which infuriated the local press
Mr. Jeffers, during an impromptu
banquet speech. indorsed Gov. Sam
Jones. violent administration critic
for a Senate seat
Reporters for New Orleans papers
We're quick to pick up the story. All
reference to Mr.. Jeffers' remarks
were deleted from the New Orleans
stories by Kenneth Burgher, press
agent for the rubber director. who
said he had been appointed by the
War Department as censor for the
trip. An editor of a Baton Rouge
paper who used the letters re-
marks was publicly criticized for
violating a confidence" The news
.paperman had passed the story
along to the Associated Press
=, Washington officials were well
protected from reporters by Capt.
A. F. Kroeger, public relations
liaison man between PAW and the
War Department. During Sum
day night press conference of the
officials Capt. Kroeger limited the
time of the conference and finally
told reporters that no more ques-
'tions could be asked Some one
asked the officials if they could be
reached after inspection of the
Baton Rouge plants. The officer
spoke up with an emphatic no
Not All Appears Serene.
The officials nevertheless lunched
Yesterday in the same room with
neWSpapermen. Whenever re-
porter attempted to get near one
OF the officials, Capt. Kroeger was
on hand to advise. An obvious ef-
fort was being made to keep peace
among the touring officials, who
only month ago we're attacking
each other bitterly in Washington
All did not appear as serene as
when Mr.. Patterson surprised the
Truman Committee by saying JEFF
and understand one another" Re-
'lationS among the men were peace
full, though decidedly formal Only
Mr. Jeffers was smiling and SEEM
lngly content with developments.
Mr.. Howard. who said his COM
pany had as good line on German
oil supplies as any one, declared the
Nazis should not be expected to
run out of oil SOON He said that
while the Germans were hard
pressed to supply all vulnerable
areas with oil, the country's total
reserves are perhaps in better
position than at the beginning of
the war This condition he attrib-
uted to captured fields and produc.
1ion of gasoline from coal, which
supplies almost half the Nazi needs
The petroleum official illustrated
the favorable position of the United
Nations by saying that production OF
aviation gasoline alone in this