Evening star., 1944-03-05
Truman Group
urges Rise in
Civilian Output
Reports Production
Bottles Won; Hits
Labor Druft Plan

Labor Druft Plan
OTHER STORIES on highlights Of
the Truman Committee report.
Page Al.
By the Associated Press.
Declaring "the major war pro-
1uction battles have been won,"
The Truman Committee called
asst night for greater output Of
civilian goods and hit at admin
stration proposals for a univer-
sal manpoWer draft.
While emphasizing that "the big
yest battles" on the war fronts are
yet to be fought and that a great
need for landing craft, heavier and
longer range combat aircraft, radio,
radar and ships will continue for
many months" the committee as
serted:
Production officials say the bulk
Of initial equipment and supplies
for the War Department will have
been manufactured within 60 to 80
days and the job thereafter will be
to supply the items of special need,
replace damaged and destroyed ma
terials and improve quality.
Civilian Needs Increasing.
THE problem now and for the
future will be to produce as much
more war material as will be re-
quired and at the same time prevent
the home economy from weak
ening."
Essential civilian needs, the COM
mittee declared, are greater than
they were year ago and unless
new farm machinery and replace
ment parts for both farm machinery
and trucks are made "the injury to
our economy will be serious"
Although there still will be man.
power shortages in certain areas,
the committees third annual report
to Congress said, "the extent of such
areas and the degree of crisis will
be so very much less that the COM
mittee does not believe that so
drastic remedy as the enactment
OF a manpower draft statute is war
ranted."
Strike Losses Small.
Apparently referring to admins
tratlon arguments that national
service law would be a weapon
against strikes, the report declared
that strikes occurring in mining,
manufacturing and construction in
l943 resulted in a loss of manpower
OF less than 4 of l per cent of the
manpower actually used. whereas
the manpower contributed by labor
in that period exceeded that used
in 1899 by rs per cent"
In addition to the fundamental
objection to the regimentation OF
the people and the further encroach-
ment Of the military on our econ
omy," the committee said, "the man
power problem is too complex and
difficult to be solved by any such
easy means as passing manpower
draft statute"
Increasing Supplies of materials
and higher rate of cancellation
OF war contracts" the report added,
makes it evident that materials
soon will have to be made available
for further civilian production"
No ull-Scale Civilian Output.
This does not mean that we can
soon resume full-scale civilian pro-
duction, but only that we can pro-
duce limited quantities of a few
score of additional items classified
as essential and still have some
surplus of materials available for
the production of number of the
more simple articles" said the 2O9-
page report.
Army and Navy needs still will
prevent the manufacture of such
things as automobiles because of
the scarcity of tires, generators, ball
bearings and similar accessory
items, the report added.
The committee recommended that
any manufacturer be allowed to
make any article he desires pro-
viding: Cd Basic commodities
needed for 1t are not required for
war or essential civilian items; ca
The manufacturing operations are
not undertaken in areas of critical
manpower shortage; and 90 The
manufacturer has not been asked
to undertake construction of a war
item.
Big Cancellations Planned.
1t opposed any efforts to prevent
use of surplus commodities and
creation Of any new industrial con-
trolls that would retard production
OF peace-time articles.
1t reported estimates from the
War Production Board that war
contract cancellations will run the
flrst six months of this year at the
rate of $1,500,000000 a month.
In review of the war produc-
ton front, the committee reported
that:
Aircraft production has reached
rate of more than 100000 planes
year, with the ratio of combat planes
to trainers and of superior planes
to less desirable ones steadily in
creasing.
Urgent needs for 100-octane gaso-
line, aluminium, magnesium and
synthetic rubber made it impossible
to reach 95,000,0O0 net ton goal
for steel. but production went to
90, ,838, ,043 tons in l943 "to meet re-
quriements for the war and to leave
small balance for the most essen
tial civilian items" the committee
said.
Asserting it is essential to provide
financial assistance to protect small
steel concerns affected by cutbacks,
the report declared that big COM
panies, like United States Steel, Re-
public and Bethlehem, will emerge
from the war in a stronger position
than they entered" Such an in
dustry "can prove a dangerous fac
tor when it is concentrated in the
hands of a few" the committee COM
mented.
lNAfs1