Evening star., 1944-08-15
.Curbs on Production
OF Many Items for
Civilians Removed
Rules Permitting Return
To Peucetime Goods
Are Put in Effect
Ry the Associated Press.

Ry the Associated Press
Rules which will permit busi-
ness and labor to swing into
Civilian production when war
contracts are curtailed were
ordered into effect by the War
Production Board today.
The action by Chairman Donald
M. Nelson will permit individual
manufacturers-if they have work.
ers and machinery not needed fol-
war-to produce several hundred
consumer items whose production
has been prohibited since the start
Of the war and before.
The list, announced last night, in.
cludes a host Of office and house.
hold articles, but Mr.. Nelson noted
that the continuing stern nmita-
tions on manpower and materials
will prevent any large increase in
civilian goods "for the time being.
Wants Swift Reconversion.
He emphasized, instead, the i'm.
portance to the future economy OF
creating mechanism to fill the
holes left by war contract cancel.
lations by saying:
above everything else, it is vital
to arrange the machinery so that in
the future, when military demands
decline or change, the men, the IA
cilities and the materials which are
set free can speedily be put to other
uses"
The action was the fourth and
final order in the program an
nounced by Mr.. Nelson in mid-June
Opposition Immediately fared up
in the Army, Navy and War Man
power Commission, leading to a
major controversy over whether the
civilian-goods plan would divert
labor from war production.
The dispute ended with agree
ment that the orders would issue in
staggered sequence, the climactic
fourth order being deferred until
now. The previous three actions re.
leased certain controls on aluminium
and magnesium. permitted manu-.
facturers to make experimental.
models Of postwar products and te
place orders for machines to be
needed in peacetime production.
Block Raids on War Labor.
Still not satisfied that the reser.
voir of munitions workers was pro.
tected, War Mobilization Director
James E. Byrnes frightened up man.
power controls by putting rigid cell.
ings on civilian as well as war plant!
in labor scarcity areas, and gave
VINO representatives authority II
veto any increase in civilian pro.
duction under Mr.. Nelson's program
Subject to that limitation, WIPE
field offices in all major cities art
empowered to make spot" or loca,
authorizations to manufacturers tc
go into civilian goods production Il
they have labor and machinery not
needed for war work.
If an eligible manufacturer car
make one of a long list of prefer.
red" items-those selected by WIPE
as being scarce and badly needed
he is entitled to an AA-5 priority
rating which will help him &c,
materials.
Hope to Raise Rating.
CThe AA-5 priority rating is the
lowest now In use by WPB, but
gives its holder preference over
those manufacturing . vast range
Of unrated civilian items. It is
the same rating as that used by
business generally to obtain
maintenance, repair and oper-
ating equipment to keep factories
running.
(WPB officials said, however,
that it was hoped as soon as
possible to raise the rating on
spot" authorizations to AJAX,
the rating now applied only to
(see PRODUCTION. Page A-60