Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1944-01-08
House Unit Asks
Speedy for
Transportation
Urges ALLEGATIONS of
Materials to Makers
OF Roll Equipment
BY the Associated Press.

BY the Associated Press.
The condition of the Nations
transportation facilities crit
ically" requires immediate allo-
cation of raw materials to man
ufacturers of equipment, even
though materials have to be
withheld from plane, tank and
armament manufacturers, a
House Naval Affairs subcommit-
tee reported today.
The committee asserted that meg
ative attitudes" of the transporta-
ton industry and the War Produc-
ton Board were responsible for an
alarming" condition.
The committee, headed by Repre-
sentative lac, Democrat, of Cali
fornia, dealt with transportation ills
in a report On congested conditions
in the Puget Sound area of Wash
ington, which it recently investi-
gated, along with other war-busy
sections.
WPB Policy Blamed.
"The War Production Board has
barred action to relieve this situa-
ton in an overemphasis on the
manufacture of planes, tanks, ships
and ornaments" the report said.
"One of the most shortsighted
policies of the War Production Board
has been its denial of raw materials
to manufacturers for the production
of rolling equipment and parts and
accessories, without which trains
automobiles, trucks and other trans
portation vehicles cannot be oper-
ated." The report continued:
1.-The candle has been burned at
both ends-shortage of material for
equipment at one end and tremen-
dously increased use of equipment
at the other. The Nation wide con-
dition of transportation facilities
critically requires that raw mate
rails be allocated Immediately to
manufacturers of transporta ton
equipment, even though 1t may re-
quire withholding those war mate
rails from the manufacturers of
planes, tanks and ornaments.
vital Part of War Machine"
Certainly, the transportation
system of this country is so vitality
an integral part of our war ma
chine its proper maintenance con-
tributes more to the final victory
than will a few planes or tanks"
The committee said two years of
war strain on the old equipment
makes its replacement mandatory,
on the West Coast. The
shift to stepped-up offensive in
the Pacific, it said, cannot be real
lied without adequate cross country
Anticipating that the first six
months of this year would be the
hardest period for the transporta-
ton industry to weather, the report
said:
Sight has been lost of the fact
that men and materials of war have
to be transported rapidly and safely
Asks High Priorities.
When the Office of Defense Trans
portation has specifically allocated
transportation equipment, it is our
sincere recommendation that efforts
be made to provide the manufac-
turers of that equipment with suffi-
Gent raw material and high pro-
critics to enable them to complete
its manufacture B" = in time to meet
the emergency which justified the
ALLEGATION"
The report placed partial blame
for the current situation on leaders
of the transportation industry who
1t said, had repelled attempts made
before the war to get them to aug
ment their rolling stock.
1t recommended simplified
method of obtaining necessary re-
placement parts to keep transporta-
ton facilities in service, double
tracking of rail lines and widening
and STRENGTHENING of hiohu,oyc