The Ypsilanti daily press. (Ypsilanti, Mich.) 1928-1962, 1944-01-03

Industry Speeds
Reconversion For
Peace Demands
BY Helen Esssry

The possibility that the German
army may surrender some time in
1914 is causing leading industrial
lists to stress the necessity foI
speeding up plans for reconyersion
OF industry 10 civilian goods pro
ductiop.
Authoritative estimates are that
from 30 to IS per cent of outstand-
ing war conracts will be Cancelled
after the collapse OF Germany.
The Automotive Council for War
Production and other industrial
groups are warning government Of
ficials that plans should be under
way now 10 meet the unemploy
ment crisis that will follow such
a colossal cancellation OF con
tracts.
Industrialists feel that they have
made some Roadway in conVinc.
ing officials OF the urgency OF the
situation, but they still complain
that government postwar recover
sioL planning is not organized
properly, and that responsible Of
ficials lack an adequate apprecia-
ton OF the problem.
As a result Of their prodding
prospects are that more and more
attention will be given to prob
lens related to contract canceila
ton and a host OF other recon
version tasks.
This is field that is expected 10
engage the increasing attention of
Congress, since reconversion wi.
necessitate a great deal OF legis-
lation.
Incidentally, big-wigs in the War
Production Board fear that, unless
more rapid Roadway is made in
preparing reconyersion plans, the
Army and Navy will assume di-
rection Of reconversion by default
They want to avoid such an
eyentuality If possible.
High ranking military aud Navy
experts expect the Japs to eyacu-
ate their biggest Southwest Pa
cific base at Rabaul. New Britain.
under pressure from American
forces, which now have air and
naval supremacy in that area.
But the Japs will cling TO their
positions as long as possible, these
experts believe, in order to pro-
vide time for terrifying more
strongly their bases in the man
dated islands and the Netherlands
East Indies.
An example OF what the Japs
have been able 10 do in the way
Of Notifications in less than two
wears is a building on Betio Is
land in the Gilberts that withstood
numerous direct hits from Is inch
shells fired by battleships
A. their main base. at Truk and
a. other points in the mandates
Inc Japs have been building forti-
tications for more than IS years.
Dyers and cleaners soon will
start nationwide campaign to
collect surplus clothes hangers
from housewives. Both wire and
wooden hangers are needed by the
INDUSTRY, Nnlcn recently turned
TO cardboard substitutes. Card
board is hard to get, however, nc
cause II is used for packing pur-
poses by the Army and Navy.
Insiders who know the latest on
foods predict that civilians with
in the next two or three years will
be using dried milk powder instead
OF fluid milk now delivered TO
their doorsteps.
Researchers assert the new DOW.
dered milk. when mixed with water
will have all the properties Of
fluid milk and add that it will
take a trained expert TO distiug
uish it from the natural product.
This, they say. is just one Of the
major new food Development
which will become popular after
the war. One OF the many good
features about the powdered milk
is that 1t can be kept much long
or than fluid milk without spoil.
inR