Evening star., 1944-01-07
Cutbucks
Continued From First Page.)

necessary to maintain the civilian
economy" Owl said, explaining that
this meant railway and motor trans
port and heavy industries would
have first call on requirements and
equipment as they become available.
indications also are that some
electric refrigerators and stoves for
war housing may be scheduled for
1914 provided the situation in metals
continues to ease and further cut
backs in war items provide facilities
for manufacture.
However, if the United Nations
should be checked during the year,
if large scale landings in Europe are
repulsed, the current trend would be
reversed abruptly"
Cutbacks Listed.
Tentative production schedules for
1914 call for cutbacks in these prin-
cipal categories: Small arms ammu-
milton, trainers and other nonfight-
ing airplanes, artillery fire. control
equipment, certain types of anti
aircraft equipment and tanks.
More than offsetting this will be an
almost doubled production of combat
aircraft, with greatly increased en-
phasiS on bombers, tripled require
ment for high gasoline, and
other expansions in merchant ship
ping, trucks (about so per cent?
electronic equipment, heavy guns
heavy artillery shells, ground ord
nance and signal items Owl said
A 40 per cent slash in production
Of Bauxite-aluminum ore-Will have
been accomplished by the end of
January, it was noted.
Primary aluminium production
will probably be curtailed nearly as
much within the next few weeks,
OWL stated, confirming indications
that recent minor curtailmentS in
aluminium plants were merely the
forerunner Of sweeping cuts yet to
come. The Aluminium Co. of Amer
lea already has disclosed it will cur
tail its privately owned plants by as
much as 40 per cent?
Steel Now Plentiful.
The situation in other metals:
Il. Alloy steels are now plentiful
However, facilities for rolling steel
are still short, and finished plate
will be on the critical list for some
time to come.
2. Copper, magnesium, zinc and
molybdenum, desperately short just
six months ago, are now fairly plen-
tiful.
"3. Practically all other metals,
including tin, are expected to come
off the critical list, barring unfore-
seen developments during 1914
In citing overproduction of ma
terlals and weapons as cause of
cutbacks, Owl explained that this
resulted largely from the fact that
at the start of the war "our pro-
duction goals had to be scaled high
enough to provide for any contin-
eency-the seeming possibility of
the fall of Russia, an invasion of
this continent or almost total de-
struction from the air of Britain's
and Russia's war industries"
Some Inconvenience Seen.
Shifting of production needs
falnor though they may be in rela-
tion to the entire program, will un-
doubtedly cause inconvenience to
communities in areas of surplus
labor, the report continued.
However, war agencies point out
dlslocations are not likely to become
serious as long as plants can read
lily shift from the manufacture OF
items no longer in demand to those
currently needed. But in most cases
nothing can be said about it.
1T can be revealed that during
l943 a firm manufacturing tanks
changed over to locomotives, and
another, designed for production OF
plywood aircraft, turned to Com
mando transport planes. A factory
making certain artillery components
switched to aircraft parts. Ship
yards once turning out escort ves-
sells now build landing craft" the
report said.
I'm case the European campaign
should 60 better than even the more
optimistic conjectures, this process
of substitution would no longer be
necessary or possible. The present
manpower shortage would quickly
develop into widespread unemploy-
ment
Although this eventuality is eX-
tremely unlikely, the Army, the
Navy, the War Manpower Commits
sion, the WPB and the Office OF
War Mobilization are studying