Evening star., 1944-06-30
Job SIackers Placed
In Glass Of Deserters
By Military Leaders

BY Military Leaders
Job slackers today were brack'
eted with deserters by the Ma.
tion's top military commanders
who declared that overoptimisn
at home is threatening to pro-
long the war.
At the same time, the War Pro
duction Board reported that tn,
biggest month in naval building
history and a 26 per cent Jump ir
the top urgency" program for heavy
artillery were achieved in May, but
clouding this picture was another
board statement reporting that the
labor shortage has shut down more
than 80 open-hearth furnaces ano
that production is running at 95.7
per cent of the industry's rated ca
pacity as compared with 80 per cent
in mid-May. Arms production also
Jagged.
In a special report to President
Roosevelt, made public last night,
Gen. George c. Marshall, Army
Chief of staff: Admiral Ernest j.
King, commander in chief of the
feet, and Gen. Henry H. Arnold,
chief of the Army Air Forces, de-
plored what they characterized as
an overconfident state of mind on
the home front, and asserted that
ANY slackening in needed produc-
ton will only delay ultimate victory"
Victory Hinges on Home Front.
The three military chiefs visited
London and the French front short
ly after the Allies made their sue
cessful drive across the English
Channel. Their report to the Presi-
dent was their first word on the
home-front reaction to what they
termed "the recent favorable course
of the fighting"
The production might of Amer
lean industry and labor, they said,
Is virtual assurance of eventual vic
tory, but they warned:
This (yictory) depends, however.
on continuance of the full support
now given to the fighting forces by
the home front.
THE battles now in progress en-
tail heavy losses in material which
American industry must replace, and
and slackening in the needed pro-
duction will only delay ultimate VIC
tory. No effort required in the home
front battle should be diverted by
any element in the production ma
chine-whether it be ownership,
management, rank-and-file workers,
or those in the service of the Gov
eminent ITSELF
Condemn War Plant Deserters.
They said recent victories have
persuaded some people that the
war Is as good as won, and that
accordingly they can throw up their
war jobs and 90 back to civilian life"
NO doubt most of the men at the
front would also like easier and bet
ter paid peacetime jobs, they added,
but they are sticking to the jobs
they have now"
The three commanders also noted
that amy one can see that desertions
on the fighting fronts would protract
the war and reduce our prospects of
victory. f.
"Desertions on the home front, :"
they concluded, would tend to the
same result. The war is not yet
won; it will be won the sooner if
everybody in war work sticks to his
job till complete victory has been
attained"
Warship Output Climbs.
The War Production Board report
on naval building and munitions
production said that in May COM
pletion Of Navy ships climbed to an
all-time high of more than 100000
displacement tons, or nearly LOG, 900
tons over the previous peak of last
November. The tonnage output was
So per cent higher than In April and
3 per cent greater than was called
for in the May production schedule.
Landing vessel deliveries reached
total of $4,000 tons-more than so
per cent above the record set in
April.
Arms production generally was
per cent behind schedule, but l per
cent ahead of April, the monthly
munitions communique disclosed.
Some of the weapons most vital
to the invasion made particularly
good showing; aircraft, landing ves-
sells, naval ships and heavy artillery
were all encouraging features" it
stated
Some of the most important pro-
grams, including heavy trucks and
radar, failed to meet schedule, how
ever, mainly because of manpower
shortages The report cautioned
against letdowns due to overconfi-
dence and against "cutback filters"
fear lest war jobs are about to
play out.
Munitions Program to Expand.
Production curtailments will be
relatively small in the immediate
future, and will not alter the fact,
WPB asserted, that "the total size
of the munitions program is due to
increase some 13 per cent during
the next six months.
The relatively few war workers
who are freed by program adjust
ments will, in the great majority of
cases, be shifted at once to other
war jobs in plants which are tagging
or in war production programs
which are expanding"
The May record in major arms
categories compared with April as
follows:
Aircraft, up per cent by weight;
] per cent below the May schedule
Ships value of military and mari
time vessels, including repair up
2 per cent; on schedule.
Guns and fire control, no change
] per cent below schedule
Ammunition, down 3 per cent;
3 per cent behind schedule.
Combat and motor vehicles, down
! per cent; 2 per cent above
schedule.
Communication and electrOnic