Evening star., 1945-04-11
New War Gains
MaySaveWPB
PriorityP Plan
Officials Believe
Setup Is Capable
Of Filling Needs
Ey the Associated Press

OAA VIC AdNOA dNAC PAOSIC ICoo VI ClAC
war" apparently will rescue
WPB's priority system from its
worst emergency since the
months after Pearl Harbor.
Until the surge Of military op-
timism of the last two weeks-cli-
NAKED last night by a 10 per cent
cut in planned shell production and
a stop-construction order on IL new
tank plants-War Production Board
officials feared they might have to
overhaul the country's priority
structure to protect the most vital
war needs.
Building Of the dozen tank fac
tories was halted, the War Depart
ment said, because they would not
enter full production until fill.
Sufficient Armor Assured.
Production already is at a rate
assuring American soldiers of suffi-
cient armor to complete the war
against Germany and provide the
output necessary to supply forces to
be used against Japan" The Army
emphasized, however, that existing
plants must continue to meet pro-
duction schedules in full
The cut in heavy artillery am
munition, announced in Chicago,
will affect so plants and reduce by
5000 100000 the proposed 1945 out
lay for shells and plant expansions.
The program had been expanded
vastly during the German break
through last December.
Since then, said Brig. Gen. r.
E. Hardy, ammunitions chief of the
Ordnance Office, I'VE have made
rapid progress and were assured of
filling all requirements by Septem-
Der. Fortunately, the course of the
war in recent weeks has made it
possible for us to cut down our in
surance in this instance so that full
emphasis can be placed on more
critically needed items"
Planned Increases Leveled Of.
Planned increases will be leveled
off for rs and los nm. high explo-
sive shells, M-2l boosters, and M
48, M-51 and M-54 fuses. Lesser re-
ductions are planned for 81 and 81
nm. mortar shells.
This lifting of pressure on the
country's manpower and materials
resources follows similar cutbacks
for two types Of small-arms am
munition last week, and a recent
Navy decision to slash a 81 SOC, ,000,-
900 warship building program from
"a to II ships.
The trend was expected to quiet
demands within the war agencies
for new "super-super" priority
rating which would have been
granted only to the most critical
battlefront needs. Some officials
declared this necessary to break a
priority jam in which even the most
vital projects had to wait in line
for materials.
Most of the cutbacks announced
are on paper only-that is, they
eliminate planned increases-but an
early We day would cause a slash
of IL to Is per cent in actual pro.
duction within three months. This
would allow a gradual relaxation
rather than a Tightening of the pri.
ority controls.
800 of Orders Were AA-1.
For the last month or two, it was
learned today, 80 per cent of all wal
orders have borne the top rating Of
AA-1. In theory this means the
manufacturer must fill out OF
every 10 orders on his books first.
In some industries the ratio is
in 10. The result is delay for many
gravely needed items, because other
orders of lesser Importance COM
mand the same priority and are
being filled at the same time.
AS result, WPB has been toying
with plans to have each order tagged
to show its ultimate use. Thus 9
manufacturer would know whether
a motor he was building was des-
tined for a B-29 bomber or a mobile
laundry.