Evening star., 1946-08-27
Newton
Continued From First Page J

raped the companies for stalling
the job of conversion to war pro-
duction. For weeks now the COM
panies and the UAW have engaged
in word battle as to which side is
responsible for the reconversion lag.
UAW President Walter Reuther
Invited the manufacturers to a con-
F. ference to discuss ways of overcom-
, ing obstacles in the way of full
production. Only three of the small
ler companies-Kaiser-Frazer, Will
lys-Overland and Studebaker-ac-
cepted. In refusing the invitation.
the larger producers placed full re-
Sponsibility for low output at la
bor's door. They included lengthy
lists OF suppliers' strikes. Some sug-
gested individual meetings with the
union.
Mr.. Reuther blasted back with a
demand for a Senate investigation
OF the factors responsible for low
output. He said these were shortages
and poor distribution of essential
. materials; monopoly controls exer-
in matters of production and labor
relations: 1916 tax laws under which
tax refunds may be earned by not
producing cars" and high prices
which assure normal profits to
companies while they are producing
at far below their capacity"
He said that after eliminating
Implications in the lists there were
strikes in only "a suppliers plants
which the manufacturers described
as critical. Mr.. Reuther added that
r. shutdown of "a of the thousands
OF plants supplying the industry
could not possibly account for low
level production. He said that in
l94l, a peak output year, Govern
ment figures showed here were 789
such strikes.
Validity on Both Sides.
Undoubtedly there is validity to
the charges OF both sides. But the
best advice that can be given auto
labor and management is to put
aside their differences and get down
to work. If they do not, low volume
costly production may continue
long enough to kill the market and
plunge not only the industry but
the country into depression.
1t is obvious that the big strikes
/ OF last winter and spring in steel
and coal and the hundreds of small
er stoppages hit the auto industry
unusually hard-Set 1t back seyera J
I months.
There are quite few current
strikes among suppliers. The num-
Der, however, probably is less or GER
. tainly no more than normal. The
demand for materials such as steel
and for parts is tremendous. In
times of building up production and
in the wild scramble for materials
to meet competitive markets. it is
only natural that the closing of a
few plants should assume unusual
Importance. 1t is probable that
as automobile output slowly pushes
its way to high volume such stop-
/ pages will scarcely be noticed by the
industry as whole.
Control on Parts Lacking.
. There has been little or no con-
/. troll over distribution of things that
make an automobile. The manufac-
turers apparently have made no at
tempt to exchange materials or
parts, although some are long on
materials of which others have
only slim supply.
The industry is suffering from
shortages Of steel. especially sheet
used for bodies and tenders, pig iron
for castings, wire springs for up
holstery. and host of components
and parts, varying with manufac-
turers, including the old one OF
bumpers. Some steel wire makers