Evening star., 1950-10-25
Curb on Construction
OF Amusement Places
Reported Imminent

A Government breakdown on
construction of amusement places
such as race tracks, dance halls
and bowling alleys was reported
imminent today.
Officials of the Commerce De-
partment's National Production
Authority indicated the order will
be issued this week despite strong
protests from some segments of
the construction industry.
Other developments bearing on
the Governments control pro-
gram included:
l. Authorities took under con-
slderatlon a proposal by tire
manufacturers for greater use
of synthetic rubber throughout
the industry and for trading syn
thetic rubber to other countries
for natural rubber.
2. The NPA acted late yesterday
to break a threatened bottleneck
lin the shipment of oil, gasoline
and food to the armed forces by
allowing priority rating for manu-
facturers of oil drums and metal
food containers.
Steel for Freight Cars.
3. The agency also was reported
as planning to issue soon an order
allocating enough steel to produce
more than 10000 freight cars a
month for six months.
4. The Federal Reserve Board
was said to be actively at work on
a regulation limiting credit on
commercial construction of stores,
Office buildings and restaurants.
5. The Commerce Department
reported that retail sales in Sep
tember were 4 per cent less than
IN August after allowing for sea-
sonal factors, indicating that the
shopping spree which started with
the outbreak of the Korean fight
ing was tapering off. The total,
however, was still nearly 4 per
cent above the June figure before
the Korean war began.
S. The NPA announced the
creation of an Office of Small
Business Ito assure maximum par
ticipation by smaller business con-
Germs in the defense effort" The
office will be supervised by Edward
H. Lane, So, of Alta Vista, Va, a
furniture manufacturer. who was
appointed special assistant to
the NPA administrator.
The Air Co-ordinating Commit
tee decided today that civil trans
port planes and parts should be
produced on equal priority terms
with similar military equipment
1t agreed that problem of acute
shortages in transport aircraft
and replacement parts is now con-
fronting the civil aviation in.
dustry and that the situation
unless remedied, might soon force
grounding of some United States
aircraft on both American and
foreign airlines."
Details Not Revealed.
Details of the Governments
proposed order curbing construc-
tlon OF amusement places have not
been revealed. However. it was
reported it would be broad enough
70 prohibit the starting of new
recreational buildings by State
city and Federal agencies as well
as by private business.
Representatives of the construc-
ton industry objected to the pro-
posal when it was advanced last
week by William Henry Harrison
administrator of the NPA. They
argued that great quantities of
materials will be released next
year when the Government, S
stringent real estate credit con-
trols debate the building boom and
cut deeply into the home furnish
ing and equipment industry.
The proposals of the tire man
u1acturers were laid before the
NPA at conference here yester-
Gay as measures they contended
would assure adequate stockpiling
full production of tires for military
requirements and adequate sup
plies for civilian use.
Price Cut Held Possible.
The tire men predicted that,
when the Government achieves
its stockpiling goal, there could
be sharp break in rubber prices
They said this could be tied in
with:
/. A sharp decline in consumer
buying.
2. Layoffs of trained workers
engaged in tire production.
3. Heavy inventory losses by
manufacturers and small busi-
ness men.
4. Losses to the taxpayers on
the value of the Government
stockpile.
5. Economic upheavals in the
natural rubber producing areas
of the Far East.