The potters herald. [volume] (East Liverpool, Ohio) 1899-1982, 1950-11-16
Sawyer Unworried
About cutbacks
Decreasing Jobs
BY BETSY BILANOW

4 ny DE- . Il btbAlNOW
] Washington (LPA) - Commerce
Secretary Charles Sawyer has adj
mitted that materials cutbacks are
being made with little regard to
their effect on the economy, wheth-
er it be initiation or unemployment.
In one of his rare press confer
ences, he told reporters Nov. 10
that he had no opinion about labor
and industry recommendation that
"copper" and aluminium cutbacks be
modified. Among the unions that
have objected to the orders on
stockpiling are the Electrical
Workers, whose industry uses 80
percent of the copper and good
amount Of aluminium, and the mill
ion-member Auto Workers.
I Asked whether the cutbacks will
have an inflationary effect, Saw
yer said they might "but that's
not my department" Asked if
they're related to an overall pro-
gram of economic mobilization, he
said Il don't know that we could
say there's an overall program in
volved."
The orders Of the National Pro-
duction Authority, the Commerce
Secretary said, are based on what's
obvious "at the moment" They
deal with materials in short supply
and other considerations come sec
ond.
NPA Administrator william
Harrison doesn't deny that there
will probably be some slack in in
dustry until military orders pick
up, Sawyer said. He won't make
any order in complete" disregard
of that fact. He acknowledged that
cutback orders might have a chain
effect; cutbacks in one product
causing shortages in another.
In it's letter to Harrison, the
Int'l Union Of Electrical Workers
warned that if the order cutting
the use of aluminium and copper 20
to 80 percent goes through, fac
tories "may lose irreplaceable
workers and then find that when
defense orders are ready, they
cannot get the labor back again"
1t also warned that the cut would
hit industries needed Immediately
for defense purposes. "For ex-
ample, we need more power to get
more aluminium. Power requires
considerable copper. If the con-
sumption of copper for power pur-
poses is cut down, expansion of
aluminium production will be stop
ped cold"
Chairman James B. Carey offer
ed six suggestions to make the
most effective use of copper and
aluminium stocks available: %
Government effort to increase pro-
duction capacity levels; (2) re-
moval Of two-cent a pound tariff
on copper; 81 increased copper
imports; (4) government drive to
stop boarding and speculation, and
requisition Of boarded stocks; (5)
price controls on copper and alum
mum; (6) modification of the
across the board cut as follows:
(a) to allow plants to maintain
production and a labor force for
future defense work; (b) cuts in
uses first (c) alloca-
ton of remainder on historical
basis with kitty" for new busi-
nesses, and I'D ceiling on amount
any producer can receive through
quotas.
IUE also urged that labor be
along with business and
in making ALLEGATIONS.
JAW had asked that the cutback
be delayed until labor and all other
parties have been fully
and consulted. Auto work
ers at Ford have already been laid
off as a result of steel shortages.
Sawyer said he has urged the
steel manufacturers to push their
plant capacity further than the o.
100000 extra tons they have pro-
posed for the next two years. He
the problem of bottle
necks in the supply of ore, man.
ganese, and ore boats. Even if the
supply of manganese from Russia
is cut off, he said, "there are other
Financial reporters, ex-
perts in their own right, showed by
their questioning that they did not
share the Commerce Secretary'S
optimistic opinion of the supply
situation.
Considerable confusion followed
each time Sawyer was asked about
being exempted
rom the antitrust laws so they
could enter into voluntary agree
nents on production. 81 don't know
what they're doing at the Justice
he explained.