Evening star., 1951-11-27
Auto Output Will Face
New Cut by Midyear,
FIeischmann Believes
By Froncis P. Douglas

By Froncis P. Douglas
Automobile production, already
cut to about half the pre-Korean
rate, probably will have to be
reduced again in the second quar-
ter of next year, according to
Manly Fleischmann, Defense Pro-
duction Administrator.
Mr.. Fleischmann so notified the
Senate-House Defense Production
Committee yesterday, in giving
the committee the facts on the
serious metals shortage the Ma
ton is facing. He said. however:
Shut down production of all
civilian goods tomorrow. and you
would not hasten military pro-
duction at all. The only effect
would be to create millions of
unemployment
Points to BOttlenecks.
He said these three bottlenecks
are holding up production for the
armed services: The problem of
weapons design. shortages of ma
chine tools and scarcities of al
Toying metals, such as Michel and
columbium. The alloys are used
to harden steel for jet engines
for aircraft, armor plate for tanks
and the like.
Mr.. Fleischmann was question
ed about the prospective supplies
of the chief metals where short
ages have been acute steel,
aluminium and copper.
Steel production. by January,
should be at the annual rate of
112 million tons. he said, but
there would not be available in
the first six months of 1852 much
steel from the new capacity now
under construction. There may be
"a little easing" in the third quar-
ter and more in the fourth quar-
ter, he said, particularly in carbon
and sheet steel and structural
steel, because by then some of the
industrial expansion programs
will be out of the way.
Demand of Military.
Some of the new capacity of
the aluminium industry will be
producing the metal in the second
quarter of 1852, and it will come
in quite strong in the last six
months. But he said the military
take of aluminium. amounting to
200 million pounds in the fourth
quarter of 1851, will go to 284
million pounds in the first quar-
ter of 1852 and to 800 million in
the second quarter.
He predicted no easing of the
copper supply situation. He said
military requirements of brass
will go from 240 million pounds
in the first quarter to 270 million
in the second quarter.
Mr. Fleischman vigorously de-
Tended his agencys ALLEGATION OF
steel for school buildings. saying:
In this period of greatest Strin-
sency. We are supplying steel for
the greatest school building pro-
gram in history. And I say that is
q miracle"
200 Additional Schools.
The increased allotment of steel
for schools for the first quarter is
$4,000 tons, which is in addition
to the 1926 tons previously al
loted. Mr. Fleishchman said this
will permit the start of construc-
ton of an additional 200 schools.
The overall allocations for pri-
mary and secondary schools, he
said, will allow continuation of all
the approximately 1.400 projects
under way and 500 new starts
If school authorities" he said,
will make the maximum use of
reinforced concrete type of con-
struction, and if they will tempo
rarily defer the construction of
gymnasiums, auditoiums and SIM
liar facilities, the first quarter al
lotment will. on an annual basis,
support the construction of as
many classrooms as will be built
in 1851. by. far the highest record
in the history of educational con-
struction."
Representative Bailey, member
of the House Education Commit
tee, who has urged more steel for
schools, said he was not satisfied
with the steel allotment, but l
may have to stand for It,"
Allotment for Hospitals.
A supplementary allotment of
1900 tons of steel was made for
hospitals. Mr.. Fleischmann said
this will support all projects I'M
der way and permit starting so
new buildings.
No additional steel was allotted
to shipbuilding. The first quarter
allotment of 100,975 tons thus
stands, compared with 103 900 tons
for the fourth quarter and also
compared with a Maritime Ad-
ministration request for $4,000
tons, later scaled down to 135, 900.
The administration has given
shipbuilders authority to suspend
workon IA freighters of the speedy
work on IA freighters of the speedy
Struction to continue ON 21 others