Show a R w N NR R BE EN 1000 PLANES A MONTH MONTII The WASHINGTON The figure which defense commission experts have axed fixed privately for new factories for that new plane production program is This is Js the pro pro- program program gram recently announced by Wil WU WilLiam William liam S S. S Knudsen Present plane deliveries to the army navy and to the British are around 1000 fighting ships per month The army's production goal planes a month by 1942 with witha a comparable increase In engine output output obviously obviously means an enor enor- enormous enormous I expansion of manufacturing facilities Some of the companies already are erecting new plants In addition to previous enlargements Curtiss Curtiss- Wright and Glenn Martin have new facilities under way Bell Aircraft Is adding square feet of space near Buffalo Boeing at Seattle re received re- re received for a new plant and for the same purpose But all this Is only a drop In the tho bucket If planes per year are actually to be turned out Production Production tion facilities will have to be tripled If more than planes engines and a d armament for them are to come off the assembly lines each month PROBLEM PRO LEM TOWNS The defense commission is getting Its ts noisiest headaches from the de de- demand mand mandof of inland communities for de- de defense defense ense industries Hardly a day passes without a bombardment of demands that plants be located in certain localities To To this din has now been added a barrage of new demands by b r towns that have al al- already ready eady been favored These defense boom towns over over- overrun overrun overrun run with thousands of new residents are re confronted with serious housing sanitation police and other probe problems lems and are hounding the commission commis- commis commission sion Ion for help In some places the problem is so serious that the com- com commission commission mission Is considering recommend- recommend recommendIng Ing ng to congress a public works pro pro- program program gram which would give them the projects outright that outright that is per percent percent cent ent free An example of such a boom town towns Js is s Charlestown CharlestO Ind site of what may become the worlds world's largest powder plant A sleepy hamlet of WO overnight Charlestown was transformed Into a seething city of with perhaps In pros pros- prospect by January as the new powder plant lant expands Naturally this boom brought thou thou- thousands sands ands of workers speculators camp followers and others to Charlestown Housing lousing soon became non-existent non prices skyrocketed and one enter enter- enterprising realtor even started to sub sub- subdivide divide an ancient cemetery Into town own lots The town has no sewer system the tiny owned municipally water plant ilant is totally inadequate and the community treasury is so broke I that hat it cant can't even pay the salary of ofa f fa a town marshal although a govern govern- government government ment payroll of more than Is s now cashed every week at the towns town's bank The boom has spread to o Jeffersonville 12 miles mUes away and ando to o New Albany 18 miles distant where housing cant can't be had for love or money In this dilemma the town fathers turned to Uncle Sam to the the U. U S. S Housing authority the federal Housing administration even the White House and finally to t Frank Bane director of the state and local division of the defense commission At the Presidents President's orders a plan has been worked out under which the defense commission the state of Indiana and the town will set up upa a joint planning body to transform Charlestown into a community capa capa- capable capable ble of meeting Its problems INAUGURATION STANDS The presidential inauguration is nearly three months oft off but already white carpenters are busy erecting stands and scats seats on Capi Capi- Capitol Capitol tol Plaza Reason for this unusual haste is the Is-the the defense program If we waited wa ted much longer ex ex- explains explains plains David Lynn veteran Capitol architect we wc wouldn't be able to get any lumber The erection of the thc great camps for the thc selective service trainees has caused a short short- shortage shortage I age in the lumber market The gov gov- is buying up all aU the good I lumber it can get for the canton ments merits The lumber shortage also will af at- affect feet the seating capacity There will willbe willbe be bc room for only spectators spectators- 2000 less than In 1937 Congress appropriated the same amount of money as four years ago but with increased material and lumber costs the isn't going as far ROUND MERRY-GO-ROUND The expanding war department now occupies no less than 11 build build- buildIngs buildings Ings or parts of them In Washing Washing- Washington ton and a new big building Is go go- going ing lag up Commerce Secretary Jesse Jones is planning to reorganize the Busi Busl Business Business ness Advisory council he inherited from Harry Hopkins and it a amore amore more forthright outfit Jesse Jisse plans to add a number of small business businessmen businessmen men to he hc group There is u none on it now t |