Show S' S p L I Expanded War Program I Will ill Touch Every Home Horne r o All Phases of National Life to Feel Effects of Changes Brought About Colossal Economy Econ Econ- only amy Tire Car Curbs Mere Beginning By Ily BAUI GE National j Farm and Horne Home our limit Commentator NV Sen Ice 1343 1313 11 II Street NW N A Washington 1 D U. U C C. C In less time than it takes to this column a new airplane should be completed that completed that Is if the program program pro pro- gram outlined by the President in his message on the state of the Union is carried out That seems like a large order It 1 is 18 But this is what the President has planned for 1942 19 60 new planes new tanks 20 new anti-aircraft anti guns tons of merchant shipping Since there are only hours in the year ear if the t is to meet the Presidents President's goals planes will have to roll roU out of the factories at the rate of one every eight minutes tanks at the rate of one every 11 minutes antiaircraft antiaircraft antiaircraft anti anti- aircraft guns at the rate of one every 25 minutes and shipping at the rate of 15 tons a minute Americas America's resources may be unlimited unlimited un un- limited but human comprehension Is not Ever since that message was delivered in congress Washington has been straining in an attempt to comprehend those colossal figures Already some of the effects are being translated in terms of human experience you experience you know If 11 you have tried to buy a tire or an automobile automo automo- bile Other even more painful experiences experiences experiences ex ex- are ahead One of them themis is the unemployment which is coming coming coming com com- ing while the civilian industry Is being being being be be- ing converted to defense production Small Plants Hit Nit It means that some small plants will close their doors for good They are too small to be converted Their workers and supervisors If they are competent will be able to find Cad employment elsewhere It means that thousands of salesmen salesmen salesmen sales sales- men who sell not merely refrigerators tors ice boxes and juke boxes vacuum vacuum vac val cleaners and electric toys but other things which we once thought were necessities will stop selling They may have to take off oft their white collars A survey of some thousand middle middlet t 1 sized manufacturing concerns now turning out defense products has bas been made by the labor department It revealed that three-fourths three of the plants were working on three shifts already Remember that was before before before be be- fore the President tossed off oft his new production figures and the raised Its sights to meet them But in these plants it was found that the second and third shifts used only half the power man employed In the first shift Right there is a 50 per cent increase in employment These were plants selected as typical ical feat Someone will have to fill those extra extra extra ex ex- ex- ex tra shifts and a great many others It will mean that a lot of brain workers will have to work their hands When a nation suddenly turns over 50 per cent of its income to defense production it means that the man man in search of a job has bas less than half balf a chance at getting any other kind of work In our homes the effect of ot war measures has bas already made itself felt Wool is rationed already That Thatis I is because even with all our sheep we ve depend on Australia and the Argentine for wool We haven't the shies s to bring it here And we are ready to clothe an army of men Other restrictions will come COK In his budget message the President President dent hinted hintea that we might have to carry ration cards ards the way the Europeans Europeans Euro Euro- do before the war Is over That is more o ov a threat perhaps than a prediction but it is worth remembering before we get too complacent Fertilizer I Rationing Already the farmer is being rationed rationed rationed ra ra- ra- ra though he be may not realize it ft Take fertilizer for instance First the nitrates All synthetic nitrates have to go 10 into munitions The one word nitro glycerine reminds reminds reminds re re- re- re minds you of that Natural nitrates have other things in them so the army is after those too But since they come from Chile they have to come in ships And there are few ships chips for this purpose Second phosphates They come from Florida Wyoming and Idaho But the they come in rocks You Youcan Youcan Youcan can see a whole pile pUe of these rocks right over in Baltimore But it takes sulphuric acid to digest them Sulphuric acid is needed for munitions muni muni- Third spra sprays s Formaldehyde Isa is isa isa a vital ital part of many sprays Also it is needed to disinfect stored grain and to remove remo smut and fungus from grain Iraln before seeding ceding But Dut formaldehyde for is necessary in the production production production pro pro- of plastics to dissolve the woody material And plastics They are arc needed as substitutes for many essential metals Fourth copper sulphate There is no neL need d to comment when you jou ou consider con sider cider the part copper plays in war When it comes to rubber the farmer like everybody else Is affected af at The difference is that some are going to be making rub ber the next few years ears Out in California the climate produces pro duces the best plants And there will be acres and acres of these plants cultivated It takes some time time but but some are already growing A year two-year-old crop win wilt produce pounds of very good rubber per acre The trouble Is that you jou ou have to dig up the plant to get the latex latex latex-It it comes from the roots Then of course couise there is synthetic rubber but I am not allowed to reveal reveal re re- re veal the figures which are going to play a lot more important part than many of our enemies think in our victory production There Thre are also the big cultivated rubber plan plan- plantations plantations in Brazil and Central Amer ica lea run by Ford and Goodyear there is the wild rubber from the Amazon And most important of all there is the contribution that the most auto- auto minded people in the world are going going go go- ing to have to make the make the privilege of not buying tires for Americas America's pleasure cars The privilege of not buying is going to be extended There will be beno beno beno no more gadgets and there will be bea a lot less money to buy even the I necessities when we pay our share of ot the bill for tor building the greatest war machine in history A machine so big and so destructive that perhaps perhaps perhaps per per- haps it will destroy war Itself Weather Information In And Broadcasting The highly Interesting yearbook just issued by the department of agriculture agriculture ag ag- agriculture is devoted to climate and weather It appears just when for forthe forthe forthe the first time in American history it is worse than a crime to discuss the weather weather that that is If you talk loud enough to be overheard by enemy ears A few weeks ago the navy department department department de de- released an official com com- severely blaming a commentator commentator commentator com com- who mentioned the weather er in Dakota He gave out information information informs tion which the navy said may have been the cause of increased submarine submarine submarine rine activity in the eastern Atlantic In Washington we are not permitted permit ted to mention even yesterdays yesterday's weather on the air This ruling seemed a bit fetched far to me In commenting on the fact to an official I told the story of what happened to tome me when I was broadcasting from Berlin just after the war broke outOn out On a beautiful moonlight evening I II Ii blandly announced over the short wave that it was a fine night for anair an anair anair air raid Nobody objected to that There had been no air raids and the question had never been raised But the next night it was different Nomore No Nomore Nomore more description of the current weather I was told by the military censor You censor You can talk about last nights night's weather but not tonight's he said 1 I asked my Washington friend why if II Berlin let me talk about last nights night's weather I couldn't do the same thing here Weather he answered moves from west to east Berlins Berlin's weather moved o off where it didn't matter in 24 hours Washington's weather moves right into the eastern Atlantic where knowledge of it might benefit raid raiders ers erg Without disparaging in the least the huge metropolitan dailies with circulations running into the hundreds hundreds hun hun- of thousands and occasionally occasionally occasion ally into the millions millions and and I say they are the best beat dall daily newspapers newspaper in the world world world-It it is to the week weekly newspapers and the town small daily newspapers that I myself turn for information guidance an and inspiration especially in the case of problems and questions affecting the public welfare Sen welfare Sen Arthur nr Capper in the U V S S. S senate |