| Show Little LittIe J Industries Hurt Hurd i T jIn n Rush of Defense I I i I I contrast Editors Editor's In note shifting The ne new America I Is a contrast In shifting lights lights and and shadows shadow because demands of defense are felt either lightly h or by Y every Y person according to his bin position This Thin article third of a series of five fin tells what Is in to the little business bustnes man the scientist and the tourist caught up by the new forces at work By DON WI NEW YORK Aug 21 21 The Telegrams Telegram's Telegrams Telegram's Telegrams Telegram's Tele Tele- grams gram's Special News Service Service Service-A A A terrific recoil in the nations nation's industrial industrial in in- in production for war and defense is lashing out at the little manufacturer and jobber who are not prepared to handle defense orders The pressure Is ls increasing daily on the small fellows because raw materials must must be funneled into channels pr producing defense mate mate- rials Somebody is bound to be hurt in the rush Planes tanks guns ships and ammunition are more important toUncle toUncle to toUncle Uncle Sam right now than anything anything any any- thing thing else and that's why there are strangely contrasting stories of men being thrown out of jobs jabs while general industrial production hits new high levels Manufacturers of essential defense defense de de- de- de materials have prior claim claimon on the raw materials by government government govern govern- ment merit order The little fellow using these materials cant can't join the prosperity prosperity prosperity pros pros- parade without a defense contract Subcontracts Let The big industries are letting subcontracts on some of the billions billions billions bil bil- bil- bil lions in defense orders but Industrial industrial industrial indus Indus- trial engineers estimate that only 35 per cent of defense defens production can be farmed out It is too early yet to say what the ultimate effect of the industrial industrial industrial indus indus- trial dislocations will be but a good many small producers have been able to dodge the press pressure re of defense priorities by converting their plants for defense production A notable example was at York I Pa where foresighted industrialists industrial industrial- surveyed the city's supply of skilled workmen and machinery and were able to utilize manpower and facilities for turning out d de defense defense de- de orders For the most part the big Industries industries industries indus indus- tries have been able to absorb the unemployed from smaller plants as their facilities were expanded I and so far there has been no great problem in men being thrown out of work For example the steel industry was operating at only 19 per percent percent percent cent of capacity nine years ago go when production was only tons and men were employed Today the steel plants are operating operating operating oper oper- at 98 per cent of capacity and in the first six months of the current year more than produced tons of steel Auto Curtailment There is much talk in the automobile automobile automobile auto auto- mobile industry of unemployment because of curtailment of new models to conserve metals for defense defense defense de de- de- de purposes but not even the manufacturers themselves know what the volume of production l be They may build vehicles vehicles vehicles cles or they may not build half that many because of defense priorities priorities priorities and concentration of manufacturing manufacturing manufacturing manu manu- engines airplanes plane parts tanks shells artillery units antiaircraft guns and other implements implements implements ments of war wal Science may be able to find sub sub- for many of the materials now going into defense require require- ments and ease the pressure on small manufacturers I The men of science offer one of the the greatest paradoxes of a world at war for they continually strive to devise new means of destruction and then they must learn to destroy destroy de de- de- de stroy their own inventions or render ren ren- ren-I ren der them harmless Scientists at Work Work Not aU all scientists are engrossed in the test tubes of death of course but science has been geared in the manner of industry for the job of defense One out of every four American American Ameri Ameri- can physicists is doing scientific research on secret national de defense defense de- de work They are missing from the colleges and universities and familiar haunts turning up in Washington or a closely guarded laboratory They dont don't talk nowadays about their work Except in rare cases they get little publicity for their experiments are military secrets When the w war r started in Europe there was talk of fearful secret weapons which could wipe out whole armies of gases more terrifying terrifying terrifying terri terri- than anything used in the World war and of death r rays ray a y s which could strike d down o 0 w n an enemy at a great distance Yet none of these things has dev developed loped The implements of death used by the new armies have been merely improved instruments instruments in instruments in- in familiar to every na na- na tion The scientists developed airplanes airplanes airplanes air air- planes to fly at terrific speeds and great height height and and then invented a radio locator to spot the planes before they arrive at their destination destination destination des des- making it easier ion for them to be shot out of the skies They invented a magnetic mine mineto mineI to blast ships out of the sea sea and and then found a means to counteract t the h e magnetic mine trigger by girdling ships with an electric de de- de vice They developed camouflage to toa toa toa a fine art to disguise military ob objectives objectives objectives ob- ob from spying enemy airmen air air- men men and and then found a color cotor filter for cameras which would detect pigment color from natural verdure verdure verdure ver ver- dure a and n d reveal these hiding places They developed instruments w th which to throttle a nation economically through blockade and then found substitutes for the necessary raw materials the blockade denied them The inventions of war will someday someday some someday day find a place in the peacetime economy to give employment and pleasure to millions That has been the history of wartime inventions inventions in inventions in- in and one ne of the paradoxes of science |
