Show GENERAL HUGH S JOHNSON washington 1 I 0 WAR HASIS FOR INDUSTRY some of my columnar war crying colleagues say that american industry ought to be put on a war basir right now their argument is that one reason why franco tell fell was that under a peace structure she could not mobilize her industry for or war production had to declare war to pep up the nation ana did it all leisurely and far too late they say also that business as usual kept england from getting ready soon enough and finally dually they point to tho the snail liko slowness of our present rearmament program with oil all that about france england and our slow progress I 1 agree perhaps I 1 could agree also with tho the conclusion about putting our industry on a war basis if I 1 know knew what the words mean or it if they did of that I 1 it if it means that american indus try should now bo be put under industrial amateurs I 1 know of no more certain way to slow or even paralyze war production if it means that wo we should get det some dynamic and experienced leadership of the industrial war effort and give it up ap prop authority no comment was ever more significant or more mora correct that kind of leadership and administration would not however as somo some of this comment suggests bo be obliged lust just to set nil all timo production aside in a kind of adjournment journ ment to make way tor for our war needs there is plenty of Indu industrial strInI capacity in this country tor for b both th needs our industry needs an orchestra leader with a real baton who can keep it I 1 in n harmony and rhythm tor for tho the new tune but it need to be chained to the benches of any slave galley with a sort of roman izod simon legree to increase tho the stroke with a cato cat o 4 our trivial world war experience may be informing our speedup of shipbuilding both of merchant and approached the miraculous charlie schwab had charge of part of it in a plant where oil all parts of a fabricated ship were being assembled and the engine department was far ahead of the coordinated co schedule for it and other departments lie he took time out for a short picnic tor for the workers in the yards there were no speeches but when tho the time for them came charlie pulled a surprise uie the complete engine mounted on truck wheels gay with hags flags and preceded by a band came rolling out under a large transparency which r read end all dressed up and no place to go that plant speeded up product production ibn imme dla dia tely of course we cant do this job with ballyhoo but ballyhoo Is part of it wo we need every incentive and pressure of gogat go get lt it unified ex perlen ced and inspired leadership to got get speed without confusion and waste wo we have one of this kind of leadership only political leadership which insists on an retaining personalized control of everything Is the rearmament program proceeding rapidly sidney man of the national defense advisory commission advises that no manufacturer fac fc who violates the labor laws can be awarded a contract for work on the defense program and that the national labor relations board will decide for this purpose whether or not an employer Is ivio violating to there are now only two members of NLRB lesserson Lel and smith the term of chairman madden has expired due to protests based on charges of his bias and unfairness the president has not re appointed him the vacancy has existed for weeks some observers guess that the president wants to wait until after the election and then reappoint madden smith and lesserson Lel agree on very few disputed points smith ts Is an extreme left winger like madden lesserson Lel is middle of the road what they cant agree on Is put on ice until appointment of a third member with the deciding vote over in the selective service draft system although tho the new organization Is wider under way no administrator has been appointed some mysterious inner pressures probably the senile war minded stimson prevented a solution of this problem which was perfect perfection lon the experienced and judicious veteran of the world war draft gullion Gul llon tor for administrator the young expert and vigorous hershey as its chief executive either alone would have been satisfactory the team have been bettered As in NLRB no responsible head has been appointed hershey Iler shey has been detailed to go through in an acting capacity in tho the name of mere mediocrity why the big job in the draft Is the beginning setting up the selective service system and selling it to the people that requires experience expertness even genius after that it Is a routine mechanical job this beginning also requires some prestige or position in the administrator it certainly requires unquestioned authority and full re |