Show thanksgiving WING SMOKE 1 M J 71 I 1 lv jele economic highlights this country Is 1 just beginning to encounter on settle j of the biggest tind and most problems that a military economy makes unavoidable tho arnia anna program la Is gotting getting into stride our aircraft production Is at the rato ot of about planes a year production of tanks machine guns army trucks and other vital necessities Is increasing fast tho two ocean navy will will bo complo completed ted tar far ahead of thol the original schedule eche dulo lit in tile the next two years unless something unexpected occurs to change the picture wo we should bo boccino collio tho foremost military volver power on oarth this moan can that we aro are doing our theoretical utmost we arent labor troubles continue dinue to mount and production governmental red tapo tape delay and Indo indecision cislon still hamper industry A few ow segments or of industry have not been ablo to got away front from tho busi business noss its u usual point of view there thera Is plenty ot of cs in tho the defense setup set sot up ill arid and thero there Is too much divided responsibility which makes for passing of tho the buck and general disorder evou even so BO tho gigantic Atilo american rican production machine la IS Ino moving forward and it Is successfully making tho im ineneo change from a peace peacetime time to a war economy to sonie this change means ideana profits and expanded opportunity to others tile the change means Pos possible ruin in that category fall thousands of 0 businesses which havo have not been given a place in tile the defonso defense picture and which are now unable to continue their normal peace ways these aro are the businesses which are baug caught I 1 it by priorities no onu ono without a high priority can now obtain the basic metals no one can call build a honto homo costing coating more than there thera aro are shortages of paper cloth rubber chemicals cleaning fluids commodities modi ties which in normal periods are excessively abundant and legions of businesses employing millions of people depend on such commodities as those toi for their very life pessimists believe that this defense program may mean tho the virtual death of little business lit in this nation that may be an air excessively ces dark forecast dut but the hard fact reni remains that no ono one has haa yet been able to formulate a program under which dokmay bomay obtain maximum military production arid and at the same time preserve our business system more or less intact washington of course has given attention to this small business problem there has boon been an effort to farm out contracts un der a subcontracting contracting sub system so mall mail and middle sized concerns may obtain a fair share ot or tho the orders so tar far ho however little progress has been made the bulk of small busi businesses tho the equipment or tho personnel which are needed when you want a tremendous job dono done you naturally turn to tho the great mass production industries which are geared to make the largest pos quantities of goods in the shortest possible period of time tho the dollar a year men in tho the d defense bureaus ore are taken from bir big industries and so small business finds it more mora and more difficult to obtain tho supplies it must have lave it if this trend continues it Is apparent that a revolutionary change will take place in the Ani america orien economy whether that cl change I 1 ange will be for the hotter better or 01 worse Is a matter of argument it in the it la is tin ironical fact act that hundreds of thousands of men inen are being thrown out of jobs during it a tittle time whon when thoro there la is a shortage of suitable BUlt ablo labor arid and thousands of businesses aro are lit in danger of boing being shut down during a ahrie when consumer demand arid and consumer purchasing power for all mannor manner of commodities modi ties Is extremely high tho figures indicate that there simply lant sufficient t supply of many 11 basic mater materials a to moot tho war demand and tile tho normal demand at the same sam time and tho smaller of tile tho country which arent able to produce tho the tools of war aro are taking tho boating ing the nio army la Is gradually wooding weeding out incompetents among its officers tile the way the wind bloch was waa shown whon a high ranking general was summarily retired after tho the army ho he commandos com mandod did badly ira in war ganies games Ilo tween world war I 1 arid and two tile tho army was waa given little attention little money little equipment of officers fibers advanced when arid and only when their superiors tied or reached retirement ago this biado for a bureaucratic sort of officer who simply bide d his tittle played internal politics and learned nothing tho american army now seems scents to be taking a pago out of the book of the german army nazi commanders aro are mainly young promotion la ili mado made on oil merit not seniority during daring and reso resourcefulness urco aro are rewarded in our army moll men with the right stuff on oil tho the ball ore are today being jumped in rank over the heads of their elders general marshall the chief of staff has little use ilse tor for sterile traditions under him is a group of Llou lieutenant tenant generals Gene rala who demand results so many an officer lg is going involuntarily into retirement ti or to an unimportant post because ho to have tire the capacities which modern war demands Il |