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Show CAPITAL 4 BY ftenry worsnaknmi YOUR CONGRMMAJ ' tLlff ftfll as well as the "dollar a year" men, who were charged with influencing the award of contracts to "ov;" business whenever possible. This committee also submitted evidence in refutation of the eharge that taxes take away all profits in the defense program. What is probably the most shT-nificant shT-nificant part of the report is criticism criti-cism of airplane production, cou"'-ed cou"'-ed with the charge that, after to years of frantic effort, Anierici 1... . too few planes to allow adeqr. flying time for pilots. Ii alo .-,;.! . that prospects for future . production were "not too good", and added that radical ehanges in methods must be made to meet the military demand. The committee complained that 19 "favored manufacturers" man-ufacturers" of airplanes had re ceived the bulk of orders and loans with GO other aircraft companies unable to get any substantial contracts. con-tracts. Reorganization of the OPM is urged, so that greater efficiency and centralized responsibility may be achieved. Wartime production has been agging, despite a multiplicity of j joards and although $75.000,000-1 00 have been appropriated for the j defenre program since July 1, 1910 Priorities, allocations, and restrict.! ed placing of contracts have not ' only caused confusion, but also: have retarded procurement of es sential materiel - munitions, when American troops are engaged in j combat in many sectors. In an ob-' vious effort to correct this situation the president, on January 13, announced an-nounced the appointment of Donald M. Kelson as the head of a war production board with authority to make "final" decision on procurement procure-ment and production. This new board will replace the supply priorities priori-ties and allocations board, and will likely result in a centralization of power. Nelson served immediate and emphatic notice that red tape, bickering, and feuds, which have retearded the nation's multi-billion dollar rearmament efforv, must end. This showdown was likely forced by a report prepared byt a special senate committee of which Senator Harry S. Truman (Democrat of Missouri) is chairman, which has been investigating the defense program pro-gram for tli past year. In pointing out shortcomings of the production effort, the committee used such phrases as "too few plans", "lobbyists", "lobby-ists", "excessive fees and bonuses", "staggering profits for ship repair" "gross waste", and "petty jealousies". jealous-ies". The office of production management man-agement was severly criticized for "mistakes of commission and omission", omis-sion", and the report assailed the automobile, and aviation industries. |