Show w Synthetic Rubber Industry I Achieved Within One Year kf Speedy Adoption of Rubber Manufacturing p Program Shaves 24 Years From Time Required to Launch New Industry By BAUKHAGE News Neros Analyst and Commentator Service 1343 H 11 Street NW Washington D. D C. C By the time this Is is written or shortly thereafter announcement will be made of the creation of what may become one of the worlds world's greatest industries synthetic industries synthetic rubber rubber rubber rub rub- rubI I ber manufacturing By that time probably ten plants will be assured of operation the operation the three biggest will make synthetic rubber out of alcohol alcohol alcohol alco alco- hol which means a market for the farmers farmer's grain If the program marches according according according accord accord- ing to schedule the United States will have achieved within one year what usually takes a quarter of a century to accomplish the accomplish the building of a new industry This is the message that William Jeffers president of the Union Pacific Pacific Pacific Pa Pa- railway now rubber administrator administrator administrator adminis adminis- in Washington gave me Mr Jeffers presides at a desk in I Ione one of the offices of the War Production Production Production tion board and appears to be one man taken out of the American business business business busi busi- ness world who believes that you youcan youcan youcan can get things done even within the government He looks like what he is A railroad railroad railroad rail rail- road man who came up from the bottom still carries a union card and usually mentions it He is stocky stocky necked necked bull slow spoken a prophet of the practical skeptical of the theoretical who talks about his two fisted organization of successful successful successful success success- ful business men who know their stuff I asked him first if he found much difference between working for the government and running a railroad Yes he answered Then he smiled and took his time before he went on This is a democracy I I suppose the delays are necessary But I haven't had much trouble He looked up I make my own deci deci- I got that Ford plant over over- night He engineered the negotiations negotiations negotiations for the Ford tire manufacturing ing plant in Detroit for shipment to Russia Using What We Have I have a top-notch top organization of two-fisted two businessmen who know their stuff We are going to do what we are supposed to do on schedule On our own schedule We have the information we want and arid in a few weeks well we'll know just how many manyi manyE i E plants we are going to have what their capacity will be and the order in which they will start producing My first job Jeffers went on as ashe ashe ashe he lifted his pounds and walked around the desk is keeping the country on rubber with what weve we've got That means reclamation and conservation Then its it's to produce the synthetic rubber we need to keep going for the duration Meanwhile Meanwhile Meanwhile Mean Mean- while I watch that stock pile of pure rubber w we have like a hawk Here are the ABCs ABC's he said motioning me to a chair beside a t table ble on which was standing what looked like an open sample case It contained a number of bottles and anda a few other objects properly labeled He pointed to the first bottle This is full of shreds he said It is part of a whole tire casing and all cut up He pointed to the next bottle This he said is the same stuff after it has been soaked in oil and acid and the pieces of casing floated out You can see seethe seethe seethe the pieces of metal in it still He showed me a screen with pieces of metal on it Here is the filter which strains out the metal metal metal-a a lot lotof lotof lotof of metal gets into a tire There were a lot of pieces sticking to the bottom of the filter These next bottles he went on show the way the stuff looks after each of refining And here is the reclaimed rubber I he said as he picked up a black strip Then he pointed to a new tire leaning against again t the wall This tire is made of re reclaimed rubber I felt it It seemed normal I said soU so If U isn't as good as the tires you get today he said but it is as asgood asgood asgood good as the ones you got ten years ago Rubber Production Then we came to part two two part part two of his job fob which is the production production production tion of synthetic rubber He showed me a yellowish object which felt like rubber This is synthetic synthetic rubber made of carbide It is better than rubber rubber rubber rub rub- ber but it is very expensive There were two bottles the contents contents con can tents of which looked just alike to me mea a a milky substance One was the pure latex from the rubber tree The Theother Theother Theother other was a synthetic product made from alcohol of petroleum I am not a chemist Jeffers said and Hand I dont don't intend to be one Those are just the ABCs He went back to the immediate problem before him which is to keep America rolling until the synthetic synthetic synthetic syn syn- factories start to work Are you going to be able to do that I asked It is not impossible if everybody plays the game he said I know you cant can't regiment the American people and I am not in hi favor of trying to do it but when the people understand what we are trying to todo todo todo do for them I think they will co co- co- co operate I have gotten splendid cooperatIon cooperation cooperation co co- co- co operation already from big business business business busi busi- ness little business and individuals It is reassuring to learn how people I react when they know what we are doing I get all kinds of letters letters and and andI I answer all of them When the people realize how important important important im im- im- im it is to help us help them save rubber they will co In Inthe Inthe Inthe the last war we had a lot of flags and parades went down to the train I Ito to see the fellows off with a band There doesn't seem to be any of that in this war It might be a good thing But when the people realize that the most vital thing in our war effort is saving rubber we are going to see something tan tan- gible I At that point Mr Jeffers dropped an aside one of the little human remarks that are typical of him tinged though it is with a touch of irony Maybe irony Maybe if the people didn't run around so much they could visit their neighbors and they might make friends and get better friends that way Rubber and Economics Rubber affects the social life of the people no doubt the doubt the whole American economy rightly or wrongly is built on rubber and we C cant can't change it Look at the farm farm- er We have to have food The farmer cant can't go back to the horse and wagon If he could get the horses we couldn't build the wagons now He has to get the crops to market market market-it it all comes back to trans trans- porta tion Well keep them on rubber Gas rationing is rough justice It works hardships on some Some take advantage advantage advantage ad ad- vantage of it its it-it's its it's the man who has three gallons more than he needs and uses them to ride around the country that is the waster But I think well we'll get co operation I went back to problem two the building of the synthetic industry The government will own the plants I said wont that make war post-war problems He said to me Yes the government will own the 1 J 1 J 11 L will pl plants and aim the me LUt product L win Will be ue ut manufactured manu manu- Ul manu manufactured on what amounts to a management management management man fee basis asis A lot of other things he said will be made under under under un un- un- un der the same conditions But Im I'm not interested in postwar postwar postwar post post- war problems Jeffers went event on my job is to help win the war Unless Unless Unless Un Un- less bugs develop that we cant can't take care of well we'll do it And if we do well we'll accomplish in a year and a half what it usually takes 25 years to do operation Co-operation will do that that and and keep the country on rubber meanwhile mean mean- while while and and operation co-operation means big business little business and the folks who eat in the kitchen as Mr Jeffers puts it They have the balance of power he says About Wasted Coal According to the United States Office of the Bituminous Coal Consumers Consumers' Consumers Consumers' Consumers Consumers' Con Con- sumers' sumers Counsel bituminous or soft coal is the backbone of America It supplies industry with more than one-half one of the power and energy required to produce the weapons of war Creates nearly 55 per cent of the electricity used in our nation Heats more than 50 per percent percent percent cent of the homes of America Four out of five of all the railroad locomotives locomotives locomotives loco loco- motives of the country get their power from bituminous coal Twenty-five Twenty million tons of soft coal will be wasted by the domestic consumer this year unless more I Ithan than usual care is exercised in the operation of home heating furnaces |