| Show 1 1 No Great rC iI t II h. h y J Obstacle to Industry t c Many Factories Making Consumers Goods for Services Numerous Others to Require Only Minor Changes By BAUKHAGE News Newt Analyst and Commentator Service Union Trust Building Washington D. D C. C has begun and it looks as if one prediction made back when conversion had been accomplished accomplished accomplished ac ac- ac- ac with many an ache and groan would come true Then the experts predicted that sion would be easier than conversion Eighty per cent of the factories we are now told by officials of the I department of commerce will not have to do a major job This is largely because many industries industries industries indus indus- tries now furnishing supplies to the military will continue to manufacture manufacture manufacture ture the same supplies for civilians civilians- clothing food printing electrical appliances you appliances you can think of a whole lot of ot others yourself It will be no great problem for the makers of such products to shift from one market market market mar mar- ket to another from another from Uncle Sam to John Q Consumer Some industries whose present final product differs considerably from the civilian goods they make wont won't have such major difficulties difficulties' either It will please the ladies to learn that even the folks who have been making parachutes will have little or no trouble changing back to stockings The nylon people simply simply simply sim sim- ply have to change spools There are a number of other predictions predictions predictions pre pre- dictions concerning the future of businesses big and little and one of them is that 40 per cent of the industries although they wont won't do dothe dothe dothe the business they are doing today with Uncle Sam as a customer will have a bigger demand to meet than they had in the boom year of 1929 And this condition will continue say the prophets of profits for two or three years on the impetus of the present up pent-up buying power of the nation If we keep our heads meanwhile there is no reason why the period of prosperity cannot be extended But what about the other types of business which were expanded by war demands for products which Wont Won't have any r civilian i n m market t w Well 1 o- o our American ica b business ne ig ingenuity ingenuity inge inge- and our native mechanical inventive in inventive inventive in- in genius they tell us are going going go go- going ing to step into the picture again Then there will be the natural evolution evolution evolution evo evo- lution which will eliminate the be be- low-average low business man and establish establish establish es es- es- es a survival of the fittest Yankee Ingenuity To the Fore What started me off on this topic was a typical example of how this Inventive genius stimulated by war demands has laid the foundation for tor turning what started as a little two-room two factory into a big smalltown smalltown smalltown small small- town business The man with the Inventive genius is a frequent Washington Washington Wash Wash- ington visitor these days His name Is Burl E. E Sherrill The name of the town is Peru Ind population Sherrill is a modest Hoosier genius in his forties who managed to make a living from tinkering and selling the patents on the gadgets he invented Then one day he made something he liked so well welI he didn't want to part with the idea behind it so he decided to manufacture it himself him him- self It was a priced popular magnetic magnetic mag- mag compass for use in steel- steel bodied automobiles and trucks Sherrill rented three offices right m In the public square of Peru turned them into his factory and started 4 co 1 1 Jut jiu JUl Soon JUD he ne began Degan to expand pushing push push- I Ing lawyers doctors real estate men out gut of the way But I am getting ahead of my story Sherrill was a born inventor although although al although al- al though he didn't realize it and started start start- ed ad off to study law After two years at the University of Chicago he found that his hunger for the law was appeased his hunger for three meals a day was not He went to work managing a little neighborhood shoe hoe store in Chicago This gave him a chance to tinker in the kitch kitch- laboratory en in his flat Then he got a chance at a job back in Indiana In In- diana repairing liana liana repa repairing ring radios in Peru eru This gave him lots of f opportunity to tinker and he patented inventions and sold them which bolstered his income considerably Finally he Evolved the compass which he wouldn't part with He was able to lire sire a small staff of workers workers then then ame the war and no more civilian autos But there were lots of ot military vehicles ve ye- bides bieles and after our blind tanks had lost ost themselves in the African des des- erts crts Washington found out abot aboe I Sherrill and gave him the thc of making a compass for use in m me equipment of various kinds kindi Sherrill went to work and produce his models The Carnegie Institute the army engineers and the wa college looked them over and pu their okeh on them The moved downstairs and took th whole first floor of the building a Perus Peru's public square The 20 me who had assembled ed the auto com corn compasses compasses passes were increased to at a regular assembly line N Next ext came a call from the Marl time commission A compass fo steel steell lifeboats was needed Like th tanks to too many had been left t wander on the high seas blind Fw Fui ther inventive genius was require for this job for a steel lifeboat passe much of its life on the steel des dec of a ship A few months ago th new compass was approved and pro production production production is now under way Some day of course the last w worder wai wa order will arrive at the factory ii 1 Peru but because of the war ingenuity of one man a prod product product product has been created the for tor which will continue for such wa machines as are still needed plus i s demand for civilian use which wil wi return the moment restrictions 01 os motor travel and transportation an am over In addition I understand fron iron Sherrill a new hearing aid is in t tin the i making War a Spur to Many Entrepreneurs To reconvert to the of civilian products no change of ot machinery or assembly line nOl noi any retooling will be necessary a athe athe athe the Sherrill factory Nor will th the number of employees have to be re Of course not many inventors art an endowed with enough business sense sens to run plants of their own Sherril appears to be an exception When he e. e g got t his s fir first t arm army or order e he wa was al asked when he ne could deliver ho mm hoa many compasses He named the fig figure figure figure ure and the day and what is more he lived up to his promise whid was more than many manufacturers manufacturer with less foresight and more unforeseen unforeseen unforeseen seen hurdles have been able to do There are other inventors and other other oth oth- other er business men who like Sherrill have received from war demand demands the stimulation which will push them then ahead and carry them through thi th breakers of Sherril SherriI i himself has no technical education He calls himself a graduate from a But he can talk with the scientists and the experts and what whai is more he makes the pictures hi hf draws on his drawing board some times in the small hours in pajamas pajama and slippers work He has the typical American ingenuity in in- shared by thousands of others others others oth oth- ers who helped win the war for us uz usand and who will keep us from losing th the tha peace Recently a listener wrote in with witha a suggestion that a fitting memorial memoria for the late President Roosevelt Roosevell could be provided in a manner which would aid the bond drive She suggested sug that if bonds were contributed contributed contrib contrib- contributed for a memorial commensurate with our sorrow and regret by th the tha time these bonds matured we be able to buy the most 1 1 13 1 lC scent D m memorial in w the uie we world wona m in honor honorof of ot our greatest resident President Then she concludes I III am one othe o of the many little people who would gladly contribute a small bond now but may not be able to give anything la later ter Th The psychology of that suggestion is interesting Regardless of what the purpose of a fund might be what a splendid way of raising it and thus achieving exactly what the government govern govern- ment wishes to achieve by the sale J of bonds the double purpose of securing se i cu curing ing cash to defray war expenses i and also reducing the amount of inflationary in pocket It struck me as such a good idea that I sent it along to Ted Gamble who is in charge of such matters in connection with the Seventh War Wai loan Next to making suggestions suggestion for selling bonds I suppose one of 1 the best things one can do is buy them Of course if everybody followed fol lowed that sense horse-sense plan and bought simply for the security oi of their own future the treasury jJ wouldn't need any suggestions |
