Show BATTLE OVER STEEL one of the hottest agh fights ts in the whole hot history of the war production board has been raging backstage regarding the future allocation of steel to industry it is a fight affecting almost every business in the country large and small and if the big industry boys get their way civilian manufacturers will get less material even than during the third quarter of this year when we were still fighting a two front war the fight is over how sheet steel shall be allocated basically this boils down to whether the big automobile companies will get it all or whether other manufacturers will be given at lea least st a little it is exactly the same fight in reverse which occurred before pearl harbor at that time the automobile industry was using up most of the sheet steel war production was held up until their output could be curtailed and the auto boys pu pulled ed an all sorts of wires to keep on producing cars now the same wires are being pulled to let steel be completely free and not allocated to anyone this is just another way of saying that the automobile companies will get it all because they are the biggest peacetime buyers of steel and the steel companies naturally like to please their best customers big business today the war production board under chairman cap krug is more big business controlled than ever so the automo automobile e boys may get their way their fight inside is be ing led by vice chairman harold Boesch enstein whose glass company sells headlights to auto manufacturers ile he and other moguls argue that the present 11 controlled materials plan should be open ended in other words after a steel mill has completed its must government orders it can sell whatever steel is left over to anyone it wishes hitherto farm machinery hardware the railroads and various war supporting industries got definite steel allocations from the government they were always assured some steel under the new proposal however t they hey would have to scramble tor for it in competition with the automobile companies while the railroads farm implement companies et at al doubtless can look after themselves a long iona h ast st of small manufacturers also would be affected those making hardware electric irons washing machines etc hitherto they have been able to get a certain amount of steel allocated to them by but under the proposed new plan they would have to scramble for it an and d in in any battle with the auto companies it is not difficult to guess where they would come out actually there will be very little steel to scramble le for after war needs and war supporting needs are met it is estimated only about tons of sheet steel will be left over if moguls have their way however the scramble will begin in the fourth quarter of this year NOTE it will be up to new war john snyder to make the final decision |