Show economic big news for a long time has been the vast amoun amount tor of new 0 employment in created by the multi billion dollar national defense and ald aid to the allies programs NOY noly considerable publicity and thought la Is being given to the unemployment which these same programs ms are creating As everyone knows we have finally reached the point where defense needs are severely I 1 dislocating our peacetime peace time economy the period of 0 business as usual is definitely over the dislocations will grow greater as time moves on an and more and more of our resources are turned into the instruments of war way the wind blows la is indicated by the fact that automobile production product tor for december will be cu cut t 48 per cent below that of the same month last year and most economists bellee believe that it will be necessary to make substantially greater cuts in the future the result la is that tens of thousands of men aire aie being discharged by factories w which have a low priority rating and cannot obtain supplies tor for the reason that they are not engaged in d defense en work some of 0 these me men of course find jobs elsewhere but a very lery high proportion of them cannot and as aa a consequence this war anem unemployment ploy Is becoming a serious problem the bulk of the businesses at beefed reefed in this instance are relatively small big businesses tor for the most moat part are aie able to corb readily turn to defense work and naturally are aie in a better position to obtain favorable atten tion lion from the powers that be in washington so a definite movement has started on oil the part of little business to put up a tight fight for its sui survival vival and the survival of the tha jobs ot of its employed emp loyes A short time ago a conference on unemployment due to priorities was held in ili chicago delegates came from eleven midwestern mid abild western states and included mayors manufacturers members of congress labor leaders etc action taken consisted of requesting that a larger proportion of defense work be allotted to small business and that a new system of priority allotment be established with a view to maintaining employment in peace industries until they could change over to a war basis so far government defense heads seem to have done little to solve the problems of small busness iness and its workers according to newsweek top defense executives donald nelson leon henderson and floyd odium rejected bids to the chicago faceting it Is apparently the washington view that maximum results in minimum um time can be obtained by allocating defense production J primarily to large industry which is geared to top production and which has the machines tho the plants the skilled workmen meir and the engineering talent necessary there Is obviously a great deal of logic in this point ol of view at the same time it Is also ob v lous that our american acono economy in y cannot be perpetuated it if shift vast defense effort results in the death ot of little business and in some informed quarters there Is a strong belief that the priorities system can undergo consider erable overhauling without slowing or endangering the arms drive it Is clear that there liaa has been excessive over buying lu in some quarters and overbuying over buying js is only one step short of boarding some companies according to authorities surveys have been allowed to make purchases of strategic materials in duan quantities which they cannot use up lor for years in the meantime other businesses must go without in there has been a lack ot of equit equitability ability in the distribution of supplies the tremendous hasto haste that has c characterized the development of 0 the defense program Is of course partly responsible for this there has been waste and there has haa been much contusion confusion also many think there cannot be maximum efficiency until there is a consolidation so soli li of the multitudinous defense boards and until real power Is placed in the hands bands ot of one man in the meantime there is a fast growing demand that something be done to keep war priorities from completely disrupting the american industrial system the head of a musical instrument company recently declared that his industry could run on the scrap the armament industries in this state throw away but I 1 cant even get that many an observer believes it la Is time stern corrective measures were applied the growing number of im pilson ments and executions in france la Is grim evidence ot of the size and scope of the underground antinazi anti nazi movement in occupied europe the allies believe this movement will continue to expand and they frankly place great hopes or on it as one ot of the weapons which may help defeat hitler sabotage in factories slows production assassination of 01 germans makes it necessary tor for hitler to use more and more troops tor for police duty britain la Is doing everything in her power to make this third front a major factor in the war |