14 (218) AUTOMOTIVE NEWS, MARCH 3, 1941 PEFENSf AMA Cites Car Industry’s Role in Defense Progran Sluing Manpower Contribution Seen GMC Defense Activity . . . Congress Reaching 150,000 in 1941 Anti-Strike Hil|s At Present .—The important part on aviation parts, reported releas- Tim v the automobile industry is playing ing skilled veterans to this exact- WASHINGTON. Anti-stri , in the defense program is graph- ing work by advancing younger legislation is “out the window’’ f Congress. m ically portrayed in pictures and text employes to automotive jobs. this session of in a report issued last week by The report goes into each divi- With that question settled chairman the senate cojl ing boards, in tool departments, on pushed to completion at the main factories of Truck and Coach on education was turning a story building of mittee and labor, ho3| construction jobs tors’ Allison, them out at I'ontiac. Latest addition to the GMC factories is single ; and elsewhere February year, approximately 10,000 square feet, which will be completed early in April, t would only cause confusion, ty have pushed through the thousand- 350 a month in this with 1,000 a month to come. As anil will constitute the fourth of a series of plant additions since lust June. Mary T. Norton, chairman of t and-one preparations for produc- house labor committee, will as the other companies’ plants get tn tion never before. The record into production, the automobile in- along with the national of accomplishment to date is administn one dustry producing tion, already dead set against i of which the people of country will be several the airplane mo- oroposed legislative remedies j generally, as well as those within times that number of all types. In addition, sev- labor racketeering and defem the industry, can feel proud. tors of In airplane engines designs delays. it is evidence again of America’s eral new are under test by several companies The New Deal high commandbi ability to produce for the well- a solution can being of all.” in the industry. lieves that be foun In Detroit, Dearborn, South Bend, for the strike problem through « Prediction is made that the auto- Chicago Indianapolis builders operation between the governmen mobile industry’s and organizations. contribution in are working double and triple shifts and labor A ne manpower will reach a total of hurry the structures for the formula for dealing with strife 150,000 men working on defense by to production. The ma- and threatened tieups on defens the latter part of 1941, and, for added engine required by ! obs is now’ in the making. virtually all, the work will be new. chine tools the thou- sands for this specialized work OPM Chief Knudsen likes tb Hundreds of foremen, thousands lathes, boring machines, drilling “cooling off” idea which has prove of production workers, were in machines, broaches, and others, are effective in railway wage d'sputa training in mid-February, the re- being delivered on schedule to Associate OPM Director Hillmani port states, with more to come plants nearest completion. a champion of the “impartial arbi behind them. Peak of training, Progress report on ’s trator” principle which he himset plant by plant, will be reached as Rolls-Royce airplane engine, Feb. Army pulls through introduced in the garment trad initial production units are made * TDK WAY this GMC truck this man-made mud hole 21: at Fort Holabird, Md.. leaves no doubt as to its ability to serve «nv defense more than 25 years ago. ready and machines installed. Six hundred men at work build- need it may he called upon to perform. More than 10 different GMC trucks Army. Neither would restrict the righ one company Plant structures are built for the various branches of the In February had ing trial engines. as a last resort. 8,000 trainees working under 350 ready by April. Delivery of 3.000 to strike supervisors. Another had 400 key machine tools running on schedule. executives learning their tank All pre-production work on sched- National Seen s supervisory jobs. A third was using ule and output on first 9,000 en- Defense Jobs Willy Offer inf** a marine-engine production plant gines orders to start in early sum- as training ground for aircraft mer. Role in motor work. On another aviation Ford’s progress report on the Exceeding Unemployed Total Defense\ motor job, production & Whitney engine, Feb. 2,800 work- Pratt 21: major in- forty per w eek, Work to Women t ers already had obtained their Inside a board and tar-paper NEW YORK.—Recent more than hours r pro- time and a half pay- schooling at the machines, learning shelter, work is progressing on a creases in America’s defense but requires TOLE DO. The first practici [ a demand for ment for all overtime above that while output was in progress. 24-hour construction day schedule gram will bring about opportunity for millions of Amen j certainly exceed figure. Analyzing such a possible of to assure completion of a new labor that “will can women to become definit With tens of thousands work- the of unemployed persons future condition, the staff says, “As pro industry to engine plant in March. Start on number units of the nation's defense j ers in the due be moved in labor shortages develop and over- ha up from present automotive production due in the spring: vol- the labor market.” gram on a nationwide basis This conclusion has been time bcomes the general rule, this by Frazer, pres: jobs, one company was prepared ume output scheduled to be reached revised been offered J. W. j reached by the research staff which would then produce a general in- Willys-Overland Co. to special instruction to 12 in August. dent of the give making a survey of labor crease in average hourly earnings. percent of its total personnel. An- Meanwhile, Studebaker and Bu- is now Frazer announced that Willy! >to under program Higher labor costs in other car company, in production ick, newly assigned produce poliev the defense would lead distributors in 100 cities were pre large quantities of Ourtiss-Wright for the Twentieth Centurv Fund. turn to higher prices and profits, paring to teach the women of th- and Pratt & Whitney types re- Previously the staff, which is though there is no reason why they country the fundamentals of auto spectively, have scheduled first de- headed by I)r. Lloyd G. Reynolds should generate a cumulative infla- mobile construction and operatiot Cars Are Vital livery for around year’s end. of Johns Hopkins University, had tion if appropriate measures of fis- which would enable them to l* Guns and Shells estimated that under the original cal policy are adopted. The impact come skilled drivers of ambi In Buffalo Area 16 billion defense program, present of higher prices would be felt pri- lances, trucks, food relief cars, ar. Automobile forge plants, machin- marily by persons, pen- stamping reserves of labor were adequate. salaried other vehicles necessary to horn ing departments and sioners and groups in- For Defense Work Detroit, Lansing, Sagi- Since that time, however, “Presi- other whose defense. plants in comes are relatively rigid.” and other points dent Roosevelt has requested addi- The course as outlined by Fra»r BUFFALO. Buffalo industrial- naw. Toledo are appropriations of making protests tackling production of shells of tional defense These findings are part of a will include instruction in exper ists are strong almost 11 billions, plus an undefine 1 report being against suggestions that automo- many types, shell casings, fuses, research which is sub- driving such as that required fo’ amount for shipment of war mate- to a of chang- bile production be curtailed in the percussion caps. Others are busy mitted committee distin- ambulance and truck work, on parts for big guns and design- rials to Great Britain and other guished authorities in the field of ing and repairing tires, changin; interests of the national defense program ing sample weapons for the Army. belligerents. The defense labor relations appointed by the spark plugs, cleaning carbon frorl program. They point out that auto- now transportation A $13,000,000 arsenal for produc- as defined by the President is Trustees of The Twentieth Century the engine, adjustment of parts! mobiles provide for capacity nigh'l 90 percent of the men working in tion of gun and torpedo parts and limited only by the avail- Fund. Although this committee emergency motor repairs and components for the able for armament production.” bears no responsibility for the re- driving in blackouts. plants making airplanes, ordnance ammunition taken and other defense items in the sub- Navy was undertaken by Hudson Preliminary tabulations search report, it will make recom- Women interested in preparinf year were urban area. in January with more than 4,000 last indicate that there mendations for action on the basis themselves for such activities i* men slated for jobs there. Hudson 5,110,000 persons completely unem- of the facts. William H. Davis, the are invited tc In the last war, they explain, it r the defense program made little difference whether use already is making bomb compon- ployed and seeking work in the last retiring Chairman of the New S ork register with Willys-Overland deal- of Adding of automobiles was restricted. Most ents. Elsewhere in the industry week March 1040. State Mediation Board, is Chair- er in their localities, Frazer said plants, then, could be reached by four plants are far along in con- 1,300,000 who had jobs but who man of the Committee. Classes will be conducted in dis- carline. But since then, industries version or construction for early were on temporary layoff and not The other members of the com- tributors' salesrooms and expert' work, have reached out into the open production of late-model machine actually at plus 2,905,919 mittee are: William L. Chenery, in automobile driving and enginf spaces of the country where land guns. employed on WPA and other emer- editor of Collier’s Weekly; William repair work will serve as instruc is cheap and taxes low. Widespread International Harvester is among gency work programs, gives a total M. Leiserson, of the National Labor tors. automobile ownership has made it the several companies at work on of 9,315,919. After deducting the Relations Board; Frazier Maclver, possible for workers to reach these artillery ammunition. is estimated workers on government vice president of the Phoenix Hos- plants without any inconvenience. (Continued on Page 16, Col. 1) projects, those on temporary layoff, iery Co.; Sumner H. Slichter, La- Childers at Asbestos Co. and those likely to be affected by ment University professor, Har- HUNTINGTON, Ind.—M. H. Childen says formerly with Bendix Products, is no* draft, fund staff now University; » the the vard Robert J. Watt, associated with Asbestos Mfg Go that “the number of idle workers in AFL international representative. the Detroit office. the labor market available for em- ployment in the near future is probably not far from 4,000,000. “It does not follow, however,” sail— savs the revised research report, “that all will be well until the pres ent unemployed have been com- plete! v absorbed, and that we will then be faced with a sudden and absolute'‘general shortage’ of la- bor.” The staff notes that severe shortages already exist in certain lines and certain parts of the coun- T Ns jp try, especially in the skilled trades while there are large surpluses of workers in other lines and other sections. FORI) AIRPI.ANF. engine plitnt emerges from “cneonn.” Workmen As the demand for labor in- begun tearing down the huge fibre board shelter, Inside which the $21,000.*- be pressure in Ford airplane engine plant has risen in the dead of winter at Pearbofs " creases there may COUP, planning engineer uses a small cardboard model f *•]»¦ Shown above Is part of the first section of the plant, which will be comp [el CHBYSLKR order to he| h ' m V, quarters for revision of the . some during plant 2ft-ton tank which the company will noon build, in P . F the next week. The entire will be completed late In March —, j, which will be involved In manufacturing this tank . The Standards Act, than six months from the time ground was broken and will he nome of the problem* Detroit, was present Fair Labor more first heavy machinery for the new plant, nearing completion at which permits workers to work production in April. placed last week, five months after ground was broken.