Indianapolis Times, Indianapolis, Marion County, 30 November 1942 — Page 11

SECOND SECTION

MONDAY, NOV. 30, 1942

Women Trained fo Operate Streetcars; Note to All Applicants: Slacks Are Out

By ROSEMARY REDDING “Step to the back of the car, please.” That request will soon be made in a high soprano as well as a deep bass, for about the first of the year the Indianapolis Railways expects to have some women operators on its streetcars, busses and trackless trolleys. Yes, we're going to have them— in uniform, too. But they aren't going to wear pants! Slacks definitely: are “out. (P tive applicants, please note.)

"Hoosier V agabond By Ernie Pyle AXIS BLASTING a new overcoat every eight years. So you see the a 4 day of the Hollywood wardrobe is gone. To keep yourself clothed at all’ takes a lot of SWISS PEOPLE patching and mending and skimping. You think sev-

eral times before buying a dressing-gown for a present Nazi Newspapers Claim

when your own pants are thin. In a west end bank there is a dignified, neatly Jews Influence Tiny Country.

dressed, very English-looking teller. I've dealt with! him a lot and he’s a nice man. Very grave and cor-| rect. The other day it happened that he had to By PAUL GHALI Copyright, 1942. by The Indianapolis Times and The Chicago Daily News, Inc.

8,000,000 GET YULE SAVINGS IN THE NATION

Christmas Club Checks Total $410,000,000 Throughout U. S.

NEW YORK, Nov. 30 (U. P.).— More than eight ‘million thrifty people in the United States who

Editot’s Note: Ernie Pyle is on his way to Oran, Algeria, and expects to start sending dispatches from there within a few sdays. The following was written before he left England.

LONDON—(Delayed)—On the first of June this 8. year every person in the United Kingdom (including * children and suspicious visiting aliens like myself) . Was given a clothes ration book containing 60 coupons. ' Those coupons have to keep us clothed for 14 months,

0: until August of 1943. The gov- ome out from the cage to consult with the manager

ernment knows all about the ;, the jobby, And I was able to observe, to my human instinct for shooting the g,.5,ement ang amusement, a large hole in the seat works, so it puts a little handcuff of his pants.

on the use of coupons. It divides tiem into three sets of 20 each. 4 New Standard of Values

The first set was good immediately. The second set didn’t be- COUPONS CAN GO like wildfire. It takes two

come valid until this past Oct. 12.

The third set won't be any good until next March 15. That stili leaves some leeway for being a

oN fool if you must. The British al-

for an apron. One sweater uses up a fourth of your four -and-a- half-month block, Even a handkerchief takes half a coupon. This coupon system has brought to England what really amounts to a new standard of value. You still

BERN, Nov. 30.—The Nazis are

intensifying their war of nerves | against Switzerland, now that this peaceful but most resolute little de-

For the first tim¢ in the 70-odd

years of transit service in Indianapolis, women will serve as operators.

During the last war, a few were

|durjng the year salted away an

average of one dollar every Priday will celebrate a self-made Christmas boom this week by cashing checks

used as conductors on one line. But this time, they're to do a man-sized job. They will be employed much more extensively, too, if the. manpower shortage continues to be acute. And the transit companies are affected like every other business. One executive of the American Transit association predicts that transit companies can expect to lose approximately 50 per cent of their male personnel by the end of 1943,

ways leave a little slack for the exercise of whim and folly; that's one thing I like about them. There was nothing, for iHistance, to prevent you from going out an the morning of Oct. 12 and spending your entire winier’s coupons buying 20 neckties at one coupon each. But if you ever do something ~ like that you needn't come crying on the government’s shoulder when you need some long drawers in December. You don’t get any more coupons,

The Story Belind the Teller

THE GOVERN) ENT has figured a person’s wardrobe down pre ty closely. They naturally assumed everybody hid some clothes when rationing started. So the ration system is set up on a basis of barely replacing ¢ othes as they wear out. ' The board of tride doesn’t like to advertise its . basic calculations, but the ration system would . figure out, if balanc:d perfectly, to provide you with

Inside Indianapolis By Lowell Nussbaum

of ill health. The elder Mr. Alexander lives at 6135 Cornelius ave. . . . A New York trade paper echoes the sentiments of some of our local merchants. It says: “Please be nice to our new sales people. They're harder to get than new customers!”

Stuffed Horse Missing

THAT STUFFED HORSE has disappeared from atop the coal pile at the Washington Coal Co. yards on W. Washington st. For a while they had a tarpaulin thrown over the horse (probably by the S. P. C. A) but now both tarpaulin and horse are gone. Charley Green, across the street at Marmon-Herring-ton, thinks maybe the horse is a few doors down the street at the H. Haddox blacksmith shop—getting shod. . . . The blacksmith, by the way, commented the other day that “business is good—better than ever.” . «+ + A certain prominent physician who prefers to remain anonymous knits one turtle neck sweater each week for the Women's Contract club, which in turn provides articles for the Red Cross and Bundles for America. . . . Two Indianapolis navy men have just been promoted from commanders to captains up at Great Lakes. They're Felix McWhirter (People’s Bank) and O, F. Heslar., Next step—rear admiral,

Need a Bone Broken?

THE STATE POLICE department's cat is back home again. The cat—it's name is just “Kitty”’—disappeared about 10 days ago and the detective force has been hunting for it ever since. Last Friday, Floyd

Goodrich, 330 Darnell st., phoned and said he had a cat that filled the description and asked if “it’s

have to have money, of course, but for many people mocracy is completely surrounded the limiting factor is not money but: coupons. "| by axis forces. A stenographer may have plenty of money, but! The latest attack comes from she looks in vain at a chic nightgown because she| Hitler's own newspaper, the Voeldoesn’t dare squander her coupons. It works the kische Beobachter, which, in an same way in the food line. The coupon values of| article entitled “Switzerland makes foodstuffs go up and down with public demand, itself platform for Jewish agitaFor instance, American Lend-Lease sausage start-| tion,” bitterly complains against the ed over here at 17 points per pound out of your food| Swiss rejection of the Nazis’ new book. But it turned out that the English didn’t like Europe. This “incomprehensible” our sausage, consequently its point value has dropped! attitude the paper attributes to the to nine. On the other hand the British go for the|increasing influence of Jews in various mdats in the Spam category, and points on! Switzerland. that have gone up. Last summer, the Nazi journalist The British, I believe, are inclined to cheat less explains, Switzerland was invaded than we would in America, There is a black market by Jews fleeing from occupied westin clothing coupons, but the demand is small despite ern Europe. The federal authorithe great need. Clothing coupons are now selling ties did nothing to prevent the infor a maximum of two shillings (40 cents), a ridicu- flux, but encouraged it. Conse-|cent) have been called into servlously low figure. quently, they cannot plead now that|ice or transferred to war industries. their attitude has been forced upon| And the percentage is growing. them by circumstances, James Lynch, the head super- : visor, already has interviewed about Claim 14,500 Enemies 40 women applicants and is ugg There are 14,500 axis enemies in

others to apply. Switzerland today, the article con-! It is the company’s plan to train tinues, who, with the knowledge of|a limited number of them to see the authorities, use the country as|if their replacement of men will be “mouthpiece for the foulest insults|satisfactory. against young European peoples] Can they do the job? and for espionage against their mil-| “Sure,” says Mr. Lynch. itary, power.” He's got a lot of confidence in In such circumstances Switzer-

their abilities. He’ll even go so far land need foi wonder at the indig-|/as to predict they can be advannation of her neighbors, says the

tageously, as well as successfully, Nazi article. No Swiss can be so

employed. idiotic, the writer threateningly adds, as not to see the impossibility of a neutrality which offers a platform to the enemies of reich Europe. Switzerland's most important paper, the Neue Zuercher Zeitung, points out the absurdity of the Nazi explanation. Refugees reaching Switzerland immediately are taken in charge and transferred to military camps where they are most carefully guarded by picked sentries. There is no possibility that they are contacting the population much less influencing public opinion, or spying.

to the average of $49, issued to them by the Christmas clubs of some 5000 banks, savings institutions and other organizations. The $410,000,000 shower is dubbed “National Prosperity Week” by its originator, Herbert F. Rawll, founder and president of “Christmas Club.” Also today, the more imaginative members will begin vying for more cash and special honors by submit ting “Victory Through Thrift” slogans in a $5000 war bond contest designed to inspire more savings from current income for war bonds, tax anticipation notes and savings accounts. Not All Spent

Christmas clubs do more than their name indicates. They are not simply a year-long cumulative effort of preparedness for a Christmas spending spree. Only about 30 cents of every dollar is used for this purpose, and the portion set aside for permanent savings has increased 20 per cent since 1938, Mr. Rawll explained. After the 30 cents of the Christe mas club dollar have been spent for presents a total of $123,000,000, another 34 cents are expected to be set aside for war bonds and other permanent savings, leaving an estimated 13 cents toward taxes, 11 cents for insurance premiums, and 12 cents for year-end bills, education, charity, and miscellaneous expenses.

New York Leads

In the distribution of Christmas funds this year, New York state leads with about $100,000,000, followed by Pennsylvania with $43,000,000, Massachusetts $38,000,000, and New Jersey $29,000,000 Metropolitan New York alone will account for about $68,000,000. Even before the gifts are laid out under the Christmas trees and war bonds purchased and “unpaid bills” files cleared, the same eight million of thrifty Americans, along with f : probably many others re-employed | § during he first year of a growing war labor force, will line up at the a bank windows to start another

20% of Drivers Lost

Already, here in Indianapolis, 125

of the 600 operators (about 20 per Otto Swanson, oldest operator in years of service, has a lot of pointers for Mrs. George Lair. He's been at the job for 44 years. Mrs. Lair, who lives at 2133 Central ave. is a housewife and this is her

first job.

of women who popped that question right off. Onegcame in and sat down.

In fact, one applicant felt very much like those little boys who want to grow up and drive fire engines. “Wolild I have to wear a pair of “Ever since I've been a little those slacks?” she asked. “If I do, girl,” she said, “I've wanted to drive|there just isn’t any use of my taka bus.” ing up your time.” Many of the women have had| Operatorettes will wear skirts. experience which gives them a|That much has been decided. The “head start.” Several have driven|uniform is still in “designing” protrucks. Some have had experience|cess. It probably will be of that clerking in stores and know how|bluish-gray wool like the men oper-

to meet the public. Some are house- | ators wear. wives. “They're going to be trim and

. 30 Days of Training they're going to be attractive,” Mr.

Lynch added: When Mr, Lynch has selected a| But that’s as far as he will go. qualified group, they will be given rT

30 days vthorough training. The| D|STRICT 39 FIRST company has a regular schoolroom AIDERS Wi LL MEET

at its car barns on W. Washington st. An instructor will teach them| District 39 civilian defense first aiders will meet at 7:30 p. m. tomor-

how to take the various fares, : 3 d {handle the transfers, make out daily Tow In the new Highries Beadguare reports, copy schedules, etc. The ters at 3120 N. Meridian *l as women will be drilled in courtesy ale DA He rvaing and how to handle possible i : ; p accident hospital, will be the guest speaker.

situations. ) 4 ! After the schoolroom drilling, the| Her topic will be Application of women will be put aboard a reg-| Compresses and Bandages.” Allen Cotton, chief first aid messenger for

ular car or bus and learn its oper- iid ; ation. Then a regular operator will| the district, will explain the messenger system which will be used in the

bdard a car with a woman trainee event of an air raid.

and they'll put up a sign “instruc- f : tion car” and practice running it,| This will be the first meeting held in the newly established district

without passengers, on a regular headquarters, and a brief dedica-

route. f As for those uniforms, Mr. Lynch/| tion ceremony will precede the discussions.

: HERE'S ANOTHI'R rationing recipe for you. Our . ‘last offering—parsnip coffee—didn’'t meet with an © ‘overwhelming enthu:iastic reception, at least it hasn't . yet, but we're willirz to take a charce again. This recipe is supposed t) make one pound of butter (my, isn’t it high?) do the wark of two pounds. First you take a table¢poon of gelatine. Then two cups ¢f warm milk with just a little cream in it. Salt as desired. Then {1dd one pound of butter and beat ‘n a mi&er until stiff. Miss Doro1hy French, a clerk at the Power’ «z Light office, introduced the idea there, and one of our agents who ‘rasted the resulting concoction deeribed it as “mighty tasty.” You an take it or leave it. . . . The ; iine-member state board of edu- - cation ‘now has two Blackburns on it. One is Cleo W. Blackburn, supe intendent of Flanner House here. ‘The other, named by the governor just recently, is E. Philip Blackburn of Union City,

Successful in West

“Of course, it is a new kind of business in which they are venturing, but we're new at the business of employing them, too.” The women were first tried on the West coast. Reports say they can do the job, are able and dexterous and excel in precision and patience. They're more careful, too. And the public has liked their friendly attitude. The first day, Mr. Lynch received 20-odd applicants. The percentage of qualified ones was just as high as Mr. Lynch has found in the past years among male applicants. .uost of the women were married. Many of them say they want to go to work and since they are going to take on -man-sized jobs, they want to work at one. in which they are really interested.

Gus Is Gunning

GUS HITZELB! RGER, proprietor of the “Liberal View League.” out at 2927 Bluff road, is “gunning” | for somebody and 'e'd hate to be in their boots if he catches them. Gu!’ dog, Topsy, presented him with | four pups the other day.and he’s been keeping them | in a box of sawdu:t in the main banquet hall. The other night someone threw a lighted cigarebt in the “.. box. Gus who car leave the pups alone more. than 5 minutes at a t me spotted the smoke from the

SOUTHPORT O. E. S. MEETS Southport chapter 442, O. E, S., will meet at 8 p. m. Wednesday in the Southport Masonic temple. Mrs. Opal Swords is worthy matron and Howard Smith is worthy patron.

WT sy AAR IS a CR, FAN ROH

EE A RRO ry

4 a mighty angry men. ...

smouldering sawdut and saved the pups. .But he was L. F. Jacobs, manager of the . Philip Morris & (0. office here, says our item the other day about f¢ wer rabbits being killed because of the reduced speed of cars doesn’t coincide with his own observation. On Road 27 south of Ft. Wayne the other day he aw at least 50 dead ones within a space of a few miles. . . , James H. Alexander, 84-year-old father of Rue Alexander, won't get to see his son inaugurated as se retary of state tomorrow, because

‘Washington

WASHINGTO!, Nov. 30.—You hear of bets being placed around hire that the war will be over in March or some ot ier date in the near future. If we get any such idea into our heads it will be

ST harmful and cangerous as it would have been if

the oil-producing states had been able to bluff President Roosevelt out of going ahead with nationwide gasoline rationing. We are just coming into the period of heavy expenditure .of lives and material. North Africa, and every other front that is opened, must be continuously supplied. The 500 ships and 350 escorting warships that took the original expedition to North Africa are but the starter. Planes cannot fly without gasoline, and it takes 0 gallons to load a heavy bomber. All of the fuel most of the ammunition and other supplies must be shipped from. the United States. i They must be shipped through waiting packs of German submarines. Don’t think the submarine menace is decreasing just because there is not much activity off our own coast. The German submarines have only moved fo where the picking is easier—and Hitler is increasing his submarine fleet all the time, certainly faster than we can be sinking it,

_ Escort Ships Are Vital

WHAT DOES that mean back here at home? It means we must have more and more shipping. If we “open other fronts after cleaning out North Africa, that will mean more ships. And more ships mean more escort vessels—destroyers and corvettes to pro‘tect them sins submarines. Every new campaign means a new supply line that must be operated continuously and protected continuously against submarines. Fortunately we have a running start on general "war production. American industry has done a job of fantastic proportions, Because of that we can

My Day

HYDE PARK, SUNDAY—On Friday night we saw Thornton Wilder's play: “Fhe Skin of Our Teeth.” Everybody around me at the end of the first act was asking: “What on earth is it all about? It is ‘amusing. But what does it mean?” Gradually, as the play progressed, one began to understand that the whole pano- ~ rama of human nature was being spread: out before one, and the last act is very impressive. I think this play would bear reading several times after it is seen. It seemed to me that Miss Tallulah Bankhead, Frederic

March and Miss Florence Eldridge,

and, in fact, .the whole cast, did a remarkable piece of interpretive acting. .I would have doubted its popu-

¥ lar success, but perhaps we all like to be ‘mystified. Certainly

the “audience is Inystified 1IOUSh . a good

<one is. necessary.

true you're offering a $3 reward.” Detective Ernie Pearce and Sergt. Oscar Burkett went out and got the cat and paid the reward. . . . Detective Fred (Duke) Fosler, ju jitsu expert of the state police force, has written a manual of instruction in the art of self-defense. It describes and illustrates 50 ju jitsu holds. He has been busy teaching the bone crunching science to various war plant guards and military police, has a class in it at the Y. M. C. A. and is about to start a class among city police.

By Raymond Clapper

slow down on some items in order to put the heat on items'that need to be emphasized. None of these is more important than escort ships. You can build four corvettes, which are really light destroyers, for the materials that go into one cargo ship. The point is to have cargo ships and their cargoes, once they are built and put to sea. When you lose a cargo ship you lose not only that capacity for all future time, and all the material and work that went into it, but you also lose all of the cargo, representing enormous ‘labor and materials. Also you set back the forces in the field which were depending on those particular supplies.

Complications—More and More

THAT IS THE reason why navy people feel that labor and materials put into protecting escort vessels earn enormous dividends as against putting them into} additional ships without providing adequate escort protection. It happens that the hitch, the clash, is not so much as to the ships themselves as it is with the machinery, particularly the engines, that brings in another complication. The air forces and the ships come into competition for machine tools to make engines—and that is the point where the adjustment will have to be worked out. Apparently it has not yet been possible to reconcile* the needs of the air forces and the navy as tof: machine. tools. The air forces program is a large one, and a large Yet the question is raised as to whether it is wise to carry it ahead faster than ships and escort vessels can be provided to insure transportation of adequate fuel, spares, engines and parts. Question is raised whether at the pace the war is now moving, it is wise to try to reach a 100 per cent replacement basis for the air forces at the expense of escort vessels which are necessary to enable the air forces to be supplied once they are on the other side and in action. It is a question of balance.. The concern here is that there not develop a lack of balance that will impair the total punch of our armed forces as a whole.

By Eleanor Roosevelt

part of the play, and it surely is a popular success. I had the great pleasure Saturday morning of spending an hour with Madame Chiang Kai-shek. I had never met her before, but I have admired her from afar for a long time. She is a very great personality, and I think as more people get to know her personally, she will do a great deal for her own nation here and for ours. We have always been interested in China and the Chinese people and we have always patted ourselves on the back for what we gave to China. Perhaps, in the course of the next few years we shall understand that all relationships that are worth while are co-operative. You give when you know how to accept in return. One thing which Madame Chiang told me will interest the women of our country. She was talking to a wounded Chinese soldier who had just had his leg amputated and he said to her: “We are not fighting just for China alone. But for the liberation of all people who are down-trodden.” 8 % 7

Plastics

By CHARLES T. LUCEY

Times Special Writer

HITLER IN MID -1941 was pounding ahead on all fronts, and for the U. S. A. the blur was going out of the handwriting on the wall when army men, hard pressed by critical materials shortages, turned to the nation’s plastics industry to ask what it could do.

For a decade or more plastics men had been making pretties for automobile ornamentation, dials for radios and ranges, handles for electric irons, a thousand like objects. But America was heading into war—and where did plastics propose to help? Few tougher jobs ever were thrown at a relatively young industry. Plastics men had been furnishing material requiring high impact strength but never on such a large scale or where men’s lives were involved. Breakage in industry might be inconvenient, but it hardly cost lives. But bluntly now the ordnance men told the plastics industry what they needed: Material of

high impact strength, fine dimen-

sional tolerances, physically stable under rapid and extreme temperature fluctuations, finished pieces free from warpage, cracks or other defects which would affect performance—plastics tough enough to withstand tests for which substitution might be made.

s » n

Turn to Laboratories

THE PLASTICS men turned to their laboratories. They knew most of the materials they had couldn't get up to a 40,000-pounds-per-square-inch tensile strength requirement, but they didn’t try to slide into making only parts which might be easy. They moved into ordnance and tackled some tough ones—the tricky, three-part fuse of a trench mortar, for instance, which would mean a saving of a pound of scarce alumi-, num on each of millions of shells if it could be done.

The first attempts brought fuse parts which at high temperatures changed shape so as to jam the delicate fuse clockwork. This was overcome. Machining of molded plastic parts brought *out roughness of material below the smooth resin surface, and fuses failed to function in firing tests. This was overcome. Time and again there was the pattern: Failure, try again, success.

At last a day came when the new plastic fuses, loaded and assembled, could stand up to a “jolt” test of 1750 jolts in each of three positions, a “jumble”

was a bit surprised at the number

Christmas club fund.

Relieve Shortage of Metals for War Machines

In the manufacture of this nine-place CG-3A glider, used by the army to train pilots and crews, plastics played a significant part.

test of 3600 revolutions in a machine providing another tough army test, and finally tests at a proving ground. Today plastics leaders are turning out these shell parts in huge quantities, saving aluminum which can be diverted to the tens of thousands of fighting planes we'll build this year.

» ” #

List Is Long

THE SCIENTISTS and production men in plastics, like those in steel, autos, rubber, chemistry, electrical goods and elsewhere, were able to throw their background of laboratory and factory know-how from production for peace to production for war when

Uncle Sam gave the nod, and un-

counted thousands of tons of critical material saved is today’s result, The list of plastics gone to war is long—it includes parts for shells and flares, gas masks and gauges, gun stocks and grips. There are

scores of plastics parts now in

aircraft - alone — windshields, tail assembles, bomb brackets, ignition harness, dial lenses, . propellers, rudders and fins. In the case of trainers and gliders virtually entire planes are made of plastictreated plywood. And quartermaster items—helmet liners, in-

goggles, cups, combs, canteens, bugles, buttons and raincoats. In April, United States armed forces were faced with a shortage of rubber and aluminum, threatening production of several hundred thousand pairs of vitally needed binoculars. An appeal was made to the society of the plastics industry, and after 30 days of intensive activity this organization’s technical committee was able to submit samplts of material to substitute for rubber. The navy adopted the redesigned binoculars as standard, thanked plastics men for their generous contribution of time and technical knowledge. Time and again plastics has “delivered just this way.

» H ”

Speed Up the PTs

PLASTICS MAKE possible the

‘ light, speedy PT boats with which . daring United States navy men

carried an attack to the Japanese in the Philippines battle and which have figured in other spectacular naval actions since last Dec. 7. These boats are made of thin sheets of plywood, bound together one over another with a plastic (phenolic resin) resistant to water, as ordinary glues are not. Plastics are used in a large percentage of electrical installations aboard naval. vessels, and if

men of the navy and the industry

. Mr. Ford and hig technicians for

had not had a backlog of fine knowledge here the nation’s naval expansion program otherwise might have been seriously handicapped by rubber shortage. Combat motorboats were made of heavy wood timbers in world war I, able to do about 15 knots. Today as the Higgins yard in New Orleans turns them out they can do three times that speed, and the laminated plastics construction prevents splitting and cracking common to solid timber. The same plastic plywood, paring construction time by eliminating much | calking formerly necessary, also is going into landing boats and vehicle carriers taking United States fighting men ashore to many an important beachhead in across-the-seas battle attacks. When Crete fell last year to Germany's glider-borne troops the United States suddenly became aware that here was a new weapon. The few we had were made of chrome alloy, steel tubing and airplane cloth, and the metals were daily becoming harder to get. Then, as the egazine. Modern Plastics pointed out, plastic plywood became the “newest and hottest development” in turning out troop-carrying aerial trains. It was an undertaking full of difficult technical problems, but again plastics men found ways to

lick them, 2 no»

Something New

OUT IN Detroit there's a small, chaste white building set down in the middle of the vast Ford industries to which Henry Ford goes probably more often that to any other save his office. It is an

experimental laboratory in a Ford

world of tomorrow built on plastics and synthetics.

Daily Mr. Ford walks into the office of Robert Boyer, laboratory chief, braces his feet against Mr, Boyer’s desk and queries: “What's new?” For Robert Boyer that’s an easy one to answer. There's always something new with him. Talk to him 10 minutes and there opens before you a world of plastics and synthetics that would challenge Aladdin, It's a world in which your clothes are of synthetic wool made from weeds grown in your own backyard, and you live in a plastic house and drive an auto made largely of plastic. That’s the way the plastics industry is thinking today and, as it produces for war, acquires know-how that may revolutionize much of life’ tomorrow. Because

years have worked with soybeans and other fibers in developing plastics they now ean do things like making bomber doors which save eight pounds of critical alu-

‘Almost Anything’

THESE THINGS being done are merely the beginning. Mr. Boyer sees a day when some 450 parts in a plane will be of plastic, sav-

ing at least 1000 pounds of .currently used metal. Apply that to tens of ‘thousands of planes in a tight: metals situation and the significance is obvious. “In a year,” he says, “we’ll have know-how for almost anything.” + Ford and other plastics men today are finding faster, better ways to mix fibers, resin and water to make these substances replacing metals and rubber, learning to develop compounds that will mold, flow and fuse at low pressures. War is a persistent prod to science. All the big plastics suppliers— Bakelite, American Cyanamid, duPont, Monsanto Chemical, Allied Chemical, Plaskon Catalin Corp, Rohm and Haas, Hercules, Tennessee Eastman, Dow Chemical, Celanese Celluloid Corp., to name some of ‘them—are devoting their resources to the limit in producing constantly finer and stronger plastics to help America fight a war. So are the fabricators and molders—G. E., Firestone, Bridgeport Molded Plastics, Colt, Chicago Molded Products, Shaw Insulator, Erie Resistor, American Insulator, Mack Molding, Plaskon, Boonton and many others. What .all these plastics firms are able to give the government today, in engineering and designing brains and production experience, didn’t begin with war. . They have a know-how that goes back 70 years or so, the product of the striving of still another American industry to find better ways to make things.

HOLD EVERYTHING

“Buddy, can you spare a dime. for a gw Whe's'dawn, and odt?”