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ÊNDVSTRËAL
MOBILiZATEON
News of the nation's activity in marshaling its resources to meet the international emergency
JLVEACTIVATION of six magnesium plants in widely separated parts of the country has been ordered by the Munitions Board and is now under way by the General Services Administration. In most cases the six plants will be run by the companies who operated them during World War II. Capacity of the six when they get into full operation is expected to reach 194 million pounds. Dow Chemical Co. has announced that it will operate the Velasco, Tex., plant with a capacity of 72 million pounds a year. Reactivation is under way and the plant should be in operation within 120 days, company spokesmen say. There is enough power available at present for the Velasco plant to produce 40 million pounds of magnesium per year, and the Government has promised to help Dow increase power facilities. The six plants, with their previous operators, are Diamond Magnesium Co. at Painesville, Ohio, Permanente Metals at Manteca, Calif., New England Lime Co., to operate the two neighboring plants at Canaan, Conn., and Wingdale, Ν. Υ., the Velasco plant, and the Spokane, Wash., plant. Who will operate this latter plant has not yet been settled. As yet, contracts have not been let, b u t the companies named have agreed to go ahead with the business of getting the plants into operating shape. According to estimates on figures which show an increase from 29.9 million pounds in 1946 to 4 3 million in 1950, by next year commercial use is expected to reach 75 million pounds, and in 1952, 102 million. These figures are based entirely upon commercial use. NPA Cuts N o n m i l i t a r y A l u m i n u m Use by
35%
An order limiting nondefense aluminum use to 6 5 % of pre-Korea levels, effective Jan. 1, 1951, has been issued by NPA. Until the order goes into effect, aluminum users will be permitted 1 0 0 % of their average monthly consumption during the first six months of this year. The new order, M-7, does not limit production of alumi num in any way, but puts a ceiling on quantities permitted users of aluminum products and fonns. In issuing the order, NPA Administrator William H. Harrison pointed out that upwards of 30 % of the total avail able aluminum supply is directly needed for the already au thorized defense program. "This order," h e said, "simply distributes available supply to all nonmilitary users in accord with the pattern of use earlier in the year." Persons using less than 1,000 pounds of aluminum a year are exempted from the new order. It does not apply to con tracts placed prior to the date of the order for delivery before next April 1 of aluminum conductor cable, wire, and bus bar for the production, transmission, or distribution of electric energy. Aluminum use for maintenance, repair, and operat ing supplies is permitted at 100% of the base period. Total supply of the metal available on a current annual basis is a little over 1 million tons and nonmilitary consump tion has equaled the rate of supply, NPA officials said. Rand Turns D o w n Price Control Job
William M. Rand, Monsanto Chemical Co. president, has rejected offers from official sources to take the post of Price Stabilization Director under the Economic Stabilization VOLUME
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Agency. After discussing the possibility of his filling die vacant spot in ESA with its chief, Alan Valentine, Rand issued the following statement: "Since our conversation of Wednesday I have considered carefully the possibility of becoming the Director of Price Control if appointed by the President. Although I have not had the opportunity to talk over the details of the position with you I have a decided feeling that for several reasons I would not he available for the job. Therefore, I ask you to withdraw my name from further consideration. I am highly appreciative of the honor which you have paid m e by considering my name for this important position. I am willing to help in any way I can within my capacity/' M a n p o w e r Reserves Shrink; Further Drop Due
Progressive tightening of labor market conditions, growing shortages in an increasing number of occupations, and a sharp pickup in recruitment of manpower for defense pro duction are forecast by Robert C. Goodwin, newly appointed Executive Director of Defense Manpower (see "Appoint ments"). As unemployment figures dropped in 147 of 150 major metropolitan labor markets, several areas saw increased de mands for workers in the chemical i n d u s h / . Expansion in the chemical field was indicated in Little Rock, Ark., Kansas City, Mo., Houston, Tex., and Chattanooga and Knoxville, Tenn. A great many areas all over the country reported in creased demands for skilled metal workers. Latest Bureau of Labor statistics figures show that em ployment service offices have on hand 33,800 requests for help in finding workers. Mechanics, tool and die workers, sheet metal workers, electrical and mechanical engineers are the types of workers most sought in various areas. The number of critical "A" areas (unemployment below 3 % ) rose from 20 to 51 between July and September, BLS figures show. "B" areas, with unemployment between 3 % and 4 . 9 % increased from 46 to 57. Although aircraft factories and shipbuilding industry have soaked up a fair proportion of the manpower supply, in only very few areas did defense activities play a large part in the over-all employment picture. "Strong demands for civilian goods, greater compétition for manpower on the part of defense contractors and military establishments expanding their civilian staffs, and the withdrawal of manpower from the workforce to build up the armed forces toward the 3 million goal," were cited by Goodwin as principal reasons for the tightened labor picture. Steel Warehousemen's Stocks Assui\ ^ Under N e w N P A Distribution Order
NPA has issued the long-awaited order establishing regular allotments of steel to warehouse concerns to supply small business firms dependent on them for their steel needs. NPA had announced some weeks ago that the allocation plan would b e put into operation. The new order was discussed by NPA Administrator Harrison and Economic Stabilization Administrator Valentine, who agreed that the provision of adequate warehouse supplies should enable the warehouses to assist substantially in the Government's attempt to "hold the line" against inflation
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by making every effort to maintain normal price relationships on steel products between mill and warehouse. Warehousemen will be expected under this order, it was indicated, to continue the proportionate pattern of distribu tion to recognized customers by products and quantities that has existed in the past. Η Ρ Α Extends Further Agencies 1 Use of D O Rating
T h e NPA, through two new delegations of" authority, lias provided the means for any government agency to use D O priority ratings. Authority to apply the rating, however, must be extended by the Atomic Energy Commission or t h e Department of Defense for a project closely related to itsdefense programs, and the extension approved by NPA. T h e two new orders would make it possible, for example, for the Bureau of Standards to issue DO orders for materials it needed to carry out a project for the A E C or the military. T h e first order provides the Department of Defense with authority to delegate, with NPA approval, privileges to assign priority ratings for "programs intimately connected with national defense, but where procurement is not made directlv bv the Department of Defense." Delegations of author *. \ay be made only to government agencies under this v~ .e. The : ond provides the AEC with permission to use D O ratings ioa certain plants serving the AEC but not owned or operated by that agency. Delegations may b e issued to contractors of AEC for use on orders for the delivery of materials, except construction equipment, required by t h e contractor for use in the construction of a plant or addition, where it will be operated exclusively or primarily for A E C purposes, as well as for use in the operation of any plant which is operated exclusively for the A E C . According to the NPA, this will mean that North Carolina State College, for example, building a reactor for research projects (see page 4 0 8 9 ) , would be able to use DO ratings to get materials it needs. AEC may, under the delegation, authorize the right to apply ratings to "any other person (except suppliers of electric power) for use on specific orders for delivery of construction material and capital equipment w h e r e A E C has determined that delivery of such materials or equip ment on schedule is necessary and provides the oi^ly rea sonable and practical means to meet authorized programs of the AEC. . ." D O Ratings G o o d i n C a n a d a , Their Priority System to A p p l y to Us
An NPA regulation to implement joint priorities systems between the U. S. and Canada has been announced. It provides specific methods of carrying out provisions of the Statement of Principles for Economic Cooperation, signed by the two governments (C&EN, Nov. 13, page 3 9 9 6 ) . The regulation describes how and to what extent con tracts and orders to support either the United States or the Canadian defense program may use the priorities system of this country. Instructions arc being issued b y t h e Cana dian government to provide for priority assistance in ob taining essential Canadian materials and services for the U. S. defense program. Provisions for extension of the rated order system under N P A Reg. 2 to Canadian firms doing defense work are provided by the regulation, so that such firms can obtain needed materials from United States sources. The Canadian priority system, in turn, will give U. S. manufacturers priority access to needed materials available in Canada. The Canadian phase of the program is under the Projects Division, Department of Trade and Commerce, Ottawa, Canada. 4092
The National Synthetic Rubber Corp. plant in Rubbertown, near Louisville, Ky.7 comes out of mothballs, as workers start re moving protective coatings applied to machinery and equipment after the plant was shut down in 1947. It will be run by Kentucky Synthetic Rubber Corp., a combination of 10 rubber companies not engaged in the manufacture of tires. The plant has a rated annual capacity of 30,000 tons of butadiene-styrene type rubber Appointments
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Frank R. Creedon, former Federal Housing Expeditor, lias been named to organize a Facilities Clearance Staff within the NPA, t o be responsible for internal NPA process ing of Certificates of Necessity and carrying out any respon sibilities of NPA in connection with direct loans for indus trial expansion. A graduate of MIT, Mr. Creedon directed the government construction program of ordnance and chemical warfare plants and later became Deputy R u b b e r Director in charge of construction for the synthetic rubber program. George L. Weaver, Washington attorney and interna tional m e m b e r of the United Transport Service Employees, has been named special assistant to W. Stuart Symington, chairman of the NSRB. He will work on problems of full utilization of manpower. Harold A. Monta g, assistant to the president of Joy Manufacturing Co., Pittsburgh, Pa., has joined the staff of the Interior Department's defense setup as consultant in connection with e q u i p m e n t and supplies needed for assuring maximum output of mines. E d w a r d A. Livingstone, vice president in charge of sales of Babcock & Wilcox T u b e Co. has been named to the Steel Products Industry Advisory Committee within the NPA. George Gibson, Bechtel Corp., has taken a temporary appointment with the Petroleum Administration for De fense, within the Interior Department. Jake L. H a m o n , Mid-Continent Oil and Gas Association, and A. W. T h o m p son of the American Association of Oilwell Drilling Con tractors, have been appointed by Secretary of the Interior C h a p m a n to serve on the National Petroleum Council. Defense Department has named Maj. Gen. L a w r e n c e C . Jaynes, Brig. Gen. Chester E. McCarty, and Brig. Gen. Everett R. Cooke as members of the Civilian Com ponents Policy Board. Robert C. Goodwin, director of the Labor Department's Bureau of Employment Security has b e e n appointed Spe cial Assistant to t h e Secretary and Executive Director of t h e recently established Office of Defense Manpower. C H E M I C A L
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