/ T E E l
MIRRORS of M 0T0RD 0M
Cab operators expect new taxis to be m anufactured by Packard. Official confirmation is lacking. Fifteen hundred com panies in Detroit district e n g a g e d in $150 million rocket con
tracts. Year's truck requirements heavier than in 1944
D E T R O IT
ment of several thousand dollars for com
plete overhaul of a num ber of his ve a quick reconversion to body production.
Briggs Vernor plant formerly supplied a The reasoning is that taxicabs and buses constitute essential transportation for the maintenance of tire civilian economy.
Vhile cabs now in service can be re
paired, they have deteriorated to the point
"here more m anpower is required to them than would be required to Ul*d new units; hence it is only com
mon sense to follow the latter course, .’’fortunately, common sense does net
"ays dictate W ashington policies and
^ jet there has been no official sanction Paced on taxicab m anufacture. Approval
as been granted for a limited num ber of j ¡an buses and these are now in pro
auction.
Engines, transmissions, rear axles, Tnngs, radiators, frames and wheels are
■opponents which Packard w ould have iV fh'6 I0un<^ out a taxicab program.
^placem ent engine m anufacture ) ',v, ut’° er way, a supply of 6-cylinder front of a m agnitude which would require increases in production of all categories of equipment. True, th e Germans may be taken as reflecting urgent battlefront demands. There are quicker ways to ar
range for em ergency production increases than by the use of posters to influence original admonitions had been misunder
stood. Telegrams were dispatched to th e plants involved, the following being re
ceived a t Chrysler:
“This is to advise all employes of Chrysler Corp. and the Army Ordnance D epartm ent working on tanks in Chrysler Corp. and Chrysler operated ordnance plants th at everything possible is being done to alleviate any holdups as a re
sult of transportation difficulties due to the extremely cold weather. Do not think that because possibly some tanks may not be going out as rapidly as usual that we need them any the less. Every message we receive from the front indicates that the need for your tanks was never greater.
As you know, the men and women of Chrysler Corp. and the D etroit tank ar
senal are one of the principal suppliers of medium tanks. From the tim e you b e
came the nations largest producer of these tanks, your production achievements have been outstanding and your ever-growing schedules have been constantly met. Con
gratulations to all of you on the good job
M I R R O R S o f M O T O R D O M
sudden emergency. The situation was mildly suggestive of what will happen when military production schedules feel the im pact of a possible sudden Ger million worth of rocket contracts channeled into this district. Seventeen of the companies are prime contractors: West- inghouse naval ordnance plant, Pontiac Motor Division, Barnum Bros. Fiber Co.
The year’s civilian and military require
ments for trucks will be even greater than total 1944 production, say the WPB and the armed forces. Tentative schedules for 1945 call for production of 869,212 trucks of all types, comparing with 1944 production of 743,750, excluding half- tracs and armored cars. Breakdown is as These figures, together with corollary comment, were furnished to the W PB’s
2. Among obstacles interfering with production are layoffs, temporary' shut
downs and poor utilization of manpower, as well as absenteeism.
3. Plants achieving maximum truck production are those in which good re
lations prevail between m anagement and labor.
existing plant facilities, no idle machines in factories in which workers are wait
ing around for work, use of subcontrac
tors to supplement home plant facilities—
not to take their place, a 7-day week in critical departments, no usable foundry- kept idle for w ant of contracts, better planning and early placement of orders with suppliers, checking of plants which are holding back war production in favor of production for postwar, elimination of retiming of jobs at the expense of w'orkers when they speed up production, urging m anagem ent to aim at maximum rather than minimum figures, clear-cut informa
tion to workers regarding schedules that have to be met.
It m ust be remembered these are the recommendations of the labor advisory committee which is made up of a dozen or so UAW-CIO and UAW-AFL work
men from the principal truck manufac
turing plants. Their views follow the familiar union line, throwing all the blame on managem ent and absolving the work
man from all responsibility. Little is ac
complished by skyrocketing such charges under semiofficial guise, except to stir up more animosity and waste more time.
Union Opens Health Institute The UAW -CIO has opened a new H ealth Institute in the three-story Italian Renaissance home formerly belonging to Edsel Ford on E ast Jefferson and pur
chased by the union last April. It pro
vides 5000 feet of office space, five exam
ination rooms, laboratory, X-ray depart
m ent and library. Staff, under direction
sions, w eight and power, in the beginning, will cost more, reflecting increased wages and increased costs of materials. Average weekly wage in the industry is up 43 per from 1941 and the average hourly at regular time is up 22.6 per cent, increases which are also reflected in ma
terials. He added new cars will also reflect the higher overhead of smaller volume but that as opportunities develop for using new and lighter materials, lighter power units and improved methods, costs should go down. Generally speaking, he believed