WILLIAM M. JEFFERS, newly appointed Rubber Czar, warmed the nation’s heart when he told off some of our illustrious statesmen recently before a Congressional committee. Mr. Jeffers came up the hard way in the business world, and like the men whose training parallels his, he knows but one way to do a job—the right way.
We most heartily agree that if just half of the pussyfooting and red tape could be eliminated, the road to Victory would be considerably shortened. The irony of it all is that men of Mr. Jeffers’ caliber and directness usually don’t last very long in Washington.
The drive for scrap is reaching into every farm, factory and home, and the job which the WPB is doing in making this appeal is indeed highly commendable. The Special Projects Section of WPB is scouring the highways and byways for every possible ton of scrap. The way this organization has overcome difficult situations is a story in itself. For example, the ramifications and details that have to be solved to pry loose a hundred tons of abandoned streetcar rails involves no end of patience and perseverance. Sometimes as many as a dozen different agencies and authorities must be consulted and satisfied before a single ton of rail can be released.
On page 15 of this issue Surplus Record makes an appeal to metal-working manufacturers and to the dealers in this Industry, to work together in the drive for scrap metal. The need for scrap grows greater each day and as the public grows more conscious of this condition, it becomes more of a patriotic duty and less of a business sacrifice to get rid of the useless, outworn or broken-down machinery and equipment. We urge you to turn to page 15.
