The Transition is Here

The Transition is Here

Industry and labor were deep in the twilight zone between a war economy and postwar readjustments, moving hopefully, hesitantly, sometimes fearfully.

P: For the first time in three years, "Situation Wanted" advertisements appeared in the classified columns of the Los Angeles Times. Most of the advertisements were inserted by women, many of whom want housework. (The Chamber of Commerce reported that in the Los Angeles area there had been a net loss of 15,000 factory workers in the past month.)

P: In Windsor, Conn. (pop. 6,100) a real-estate agent averaged a half dozen inquiries a week from men looking for good locations to start variety stores, food markets and other types of retail establishments.

P: Aircraft production in August was 7,939, 3.5% under schedule, but a 4.4% increase over a year ago. But the cutbacks are coming: in Dallas 21,000 workers at the North American Aviation plant will be laid off by mid-November.

P: Consolidated Vultee Aircraft Corp. was optimistic; Consolidated's engineers will be kept busy designing a wide range of non-flyable products. Example: last week Consolidated signed a contract with the Greyhound Corp. for the development of a super-bus.

P: Boeing Aircraft's Phil Johnson thought his payroll after the war would total 17,000--18,000 less than now but twice as many as prewar. But cagey President Johnson was mum about Boeing's plans to enter the non-aircraft market.

P: Work in shipyards continued at breakneck speed, with emphasis on tankers, landing craft and big, fast transports. At Ingalls Shipbuilding Corp. an 18,000-ton, all-welded attack transport slid into the Singing River, the 54th ship to be christened at Pascagoula, Miss, in 56 months.

P: Two of Henry Kaiser's shipyards in the Northwest went back to a seven-day week. The reason: inability to obtain 10,000 additional workers needed to keep pace with tanker and transport building schedules. But at the Bethlehem-Sparrows Point Shipyard at Baltimore, the keel was laid for a sleek, 9,902-ton freighter intended for the postwar services of the American Export Lines to Mediterranean and Indian ports.

P: On Wall Street, talk of a 40% cut in war production after Germany falls sent stocks crashing. Biggest losers were the rails, steel and oil shares. New York Central dropped 1 1/8, U.S. Steel 3 points.

P: On commodity exchanges the approach of war's end and the prospects of record crops scared traders into dumping their futures contracts. Wheat prices slumped some 4-c- a bushel, oats 10-c- and rye 14-c-. But paradoxically Latin American producers of foodstuffs were cheered by the nearness of German defeat. In Brazil, Colombia and Cuba, sellers rebelled at contracting ahead for delivery of coffee, cocoa and sugar at U.S. ceiling prices. They expect a rush of orders, at good prices, from Europe.

P: In retail markets extravagant buying continued despite uncertainty about jobs. For the week ending Sept. 2, department store sales were 16% greater than a year ago.

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