Importance of Salvage to the War Effort

Abstract

war effort has entered a new phase that demands wholly new concepts of action. The unprecedented requirement which this change puts upon war industries to produce fighting equipment for full scale action this year means an unprecedented consumption of materials and an imminent crisis in their supply. Every classification of industry, every plant executive, is confronted with an imperative appeal to salvage more iron and steel scrap, more nonferrous metal scrap, more rubber, more cotton and wool waste more of all the materials needed to make fighting tools. As an introduction to the important subject of industrial salvage, a few facts and figures covering the need for raw materials and scrap by the industries engaged in producing war supplies should be reviewed. For the manufacture of the implements of war planes, tanks, ships and guns enormous supplies of metals are required. The Victory program designed by the War Production Board means a continuing and increasing drain on raw materials, which must be supplemented in every way possible. Last year the nation produced some 80-odd million tons of steel. Only a quarter of this was for war and lend-lease use. This year the need is for more than 90 million tons. War needs for copper between now and the end of 1942 are estimated to be five million tons. Regular normal sources of supply will provide about three million. The only way to solve this whole production problem is to get into the flow all the scrap out of which raw materials can be produced. The critical materials most urgently needed today are iron and steel scrap and non-ferrous metals, such as aluminum, copper, brass, zinc, and manila rope, rubber, burlap, wraste paper and cotton and woolen rags.