Imperial Valley Press

War Plane Output Shows Drop Through February

WASHINGTON, March 6. (UP)—The War Production Board announced Tuesday that 6286 airplanes were accepted in February. But, it added, plane production was nearly three per cent below schedule.

It was the fourth consecutive month in which production failed to meet the goals set for it. Seriousness of the continued below-schedule output is "further magnified," WPB said, by the fact that actual military requirements in many instances exceed the working schedules.

The February output totalled 71,300,000 tons in terms of airframe weight, exclusive of spares. This was slightly less than January production the announcement said. Although 249 fewer planes were accepted in February than in the preceding month, the actual daily rate of output rose slightly more than nine per cent—from 242 in January to 262 in February, which had only 28 days.

The WPB's aircraft production board said the February report showed total production scheduled, 6454 produced 6286 or 2.6 behind.

The Renton-Seattle B-29 plant, the country's largest, missed its schedule "by a substantial number," the board said. A good portion of this loss was made up, however, by three other B-29 plants which met or bettered their schedules.

The critically-needed navy patrol bomber, manufactured by Lockheed at Burbank, California, suffered a production lag in February, the board said. Only 40 per cent of the planes scheduled were accepted.

Principal reason, the board said, was slow delivery of sub-contracted wings from Goodyear at Phoenix, Arizona.

The overall working schedule for March calls for 6937 planes as compared with February's 6454, the board said.