THE ADMINISTRATION: 43.6% for Rubber

When Bernard Baruch and his committee—Presidents Conant of Harvard, Compton of M.I.T.—estimated last summer that the country must have 1,037,000 long tons of synthetic rubber a year to get by,* that sounded to the public like the final word. But last week the U.S. learned that it was going to have to get by with a lot less — and like it. From Economic Stabilizer Jimmy Byrnes came an order to blunt Bill Jeffers: as Rubber Director he could have top priorities on only enough key equipment to procure 425,000 tons of...