ARMAMENT: Snail's Pace

The first big layoffs because of shortages and prospective war production began to threaten U.S. industry. Nash-Kelvinator Corp. announced that by Jan. 15 it would cut back 18% of its work force, or 4,500 employees, and slash auto production by 25%. Because of other cutbacks in the auto industry, Michigan expected that the state's unemployment total, which had jumped by 13,000 to 65,000 in the latest week, would hit 150,000 by summer.

The danger of mass layoffs finally seemed big enough to speed up Washington's snail-slow letting of war contracts. A $100 million...

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