The urgent priority request of West Virginia's huge Weirton Steel Co. seemed reasonable enough to the War Production Board. The company wanted $6,000 worth of air-conditioning equipment for its hospital. Weirton officials argued that their millside hospital was the only one serving the 28,000 people of sooty, company-owned Weirton, W. Va., to say nothing of a long stretch of heavily traveled Highway 22. They got the equipment.
Later, WPB investigators made a rou tine check to see that all critical materials were being put to lawful use. At Weirton they halted in amazement. 'The small, twelve-bed hospital had mo kitchen,...
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