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2) The oil companies now hope to supply enough butyl and butadiene to make 200,000 more tons of synthetic rubber in 1943 than had previously been in sight. Some of this would be high-grade Buna-S, achieved by getting into butadiene production immediately on existing excess refining equipment. Some of it would be extra low-grade "bathtub butyl," more politely known as flexon, a new synthetic developed when the rubber companies gave Standard the specifications for the worst rubber that it is possible to use in a tire. It is good for 8,000 miles or so at 40 m.p.h.
There was bad news. For one thing, the rubber shortage looked much worse last week than ever before; worse by far than when the Government made its latest supply estimates, showing a 1943 deficit of 5,000 tons. It looked so bad, in fact, that even the 4,500 tons of crude (not to mention the 234,000 tons of reclaim) the tire companies wanted for civilian tires looked almost too big—particularly since Buna-S has not yet showed up as well as natural rubber for heavy-duty tires.
Meanwhile politics, the wheat bloc, and the screams for new processes (including one from Wendell Willkie's brother Herman) still threatened and clouded the synthetic rubber program. The U.S. citizen—who should be concentrating on stretching out his present tires as far as they can go—was still distracted by daily news of new rubber panaceas. Moreover, with the synthetic program finally set and going ahead (TIME, July 20), there was a serious threat that the Senate would move to set up a new, separate rubber authority, which would no doubt upset the program all over again.
The Rubber Front still held last week, despite these shenanigans. Said Jesse Jones, making good sense again: "We would never get any considerable synthetic rubber if we jumped from one process to another every time an oil company or alcohol company or an inventor wanted the Government to adopt their process." Said Don Nelson: "Our decision has been made. If it's wrong, I'll take the blame." Said one member of the tough, anonymous new Washington rubber team: "If they'll just go on scrapping long enough and leave us alone, we can get the plants far enough along so they won't dare wreck the program again."
But last week there was a new controlling fact in the rubber program. The steel shortage had become so bad that the real miracle will be to keep the present synthetic program going at all. If the U.S. motorist knows what is good for him, he will keep still and figure that the tires he has are the last he will see for a long, long time.