Agriculture

Abstract

ducers will be afforded by a decline in maintenance and repair work, for as much of this will be deferred throughout the whole economy as is possible. At the same time, the production of automobiles, electrical appliances, and most other consumer durable goods—even including furniture—will of necessity have to be either virtually eliminated or seriously curtailed. Neither the materials, the machinery, nor the necessary manpower can eventually be made available for such output. Production of nondurables in all likelihood will be lower in the aggregate than during 1941. Wool supplies will be reduced, and this will possibly be the case with leather. Cotton and rayon output can be stepped up only to a limited extent, and silk goods production will largely be extinct. Pulp and paper output may decline slightly in the aggregate, and wide changes will occur in the relative importance of the various types and grades. On the other hand, chemical production is to expand very markedly, while the output of manufactured foods should also be increased. Insofar as the total of all industrial output is concerned, the net result of these various changes will be a further advance. Supply considerations are the only limiting factor. At present, raw material shortages and inadequate plant capacity for finished armaments retard the production advance as a whole. But the ultimate limit to output is furnished by the labor force. This—as shown in the discussion on labor—can support a further increase in aggregate production while supporting a large expansion of the armed forces.