NOW, Volume 11, Number 22, October 11, 1946 Page: 6
This periodical is part of the collection entitled: LeTourneau University Archives and was provided to The Portal to Texas History by the LeTourneau University Margaret Estes Library.
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$4,000,000 Worth Of Parts Bought Back From Army
1.I
- 6
Fred Summers, Art Koebler and Clarence Rebholz of receiving dept. unload a carload of parts
from Columbus Depot while Inspector Virgil Jones watches. The schedule calls for three Columbus
cars per week.Many combat t r oo p s and much
fighting equipment that the Army
drafted for World War II never saw
battle, yet as reserves and potential
replacements they played in their way
as important a role as the soldiers
and machines that were in front line
action. Some combat troops never
got beyond the training center. Some
equipment did not go further than the
supply depot.
The Army insisted on buying a
much heavier proportion of equip-
ment parts than LeTourneau wanted
to sell it, because it had to keep the
pipe lines full and have replacement
parts available wherever a machine
might be working and need repair.
Consequently, when hostilities ceased,
of more than $16,000,000 worth of
parts purchased f r o m LeTourneau
over $4,000,000 worth were still in
their original containers at the sup-
ply depots.
What to do with these surplus
parts? LeTourneau was the logical
purchaser, it appeared. In April Earl
Schumacher of Peoria purchasing, Al
Becker of production, and Jack Gard-
ner of central stores, journeyed to
Columbus, Ohio, where the bulk of
these parts were stored, to make
appraisal.
Here were parts for Super C Tour-
napulls, for TLP Carryalls, LP, LS,
M, X and D Carryalls, W210 Tourna-
trailers, W2 Sheeps' Foot Rollers, H-3
and K-30 Rooters, M-20 and AD-3
Cranes, various types and sizes of
dozers, a dozen or so PCU models.
Here were blades, blade bases, bolts,
nuts, sheave housings, oil seals, bear-
ings, cap screws, A frames, sheave0
Roy McCluskey, asst. treasurer, gets the aid of
his secretary, Betty Junker, in packing a grip load
of documents to carry to Washington.
wheels, universal forgings, roller pins,
hitch blocks, yoke structures, wheel
structures, dozer side arm structures,
rooter points and shanks, cone linings,
brake bands, spline shafts, pinions,
and all the wide variety of parts the
Army thought it might need in India,
Africa, Asia, Europe, America and the
islands of the seas.
Some of these parts were for ob-
solete models and would be practi-
cally worthless, fit only for scrap, but
the majority were usable. LeTour-
neau could use plenty of them right
now to relieve the pressure for re-
placements and to supply the equip-
ment assembly lines. Delays in pro-
curing purchased parts from regular
sources of supply, steel shortages and
other reconversion difficulties werepiling up a huge backlog of distri2
tors' orders for parts and delaying
equipment production.
Along in June, E. P. Kastien, d6
rector of purchases, and Roy Mo
Cluskey, assistant treasurer, went to
Washington with a huge grip load of
documents: photostats of s u r p lus
parts lists, bids, declarations, con.
t . tracts. A second trip was necessary
to complete negotiations. War A&
sets Administration accepted our bid
The Dept. of Justice reviewed and
cleared it. We had bought ourselves
a mess of parts: some 125 carloads
Most of them were at Columbus Sup.
ply Depot, but there were some at
Joliet, Ill., Granite City, Ill., Marion
Ohio, Sharonville, Ohio, and Cam-
bridge, Ohio.
Willis Wherley, parts shipping fore.
man, was sent to Columbus to super-
vise loading of cars, so that the parts
most urgently n e e d e d would be
shipped first. The first car came in
8/28; up to 9/24 six carloads had
been received. The schedule of three
cars a week is not yet being met.
When production parts arrive they
are sent to the same stockrooms to
which they would go had they come
directly from the production lines
They are drawn from these stock
rooms for shipment to distributors or
for the equipment assembly lines.
Purchased parts are sent to central
warehouse.0. 3YFAA5 AG
Stanley D. Means has succeeded Ja
H. Howell as eastern government
sales representative, and is starting
on a tour of 37 states that will occupy
several months. Mrs. Means goes
with him.
- NOW -
Inez Merrill, Stockton's paymaster.p
is on vacation.
Ray Gieszl, fresh out of Safety
Scolds this week, says to all concerned
to be on hand promptly at 5:45 p.m.
next Friday for a reorganization meet'
ing of the safety committee.
- NOW -
Wendell Richards, assistant on gov.
ernment sales, is to handle sales pro.
motions also.
-NOW -
Salesmen T. O. McMahon and G
S. McKenty were in last week-end
T. O. dashed off Monday night on the
trail of 20 8-yards.I
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R.G. LeTourneau, Inc. NOW, Volume 11, Number 22, October 11, 1946, periodical, October 11, 1946; Peoria, Illinois. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1526522/m1/6/?rotate=180: accessed July 16, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting LeTourneau University Margaret Estes Library.