Owners of Old Radios get Tubes before Buyers of New Ones.
This story originally appeared in the Wall Street Journal,
June 1st, 1945, front page, third column.
The War production board plans to give radio owners
who need new tubes preference over the purchaser of a new radio.
Disclosing plans to for channelling production of new tubes into
the replacement market, WPB officials told an advisory committee that home
radios are in such poor condition that the average sets needs about one
and a half tubes. Thus, officials said, if a million tubes are available
for replacement, 666,666 sets will be restored. However if these million
tubes are used in the production of new five tube sets, only 200,000 new
receivers would be placed on the market.
Officials said they are planning to authorize the production of
4 million tubes a month for civilian use. However, until military orders
and cutbacks become more apparent it seems unlikely that this level can
be reached.
Civilian tube allotment for 1944 were 19 million tubes, averaging
1.2 million to 1.8 million per month. Production for receiving sets during
March and April totalled 25.9 million tubes.
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