During WWII, collecting scrap metal was vital for winning the war. The U.S. bulletin from July 1942 reads:

"In connection with a new and greatly intensified nation wide over all salvage campaign which started July 13, Donald M. Nelson, chairman of the War Production Board, said: "...the only way we can meet the requirements of war production is to collect every last bit of scrap from every farm and home, and from every commercial enterprise and inclustry in the community."

One of the more sophisticated ways to collect scrap metal:

LET'S GO FISHING FOR SCRAP

An article in a recent issue of "Business Week" described how Paul Whitman, a farmer living near Shawano Lake, Wisconsin, has been contributing to the scrap metal eampaign. It seems that "in the good old days" old automobiles were stripped and then disposed, of by a local automobile dealer who drove them onto the ice of Shawano Lake in the winter. When the thaws came the cars sank. The dealer estimated that he had disposed of 500 cars in this manner. With the urgent call for scrap metal Farmer Whitman strung a cable from a pole to a winch and began hauling the cars out.

Perhaps here is the kernel of another idea for salvaging scrap. Rotary clubs can be of great assistance by investigating the graveyards or dumping grounds for these old automobiles, and recovering them so they may be turned over to the U.S. Government.

R.I. The News Letter, USCNB Supplement, No. 7-2 Oct. 1942

Francine Keyes from the RI archives in Evanston sent me the following additional information:

"If you look at a map, you can see why it might have worked. It is a large lake - 6000 acres (24 square km).