The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-10-17

in trade necessary for war. arc sen, to factories or workshops The in- dustrial soldier, like the military sol dier, Is treated regardless of rank. wealth or pretentions. In Germany half the professors are fighting as soldiers or as noncommissioned officers, and the other half are serving in factories as workmen or foremen. When war broke out Dr. Paulen, young chemist who made several important discoveries, was serving as adviser to the big coal and iron firm Thyssen. He was paid $7000 a year. He was mobilizeds In stead of sending him to a regiment the government ordered him to Krupp { works at Essen. There he helps in the higher technical advice. He is paid $2.50 month, which is private sol diers pay; he has share with an- other industrial soldier in a room, and he gets some small living allowances. He is under a discipline no way laxer than if he was with Hindenburg at Warsaw. He must keep fixed hours he must salute officers; he must take orders from foremen workmen who in peace time earn tenth of the salary he earns; he must not absent himself even in his free time without permits sion and he Is obliged to give free ly to the state his best expert knowl- edge and his inventive capacity. Hun dreds of German men of science are at work in the same way, they are dis covering new processes of making eX- plosives; they are making new arms, experimenting with improved systems of transport; finding new ways of treat ing wounds. They do all these things as part of their duty; the fruits of their intelligence they give to the state, as the uneducated soldier gives his life and they no more think of grumbling than the soldier does. And they had better not From Breslau comes the story of a mobilzed industrial work : man, employed in canning army food, Within an hour he had been tried by courtmartial and shot. France has militarised her industry in the same way In Austria there are 900 men and 1,000,O00 women producing for the army. Two thirds of the men are un- der military law Russia's factories are also coming under military control. Duma Member Savitsch demands that the committee of 25, which Is organ liking the production of munitions of war, shall be given diotatorial power. The tailor, the shoemaker, the metal worker must, if necessary, be taken from his home, enrolled in a producing battalion, and set to turning out uni forms, boots and shells for the army. lHe SOCldllbtS, WHO OPpOSo militarism. are pleased with the pros- poets of industrial militarism. They say it Is stage towards socialistic production by the state.
 Discipline Is Severe
 Fischer thinks the coming of industrial militarism will be hastened by the pres ent military control of branches of pro- duction needed for the armies The Ger man government which means the Ger hoo folx a,,ff .frnI Af the coal and metal industries; and there is a nitrate monopoly which insures that material shall always be found for ex- plosives. In the past year the Bundesrat. acting on army advice, and the district military commandants have issued 200 decrees regulating in national defense in terests the production of fields, factories. and workshops. Men who violate tho ordinances of the district commandants are tried by courtsmartial To grow more rye on a certain area than the ordinance permits is an offense punishable by a mil itary court The discipline Is severe. The result is that up to last June only 70 per sons had been punished for breaking the rules.
 Fischer agrees with Jaffe that produc- tion under army control will continue after peace is signed Militarism is a conservative force; the wis inertiae' will operate against the new system being destroyed. A quasi-military industrial despotism will best fit the abnormal peace conditions. Immediately after peace, the state will be subjected to tremendous eco homie strains. It will have to restore production to the normal value: 1t will have to restore international trade rela- tions: and it will have to lay In stock of all the goods necessary for future war The present war shows how danger ous it is for a nation to be caught short of food, metals, nitrates and cotton which are the only things absolutely essential for fighting. Jaffe proposes that Germany, in addition to providing for normal consumption. shall store up enough copper petroleum benzine, rubber. cot ton, wool and jute to provide for a year of war. The state will have to regulate the prices. This can only be effected if the state has autocratic power; soldiers alone are competent to judge of how much of these products are necessary. "A winning army will want to stick to control. It will point out that the na- tion was saved because the army reso- lutely controlled its technical and eco- homie resources solely from the standpoint of national safety A losing army will have excuse to declare that sterner mill itary control is needed; the danger to the nation will be doubly great"
 Dr. Leopold von Wiese. author of many economic works. writes in the .'Berlinger Tageblatt," that militarized industry will not mean control by the state of all industrial undertakings. It will not mean the supplanting of the higher employees by state officials. Competition and the stimulus to improve will be left The state will appoint officials with partial control, but there will remain independent. high salaried directors; and every man will have his chance to rise But the need for better. moro intense, more scientific production will compel organization on military lines. 'In the interest of higher productivity. it Is certain that our fac tories will retain in peace the military imprint they are receiving during war; However, that will be a transition stage. The militarization of industry is not an end in itself. After an era of militarized industry will follow the complete expul- sion of private capitalism; and universal production under control of the public or the state.
 Sound Economic Measure
 Experience is showing that the military dlsciplining of industry iss sound as q mere economic measure. The director of the Northwest Bohemia Industrial union says that 'the best way to increase and cheapen production is to give 1t discip- line. We are faced with the army prob- lem: soldier. and equally | workman, who is disciplined and compelled fights Co A~x~ A>,