The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-11-11
Her Ore Deposits Safe From Attack By Land Or Sea
 In Case of Invasion
DUTY OF NATION
 TO LEND AID TO
 BIG DEVELOPMENT
Superior Ores Open to Attack While Chile Ores Can Easily Be Cut Off By Crippling the
 Canal
By HOLLAND


 New York, November 10--(Special)
 Rear Admiral John R. Edwards. retired, who is now sojournng at Bristol, R. l., has written a letter to Richard H. Ed monds, editor of the Manufacturers Rec ord of Baltimore. in which he says that
 the real naval weakness of this country
 Is the condition of sea coast affairs be-
 tween Cape Hatteras and the Rio Grande
 The admiral says that we need more dry
 docks and this is quite as imperative
 as is the necessity for more batteships
 Admiral Edwards was greatly impressed
 with an editorial article in the Manufac- turers' Record which called attention to @ factor of thorough preparation which
 seems to have been overlooked President Wilson, in his warmly approved address on preparation in New York on Thursday evening Of last week, does not refer to thls important factor of prepara tion
 very likely because his attention had not been called to it. National ability of one or the worlds great navies and also the establishment of a greatly increased army But 1t seems to some of those who have given good deal of study to this sub Ject as though we might with advantage take one or two lessons from Germany in the science of preparation. Germany would not confine it's industries occupied Ill the production of munitions of war and the building of ships to narrow strip of coast land. Germany would have abundant interior industries, remote from the possibility of attack by an invading army
 Near our Canadian boundary are vast deposits of iron ore but in the remote chance of condition of war between the United States and England these de- poslts might be the objective of an in- vading army. In other parts of the United States, particularly in the south, or that section of the south of which Birmingham IS the center, there are almost immeas- urable deposits of iron ore, and these an invading army would have great difficulty in reaching.
 In one of the trade publications chiefly occupied With reports of conditions in the ron and steel markets, it was stated A few days ago that one effect of the in- terruption of navigation through the Pan anna canal is demonstrated by an author ltatlVe report that the Bethlehem Steel company undertook to buy 50 900 tons of
 Lake Superior iron ore to be delivered
 thls season. But the attempt was not very successful, chiefly because it is not possible to get sufficient number of boats to bring the ore through the lakes TO Cleveland or other eastern lake ports Whence it would be hauled by train to
 the Bethlehem Steel works.
 When Charles M. Schwab secured one or the largest concessions ever obtained
 by an American industry whereby he contemplated obtaining a constant sup ply Of ore from the mines in Chile cov- cred by this concession, he made it clear 10 the world what were his plans about
 transportation upon a very large scale lie negotiated for the construction of six
 steamships so to be built as conveniently
 to transport the ore. He caused gravity railroad to be built by means of which the
 ore could be automatically taken from
 the mines to the ships. He counted confi-
 denty upon utilizing the Panama canal. expecting that his ships would make final port somewhere on the Delaware river, whence the ore could be transported by
 rail to the Bethlehem works If, then. the close of navigation in the Panama ca nal from natural causes compels Mr. Schwab to turn not very successfully to the Lake Superior ore region what, it is asked, would be the effect upon his great
 mills were the Panama canal to be de- Stroyed by act of war So also Rear Ad-
 miral Edwards seems to think we would be in danger in time of war of losing our supply of iron from the great mines of Cuba.
 Were the Lake Superior mines, the Gu ban mines and the mines of Chile to be |
 necessary to close down nearly 90 per cent
 of the factories whose output is iron and steel commodities Of course, we could
 not make needed munitions for war This is the kind of peril which German
 efficiency would foresee and avoid, and
 it is. one which not the Government at Washington, but the leaders of the iron and steel industries of the United States are very likely to take into serious con sideration. There are abundant supplies or Iron ore in the south and in a section beyond reach of an invading army or the attack of any navy. In connection with this subject, the president of one of the large iron companies of the United States has recently said in private let ter that the rapid expansion of produc- ton of war munitions in the north and east is explained by the very great faciIi- ties as well as flexibi,ity of the northern iron and steel plants. He is of the opin- | lon that plenty of capital can be found, at least after our business prosperity is re-established, to pioneer great manu- featuring industry of the south if this capital can be assured with favorable government attitude toward business and profitable demand for the products of the industry.
 Whatever may be the view of the lead- CTS of industry in the United States re- specting the issue upon which the war
 upon tho continent of Europe is now be-
 ing fousht, 1t must be apparent to any
 one who has of late conversed with the
 leaders of industry that the war has con- vinced them that in respect to efficiency
 and business foresight and in co-ordinat-
 ing national industries Germany has
 taught the whole world a lesson Never
 theless the great leaders in American
 industries were beginning to teach them- selves q lesson of that kind. President
 Farrell, with his foreign sales organiza-
 tion, has taught lesson of that sort he
 himself being almost self taught in it,
 The Standard Oil company has also been
 teaching one of the most valuable lessons
 respecting efficiency. and it is not unlikely
 eat, as part of the policy of pr.
 tion. the leaders in the iron and steel in- sure to protect that industry in case of dustry may take such steps as will be
 foreign war or invasion.
 CURED HOY OF GROUP
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