The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1915-12-29

placed with injunction OF
secrecy-have been received in the
past month or six weeks py lhose
American corporations whose opera
tons are all but indispensable to the
Allies. Some of these companies nave
sold their entire output OF mun1t1ons
five and six years ahead. many OF
them have contracted for CONTINUOUS
delivery for two years.
These new and largely increased or
ders. it is learned, have impressed Of
6cers of big munition companies as OF
the highest Significance, for the rea-
son that at about the time the nego-
tiations for the $5OO,OO0,oO0 Anglo
French loan we're in their hnaf stages
there was a lulI in the placing OF or
ders, and this inactivity continued for
some time after conclusion of the ne
gotiatiens.
$500, ooo, 900 Order.
An idea of the amount of these new
war orders may be derived from the
fact that one company has secured
an aggregate of $2OO,oOO,0Oo in new
| contracts in the last few months.
The reluctance of the allies to place
new contracts in that period created
the inference that peace negotiations
might be undertaken in the then near
future. But in the last month or
ders to some companies have been
doubled and treb1ed, we'll as placed
now the conclusion among mun1tlon
makers is that the allies expect the
war to be long drawn out
| Reasons for placing orders for de-
livery through two years are that,
| even in the event of a termination of
hosti1ities before that time, there is
the contingency that the peace would
! be little more than a truce and leave
| Europe a camp which still must be
armed, and that the mobilization of
workers in the British nunition fac
tories has not been attended with
complete success because or a scarc1ty
| of skilled labor.
| Many Plants Increased.
Most of the big orders of the past
month have been for arms, ammuni-
| ton, motor vehicles, railroad supplies,
rubber, copper. steel and pig IRON, For
munitions the orders have been so
great as to necessitate further addi-
/ tions to the large plants.
! The Bethlehem Steel Corporation,
/ already pushed to its capacity has war
! orders on it's books for five years
i straight delivery, to say nothing of it's
business in fabricated steel, particu-
larry structural steel, for domestic de-
/ livery. Mr.. Sclnwafb, It has just be
/ come known, has abandoned efforts to
purchase control of other steel plants,
i finding the prices asked by the own
i ers exorbitant to his mind AS an
| alternative he has decided on addf-
tons to the plant at Bethlehem,
which he has long hoped to make the
equal if not the superior, of the
\ Krupp plant at Essen.
In addition to it's European business
bethlehem Steel has been negotiating
big contracts with China and Chilli.
AS a side1ight on the development
of business at the Schwab plants it
i has become known that, in protection
10 zi<Io
of secret police has been increased by
$4,000 men. The Schwab plants are
i now as closely guarded as an armed
camp. Workmen with the works are
also scrutinized more closely since the
fire which destroyed one of the fac
tories for the manufacture of big guns.
Next to the Schwab plants, which
4 have been so necessary to the allies
that Mr.. Schwab could charge his own
Il price, the biggest of the recent orders
are understood to have gone to the
Midvale Steel & Ordance Co. William
E. Corey, who spent the greater part
of his time in France from his retire
rnent as president of the United States
Steel Corporation to the outbreak of
thew ar, is understood to have nego-
tiated personally with the French gov
iernment the $30,0Oo,0oO order for 12-
inch shells which was announced from
Philadelphia Friday.
4 Midva1e is also bidding on contracts
i for armament for delivery in South
America
The Midvale is now reported to have
500, 100000 in orders on it's books,
these including the orders for Lee
Enfield rifles placed with its subsid-
larry, the Remington Arms Co. of Del
AWARE In order to handle the in
creased business, Mr.. Corey, William
Rockefeller and their associates are
understood to be looking for acquisi-
: lions such as the Poole Engineering &,
Machine Co. of Baltimore, which has
l$17,O0O.0o of war contracts and
which was reported all but sold to the
Midvale in a despatch Saturday.
Prosperity is Widespread.
T On account of this revival of the
war order business, arrangements are
also understood to be under way for
the reorganization of the Internation-
| al Power Co., SO that its principal
munitions subsidiary, the American
and British Manufacturing 90, may be
merged with another company or ex-
tend it's business on it's own &C.
count.
Other big orders just reported are
$14, 900 900 worth of steel freight cars
for the Russian government by the
Pressed Steel Car Co., the order 1ev-
the president, and payment to be
made through the sale of Russian I'm
perial Government per cent notes
by the National City Bank. and a
large contract for autom obi1es and
steel oars between the Standard Steel
Car Co. and France and England
Spain also is reported as having plac-
ed a $20,0OO,0OO munitions order in
thP United States within the last few
! weeks.
The new influx, or orders has also
added greatly to the business on the
books of the Westinghouse Electric
and Manufacturing, Baldwin Locomo-
tive, Savage Arms, Winchester Arms
| Marlin and Colts Companies.
The Colts Repeating Arms Co. is
understood to have booked business
| for six years ahead. These companies