The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1915-11-18
WAR Of FUTURE
WILL Be WAR
Of MACHINES
Thomas A. Edison Declares Sol
der Will Not Be Fighter, but
MachiniSt.
OFFICERS THE BIG NEED
Head of General Science Board Dis
cusses American Preparedness
Country Can Depend on Vol
unteer Army If Trained
- Officers Are Available.

Chicago.-"Maintain a potential pre-
paredness for a war in which fighting
is done by machines, not men!"
That is Thomas Alva Edison's ad-
vice to America.
In q remarkable interview, the
chairman of the general science board
of the United States announced some
unusual and practical ideas on Amer
lean preparedness and capacity.
To Be War of Machines.
He said:
The soldier of the future will not
be a saber-bearing, bloodthirsty saw.
age. He will be machinist.
The war of the future that is, If the
United States engages in twill be
war in which machines, not soldiers,
fight.
For that reason we can gamble safe
ly on a volunteer army, provided we
have great quantity of officers
trained and ready for service in forty
eight hours to lead and drill the new
men.
will you give, Mr.. Edison, in con-
else form your idea of what should be
done in America for preparedness for
or against WARP" he was asked.
WELL" he replied refiectively, my
idea of that may not be just the same
as the idea of many people. Let me
see:
Consider the great amount of pow
der being shot off on the European
battle front every day. / would have
built great factories in which twice
as much powder as that could be
manufactured. ! would locate and
have stored away enough material to
make up the powder.
Then I wouldn't make it. I would
have everything ready so that within
forty-eight hours ! could go ahead
turning it out.
Special She'll Machines.
Then as to shells: / think it is a
wasteful thing to make shells on
lathes as they make them now. We
should get up special machines for
making them rapidly and in enormous
quantities. ~
Then l would grease the machines
and store them away with a great
quantity of steel billets ready to be
worked up on short notice.
I'm fact, l would make my prepa-
rations potential rather than kinetic,
and I would do it right away. The
proposition should not be a military
one at all. l don't like this military
idea. 1 should be done solely on an
economical basis, business basis.
Building these powder factories and
these machines and ammunition fac
tories wouldn't cost much.
But / would keep this in mind in
preparing to make stores and ammu-
milton: I would prepare to turn out
right along twice as much as is being
used now on the whole European bat
tlefield-then not make it.
Where Machines Excel.
Nov as to actual fighting: 1 would
rather use machines than men. A man
is only one man, after all. A machine
can be easily as good as twenty men.
Then one man, using it, is as good as
twenty men. He should be at least
that good IL he is American.
America is the greatest machine
country in the world and it's people
are the greatest machinists. They
can, moreover. invent machinery fast
er and have il more efficient than
any other two countries. It is a ma
chine nation; its battle preparation
should be with machinery.
Il am down on military establish