Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1916-04-04
Industrial Preparedness.

One of the most useful steps now being taken
for national defense is the Administrations enort
to ascertain in a definite and comprehensive way
all the industrial plants that could be modified
for military needs in time of This phase of
preparedness is peculiarly important, as the Euro
pean struggle has demonstrated.
Germany's aggressive power and skill have been
due very largely to the efficient functionng of her
workshops. She entered the with her indus
trial resources thoroughly organized for the tasks
ahead so that from the outset she was able to
exert the maximum of her brain and Drawn.
The Allies, the contrary were at woeful
and it sometimes seemed, almost tatal dlsad-
vantage in this respect. Their combined resources
were much greater than those of the Central En-
pires but they without coordination for the
grim work to be done England with all its facto-
ries and mechanics and engineers found the NUM-
lions problem extremely battling for full twelve
month or longer. France was readily
sponsve to the needs of the OCCASION but she, too
encounteredAserious difficulties and delays. Russia
was handicapped the point of threatened disaster.
The fall of Warsaw and the long retreat of the
Grand Duke Nicholas forces were due mainly, if
not entirely, to the Empires deficiencies in indus
trial organization. Those deficiencies took divers
forms and were traceable to sundry sources. but
their results the same, and they were little
short of calamitous.
munition shortage and other grave defects, but it
has taken them weary months to do so and has
cost them appalling sacrifices. Had they been as
we'll prepared industrially at the beginning Ger
many was, the might have ended in their
triumph long ago, and vast losses of treasure and
life might have been saved.
The United States should profit by this lesson.
1t is wondrously rich in industrial resources and
skill, but they are now wholly unorganized for
our factories have been turning out guam
titles of munitions for the Allies. That is not
fact. Says the New York Commercial, which is
we'll qualified to speak this point:
with the exception of very few shops
equipped for making shells and arms in times
of peace, factories have turned out very
little war material. Those not previously en-
gagged in the business had to learn the trade
The workmen were not trained to do such &C
curate work in most of the shops that scram-
bled for war orders and many of these
Germs have not made dollar. They will if
the war lasts long enough and they can get
orders, but it has taken them year to learn
how to do the work. 1t looked easy to take
a shell forging and do the apparently simple
machinery necessary to finish it and then to
harden it properly, but it proved very diff
cult task for those without previous experience.
As result of all this experimenting the United
States now possesses several large workshops
where the workmen and superintendent have
learned how to make shells and other ma
terials and it is suggested that the
be encouraged to keep ready for an emergency
by making few shells every year.
The consumption of shells in modern war
fare is almost beyond conception. few
months ago order for a quarter of a mil
lion shells costing two million dollars
garded as a big stroke of business. More than
that number have been fired in the Verdun
struggle in one day. In Great Britain 2,340
machine shops engaged in making shells
and American and Canadian shops adding
to the supply"
It would be undesirable, of course and impos-
sible to divert industries from peaceful ends
in normal times. But the Government should
know just what it could count on in the hour of
emergency; and the industries themselves should
bear constantly in mind their duty to the broad
cause of national defense The Administration is
doing seasonable and important work looking into
this phase of preparedness; and it will have, no
doubt, the earnest cooperation of the country's in
leadership.