New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-06-18
Naval Board Finds Thrash
err and Plough Plants
Can Turn Out Shells.
SECRET OF CANVASS
CLOSELY GUARDED
New York State Alone Has 3O,'
600 Factories Available as
Munition Making Units.

Pouring into q single room in the
Engineering Societies Building, 2s west
Thirtv-ninth Street, is information
which. when complete. will let the gov
eminent know just exactly what the
war strength Of the United states
can be.
OF such vital importance TO the gov
ernment are these data that every pre-
caution is being taken TO safeguard the"'
from prying hands. The DOORS WIN
dows and transoms Of the room i"
which the mass Of material is oeinG
received and recorded are guarded with
an electric protective device. II is Cd
vious how interesting nation inimiea'
- the United States would find IT, 10
he able 10 know just how much mate
rial necessary in the event OF war
cou,d he turned out by the peaceful
factories of the land.
Every state in the Union Is penny
eanvassed, and the data collec'eo are
being fled. catalogued and suo-divideo
IN such a way that when the time
.o-o.s II will be the work Of moment
e. ,ook M a certain manufacturing con-
earn and ascertain how many Cartridge
.lins u can turn out day, or no"
manv Red Cross bsndages 1t can maze
HANK form Is being sent to ever!
manufacturer in the land. 1t Is re-
.,~r.d fued out in detail, and Is
promptly placed in the records
Whole Country Distracted.
The committee on industrial pre-
o.r.dness Of the Naval Consulting
Rosrd of the United States is in charge
~ this work. Through the efforts
~. chairman Of the committee, Howard
F Coffin. and ". S. Clifford, supervis-
ing director, the whole country mas
been districted. The only district
v,b;cb has as vet not been organized
;s Hawaii. but engineers and prominent
business men from that distant posses
s;on have written to the committee
saving that Hawaii is willing and anx-
ious to do her part in the work OF IN
dustrial preparation.
The war in Europe has taught the
sdantabilitv of national industries
when properly inventoried and organ
lied. 1t has been learned, for instance
that a dive factory may be transformed I
within a week or Ten days into plant
for the production of high explosives.
And the common sense point OF view
that at the outbreak of war practically
all concerns not engaged in lines Of
work essential to national needs would
he stripped of their labor either for
the army or 70 man other plants vita
10 the demands Of war, has been point
ed out 10 the manufacturers. The lew
manufacturers who doubted the ability
of their plants 10 help the nation IN
wartime. changed their minds when
they took into consideration the loss
of employees that would follow inevlta-
bly, unless they were engaged in sup
plying war materials.
Patriotic Answers.
Results have been astonishing, the
committee says. In New York State
complete inventory is now being
made OF the 10000 or more manufact-
fused to send in the detailed statement
Of what his plant could do in event
of war Some of the answers are as
patriotic a. they are interesting For
example enc Buffalo manufacturer
wrote: Eve look upon 1t as patriotic
duty to fill out the blank forwarded
10 US" A manufacturer of sash chains
believes he could with little difficulty
produce cartridge clips for rifles and
thrashing machines says he can use
his tools in turning out more than 500
6-inch shells day; a maker of under
wear declared that he could produce
bandages and military knit goods in
large quantities; a drugmaking con-
Germ can turn large part OF its prod
uct into an adjunct for making cordite
for shells, and a manufactures OF choc-
olate. whose name is household word,
offers 10 turn his complete output to
army purposes. In fact, each peaceful
plant has discovered that in case OF
necessity il will be able 10 help in
large or small degree in the business
Of protecting the nation.
"Not only will this plan be a mighty
protection 20 the nation" said Howard
T. Coffin. chairman of the committee,
yesterday, but by actually creating
hundreds Of new sources of skilled,
swift and abundant production of mu-
nitions Of war it will lay for all time
the ghost Of munitions trust And 1t
viii do more-it Will spread the NUM-
ion-producing units, which will one
day be so vital 10 our continued ex-
stence as a republic, over the country
and away from the unprotected sea-
coasts.
1T is equally vital that Congression-
al legislation for a sane and compre-
hensiye industrial preparedness should
make the wcrk now being done volun-
tarily by the engineers Of the country
the business of the government in the
future"