Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1916-05-09
WEALTH Of UNITED
STATES HEADS LIST
Of ASSETS FOR WAR
No Other Nation on Earth Has
as Much Actual Cash at Its
Disposal as Uncle Sam Can
Command

command
WASHINGTON, D. c., May THE
assets of the United States for the pur-'
pose of making war may be summarized
as consisting Of the following:
/. National credit-the ability of our
government to- draw on private money
resources for mobilization of industry
to a practically unlimited extent.
No nation on the face Of the earth
has as much actual money at its dis
posal as the United States. There is
more gold in reserve, more currency in
bank vaults, and more savings in the
savings banks in the United States than
in any two other nations in the world
2. Physical resources, including ore
beds of the Messaba range in Mime
sofa, the Alabama and Tennessee region
and the Colorado region, as we'll as
those in Cuba. The Tennessee and Col
orado ore beds are the greatest war as
set, being leastly likely to fall into the
hands Of possible enemy. The coal
beds of Pennsylvania, West Virginia,
Tennessee, Alabama and Colorado. The
oil fields of Pennsylvania, Oklahoma,
Texas, West Virginia, Ohio and Callfor-
MIA.
8. The machinery and trained work
men capable of turning out steel and
iron products. The total production Of
iron ore in an average year in the
United States is approximately $1,000
900 tons; of pig iron, S0,000,000 tons, and
of actual finished steel output, 100000
tons The United States, Great Brit
ain and Germany are the greatest iron
world
out between them ninety per cent of the
total product. The United States carries
a fair share OF this work, and this po-
tentiality is the principal asset of the
nation for war making purposes.
. FOOD-EXPORTING NATION.
4, Ability to produce food products in
quantities sufficient to sustain the nation
with a surplus. The United States is a
food-exporting nation today.
S. Factories and -workmen equipped
and trained to produce other things just
as necessary TO war making, as it's pow
der and shells, namely clothing, sad
dies and harness, wagons, automobiles,
aeroplanes and all kinds of machinery.
6. A transportation system which,
taken over by the government and mo-
bilized for war purposes, would be ade-
quate to transport war munitions and
troops -t-'.
Z. A number of government arsenals
where are manufactured, under expert
officials, guns, ammunition, clothing and
war materials of all kinds.
Under the war department there are
arsenals located at Rock Island, ILL.,;
Springfield, Mass; Philadelphia, Pa;
Watertown and Watervliet, N. Y; New
York city; Augusta, Ga; San Francisco,
Cali San Antonio Tex, and Picatnney
Arsenal, Delaware. -
Under the navy department, govern
ment factories are located at Indian
Head Md, for smokeless powder:
Washington, d. c., where the naval gun
factory is located; Newport. r. L., for
torpedo manufactures Norfolk, Va,
where mines are manufactured, together
with the various .navye yards and shore
stations all along the Atlantic and Pa
cific coasts.
According to General William Crozier,
chief of ordnance, there are plants in
the United States in private ownership
capable of turning out ammunition for
small arms to the extent of five million
rounds a day.
There are plants for turning out field
artillery ammunition to the extent of
$4,000 rounds day. This is Inadequate.
According to army experts year would
be required to manufacture the ammu-
milton reserve necessary for any large
Engagement ~.
The latest information available to
the Army War college shows private
plants in the United States were turn
ing out 5000 rifles a week. Eight
months is required to make a complete
rife.
Automobiles can be manufactured in
the United States at the rate of about
$4,000 a month, motor trucks at about
1000 per month, motorcycles at 1000
per month. There are now about 1.5OO.-
600 motor cars, and 100000 MOTORCYCLES
in the United States. An army of a mil
lion men would need 1000 motor cars,
1000 motorcycles and $4,000 motor
trucks.
No private aircraft suitable for mill
tary purposes are known to be available
to the federal government at present, ac-
cording to the Army War college
The national wealth of the United
States is Appropriated by Henry Wood
house, of the Aero Club of the United
States, at $11S,000, 100000 irrespective
of the undeveloped resources, which he
estimates at $200.O00,000.
The only state which has made a full
census of It's factories available for war
is New Jersey, which has 500
such factories. ......
The greatest lack in American re-
sources for war purposes is the absence |
of potash of which this country nor
mally imports $17.000,000 worth from
German sources. and the only substi- |
tute for which locally are the kelp beds |
on the Pacific coast. Another lack is
chemicals and coal tar products of
which this country is short 14,4OO tons
when exports from Germany are dis
continued.
II you are clever enough. you can make