Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1916-05-23
,nn,,sra,A, PREPAREDNESS.

The movement for industrial pre-
paredness of the nation Is getting as
much attention from thinking men
lust now as is the movement to pre-
pare the country in military way 10
defend It's liberty and Its institutions
Industrial preparedness, simmered
down to the last analysis. merely
means getting the factories of the ma
ton so organized as to be of greatest
possible assistance to the army in the
least possible time.
In a quiet but efficient manner. the
committee on industrial preparedness
named by the naval consulting board
OF the United States is cooperating
with Ave great engineering societies
in making card index of the INDUS.
tries Of the nation. This index will
show what each industry can manu-
facture. its capacity and its distribut-
ing abilities. With this survey COM
pleted and the information at hand,
plans can then be laid for the closest
possible cooperation between the fac
tories of the land and the defenders
of the nation.
Various plans of cooperation have
been suggested but the one that has
met with the most general approval
Is this one:
Having ascertained what each fac
tory In the United States can produce
in the way of war supplies, govern
ment offlcials will place an order for
one or more products with each fac
tory. Each factory will then proceed
to make the necessary dies and pat
terms and models and turn out fifty
of the finished articles. These latter
will be sent to Washington or some
other point and critically examined
BY the ordnance experts. If changes
are necessary to standardize the vari-
GUS products or to make them easier
to assemble, then the various factor
les shall be SO advised and they will
make the necessary changes in their
patterns and models and dies. Then
they will make fifty more of the fin
ished product and send them in to the
assembling point. In due course of
time, the army and navy oficials will
know exactly where they can get
everything they would need in time
OF war The factories, having assem-
bled the necessary patterns and the
like, and had them standardized, will
next pack them securely away in such
manner az to best assure their pres
ervation.
Industrial preparedness then be-
comes complete. 1t will stop there
unless the unexpected happens and
war breaks out. In this latter event
the government officials can deter
mine what they need in the way of
supplies, turn to their card index, as
certain which factories make what
they need, and telegraph the orders
for the products. The factories would
Immediately stop their regular line of
work. unpack the dies, patterns and
models and within twenty-four hours
begin turning out the munitions need
ed by the government and shipping
them to the assembling or receiving
point. It would mean that the great
est industrial nation in the world
would be ready at minutes notice
to provide the government with the
munitions that war would require. 1t
would mean that success in war would
depend only upon the men and their
training because the equipment and
he munitions would be ready when
needed
That Is the whole scheme of indus
trial preparedness as now contemplat-
ed. OF course changes may be made
in it. possibly there will be improve
ments and numerous little additional
details will be worked out, but the
plan In a nutshell Is to prepare the
nations factories to work at min
ute's notice in turning out something
that they are fully prepared to make
and which Is needed by the military.
1t would prevent confusion, 1t would
save much valuable time, and it would
positively assure the necessary sup
plies and munitions when and where
they would be needed.
That Is the goal of the advocates of
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