New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-12-22
PEACE A BOON,
SAYS SCHWAB
Continued from page !

terests had offered large sums TO con-
troll the output Of the Bethlehem works
and keep the products from the Al
lies.
Mayor Mitchell urged tho acceptance
by the Federal government OF mr'
Schwab's public spirited offer. and de-
clared the future security OF the coun,,
try lies in industrial preparedness and
universal military service.
Mr.. Schwab. in what he character
lied as "hackling along at subject
in an offhand sort OF way brought
the diners cheering 70 their feet time
and again with some sally barbed with
patriotism OF the red, white and blue
stripe. lie declared that he believed
Bethlehem Steel was greater than the
Krupp Works in Germany.
One of Nations Assets
1--WE regard it, and we believe our
citizens should regard 1t. as one OF
the nations greatest assets ne ex'
claimed. "Where before the war we
were able 10 turn out from 100000 TO
300 900 rounds OF ammunition year
we are now capable of turning out
more than 100000 rounds month.
And say boldly to the world. and |
say boldly TO the government, that we
are at the service of the United States,
that we stand ready to supply them
with their armor or their ammunition,
and that they shall name the price at
which they shall buy the materials
from us.
81 cannot help but feel that the legio.
lation at Washington looking toward
the establishment of federal armor
plant is wrong We have built up this
great industry and are ready to turn
it 70 the service Of the government and
we feel this offer should be accepted"
With the coming Of peace, Mr.. Schwab
urged the passage of some laws for the
establishment OF mercantile marine.
"some method of getting our finished
products to the customers throughout
the world" he expressed il. And in
passing he mentioned three kinds OF
exports" he wished expressly would
be shipped out Of the country. These
were the Legislators" who have never
learned what American industries mean,
labor agitators' and all those citizens
who are not for America first, last and
all the time"
Urges Canal Tolls
Mr.. Schwab told his hearers that the
Bethlehem Steel Company was build
ing a large number of ships for their
own use, which, under the existing laws,
would be registered under foreign flags.
This was a deplorsble condition, he
commented, but another course was i'm
possible under present conditions. AS
one remedy for strengthening Amerl-
can shipping, he advocated lower tolls
for American ships in passing through
the Panama Canal.
As TO the future, a portion of his
printed speech, to which he adhered
closely in thought, follows:
bethlehem Steel has planned a
building and construction programme
involving an outlay over the next few
years of about Sl00,000,000. This con-
stitutes, | believe, the largest single
construction undertaking ever entered
upon by single industrial corporation.
Bethlehem Steel activities up TO now
have been mainly in the production OIL
ordnance products and munitions. But
we are planning for peace. We want
Beth chem TO be an efficient ordnance
making plant, sufficiently large to serve
the needs OF our own country, for Eu-
rope will no longer need US.
Organization for Peace
$50 when our plan Of Improvements
is completed the twenty-five component
parts Of Bethlehem Steel will consist OF
only one part ordnance making, four
parts shipbuilding and twenty parts the
manufacture Of steel for commercial
purposes. Bethlehem will have ceased
to be primarily an ordnance making
CORPORATION. Profits of war will have
been turned into implements OF peace:
when the war is over there Will OF
necessity be a reduction in the demand
for munition steel, and there Will be
some recession in steel prices gener-
ally. But the domestic demands for
steel rails, for building and for numer-
Gus other purposes await only more
normal condition of trade 70 press for
ward for prompt satisfaction. Those
domestic demands alone Will absorb our
steel capacity for many years.
"A period of depression will come
sometime, and it NAV be severe, but 1t
will not become acute in my Judgment
until at least three TO five years after
the war is ended"
In giving confirmation 10 the rumors
that German interests had attempted
TO gain control of the Bethlehem
works. President Grace said:
when Bethlehem was selling at
about s40O most alluring offer was