Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1916-01-23
America Becoming
IndustriaIIy Independent

A NUMBER of American industries
81 have been famed # not crippled
during the great war by reason of
their dependence on foreign countries
for certain and sundry essentials TO
those industries. On the other hand a
number of industries have been given
a tremendous impulse by the war.
There is coming about an industrial
readjustment which is to make the
United States far richer. stronger and
more nearly industrially independent
than it was before the war.
When peace returns there will be a
slump in gun making. powder making
and the armament industries, but the
United States will be nearly in a posi-
ton of independence in war munitions
manufacture and as far as concerns
ability to turn out field, fort and ship
ordnance of all kinds, small arms and
all varieties of ammunition the United
States will be world power.
While the textile and paper indus
tries have been beset with difficulties
due to a shortage of dyestuffs and
chemicals. strong efforts are making
to so increase the domestic production
of dyes and chemicals that the United
States will be independent in these
things, and from an importer of these
commodities will become an exporter.
In the production of dyes the United
States is making famous progress.
The bureau of foreign and domestic
commerce. in recent report. gave out
the information that American dye
works are now turning out coal tar
colors at the rate of $4,000 tons an
nually and that these colors are being
manufactured wholly from American
raw material. Before the war tho
United States manufactured only 5000
tons of coal tar colors. made mostly
from imported Intermediates. The to-
tai import Of artificial colors before tho
war was something like $4,000 tons.
This development in the dye industry
has been in the face of unusual din
culties. for owing to the great demand
for such products in the manufacture
of explosives, the dye works have not
had the supplies they needed. Never
theless there are now seventeen firms
engaged in manufacturing interme-
dates and twelve firms are turning out
the finished dyes. The news has just
come out that at Paterson. n. j.. has
been formed million-dollar dyestun
company to produce aniline dyes to
take the place of the supply which for
merly came from Germany and Swift.
zerland.
The American glass-mahing industry
has been having boom during the
war. though the scarcity of potash and
manganese has been a deterrent ele-
ment. In most of the glass-making
firms the bottom of their potash re-
serve supply has not been reached. but
it is running low. while efforts are
making to increase the production of
American potash. 1t is reported in
glass-trade circles that business in that
industry is booming, the only cloud be-
ing a likely shortage of potash and
manganese, formerly imported from
Germany. Export trade in glassware.
particularly bottle specialties and
chemical ware. has developed in great
strides since the outbreak of the war.
The recent grip epidemic and conse-
auent trebled demand for prescription
bottles. is given as one of the impor-
tant factors in the boom times now be-
ing experienced by glass factories in
southern New Jersey and
New York. r.