New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-12-10

Z ing power 1Or II. II IL oe uesiIeu "
employ such a factory for new pur-
poses, little more is needed than to
move the old machinery and replace
it by new.
Factories Of All Kinds
/ Make War Supplies
Such alterations have been carried
out extensively by German industries
during the war. Factories hitherto
devoted to specialties Of one branch
have applied themselves to the man
ufacture Of other specialties in the
same branch of more service for
military purposes. Manufacturers Of
lace, for example, have turned their
activities to the making of bandag-
ing material. At the beginning Of
the war large maker Of furniture
stuffs found himself in a most un
pleasant predicament; he had in his
possession large and valuable stock
which he was quite unable to sell.
He made desperate resolution, tore
all his stuffs to ribbons and made
quilts of them, which he sold to the
military authorities. He then moved
out his machines and replaced them
by new ones.
An interesting question that nee
essarily presents itself in this con
nection is: How is it possible to OBJ
tain workmen able to execute the
absolutely new kind Of labor that is
thus demanded? The explanation /
receiveOfrom a large employer was
as follows: Modern machinery for
the production Of implements had
reached an extraordinary degree OF
precision and nowadays performs its
work with the most minute exact
ness. AS result, the various parts
that are to be put together fit each
other exactly, and no adjustment,
no filing, or addition, is necessary.
1t was just this fitting which, under
the old condition of things, required
the attention of an extremely skilled
mechanical workman, but now such
work has become superfuous. The
putting together of the several part
is now a purely mechanical process
which is soon learned. Another re-
suit of this accuracy in construction
is that the manufacturing of the va.
rious parts of a complicated piece OF
mechanism can be distributed among
a number of workshops, thereby in
GLIDING such small factories as are
provided with machinery adapted
, only for some special detail Of the
work, so that these shops as we'll car
be employed as a link in the great
chain of the production of war ma
terial.
AS to the ability of Germany TO
hold out so far as the provisioning
of the country is concerned, atten-
ton must, first and foremost, be
paid to the fact that the country has
now carried on the struggle for more
than a year and a half and that,
during that period, it has not by any
means been in more favorable po-
sition than it may be expected to
enjoy in the future. 1t is true that
enc fact or another may have tended
to lower the produce of agriculture.
/ 1t is conceivable that the number
Of horses employed in agricultural
work may be still further diminished,
or there may arise a growing scar
city of phosphoric acid for fertiliz-
ing purposes. But other weighty
factors act in the opposite direction:
the occupation of extensive and fer
tile enemy provinces which in the
degree that they can be cultivated
and utilized must contribute to the
provisioning of Germany; then there
is in prospect an increased produc-
ton of heterogeneous manures. In ad-
dition, the harvest of 1915 was con-
siderably below the average, almost
a failure of the crops; but, notwith-
standing this, Germany was able to
tide over her difficulties during the
succeeding winter. From an OBJ
jective point of view there are rea.
sons why the coming harvest year
$3.50 may be expected to be bet
ter than the last.
Reduced Consumption
Not a Hardship
OF course Germany is not so
strong economically as during the
last years OF peace But in peace