The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1917-09-20
WEIGHT OF VAR
WITH THE ALLIES
Because the Economic Superiority Rests
on That Side of the Conflict, Says
James A. Farrell, Chairman
of the National Foreign
Trade Council.

Atlantic City, n. j., Sept. 20.-ln al
address made to-day before the foreign
| trade session of war convention of Amer
lean business men, James A. Farrell
chairman of the national foreign trade
council and president of the United
| States Steel corporation, asserted that
! the war would be war of economic SUI
speriority, and that on the side OF the
United States and the allies lies the
preponderance of weight in this respect
Germany, the speaker said, already
must be approaching exhaustion, but the
end of the hostilities were being delayed
because of the wonderful coordination
of all her material forces.
Mr.. Farrell added that it was impera-
tive that American business men should
whole -heartedly join in solving the prob
lem of how the resources of the United
States can best be employed in the car
rying on of the war.
In part Mr. Farrell said:
'In the last analysis, this is contest
which will be decided by superiority in
economic resources. At the beginning of
the war. both sides were in possession
of these TO lavish degree. By dint of
prodigal use by all of the combatants,
these resources have been very seriously
reduced, and in the case of Germany
they must be approaching exhaustion
There can be no question on which side
lies the preponderance of economic
strength. If it were merely question
of matching the resources of the entente
allies with those possessed by the cen
trail powers, weight for weight, or bulk
for bulk, the war would speedily come TO
an end. But the war is prolonged be-
cause of the skill and determination
which Germany has brought to the or
ganization and coordination of all the
material forces available to her.
at is here that an imperative obliga
ton rests on American business to con-
tribute its intelligence, its energy and its
whole heartedly and unselhsh-
", to the problem of how all the re-
sources at Joint command can be best
employed in the service of the war.
"The United States is called upon to
do its share of tremendous task with q
merchant marine. It is freely
that Great Britain at the out
set of the war allowed a vast amount of
merchant tonnage to be wasted through
lack of centralized power, and it is dou-
bly, important that the United States
should profit by the lesson by avoiding
any such loss in efficiency. Yet, al /
though it was apparently the intention
Of Congress to concentrate in the ship |
ping board all the functions relating to
the American merchant marine, there is,
as yet, no unified control of tonnage. !
Vessels are impressed for the navy and
held under navy control; vessels are i'm
pressed for the army and held under
army control. This is precisely what
in England at the outbreak of
he war, and caused an enormous vast
,ge of available tonnage. 1t was only !
after two years of such wastage that |
he British government was moved to
'reate a ministry of shipping with SUI
,reme powers over all tonnage. The
Methods of this body, which have been
he product of British experience with a
merchant marine many times larger than
'urs, may be proftably initiated by the
United States shipping board.
while the supply of the needs of our
lilies and of our own evolutionary
orces is, Of course, the first necessity, It
would be a mistake to regard this as en-