The Bridgeport evening farmer. [volume] (Bridgeport, Conn.) 1866-1917, 1917-09-24
President of United States
Steel Corporation Says
Prepondenance of Weight
In This Respect Is On
Allies Side-Germany's
Machine Breaking Down,
He Believes.

He Believes.
Atlantic City, N. J., Sept. 24.-In an
address made before the Foreign
Trade Session of War Convention of
American 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 a war
of economic superiority, 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 ap-
preaching exhaustion, but the end of
the hostilities were being delayed be-
cause of the wonderful coordination of
all her material forces.
Mr.. Farrell added that it was i'm
perative that American business men
should whole-heartedly join in solv-
ing the problem of how the resources
of the United States can best be en-
ployed in the carrying on of the war
In part Mr.. Farrell said:
'4n the last analysis, this is a con-
test which will be decided by super
iority in economic resources. At the
beginning of the war, both sides were
in possession of these to lavish de-
gree. By a 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 pre-
ponderance of economic strength. II
it were merely question of match
the resources Of the Entente Allies
with those possessed by the Central
Powers, weight for weight, or bulk
for bulk, the war would speedily come
to an end. But the war is prolonged
because of the skill and determination
which Germany has brought to the
organization and coordination of All
the material forces available to hsr.
at is here that an imperative obi
cation rests on American business to
contribute its intelligence, its energy
and it's tenacity, Fundamentally anG
unselfishly, to the problem of how all
the resources at joint command can
be best employed in the service of the
war.
"The United States is called upon to
do its share of a tremendous'task with
a meagre merchant marine. 1t Is free
lily admitted that Great Britain at the
outset of the war allowed vast
amount of merchant tonnage to be
wasted through lack of centralized
power, and it is doubly important that
the United States should profit by the
lesson by avoiding any such loss in eff
ficiency. Yet, although it was appar-
emily the intention of congress to con-
centrate In the Shipping Board all the
functions relating to the American
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
happened in England at the outbreak
of the war, and caused an enormous
wastage of available tonnage. 1t was
only after two years of such wastage
that the British government was NOV
ed to create a Ministry of Shipping
with supreme powers over all tonnage.
The methods of this body which have
been the product of British experience
with a merchant marine many times
larger than ours may be profitably
initiated by the United States Ship
ping Board.
while the supply of the needs of
our allies and of our own expedition
airy forces is, of course, the first me-
cessity, it would be a mistake to re-
gard this as entirely apartr and sep
arate from the maintenance of our
neutral commerce. especially Of that
with Latin America and Asia. They
are as much dependent upon US for
which, on account of war
is obtainab1e nowhere else.
as we are on them for indispensable
military supplies. Happily, We seem
to be in the way of having the coop
Grafton of the larger part of Latin
America in the prosecution of the war,
but, should that not come to pass we
can still reckon on its benevolent neu-
trality. We may realize practically
pan-Americanism by steadfast recog-
milton in principle and practice Of the
economic ties between the United
States and the other American Repub-
lies. Our country must continue to
offer a market for a considerable part
of the products of Latin America, and
must see to it that adequate transpor-
tation is provided for the conveyance
of that merchandise. So also, the Uni
ted States must stand ready to serve
as a source of supply to the countries
of Latin America of merchandise
which they can obtain nowhere else
and industry and the development of
their resources which were interrupt
ed three years ago. The exports ad-
ministrative board has great oppor-
tunity in constructive work in foster
ing trade with Latin America. The
needs of our sister republic for the
articles Of export with which We can
supply them can be definitely deter
mined, and a policy adopted calcutta
ted to give them an assured source OF
supply here. Once 1t Is realized
throughout Latin America that the
United States recognizes, as a primary
principle of its war policy. the duty OF
supplying the needs of its southern
neighbors and of maintaining uninter-
rupted the means of transportation. a
surer basis will be supplied for salts
factory pan-American relations"