Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1917-05-10

l. nae and carefully study the figures on
British industry you will never believe that
they represent the work Of a country which
has never learned the first principle of pro-
ducing on large scale The figures are
like those Of the war loans: meaningless be-
cause we lack anything with which to make
comparisons. In 1913 Great Britain cx-
ported some $4,000. 900 900 worth of goods;
IN 1914 about as much although she was at
war. But If comparisons help, this one may
show what an industrial nation Britain is,
In spite Of her antiquated methods In the
first year Of the war with her industries
tied and hampcred and while the United
states was shipping over to Europe every
thing it possibly could ship, the export trade
Of Great Britain was only a little less than
the export trade of the United States.
This article deals with the future, but the
Importance Of that future could not he real
izcd unless the overwhelming Industrial
power Of Britain before the war was known.
! To avoid misunderstanding, it may be
| noted that four-nrths Of the figures given
above represent British and Irish produce,
, not trausshipmcut of foreign goods. I
/ have found indications IN Great Britain Of
a great change in tho character Of industry,
/ hut I have found no one who can dare to
| guess what that chang. will mean in figures
| It is too colossal
Take the motor industry, by way Of cx-
| ample.
Motor Industry as an Example
| The difference between American and
! british practice in the motor industry is
| the difference between larc" and small scale
production, Comparison between the Amer
| lean and British motor engines il out of the
| question because, according to experts the
| highest grade British motor Is infinitely
! superior, Comparison between the ability
/ Of the Brton and the American to produce
salable motor in quantities is equally out
! Of the question. There are reasons why the
! United States has produced the Ford and
| thc United Kingdom the I;olls-RoyCc and
! the sunbeam and the Napier There are
! reasons of geography and Of national
wealth But there is only one reason why
the Brton cannot buy a small car at
fairly cheap price That reason is the habit
of British industry.
The director and part owner of a motor
car factory told me recently that after the
| war his firm would 20 into largc-scalc pro-
| duCtion They purpose selling more widely
| at home and they are going to branch out
! INTO the foreign market with a light ear.
! What ~ more, they intend to buy certain
parts which viii be so nearly like the parts
! made for another company that a sub
| Sidiary concern will be able to make the
same parts for both This whole process
| Of subdivision is entirely new. Manufac-
turers pride themselves not only on making
every part for themselves but on making
every style, type AMI model of car
1t is obviously the pride of their pro-
fcSsion that makes them feel this way. Be
cause as soon as you go out Of the actual
engineering work AMI get to the body of
the car YOU find that you cannot order "A
ear complete from any Of the larger
makers. They viii send you a bodymaker
who will supply you with the best in the
market.
But the maker of cars does not think Of
the completed body-and-chassis effect. Ift
thinks of the superiority Of the chassis and
nothing else. lie would not think of making
only one or two types of chassis. lie will
make a -four aud a six and, if necessary Il
! twelve cylinder ear.
When the war ends he will begin making
| one type Of ear. specialize and sell in "A
bigger market And this new thing, which
| IL true of electrical apparatus and of steel
bits and nuts and bolts and of cutlery and
| textiles, will reNolutionize the industry Of
Great Britain. | have used the motorcar in
| duStry as an example because it is one in
! which We have attained the most striking
example of large-sCale production, and 1t
/, | Is also one in which our special makes are
| by no means insignificant. ! may add that
| n company has been formed to compete
with the Ford product on its own ground.
The present light car of Great Britain is a
| lovely thing TO look at and to drive. Its
motor is perfect. 1t is quite inaccessible to
the average Briton. In America you could
buy siX-seater for the price f. o. b.
The Spur of Necessity
. The thing that produced this coming
change in the methods of manufacture is
necessity, to be sure. The nation will have
to make up a surprising total of debt. But
! necessity actually Jagged behind opportu-
nifty, because the pressing demands of war
| work had smashed every precedent in the
factories and had shown the advantage of
the new schemes. Further, there is the
increased opportunity for selling, Not in
Britain, but in the dominions and in foreign
countries.
Because once you get beyond any indi-
. | Vidual industry il becomes clear that spe-
cialiZation and large-sCale production are
going to have another effect in British in
dustry-namcy, combination The same
mdivdualisn which kept every manufac-
turer making every type of product in his
own line had kept the manufacturers miles
apart in selling. In certain textiles, in the
wallpaper industry, there trusts. or
5 something like them, In the great ma jority
of trades there are no successful combina.
/ | tonS.
Today the manufacturers are Under or
ders-their production is being regulated
: | by the Government in many cases. To-
morrow-after the war-they will join &c
| help one another produce. And the signs
are not wanting that they will inevitably
join to help one another sell Selling com.
| | binations resembling the German kartels
. will be one of the first developments after
| the war. Just before war broke out tn,
; steel manufacturers had come 10 a tentative
2 agreement concerning the regulation o
, | competition in China. The madness of un
: limited rivalry there had come TO an end
, | That agreement will in all human proba
blity be resumed when operations star
= | again,
The total effect will be doubly beneficial
20 Great Britain and will make her doublS
| dangerous a rival in certain fields NJ
American can fear for the commercial ant
industrial safety Of his own country IL tn,
l | present rate of industrial progress is KEEP
0 | up But If for some reason the United
| States should lapse for time, Great Brit
. ain would come out smilingly on top. Sh,
3 | has the advantage of our experience anC
Y the additional good fortune of being abl,
4 | to scrap all her prejudces at once. Sh,
will not do it, however. Something resem
| Ia