The Birmingham age-herald., 1917-10-04
RAILROAD EFFICIENCY IN WAR
By HOLLAND

There is no doubt that this demonstra- tion will in time, and very likely speed 1 fly, lead to a modification of the statutes which have so greatly embarrassed the American railroads
 Many have been the comments. since
 the Secretary of the Treasury offered S
 new loan of at least $3,000O00,000 to the American people based upon the demon stration of the success yof the liberty loan, as well as other financing Of the United States on our independence in money and credit resources. But 1t has also been often said that If we were also able now to demonstrate our in- dustrial independence then the people could contemplate with entire satisfac- | tion the situation of the country as 1t
 now might be, and as 1t may be after the war is ended.
 1 There has been a remarkable step taken in the direction of industrial in- dependence since the war began. The 1 director of the United States geological survey, George Otis Smith, has recently stated that due to the stimulus which the war created and to the emergencies which were suddenly developed on ac- | count of the war, the United States 1 has made very rapid advances in the | direction of industrial independence. We ! have been utilizing our mineral re-
 sources some of which have been here tofore neglected. We are now able to manufacture optical glass upon very 1 large scale, and this had made 1t neces-
 sary for experts to search, as they have l done, for glass and of high degree of purity They have found this sand. It | is a natural resource that has been neglected After the war we are to be
 Independent of Europe so far as the pro- 1 duction of optical and other glass IS con- 1 cerned We ought to be independent.
 7f~ tn 1pv ,pQ- nese. We may yet be independent, be-
 cause since the war began we have in- 1 creased our output of this mineral 20- l fold We have increased ourSputput Of ! pyrites for which there is 8 great de- mand for industrial chemistry, by nearly 40 per cent. MT. Smith furthermore states that whoever studies the min eral resources of the United States and l the industries built thereon, cannot fall to realize that in time of need like the present production rather than price is
 a matter of prime importance. In fact, high price may stimulate production and increase available resources" Further more, home production can secure trans portation savings that will be in reality
 national benefit of practical value I fully comparable with the theoretical ad-
 advantage of industrial independence. Y We must have expansion of production
 capacity, and this may be secured if
 both consumer and producer can ad-
 just their projects to after-the-war con
 ditions as well as to the need of the
 present emergencies.
 Many are of the opinion that not the
 least of the benefits which the war will
 bring to us, however greet the sacrifices
 may be, will be the establishment of industrial independence in the United
 states. Had there been no war we should
 probably have gone along slowly. Bis business might have taught us how to
 secure ultimately Industrial indepen-
 dence. But the best opinion Is that we
 are now well established in the path way which will in the course of few years lead us to as complete industrial
 independence industrially as we now en- toy financially.