Meade County news., 1917-02-15
WELL PREPARED
TO SUPPLY ARMY
United States Ready as Never
Before to Make War
Materials.
SHOWN BY EXPORT FIGURES
Plants Created by Demand From
Abroad Now Capable Of Turning
Out Vast Quantities OF
Munitions.

The United States is equipped IN
private industry as never before for
the furnishing to the army and navy
of almost everything that might be
needed in time of war. In certain fin
ishing processes, notably with refer
ence to airplanes, the resources of this
country are still far behind those OF
Great Britain and France, but the gap
is being lessened gradually.
The data regarding the exports OF
the United States during the past year,
as issued by the department OF COM
merce, give a comprehensive idea of
the vast resources of the United
States.
The significant part of these figures,
aside from their overwhelming size, Is
| that the exports are obviously our out
put in excess of our domestic con-
sumption requirements.
Thus it is more or less interesting
to know that whereas in 1914 we sold
boots and shoes worth $lS,0O0,OO0, in
1916 we sent, mainly to Europe, $47,-
100000 worth. 1t p even more inter-
esting, from the viewpoint of indus
trial preparedness, to know that in
1916 we sold abroad footwear for 23,-
100000 pairs Of feet.
But we are prepared for the turning
out of rifles and hand grenades as well.
The federal government arsenals are
actually negligible when the resources
of the private munition plants are tax
en- into consideration.
Filling Huge Arms Contracts.
A merger was effected of the old
Remington Arms company and the
United Metallic Cartridge company,
the consolidation carrying through the
completion the construction of the vast
plant at Bridgeport, which alone is
able to put out more small arms than
formerly all the American plants COM
bined could make. 1t is now working
on a S6,000,000 contract for Russia.
The Du Pont Powder company en-
larged it's plants in Wilmington, Del,
and at Haskell, Wayne and Pompton
Lake, near Patterson, n. j. 1t took
a little plant south of the Potomac,
which had been employing $50 men,
and transformed it into an industrial
city with 10000 on the pay roll.
At New Britain, Conn.,, the Ameri-
can Hardware company's plant, which
had been turning out household and
shop utensils and fixtures, suddenly
opened an important side line of spe-
cial parts in military equipment. The
"side line" has become the dominant
part of the business.
The Westinghouse company employs
| 5000 in its Springfield and Chicopee
factories in the manufacture of small
arms alone.
More Submarines Being Built.
The Lake Torpedo Boat company
has grown so swiftly under its Euro
pean contracts that it is now building
seven submarines for the United States
navy. The Submarine Boat corpora
ton, successor to the old Electric Boat
company, is an important addition to
the shipyards.
There has been no development
more thrilling than that of the Bethle-
hem Steel company, which now has
capacity far greater than that of the
Krupps works at Essen, hitherto, the
great ordnance factories of the world.
The department Of commerce has is
sued its detailed figures only through
eleven months of 1916. In comparison
with 1914, they show an almost in
credible advance in our excess output
of munitions. Here are some of the
more striking advances: