New-York tribune., 1917-06-12
Bethlehem Steel
ToPut s2O,OOO,0oo
In Plants for U.S..
Schwab Tells Salesman.h;,
Congress Structures VIII
Be National Asset

Detroit, June lI.-Chsr,s, >.
Schwab, chairman OF the board =, =,
Bethlehem Steel Corporation. ,o,s =,
members of the Worlds Coners,, :,
Salesmanship in session here 80
that his organization is putting ,oo
100000 into plants entirely for N. ~.
of the United States goyerrmer, "a
ing that ''in peace time such nl,,..
will have no value, but there are -
when more than the business view !.
necessary
I'VE know that this work ouoh, ;.
be done, and we are doing Nv "
Schwab continued. I'VE feel ,h.. a.
plants of the Bethlehem Steel co,,.
ration for ordnance making, for ,,..,
manufacture and for shipbuildips-,..
we build nearly 40 per cent of,nn.
tonnage of ships turned ou, !, ..
United States constitute .a.io,.,
asset Of supreme value at a cris, ~.
this. 1t is our ambition to make ,h,.
asset of the greatest possible effective.
ness in assuring for our country .r5
for our allies an overwhelming vie,o,v
in this, the greatest Of al wars
Easy to Sell Big Things
Mr. Schwab was talking on the sub.
ject of super-salesmanship. N his a.
dress he said he had found in his s,.
perience that it is a great deal easier
to sell a big thing than to sell lit,l.
thing.
ut was easier to sell the Carnegi.
Steel Corporation to Mr. Morgan fcr
S5OO,OOO,000,' he said, "than il would
be to sell 500 piano 70 a farms,
who is not interested in music"
Tie tod something of his experience,
on the other side early in the wa,
when he made hurried visit 20 Lon.
don and closed millions Of dollau
worth Of war contracts before otht,
American concerns realized the marke,
there would be for such products.
AT the outset Of the war" said vr
Schwab. 81 called on Lord Kitchens,
and Admiral Fisher They wanted
great quantities of war materials
They wanted Bethlehem 20 make them
Il did not take any skill on my part az
a salesman TO induce the British govern.
ment TO give Bethlehem these contract,
but il did take a great deal of effort
on the part of Bethlehem to deyelop
that thoroughness Of organization and
skill In management all down the la,
which made the British governmen,
feel confident that we would deliver %
them the material they wanted.
Single Contract for SSi,0oO.OOo
Later on in the war Mr.. Grace. prs,.
ident of the Bethlehem Company. ne.
gotiated a single contract with the Al.
lies for 100000 worth OF shellk
That was the largest single order eyg
given Up 20 that time to one companJ
Mr.. Grace did not have TO work very
hard TO persuade the Allied govern.
ments TO buy those shells. but he did
have to work 10 a supreme degree TO
prepare far ahead of time TO be able
70 deliver those shells, and then 10 co
the job on time"
II is Mr.. Schwab's conviction that the
1917 production of steel will approx.
mate 100000 tons, compared with
100000 tons in 1916 and 100000
tons at the time the United States
Corporation was organized in 1901.
"My own belief" he added, "is TIA.
we are Just as far from the zenith 70
day as we were in 1901"
Mr. Schwab told of the efforts Of III.
Bethlehem management 20 instill con.
fdence and enthusiasm at the corpou.
tons plants. incidentally alluding 70
the fact that $4,000 men are employed
with an annual payroll of $50 100000
The average earnings in 1916 were a.
the rate Of $1,000 a man, against Ii.
tie over 5000 in 1915.