Watauga Democrat. [volume] (Boone, Watauga County, N.C.) 1888-current, 1917-03-01
WELL PREPARED 5.
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
fishing 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 tlrese figures,
aside from their Overwhelming size, is
that the exports are obviously our out
put in excess of our domestic con-
sumption requirements.
Thus 1t Is more or less interesting
to know that whereas in 1914 we sold
boots and shoes worth $lS,0OO,OOO, in
lOlo VIC SCuts iuuihly w A~uipPS, VIZ
100000 worth. 1t is even more inter
esting, from the viewpoint of indus
trial preparedness, to know that in
1916 we sold abroad footwear for 3D.
100000 pairs of feet.
But we are prepared for the turning
out Of rifles and hand grenades as well.
The federal government arselElls are
actually negligible when the resources
Of the private munitiOn plants are tax
zen into consideration.
Filling Huge Arms Contracts.
A merger was effect ed of the old
Remington Arms company and the
United Metallic Cartri dye company,
the consolidation carrying through the
cOmpletiOn the construct iOn of the vast
plant at Bridgeport, which alone Is
able to put out more 81 nall arms than
formerly all the Aneric IN plants COM
bined could make. 1t iss now working
on a $6,0OO00O contract for Russia
The Du POnt Powder company ell
1arged it's plants in Wilmington, Del,
and ut 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 1t 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 tiXtur es, suddenly
opened an important side line of Spe-
cial parts in military equipment. The
''side line" has become die dominant
part Of the business.
The Westinghouse cOmplny employs
5000 in its Springfield and Chicopee
factories in the manufacture Of small
arms alone.
More Submarines Bein Q Built.
The Lake Torpedo Boat company
has grown so swiftly und er its Euro
pean contracts that it Is now building
seven submarines for the U nited States
navy. The Submarine Bp ut corpora
tiOn, successor to the old El rctric Boat
company, Is an important addition to
the shipyards.
There has been no Il evelopment
more thrilling than that of the Bethle-
hem Steel company, which E,ow has Il
capacity far greater than nat of the
Krupps works at Essen, hi hlerto, the
great ordnance factories of the world.
The department of comm e,ce has Is
sued its detailed figures ol IN through
eleven months of 1916 In comparison
with 1914, they show an almost in
credible advance in our eS. r.ss output
Of munitions. Here are SMie OF the
more striking advances: