Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1917-05-17


| world never dreamed of, will be under
J wav in the near future. To the BIZ
lion dollars of naval work and the bill
/ lion dollars of merchant-marine worq
, already under construction or under
contract will be added the building OF
7 thousands of wooden and steel ships by
the Government for the purpose OF
meeting the supreme question OF feed
ing and munitioning the Allies. Into
this shipbuiIding activity will be turn
ed the concentrated energy of the ma
ton. This means a vast expansion in
lumber production and the putting into
active operation every plant in the
country that can by any possibility
produce iron and steel and wood for
shipbuilding.
The iron and steel plants of the
country, taxed to the utmost limit of
their capacity. are not nearly equal TO
the demand which will be thrown upon
them. New plants must be built If
the great capitalists and iron and steel
companies now in existence do not
Immediately plan for very large ex-
pansion OF their capacity they will
prove recreant to their responsibility
TO the country and to civilization.
I All this means that upon the rail
roads will be thrown a burden Of re-
sgonsibility even greater than in the
past. The calls from France and Eng
land for railroad supplies and railroad
zen are so insistent that it is proposed
TO send many thousands Of engineers
into France 10 help save that country
and thus help 10 szve ourselves L IS
propased that We shall ship to the
Allies all OF the rolling stock that ex-
isting plants can build. and that this
country shall meet this situation IS
hest it may BY the reslagi1g Of all
railroad operations under the Manage
ment Of = few men who are doing the
work for the Government and OF De-
half OF The Government
The shortage in no-iye power + Al
most as great as il cars TIE progos-
ed lessening Of passenger trains for lie
purpose Of putting passenger Io.cozo-
Itives into freight service may tszro--
iarily materially help. but this Is a. Tie
best only a temporary makeshifr and
cannot meet the full situation There
must, therefore, be built many thous-
ands of locomotives as rapidly as it is
possible to build them to take care %
the depreciation of those nov in oper-
alton and TO provide for the emergency
and need of more engines
The shortage of locomotives in rail-
road transportation will throw upon
: the automobile industry a great in
crease in business. 1t will become
necessary for the automobile and the
motor truck to be used for a vast
, amount of travel and of freight traffic
, heretofore carried by rail. OF neces-
kity, therefore, there will be a demand
| upon the MISUNDERSTANDING plants
of the country beyond their existing
capacity, even if we do not take into
, account the necessities of the Govern
, ment for motor trucks. The improve
ment of the highways of the country so
; as 10 make more feasible the use OF
automobiles and motor trucks is essen
tial, for it is now just as important to
/ extend good-road work as it is i'm
, portant to extend railroad facilities,
since good roads and the motor truck
must of necessity supplment, and in
: many cases supplant, the inadequate
E railroad facilities.
/ These are but few of the things
: which tell of the amazing business ac-
J tivity before the country. They indi-
( cate the conditions under which we
f are able to live for the next few years
2 if war continues for that length OF
time, and if war should end before
= then, many lines will be even more