Newark leader. ([Newark, Ohio]) 1917-1946, 1918-01-12
Winning The War
BY John Bush


problem that must be solved by the
American people; and it is the
greatest problem that ever confronted
any nation. The chief factor in as
suring the successful accomplishment
of the desired end is brains. Then
follows everything else known to
warfare. No matter how many men
or how much material may be avail
able, they amount to nothing without
directing power. Brains are the
greatest directive power, the next is
harmony, then organization, co-opera-
tion and standardization.
The sooner the people of America
realize these facts and throw aside
their personal views and selfishness,
the sooner the war will be brought
to a successful conclusion.
To perfect and put in motion the
machine necessary to make the under
taxing successful, the perfector must
first be obtained, and in President
Wilson the United States has man
who has more than shown his ca
pability. The only action necessary
on the part of the people is to fol-
low the course mapped out by this
great statesman.
1t appears to be the opinion of the
American people that the war is to
be won by those nations having the
greatest number of fighting airplanes.
And when we get down to the real
facts and figures of this branch of
the wars work it at once appears
how much ground we have to cover,
and how important it is that we all
cooperate in the present crisis.
Between 1908 and 1916 our army
ordered SO airplanes and received 54.
In 1916, with the possibility of being
plunged into war, 366 were ordered
and Ga were delivered. Now we are
planning to build 23,625 machines, at
the rate of $500 a month. From
less than a hundred a year to over
thirty times that number a month is
a big mans job, and he must receive
the united support of all American
citizens.
Because the airplane builder never
received adequate support FROM the
government, real industry never
was created Airplane building is
:, essentially military industry, and
such an industry can not be COM
pared, from a manufacturing point
of view, with anything else in the
world.
The American airplane industry, in
1916, had a capitalization of only
$50,000,000, employing $4,000 men.
England now has $375,000,000 in
vested and employs $4,000 men. The
capacity of the plants is 41,00O ma
chimes year. Compare these statis-
tics, and it will be readily seen that
there is much to be accomplished on
our part.
n The best airplane plant in this
fcountry now produces only five en-
gines day. Every third man is a
government Inspector. Fully sixty
per cent of the parts produced are
rejected. The propellers are hardly
less delicate than the motors, and are
as painstakingly built. They are very
sensitive to temperature, hot days
and cold nights cause them to buckle,
warp and fall apart in the air, if not
made perfect. The speed at the end
of the blades is seven miles minute,
and they must be balanced with the
utmost care, as the least nick throws
the propeller out of balance, which
may mean death. No less difficult is
the making of the wings. To make
1them strong, yet light, spruce is used.
If we are to build $500 airplanes a
month we must make deep inroads
into our forests, and there is none
TOO much of the kind required. Per-
shaps the most serious problem with
which the government is confronted
in building such a large number of