The World. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1912-1921, 1918-09-26
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 1918.
BIG OPPORTUNITY FOR WAR WORKERS

blu OIEOhA UNI VOh w AN NOleiAListo'
A few days ago Nathan A. Smith, Assistant
Director General, telegraphed appeal to Fed
erai State Director, United States Employment
Service L. G. Spaun, of Charleston w. Va. set
thousand additional men in order that the new
slnokeless powder plant, now under process of
completion near Charleston, may be completed
by January first
The appeal is made to the people of West Viz
ginia on patriotic grounds and they are asked
to respond to the call made upon them in order
that the work may be expedited as much as
possible. A copy of the telegram wired to
the WORLD with the request that we give it
editorial support and thus hasten along the en-
rolment of a sufficient number of men to carry
on the work. We print the telegram herewith
"The smokeless powder plant at Nitro, West
Virginia, enc of the biggest in the world, must
be completed by January first, in order to ship
to France before next year, supplying offensive,
$4,000 pounds of smokeless powder per day.
This is West Virginia's job. Your state is bene-
fitting by an investment of more than S50,000,-
coo of Government capital for this plant and
the work is eighty per cent done.
The construction payroll will be 100000 a
week under full operation Full operating re-
quires $4,000 men from now until January first.
There are only 10000 on the job; West Virginia
must make up the shortage of 5000. $4,000 of
these men will remain on the job after compile
ton for the manufacture of powder
The plant will be four miles long by one mile
wide. Men are housed in barracks and bunga-
Al.
is in charge of surgical and medical relief, as
well as the sanitary regulations When the
state OF Washington faced demand for 1000
shipyard worker. doctors, lawyers, and other
professional men, closed their Offices and went
to work. Georgia furnished the picric acid
plant at Brunswick with the needed men in
eight days. West Virginia must not and can
not, take men from oil fields or mines; this
5000 shortage must come from non-essential
industries in cities and towns Women must
take the places of men in non-essential indus
tries and stores if necessary. West Virginia has
always gone over the top for Liberty Loans,
Red Cross, and enlistments; it must go over
the top with personal manual labor. Men must
&c furnished at once. !. is up to the West Vir-
ginia Community Labor Boards to furnish
them. Please issue necessary orders at once.
I'd. M. REYNOLDS,
~. S. Employment Service"
There are undoubtedly many men who are
now working along lines which are unessential
from the viewpoint of winning the war. They
are either running business that can well be
shut down for the period of the war or else they
are working at some kind of work that would
rot suffer if they left it and went to the aid of
their government. Such men should consider
thoughtfully the above appeal and, if for patrio
tic reasons only, should agree to be one of the
six thousand men needed
It is surprising how many men there are whc
are so situated that they could, if they would
take up the above work The writer talked
with two such men yesterday. One is a travel
ing salesman for product that is not absolute