The Republican journal., 1918-07-11
MAN POWER.

When we speak of the man power OF
the United States, most of us think only
of the number of men who can be sent to
service in the Army and Navy. We do
not seriously consider the fact that in
dustrial man power is necessary In order
that our military forces can be equipped,
clothed and fed Therefore, when crisis
like the present is faced, when it is posi-
BILE and perhaps probable that our military
power will be drawn upon for 5000, 600 or
more men, it becomes necessary to en-
large our idea of man power and to base
our calc ulations upon what our industrial
man power was when we declared war,
what it is now and what it can be made
to be in the near future. Military power
can avail little in the world war unless
supported by an adequate and well regu-
lated industrial power. Unfortunately,
we are called upon to maintain our own
military power and in large measure to
support that of our allies. Not only do
they call for men but for money and for
food, and these are the two essentials
wi thout which military power languishes.
We need not stop to estimate the total
numerical strength of our military power.
We know it is larger than can be sup
ported in service and in training by our
industrial power. 1t follows, and should
be realized by all, that the economic uti-
lization of our industrial power is vita
problem which must be considered and in
some degree solved The first thing to
do is to take an account of stock and as
certain, as nearly as we can, what our
industrial man power is. Man power, in
a strictly military sense, lies in the men
who are available for actual warfare. To
estimate our industrial man power we
must include not only men, but women
and children, every person who aids by
daily labor in producing things which
must be had for use in war, and all the
necessities, and some of the comforts
which our non-comba tants here at home
require To state it briefly, we need to
start out with at least guess at the
actual number of our producers of essen
tials expressed in able-bodied man power
and its equivalents. The last United
States census places our industrial man
power at about $4,000, 600. This includes
men, women, and also children from ten
years old upward. 1t is not worth while
to reckon much on the productive capac-
ity of children under 16 years of age, and
when we consider the vast number of our
people who toll not, neither do they spin,
and those whose occupations add little or
nothing to our industrial power, when the
exieences of war demand essentials only,
it appears that the census figures cannot
be accepted. A fair discount from the
census figures may Justify us in placing
the total amount of our industrial man
power, when we entered the war, at
$4,000, 600. This would be about one
third of our entire population. AT the
end of this year we shall have called
5000, 900 men to the colors for land ser
vice and half million more to the Navy.
This has deprived us OF 10 per cent OF our
industrial power.
Half million men are building ships,
half million more in the steel plants
are working on government orders.
Miners are digging coal for Uncle Sam,
wooden mills, shoe factories and scores OF
other businesses are doing war work only.
After these, and war clerkships, and all
other obvious deductions have been
summed up we may safely conclude that
whatever our industrial man power may
have been year and half ago, war has
already diverted Is per cent OF it from
the normal productive capacity OF the
Nation. Nobody is to blame for this. 1t
is a condition which must inevitably re-
suit from the enormous absorption Of