The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-05-23
ABLEST LEADERS
 HELPING WIN WAR
Ny HnII.ANn

New York, May 22.-(Special)-A bIl- lion feet of lumbr are required by the government, or, more accurately speak ing, by Charles NJ. schwab, to be fur nished as speedily as possible for the con- struction of ships. A billion dollars is to be paid by the government on ac- count of contracts which are about to be entered into for the production of ord nance. Other items of a billion dollars represent the money value of immediate production needed by the governmnt in order to inaintain an army of at least 100000 men; so that it is now a lon saying that the government, the indus tries and the people are accustoming themselves to think in terms of billions rather than millions. The third Liberty Loan furnishes the best example of the large single billion dollar undertaking (this involving four billion dolars) which within four weeks.
 Some of the production now under way, while not to be measured by bill lions in dollars, still is to be identified by many millions in measurement or weight. An influential business man said this morning: "Who would have thought three or four years ago that the steel industry of the United States would ill the year 1918 be turning out steel in- gots whose aggregate weight is to be somewhat in excess of 100000, possibly 100000 tons?" Ten years ago Charles M. Schwab as reputed, predicted that by the year 1920 the United States would pc turning out 40,0000OO tons of pig iron 8 year. His prediction came true three or four years prior to the date fixed py him. MT. Schwab, however, was think ing in terms of peace and if there had been no war the probabilities are strong that his prediction of yearly output or 40,00o,9 200 tons of pig iron by the year 192D would have been found at that date to be verified.
 All of this productiveness, all of these billions will be recorded by history as perhaps the most marvellous achieve- ment of any nation within a like period of time. Such keen observers as Henry P. Davison, who has taken heed of the situation on both sides of the Atlantic, look upon this productiveness and these expenditures of billions with the cer- Idllly Ol tA6T pEOuuCllN6HGSS dU l further expenditures reckoned by bH- lions as incontestible proof that the United States is determined to carry on this war to a finish no matter what the cost or what the demand upon our re- sources is. Limitations come from the other side that the German military party is beginning to realize at last what the entrance of the United States as one of the oe!ligerents in this war means.
 ALL AT SERVICE
 Behind this productiveness and this recently fairly well perfected efficiency as we'll as the expenditure Of billions, stands what many regard as the finest resource possessed by the United States That resource is brain power. Already the government has at it's command some of the ablest of modern business forces of the United States who have not only developed, but who have created our gigantic industries and who have made the soil yield abundantly of food and other agricultural products and who have commanded the heretofore hidden deposits of copper in the far west to come forth, a command which has been obeyed. The three greatest copper lead- CTS in the United States, whose srvices have made il possible for this country as we'll as for the allies to obtain needed supplies of copper are now devoting to the service of the government the identi- cal qualities which made it possible for