South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1918-01-20
BY JOHN L. MURRAY
international News service stan



Correspondent.
WASHINGTON, Jan. Il. - The
| conversion Of the United states 20
actual war status is a slow process.
/ but IL is being dOne-with such sue
I cess in its minimum OF disruption
! OF normal industrial conditions that
| only those who are closely connect
/ ed with the transformation. now
well developed. appreciate the inn
\ mensity and complexities of that
part Of the task already accom-
/ plished by the council of national
! defense.
The control Of all manufacture
! and Of all labor for war purposes is
a gradual but certain process. Every
/ resource must and will be. diverted
/ TO the winning OF the war. The
| transformation, without elimination,
] Of every national activity into mar
/ tial auxiliary will be. if not as dras-
tic, far greater in its vastness than
\ even England's
Although the difference in degree
| and kind stultify any real analogy
! between industrial and labor con-
troll methods here and in England,
| the United States has virtually the
same goal to be won in cOnsiderab bic
| part by the adoption or adaptation
/ Of those processes found practical
and expeditions by England.
Already the system Of industrial
/ priorities has been put into opera
ton here with signal success in
! controlling manufacturers in iron
and steel. Judge Robert 5. LOvett.
CHER of the priorities division of
the councils war industries board.
has worked out a comprehensive
system of priorities, the detailed
! scope Of which may be indicated
by his recent edict TO power COM
/ panies in Pittshurg TO give prefer
ence TO industries engaged in war
| work in the order of their relative
! war value.
This relative value, in iron or
steel power or any other eommod-
| ity or service needed by the govern
ment, is determined and established
| by priorities certificates to pro-
| ducers so that producers of nOn-es-
sentials. in a war sense, are the last
to be served, if served at all.
The extension here of this sys-
TEN, now in complete control in
! England. viii be almost impercepti-
! bly, gradual in degree and ramif-
cation. and it is the policy as we'll
as the expressed hope of the coun-
/ ell o. national defense that such
| transformation be effected by econ
Omic conditions rather than feueral
action just as the already great and
| increasing diversion of energies
/ from non essentials to war pro-
auctions has been the result Of
| slowly adjusting economic pressure
and voluntary change more than
governmental mandate. abrupt and
/ descriptive Transformation without
! elimination is the councils slogan.
That this can be done is mani
fest in England today. There the
transference of all industry to war
work is SO complete that according
! to members of the British NUM-
| tiOns mission, essential bust
ness of any sort virtually does not
exist. What apparent exceptions
there are. it is explained. are OPP
| Grating in a much modified form
and continued because of the con-
sideration that they Will he essen
tails TO British trade when peace
comes again.
OF course, so CONSTRUCTED a con-
troll may be as unnecessary here as
it is unfeasible Too close a com
parison cannot be made because of
the fact that England's population
! is only about a third of ours, with
a territory infinitely smaller. facil-
itating concentration by the first
| factor and eliminating the Difficult
ties of great distances and trans
pOrtatiOn by the second. Then,
too, England's transformation into
/ one vast war machine has been the
result of three years of war that
touched her at the very beginning
much more closely than it has
touched US yet or is likely to touch
US.
/ Nevertheless, the utilization Of
her licensing system for industry
appears here as a priorities system
constantly growing in extent and
direction. All manufactures needed
for essentials eventually will have
TO conform TO war conditions, for
they will be obliged TO obtain priori-
ties certificates from the govern
ment. granted only on the basis Of
careful grading of their relative
war Importance before they will be
able to obtain materia'
The influence of the councils
priorities division is comparatively
recent, but il is growing rapidly, as
instanced most prominently in the
conversion of the automobile indus
try to the manufacture of airplanes,
airplane parts and motors and army
motor trucks. The policy of the
council, to prevent elimination OF
industries or even single blish-
ments by so sudden a transforma-