The Covington leader. (Covington, Tenn.) 18??-current, 1918-08-08
AMERICAS EFFICIENCY is
GREATER THAN GERMANYs

There is such thing as American
efficiency as wen as German effieien.
icy, and the records Of the Treasury
and the navy in the last year vii
stand comparison with anything Ger.
many has accomplished.
The Germans claimed to be the
greatest farmers on earth. An inves.
tigation shows that while in produc,
ton per acre the German farmer
makes higher mark than the Amer
lean farmer, when it comes to produc-
zion per man, the American farmer
lis more than twice as efficient, In
production per acre, grading the
United States at 100, the Belgian
farmer leads at 205, Great Britain
next at 164, and Germany third at
155.
But the better test is the man test
rather than the acre test. and by the
man test America leads the world
two to one. Again grading America
at 100 per farm worker, Great Brit
ain grades at 40 and Germany only
NJ. The American farmer cultivates
on the average n acres, the German
farmer but 7. With the aid Of large
quantities of fertilizer and intensive
cultivation, the German farmer pro-
duces much more per acre, but pro
duces much less than half per man,
More striking in way is the dem
onstration df American efficiency
made in the matter of the informed
German ships Under orders of their
government the officers and crews
of the German ships interned in Amer
lean waters inflicted such damage to
the machinery and the vessels as
they deemed absolutely certain to
keep the ships out Of service two
years; by that time they thought
the war would be over Moreover,
some of the damage done to the big
cylinders on the Vaterland they
thought could not be repaired in
America at all.
In six months some of these yes
sells were fully repaired and ready
for service; in eight months all were
ready. The Germans had figured the
cost Of repairs at $2,600,000; the re-
pairs cost the Americans $273,000.
And now all of these ships, except
one that has been sunk, are being
operated under American control. 1t
is figured that these ships, between
the time of their being put in actual
service and the time the Germans es-
timated they could be put into ser
vice, will be worth $240 ,000, 900 to the
at the present rate Of
tonnage.
Another interesting example Of the
comparative efficiency of Americans
and Germans is that the Vaterland,
now named the Leyiathan, is being
operated by the Americans at much
higher rate of speed than the Germans
were able to attain. and this is done
with the expenditure Of 200 tons of
coal less a day and with much small
er number Of officers and men.
Secretary McAdoo has several times
paid high and unmistakable tribute
to the efficiency of the American
navy Three times since American
ships have taken on patrol Of the
submarine-infested seas has he re-
duced the rate Of war-risk insurance
on vessels and cargoes and crews in
The war zone The first reduction
was made in October, when the rate
Dn cargoes was reduced from 6 IL
10 s per cent. The second reduction
was on November 20, and was from
to 4 per cent. The third reduction
was on March is, 1918, when the re-
luction on bulls and cargoes was from
to 3 per cent and on officer, masters
md crews Of merchant vessels from
30 cents to rs cents per hundred
lollars Of payroll.