The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-01-19

filling factories and Of our shell plants.
At first a trickie. then q rivulet. then
a stream and finally an immense tor
rent Of shell was directed upon the
enemy during the four years OF the war.
our efforts eliminated in the dis
charge during fifteen successive days OF
more than 10000 tons a day of shells
from Sir Douglas Haig's artillery upon
the Keeling, quivering German front.
Suddenly this whole great operation had
to be brought to a standstill. The tor
rent had to be damned at once.
During october the average produc-
ton Of filled shells was over 1900
tons a week. That has now been COM
pletely terminated. The filing factories
have been demobilized. The small pro-
portion of workers who remain there
are engaged in cleaning and clearing
UP, and the whole Of this vast process
of pouring out our materials. our steel
and our explosives, which was the main
feature OF munitions supply. has come
to an end.
From that cause, as well as from the
general rehabilitation which we are
gradually but increasingly carrying out,
nearly 100000 persons will have left mu
nitions production by the end OF next
week That is a very remarkable figure
And I do not pretend for one moment
that such great discharges could pos
sibly take place without causing heart
burning and inconvenience to individ-
uals But judging by all the evidence
have been able to obtain this step has
been taken with minimum of incon-
venience and hardship resulting there
from.
Few Ont of Employment.
So far az the figures of the labor ex-
| H. t. Al
very much smaller proportion OF per-
sons have placed themselves upon unem-
ployment benefit from all causes than
have been demobilized from munition in
dustries alone. Already before our peace
industries have sprung up again great
deal OF alternative employment Is open.
In the case of one filing factory was
assured that out OF 1900 workers who
were demobilized upward OF 1000 have
been reemployed within three weeks
| would now ask you 10 consider the
effect which was produced upon the steel
trade by this sudden arrest OF the move
ment OF steel to war purposes Up till
the signing of the armistice we were con-
Stunning practically all the steel in the
country. and although there are many
| important lines OF production which have
value for war and also have value
! for peace which are continually a full
st--shipbuildlng, for instance-yet the
stoppage Of the shell production alone
cut from the steel trade an enormous
outlet for its products.
1 AS far as the engineering shops are
concerned. we are bound TO have a
! period OF dislocation extending over sew
eral months. Not only have new projects
got TO be undertaken. but the shops have
20 he cleared for new arrangement of
machinery.
Arrangements which have been made
to turn the steel trade to peace pro-
ducton appear to be working extremely
we'll. My advices are that very large
numbers Of orders are being placed with
+ the steel makers throushout the country,
and that there Is no reason at the pres
ent time TO apprehend any sudden shock
or setback in that industry. The first
essential to the reconstruction OF peace
industry is to secure ample supplies Of
steel. and a setback in that respect
would have reacted indefinitely upon the
whole process OF revival.
/ We have fixed hume prices and export
prices for steel and iron up to May I.
/ 1919, and have provided for the gradual
removal OF the Government subsidies.
BY these measures the steel and iron
trades have been stsadied and have
! gained confidence. Orders are being