The Brookings register. [volume] (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1903-1971, 1919-05-22

compare most favorably with present
German installations.
mo more striking evidence of Ger
many's conviction that she would
eventually win the war, and of her in
tentions then to begin to regain her
commercial markets, could be afforded
than the fact that even with the ire
mendous burdens thrown upon these
plants for the production of explosives
and poison gases, nevertheless GER
tain pertains of the plants were re-
served and utilized for the continued
production Of d~yestuffs and synthetic
medicinals, resulting in an accumuls.
ton of large stocks Of material which
is today ready for the commercial
warfare.
AT the present time these plants
are only operating at about 10 per
cent of their normal, peace-time pro
duction, the principal reason being
the lack of necessary raw materials.
They retain, however, most of their
working personnel, who are at present
simply employed in keeping the plant
clean and orderly. One of the plant
directors stated that his firm was
spending a million marks a week simp-
ly to keep the labor employed. TIL.
is more or less of a protection meas
ure taken to keep the men out of la
Dor difficulties and demonstrations,
but as soon as they should be allowed
to receive the necessary amounts of
raw materials they stand ready to re-
sumo operations Immediately. 1t
would be readily possible to increase
their previous large production of
dyestuffs by utilizing the quantities
of new equipment, machinery and
buildings erected for extra war work.
as this would entail but slight modif-
cations.
Although it is the attitude of the
Germans to blame their troubles and
difficulties in operations on the Allies,
it is a fact that in some cases their
lack of raw material was due to in
ternal labor troubles in Germany it.
self. particularly in Westphalia, where
the coal mines are located.
"At the present time the only ap-
parent handicap to the resumption OF
operations in these plants on a large
scale is the lack of oils and greases
for fabrication of the machinery. They
have partially met this situation with
artificial substitutes, but there is no
IntIhf n vol 1an1, 90 Xh@ro .~oko--
Otherwise, however, there is nothing
to hinder their immediate participa-
ton in the struggle for AS
soon AS they are allowed the necessary
ray materials.
The important point is that the
American people, in particular, should
realize that this important portion of
Germany's industries is not crippled,
but intact and ready to operate, con
%sequently a dangerous factor in the
struggle for commercial supremacy
and also a potential source of war ma
terial production unless properly con
trolled. Moreover, I do not think Ger
man people as a whole realize COM
piSSSiy thS ihuSlituuC vi IhCll uClCdl,
and count upon the Americans in par
ticular very soon forgetting the hor-
rors of war, and allowing their indus.
try to thrive once more. At present
the only thing they lack are raw ma
terials and coal for the operation Of
the plants, which fortunately the AL
lies can control, unless the peace
terms are lenient enough to allow
them to operate on full scale as be-
fore"
The Major said he hoped that the
American people and Of
chemicals and dyestuffs will back up
the American manufacturer so that
this previous conditions cannot be re-
stored.