The Birmingham age-herald., 1919-10-11

vice president of the Pacific Coast Shipbuilding company John R. Simp- son of Boston. William c. Spruance, Jr., who is director of the explosives man. ufacturiDG of the DuPont company and Guy R. Tripp, who served so admira- bly, in war days as an expert of the government. and who is chairman of the board of directors of the West inghouse Electric and Manufacturing company, together with Charles El- liott Warren of New York are taking the leading parts in the establishing of this association.
 All of these men during the war days took no rest. All of them gave up established incomes and excellent business prospects in order that the government night be served in those trying days ' the war. There is not one of them who does not earnestly deny statement frequently made that the manufacturers or the United States who were occupied il, making ordnance and equipments of the war. desired the war to continue so that they might make large profits. Instead the ex- perience of the manufacturers of ord- nance and other equipment justifss them. even from the point of view of business, in welcoming them, even from the point of view of business .n welcoming peace and in hoping that the United States will not again be obliged to send troops upon the field of battle. The manufacturers of o,9- nance do not want another war. Their planto were not constructed and equipped to manufacture war material, but instead products which enter into domestic industry. Profits which are permanent and most satisfactory can be secured, these manufacturers say, by turning out the kind of commodities which are useful in the time of peace
 Many things not before the war was thought of were learned by those who were aiding the government in the work of preparedness. Among others is the fact that it was not due to a lack of arrG that we were unpre- pared. but instead to a lack of fac tories which could manufacture arms [and especially a lack of Knowledge of the peculiar technique which is called for in the ordnance engineering, when a steel expert was called into gov ernment service, that was done by the government because it was certain that this expert knew how to manu- facture locomotives. rails and beams. But when he entered the government service, this experience and expert knowledge were of little avail to him. He was compelled 10 learn other things A concrete example of tn:s l Is a recent statement that the engi-
 
 purpose is to carry coal and merchant disc, had no conception of the monster 1 gun, so great that it's kick back amounted to millions of foot pounds. Therefore. these experts were com l pelled to teach themselves and the wonder is why they were able to learr the necessary things so speedily.
 i Now, if these be an association Of ordnance experts then if an emergen- 1 cy should arise. the government can call into Immediate service these eA- l perts. for preparedness will always be I -eady All of the leading authorities ] speak in the highest terms of this asso- ciatfon. They are confident that it will make it possible to keep always ready for service. those who are of expert knowledge in the manufacture l of those things which are essential in the time of war It has been said by Tone of the founoers of the association 1 that while it advocates peace and there must be no stone left unturned to 5e- cure 1t. it must also utilize the efforts l of those who Ncan iestill the dread | of future war. by the certainty that In the United States there are at tleast | 10 900 men of expert Knowledge who will be able on the ivstant to make | preparedness an instant fact and not future fact. as was the case in the recent war.