The Birmingham age-herald., 1919-03-16
NJ. E. WILLIAMS

ton of 100. 900 separate components in more than 5000 different plants" it con tinues with these items ranging from feed bags and star shells to complete trains of railway artillery, the judge who can competently say what your progress has been, must indeed nave profound knowledge of the field. General Williams points out that ms own service took him first to France Tor eight months, then back to keep the work at home under constant review. "Of such knowledge" he adds, T say that you did exceedingly well and that I am proud to have commanded Sucn s~ diers in this war. l say this ut- terly without thought of any personal responsibility for. that success. The tribute is not to me. It is not to the army ordnance department of the regu- lar establishment nor to the ordnance officers of the regular army It IS to Am erican industry and engineering. to Am merican science"
 The department, General Williams says, probably exercised direction over a. greater physical power than was ever concentrated on single purpose Tn the history of the world"
 "The happy attainment of our ob- jective in the war within l9 months gave insufficient time for the complete development of that power" he adds. Proper strategy required the proJec- tion of the ordnance programme upon I a scale designed to secure an ultimate | overwhelming and continuous rate Of production rather than a lesser rate or production at an earlier date.
 Obviously housewife could buy an l oven and bake six leaves of bread Tn 1 less time than a bakery could be built 1 and provision made for the needs Of an | entire city. But the rate of production ! e1t l feed the city. l "The ordnance objective was a rate of production adequate for an army or D. l LOO 900 men, We could not sacrifice | pro duction in 1920 to force a quickef 1 but lesser rate of production Tn l9i9' We were building to make ultimate Vic- l tory absolutely certain and there never | was a moment when the ordnance pro | gramme did not absolutely guarantee
 l inc ultimate defeat of Germany. l "We stood ready, during the month
 l the armistice was signed to turn on l the taps at full force that had been made ready to provide a flow of muni- lions such as no nation had ever at
 | tempted.
 .'The fact that the American muni-
 l tions programme alone was greater | than that which Germany could at
 tempt after 30 years of preparation for war is apparently little realized In this l country But have no doubt that 1t was realized in Germany and that such l realization substantially contributed to 1 a victory by its reaction upon the minds l of the military masters of Germany I In closing, General Williams urges l the retiring officers to retain a con sciousness of this problem we have faced toaether' as they return to civil | life. to keep in mind the realization that as scientists they control source of power vital to their country | in time of war, and to stand ready to I return to your posts and be an lnllu- 1 ence to keep your country prepared TOT 1 the transition whenever IL becomes 1 necessary"
 | Your labor" he says, twas no less
 ]! for the security of your country in the emergency now passing than for its safety in the future. For, II we happl- l ly have ended wars by the winning Of ] this one, your contribution to that VIC 1 tory has given your country security and, if war should hereafter prove un-
 1 ayoidable for our country, the lesson you have learned, the knowledge you have acquired in your labor, should l safeguard the nation against the dan
 l ger of ever again entering upon a | great war without knowing now 10 shift industrial power quickly to war
 channels. | With the ability to effect that transi- | ton quickly, with adequate provision
 for it made in advance, l should never
 fear for the safety of our country But
 lack of preparedness in that respect
 | will ever be our countrF's greatest weakness and greatest danger so long
 as possibility of war exists. -Avolo- ance of that danger lies largely in the
 possibility of continuing a proper con
 | tact between the branch of the military
 of munitions and the industrial world.
 If that contact is to be maintained
 it must be largely through your inter-
 |