The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-01-06
Our War Industries In Peace.

Our war INDUSTRIES IN reaee.
In an editorial article of the Salt
Lake Tribune we catch a glimpse OF
one of the many industrial undertak-
ings forced upon American capital and
labor by the war:
Utah and Wyoming capitalists and
other men OF affairs seem TO be upon
the eve OF solving the potash prob
lem for the United States. Up to the
time hostil.tAs began in 1914 Germany
supplied this country with potash fer
tilizer and enjoyed n practical monop-
oily. After the German ports were
blockaded there was a great scarcity
Of potash in America and It became
imperatively necessary to look for a
supply here at home. As result,
there are several plants in operation
at the present time. The Utah and
Wyoming men, however. have a really
big thing In prospect and have formed
AZ sI!,ooo,coc corporation fer the pur-
pose Of supplying the country with all
Gated mile out OF Green River. Wyo.,
and a spur line, in1orsed By the Direc-
tor-General of Railroads, connects II
with the Union Pacific.
"a combination OF brains, money. ma
terial and the spirit OF enterprise can
not be beaten, and, II we mistake not,
the United states will no longer be un-
der the necessity of buying potash in
Germany or any other foreign country
But If 1t was war problem to ere
nte home supply of potash, mira les,
dyestuffs and other materials for
which this country had been wholly
or largely dependent upon Germany,
DC will be n peace problem to maintnin
these new industries against the trade
assaults of foreign producers.
Petasn, in truth, was perhaps Ger
many's greatest trade asset. Through
sheer ingenuity, energy and applica-
tlon the. Germans could ana did buy
raw cotton in the United States, ship
1t across the seas, manufacture Il,
ship the fabrics back across the seas.
pay tariff duties on them and sell
them IN this country. where the very
cotton was grown, for less money than
our own producers could send their
goods to market here. The Germans
did the same things IN other countries,
whether the trade was in toys. uten-
sils, musical Instruments or hundreds
OF other articles. In potash. however.
, they had at home ami controlled alb
solutely the sources Of the product it.
self. Furthermo H., Providence had
bestowed this Invaluable material
upon the Germans not only prodigally
but in the simplest natural state for
mining and manufacture. This as
sured under any AMI all other circum-
stances the lowest possible cost of pro.
duction, the determining factor in q
selling market. 1t sill assures the
same thing.
Before the war the Germans had
no doubt thar, through the power Of
their potash monopoly, they would
have the world nj heir mercy when
1t could no longer get potash. one
leading German statesman openly
boosted that national belief. After
the war the competitive power Of
German potash must he, if there Is 10
barrier against 1t, more difficult for
American producers 10 deal with than
any other product that Germany will
send 10 the markets of the world
What are we going to do about thar?
But only in Il lesser degree will there
lie other new national assets mt stake.
What are VIC going to do about the
American chemical works, dye plants
md various industries which have
been set up while war has kept Ger.
many out of our markets?
Just as there was no legislative or
administrative preparedness for the
war when we plunged into II, there
has been no Federal preparedness for
these great problems Of peace. There
has scarcely been any suggestion of it
10y those in control Of the Government.
When are We going to begin?