davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1919-03-16

are situated, are beset with rumors az
TO what is coming. Unlike the COM
pany representatives, they still persist
IN the belief, fathered by hope, that a
great surprise is coming Among the
stories, without any confirmation.
which are repeated so often that the
men themselves regard them as Sig
nlhcant, are reports that the du Point
company Is going to erect silk mills.
to take advantage of the facilities that
are idle, that it will move part of the
General Motors Company, in which il
Is heavily interested, to the munition
sites, and that parts of the Harrison
Paint Works, at Harrison, N. j., which
the du Pont company owns, will be
brought to the war cities. To these
rumors, which are strong enough to
induce many workingmen to remain at
Wilmington and elsewhere in the hone
that something good will turn I'd. the
company replies that its plans arc not
fully formulated, that it is CONSIDERING
many things, but it is not likely
that it will move plants which are we'll
situated m other cities, certainly not
until business booms to such an extent
that expansion becomes necessary.
Money seems to have magnetic
powers. Hundreds and hundreds of
brilliant men and others who have
burning ideas aplenty, but little of the
whercwithal necessary for execution,
make pilgrimagcs to the home Offices
of the du Point company with their DC.
proposals. To meet these zealots and
to test their suggestions, the develop
ment department, supposedly a fool
proof organization, with a staff of ex
pert investigators, operates.
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1919-03-16
Birmingham, Has
accumulated Money

Birmingham has made money during
the war---it reminds one Of an Amer
lean ammunition centre, for the streets
arc crowded-with people, hotel rooms
are not available. and every one is
hustling and as rude as their leisure
or haste permits. The Office buildings
are crammcd with government controls
and inspection departments Of all
kinds and natures and the city is over
run with particularly Objectionable
lot of civilians in officers uniforms
acting as inspectors and the like who
have somewhere read or heard that tho
main duty of an officer ia to swa9gcr
and make himself annoying. As sub
ject for clinical study the heart Of the
Black Country Is interesting, but it is
no place for human being.
The owners have made money and
the workers have made money, but no
large fortunes have been created-~at
least could not discover any. But
every one has money and the problem
Of peace is not ut all hamepered by the
lack Of means with which to finance.
In fact did not detect any fear Of
peace trade other than the fear that
this rehabilitation Of tho army would
be 30 slow that many opportunities
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1919-03-16
Seventy-five Plants and Machine
Shops Engaged in Peace
Production

business methods will have scored an
other triumph in the commercial world.
while the du Pont company has al
ready proceeded far with it's expansion
into new industries it has by no means
reached limit of the possibilities of
logical expansion in related industries
available to this organization. Its
representatives have studied CONNER
cial conditions on the ground in GER
tain new industries in Asia. Europe,
and North and South America"
Many of the highly skilled technical
men have been transferred from the
smokeless powder plants to the dye
stuff factories, in which great hope for
future development seems TO be re-
posed.
Regarding the possibility of compel
ing with German producers of dye in
the future, Mr.. Poucher, head of the
dyestuf sales forces, said: ~ am not
unmindful of the fact that the cstab-
lishmcnt of this industry in the United
States, and . particularly by this COM
pany, means fighting Germany in its
most zealously protected industry, and
In the one industry in which it was
recognized the world over as a leader
Our whole effort in this enterprise is
to so shape our affairs that consumers
will have neither reason nor excuse for
ever again buying from Germany"
And as the rehabilitation of the war
plants is nearing completion, the du
Pont organization is beginning to con-
centrate on the problems of the future.
According to its official spokesman, it
regards the war business as a thing of
the past and is not looking for substi-
tutes for it, but rather for extension
and development of its other interests,
which constitute chiefly chemical prod
ucts.
The military powder business has
been sloughed off and, it is explained,
there is at present no substitute for it.
The other activities in most instances
were carried on collaterally during the
war. However, they now come to the
forefront and become the main bust
ness. But it is no longer a question
of producing all that is humanity pos
sible, but merely enough to meet the
effective demand of commercial inter
ests.
Although the du Pom organization
was, beyond peradventure of doubt,
war institution during the war years,
representatives of the company remind
observers that the war structure was
superimposed on peace business of
long standing. The president of the
company called attention to the fact
that the company has engaged in com
mercial business for 113 years, of
which only eight and half years
might be termed war years. 1t is the
greatly expanded non-war organization
upon which the du Pont leaders are
resting their hopes for the future.
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1919-03-16
Dyestufs an adjunct
of Ponder Business

The president of the company, in his
recent report TO stockholders, indicated
four leading developments of the COM
pany outside the powder field. They
were the manufacture of pyralin. a
substitute for tortoise she'll, ivory, and
cognate products, "the chemical rela-
ton Of which," he said, "to military
powders is such as to make it a very
desirable addition to the list of our
products. Entry into this business was
through the purchase of the Arlington
Company, already a successful manu-
facturer of many years standing"
Secondly the manufacture of paints,
varnishes and coors. "The relation
of this industry" it was suggested, "to
explosives lies in a common interest
in the production of certain so-called
heavy chemicals while more init
mate tie exists between the paint and
color industry and the so-called chemi-
cal mixture business in which the du
Pont Company has been engaged for
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1919-03-16
Ho,U Shalt MITIGATION
Be Brought about?

But there is considerable difference
in opinion as to the method of obtain
ing the unification which is essential
to economy of operation as we'll as i'm
provement of service. At least two
major suggestions of a railroad plan
include proposals to maintain the pres
cnt identities Of the two hundred odd
railroads, while permitting those com
panies, in the public interest, to pool
facilities, make common use of tcrmi-
nails, and reroute traffic under such
agreements as may find approval by
some public agency of regulation or
supervision.
In my appearance as president Of the
Investors Protective Association
which primarily is an organization Of
rank and file ckholders--before the
Senate Commerce Committee, | con-
tended that solution Of tho pcrplcx-
ing railroad problem is possible only
through:
G) A unified system Of operation.
ca A unified system OF financing.
ca 4 wai1sd system Of manage.
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1919-03-16
By Nathan l.. Amster

DXTENS1VE as has been the dis
cussion of the transportation
problem, both before the Com
merce Committee of the United States
Senate and in the columns of the daily
press, | doubt whether the real funda-
mentals of the question are fully un-
derstood by either the general public
or the rank and file of stockholders
of the railroads.
In my opinion Congress, in seeking
to define practical, constructive rail
road policy for the future, must set
before it two principal detectives: %
A scheme which will provide the gen
eral public with the most adequate,
efficient, and cheapest transportation
service possible; and, 90 The deter
mination of what constitutes a fair
and equitable return to the hundreds
of thousands Of men and women whose
savings have been invested in building
up the greatest system of transporta-
ton in the world
There have been many and varied
suggestions made as TO the best way to
accomplish the two ends which ! have
outlined With but one exception
these suggestions comprehend a con-
tinuation of private ownership and a
measure of coordination or unification.
1t seems to be quite generally agreed
that a resumption of the old system
of compulsory competition and prohi-
ton of pooling or rcrouting of>traffic
would be undesirable
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1919-03-16
Busy on the
Products Of Peace

A similar relation between the ex-
plosives industry and the making of
ether, of paints and varnishes, Of pyra-
lin, substitute for ivory, and the
hundreds of other commercial chemi-
calls which the du Pont company will
be free to specialize on now that the
pressure of grinding out military pow
der as fast as the ingenuity of mar
could devise has been lifted.
At Carney's Point, where the great
smokeless powder plants were built in
six units during the war, the new dye
stuff factory stands, the former SYM
boil of yesterday, the latter of to-mor-
row. Although the breath of life is
being snuffed out of the military pow
der plants, some seventy-five du Pont
plants and machine shops scattered
throughout the country are whirring
away on the products of peace.
Before the war, military powder con-
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1919-03-16
Free Initiative
Is Still Popular

Outside Of this single question of
workers, the manufacturers are conf
dent-for have they not already the
orders on their books? On the long
future they are equally confident, but
hot In the way OF capturing new mar
kets to any great degree o. of engas-
ing in any kind Of trade war under
government auspices or in associated
bodies--"cartel" fashion. The Birming-
ham engineer is above all an indivdu-
alist and he wants to 50 forward now
exactly in the same general way, ex-
cepting for increased production, that
he did in pre-war days. He detests all
forms of government control and is
equally opposed to associated effort,
except that he will take something in
the way of small flyer in new mar
kets in combinations which promise to
reduce the cost Of the experiment.
This is the way the situation was sum-
married to me and it bears out my
own observations:
"The war has made changes, If
course; we had to give up practically
all of our peace trade except that IN
hollow ware-which The forces needle /
and change over to munitions. Bn.
the firms that have made most of the
munitions were those who were al
ready in that trade before the war
They have let out 20 otrer makers
various parts, and few of those parts
have caused any great plant changes.
We have put in automatic machinery,
because few OF us were making more
than one or two parts; because we had
automatic machinery We could dilute
labor with women. The women are
not skilled mechanics; they arc very
good with automatic machinery, for
they do not seem to mind the mo-
motony But they we're only war ne
cessity. We cannot use them in any
great numbers in peace, for now we
shall not have so much automatic ma
chincry and also we have promised to
take back all our mon who survived
the war. And many Of the women are
tired of outside work and want to get
Lack to household affairs.
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1919-03-16
EriLs That Must
Be abolished

Transportation has been burdened;
1T has never had an opportunity to
perform it's full functions for the
greatest good of the greatest number.
Regulation has been repressve as we'll
as oppressive. Maladmin stration in
the financing and management of roads
has been so often present in conditions
cite instances here. These two evils
must be overcome. The question is
how shall their removal be accom-
plished?
Summarized very briefly, the plan
which have submitted to the Commerce
Committee of the Senate proposes that
all of this railroads now under Federal
control shall be unified and managed
and operated as one national transporta-
ton machine. To accomplish this | pro-
pose that corporation be created,
under Federal charter. which shall abb
sorb the stocks of the two hundred
odd companies, giving in return one
share of stock in the new corporation,
par value 500, for each $lC0 of value
OF the stock acquired. propose that
valuation adjustment commission
be created which shall determine the
true value of the stocks to be acquired.
BY the adoption of these two funda-
mental suggestions, what do we accom-
plIsh? l would say we would achieve
economical operation without any i'm
pairmcnt of efficiency, and cheapness
of service, IS we'll as fair valuation
of the railroads in public use which
would afford a legitimate basis upon
which the Interstate Commerce Com
mission could compute fair and adc-
quate rates and upon which reasonable
return could be figured.
In my opinion any proposal which
would bring such solution would end
forever the troubles which have beset
the conduct of transportation in the
past
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1919-03-16
Birmingham Turns Again
From Rifles to Hardware
Business Leaders in Britt sh Industrial Centre Look
Confidently Into Future-Inability to Get La
Dor Retards Convers ion to Peace Trade

fabricated ship if only the railway
bridges we're tall enough to let the
plates pass down to the sea.
With district that was probably
the most active in peace having turned
itself wholly over to war, the trans
formation back to peace can be taken
as fairly typical. And find here that
practically the only thing which
bothers the employers is the inability to
get men with which to start peace work
They do not in the least fear the task
of immediate changing or what they
will do when they have changed. All
of the owners with whom / talked said
that they have orders on their books
that would keep them busy for nearly
year. And likewise the labor un-
rest, which ais so prevailing, does not
seem to worry any one--employers or
labor leaders-in this district, for they
have between them settled these big
points:
G) The men have agreed not to
limit production, but to cooperate in
high production to the end that they
may keep something of their high war
wages.
CD They have agreed generally on
the forty-seven hour week and mu-
tuality of control through workshop
committees.
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1919-03-16

ficient supply of an important raw
material of satisfactory quality, es
pecially if difficult to obtain other
wise, may warrant a substantial in
vestment in its production, even
though the savings in it's manufacture
may not represent as great a return
as might be expected under other cir
cumstances. An industry which can
furnish a profitable channel for the
disposal of intermediate or finished
products, or byproducts of the du
Pont company, which cannot be other
wise readily marketed, would also
prove attractive. The same is true of
a business, preferably along chemical
lines and with a promising future for
ever expanding sales, which might fur
nish employment with suitable profit
for the various existing resources of
the du Pont company. among which
might be available capital plant capac-
ity not otherwise employed, as we'll adj
ministered and vast organization of
industrial and technical experts, pro-
vided that these resources together
with the men and the other assets
secured at the time of our entry into
the such other qualifications as could
be expected, with diligent effort, to be
acquired, should place the du Pont
company in at least as favorable a
strategic position, or more so, than
any present or prospective competitor
in that industry.
ON the old days of the powder In
dustry, even the most advanced pro
ducers Of their day were in the cate
CORY Of what one would to-day refer
to as mixer. His materials were
purchased from various sources and
merely mixed by him and sold as pow
der. From this position the du Pont
company has, through constant enter
prise and aggressiveness, developed
processes far more complicated and
efficient explosives, both for CONNER
cial and military purposes, and has
from time to time, when it seemed de-
sirablc, extended it's endcavors into the
production OF many of the most i'm
portant materials required by it, so
that to-day its explosive manufacture
and ranrifcations represent tremen-
dous scope of industrial activity"
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1919-03-16
Would AvOid
Unnecessary TASTE

Some have insisted upon continual
ton of competition in service. On
this point would say that while under
a segregated form of railroad operation
there would be more competition than
if the roads are operated under sin
gle corporation, still no oNe seriously
interested in furnishing transportation
to the public at the lowest possible
cost could recommend q condition under
which there might be an unnecessary
amount OF competition in service, for
that would mean waste in operation and
would lead to wasteful strategic con-
struction in the interest of the few
users of luxurious trains at the ex-
pense of the many, who would have
to make good the losses resulting from
the operation Of such trains by paw
ing higher freight rates on their COM
modities.
My plan provides that the stock of
the Federal corporation shall carry
cumulative dividends up to 5 per cent
and shall be limited in dividends to s
per cent. All earnings of the corpora
ton in excess of the per cent divi-
dend. paid the stockholders, shall be
used in the interest of labor and the
public, as follows: 40 per cent to be
distributed among the employees on a
percentage basis in proportion to their
wages; 80 per cent to be set aside as
fund to be known as a bonus and
merit fund, to be used from time to
time in the public interest in the form
of bonuses or rewards as an incentive
to employees or for unusual service or
inventions, or for the introduction of
economies that may result in better
service and reduced operating costs.
The remaining so per cent shall be
placed in fund to be used for proper
ty improvements.
In conclusion, ] repeat that am firm
ly convinced that, in the interests OF
the entire country, the railroads must
be unified that all questions of rail-
road value, railroad rates and return
on Investment should be cleared up
now and forever through the medium
Of an independent valuation adjustment
commission. as suggested in the plan
presented to the Senate COMMITTEES
on Interstate Commences.
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1919-03-16
du Point Philosophy
OF Expansion

1t constitutes the ewes of tho or
ganlzat'on, and its vision is aimed at
the future. 1t is looking for the new
and logical developments that the du
Font organization can make. Its field
Tor investigation is the entire world
1T is working with new zcst and cx
panded opportunity, now that the war
business is over.
Until early in the war the expansion
OF the du Pont company ir fields other
than the manufacture of powder was
confined to the production of materials
entering into the manufacture of ex-
plosives or into industries extremely
closely allied with the powder bust
ness. Recently the tendency has been
to broaden the scope of the company's
activities. Two methods of striking
out along new lines have been fol-
lowed.' Ventures in fields hitherto
untrammelled by the du Point interests
have been started either in the exist
ing plants or laboratories of the COM
pany, followed by the building of new
plants and equipment and the assem-
bling of an organization, or by buying
operating companies outright and
building up the acquired industry upon
the original units as nucleus.
The philosophy of the du Pont
growth was thus explained by an ex-
ecutive of the development depart
ment: There arc different reasons
which have and will prompt the du
Point company in the selection of the
particular industries in which to en-
gage. To insure a regular and suf-
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1919-03-16
Business Exploded boy Peace Leaves u Scrap Hear

stituted per cent of the explosives
produced by the organization, and dur
ing the strife, n per cent. The
amount of dynamite used in blasting
and construction is regarded as an e.
ceilent barometer of industrial activ-
ity, rival of steel. Now the pendulum
is shifting back, and, if the nascent
plans of the du Pont company mature
FULLY, 1t is not unlikely that the MAX
ing of explosives eventually will take
a secondary place to the manufacture
OF other chemical products.
The condition of the guncotton and
smokeless powder plants at this time
epitomizes the adjustment that has
been made throughout the world since
hostilities ceased. Before the armis-
tice was signed S5,638 men and women
were straining themselves to the ut
most in the du Pont plants to keep
America and the Allies equipped with
adequate munitions. If one regards
the war partly as an adventure in sci
ence 1T must be conceded that the Ger
mans met powerful resistance at Car
neys Point; Hopewell, Va; Nashville,
Tenn, and all the other great NUM-
tions centres in this country. While
the fame Of war lit up the whole world
with it's intensive fare, the American
munition centres, crowded and busy.
trembled with activity and groaned
under the pressure of industrial pro-
ductivity without precedent. Although
the product made in these mills were
the instruments Of death, these plants
typified life. Now in their still mo-
notony they seem to represent death,
possibly the death of an institution
whose extinction all the world would
welcome.
The great smokeless powder plant at
Nashville, the capacity of which was
100000 pounds day, is now virtually
inactive. The great she'll roading plant
at Penniman, Va, which employed
5000 workers, is now quiescent in the
hands of the government. The smoke
less powder plant at Haskell, N. j.,
which also employed 5000 at the peak
of its activity, is fast approaching a
dead halt. The smokeless powder plant
at Parlin, N. j., in which 5000 men
and women worked, may, for all prac-
teal purposes, be considered closed.
And 80 for the powder plants at Car
neys Point, and the great guncotton
works at Hopewell, where the du Pont
village is now all but abandoned. The
INT plant at Barksdale, Wis, which
was the centre of war activity for
1000 persons, now limps along with
400 men, making dynamite for normal
purposes. And at Seven Pines, Va,
where the powder was placed in silk
bags from which the guns were event
ually loaded, the 1000 war workers
have gone into other work. The plant
is idle.